Flipped Classroom Learning Experience Day 1

I was blessed today to spend hours with seventeen teachers who want to get better!  Our motivation for getting better was the opportunity to learn about the flipped classroom.  I incorporated and modeled many tools that teachers can use as I thought modeling would be a great method for introducing and learning philosophies, methods of, and tools to produce exemplary flip classed environments.  Below are the complete presentations and resources that go with them that were used today!

History Of Flip Classroom

• Provided a great beginning to what a flip class started out as and where it is going.
• Introduced todaysmeet.com as a viable tool for communicating with students
• Slide six was an Evernote that was created with Clearly Chrome Extension app
• Slide eight provided a two minute video of the founders
• Slide nine provided four minutes of multiple examples of Flipped Class content

Addressing A Need In Your Classroom & Possible Solutions

• Incorporated iTunesU Flip 101 to introduce three types of a Flipped Classroom
• Traditional Flip
• In-class supplement
• Challenged Based Learning
• Introduced Flipgrid.com as a viable way to gather video assessment or reflection

Names Of People Who Are Using Flipped Education

• Thankful for so many people willing to share their knowledge and their questions
• #FlipClass twitter stream was introduced
• Flippedlearning.org learning community introduced
• Used Google Forms to acquire reflection on articles that participants found interesting
• Also used music during the reflection time...once three songs played, reflection time concluded

Tools Teachers Can't Live Without

• Created "Turn In Folder" for participants...participants were the students
• Google Drive became a clear cut favorite as a work flow solution
• Provided numerous free and paid canvas creating tools
• Provided numerous free and paid screen recording options
• Additional iPad app resources were introduced and demonstrated
• Video hosting tools were introduced and explained
• Participants used the "Turn In Folder"to provide reflection on resources
• Provided four (4) options for FREE Cloud storage of videos

Questions You Won't Ask In Person

• Utilized Google Forms for students to ask questions; questions and answers will start Day 2
• Homework
• Bring content from participant's class to start planning a lesson
• Participate in the #Flipclass chat on Monday night from 7-8 Central
• Reflect on the #Flipclass chat using Google Document & the "Turn It In Folder" 

Teacher Tells Their Story - Episode 4

Mrs. McCumber took time out to tell us how she is using Todaysmeet.com to facilitate learning.

Twitter Failure Produced TodaysMeet Success

Back in October 2012, Mr. Seamandel wanted to use Twitter with his ninth grade students as a means for communicating about writing.

Many problems occurred:

• Couldn't log in on iPad consistently
• Couldn't log out on iPad consistently
• Couldn't adjust profile
• Students really didn't understand (at that time) how Twitter worked
• Couldn't access computers consistently to accommodate the learning environment

From that stemmed a great trial of a technology tool, todaysmeet.com , that created an incredible learning environment.

A room was set up for students to create and comment on Haiku poems that were created by students.  As Mr. Seamandel states,

First we did a basic exercise to ensure that students knew how it (Todaysmeet) worked.  Then, I had them write a haiku alone, or with a friend.   It had to fit the standard conventions of a haiku -- 5-7-5 and relating to nature. (Some students became stuck, and I allowed them to write about whatever they could think of.)  This worked out great because no student was really willing to read or share what they had written, but jumped at the opportunity to post it online and have peers read it as it popped up on the board.  Ended up being a great exercise and a way to showcase writing/poetry without tying a name to it!

While the room that was created for this has expired, a great feature of todaysmeet.com, the opportunity to use a technology tool to engage students in poetry was outstanding!