As my first assignment was based around flipping the classroom I was looking forward to this week's session. Having set up my maths weebly I have dipped my toe into flipped learning and am really enjoying the results, so I was looking forward to the chance of exploring the concept further.
We started by discussing Blended Learning, which it should be noted does not automatically equal Flipped Learning. As flipping has become more popular, people have started to see the two terms as interchangeable. However flipped learning is just one technique of many. Blended learning refers to having a combination of face to face and online learning and it could fall anywhere on that continuum. A standout quote for me from our session was that it does not mean the addition of technology, it means redesigning your teaching from the ground up to make use of the technology.
This graphic gives a good overview of some blended learning models. Further information can be found here Blended Learning Definitions
We then proceeded to have a good play with Blendspace. This was amazing! It is such a powerful tool, and has a huge range of features available for free. I have really enjoyed using Weebly to design a site for flipped learning, and I do prefer the layout and appearance of my Weebly site over blendspace as well. However, I created the same lesson on Blendspace that I had previously done on Weebly and it took me a fraction of the time. Blendspace is designed specifically for this purpose so everything is quick, easy and very user friendly. You can add any combination of youtube videos, graphics, links, quizzes and text to a lesson. It is also designed for children to log in so you can control what lessons they have access to, and keep track of what they are doing. I haven't yet had a chance to explore this further, but I am very keen to give it a go in class. It has amazing potential and I think it will probably suit my needs better than my current system.
Flipped learning allows you to redesign class time for more active learning and engagement. A good wee overview can be found in this video:
The idea is students watch videos outside class to avoid long periods of teacher talk and enable class time to be spent working on activities rather than sitting and listening. You can also flip inside the classroom, which is what I have been doing with my maths Weebly. This way also avoids any issues with students having limited access to online resources at home.
I think it is a very exciting concept that I am already seeing benefit from in my teaching, even though I have only just scratched the surface. I have been able to redesign my maths rotations and give more teacher time where it is most needed. I do need to adapt it for younger children, and it will always be a modified version as they are less independent, however it definitely still works and I'm looking forward to expanding how I use it in the classroom.
Flipped learning does have downsides, and one of the biggest is probably the initial investment of time required for setup. This is why I was so excited about Blendspace, as the whole process seems like it could be streamlined. I definitely feel the positives are worth it, however I'm already finding it difficult to keep up with my small site and it frequently falls down the list when juggling everything I have to do. This was a reflection from our group on the positives and negatives of flipped learning:
Leading Online Discussions
This part of the session has ended up being so valuable for me, as in the short time since Thursday's session I have become a complete Twitter addict! I never got into Twitter for myself, but opened a teaching account earlier this year after getting the message at every PD session I went to that it was the best thing I could be doing. I quickly saw how exciting a tool it is, and enjoyed discovering resources that would pop up in my feed. However I knew I wasn't realising its full potential, and I didn't really understand how to make the most of it.
We had a practice chat in class last week, which helped me start to see how it all worked, though I still found it confusing and hard to follow. When I got home I downloaded TweetDeck and my whole experience changed! With the ability to set up a column and follow a particular hashtag, I understood how to watch and participate in organised chats and keep track of relevant content. That very evening I tried my first chat and had a go at joining in with #edchatnz. I was quite nervous but was too excited not to jump straight in! I then found myself keenly searching for more and participated in #includEDau and #digitaledchat.
Well a whole new world has opened up now. What an incredible tool that leads to such fantastic sharing of resources, networking, support and collaboration. I figure too that it is a pretty good indication of its effectiveness that it can make me want to engage in school-related discussions at 9pm on a Sunday night!
I have found the parallells between this and what we have been discussing in class fascinating. We have had many conversations around learning happening everywhere and not just in formal teaching spaces, about collaboration between students, and about them being able to access information anywhere, anytime. After one of my chat sessions I commented to my partner that I felt I had got so much more out of that hour than some formal PD sessions I have attended, which also made me consider how I feel about the fact that my Twitter time doesn't 'count' as PD.
This has been quite eye opening considering myself as the student. We have commented that the teacher is no longer the sole source of knowledge and that our job is now to teach the skills our students require. I do feel I will start to have different expectations in my own learning now that I have access to such brilliant networks online.
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