Flipped learning is one of the modern pedagogy to facilitate the new teaching and learning needs.
Among other pedagogies like BYOD, 1:1 and many such, Flipped Learning turns out to balancing the essence of traditional teaching intact, keeping values and human touch alive to the modern and mandatory introduction of technology in place.
Commonly explained as a pedagogical model, Flipped Classrooms are those in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, while in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects, or discussions.
In this post I have mentioned the commonly used tools by educators to flip their classroom and some tips that they will find helpful for the same.
Check out the list of tools below!
Tegrity is a great tool that is used for flipping the class. It records each and every activity that is performed on a teacher’s computer. Audio of the teacher can also be added by simply adding a microphone to the computer. If you add a web-cam, and a tablet you would be able to record the video of the teacher and his writing actions as well. Tegrity is also integrated with a Course Management System, Angel, so after completion of lecture recording, these are uploaded automatically for the students. To use Tegrity, you don’t have to change your teaching style. As a teacher or instructor, you can manage the number of students you want to share the recording links with, and can delete the recordings whenever you want, or save them for future.
As a student, you have freedom to find a specific portion of a lesson, bookmark it, and you can also send electronic questions to your teachers. This tool helps you access materials easily, even from your smartphone.
Jing helps with Show me videos which can be extremely helpful for learners. You can create and post help resources online with this free software. You can capture your screen, a photo to annotate and explain, or create a video of the steps that students need to follow. Although Jing is free, you must install the software to your computer and your videos cannot be longer than 5 minutes long.
By far one of the most popular educational web tools available, Poll Everywhere is being used by classrooms, conferences, and with audiences large and small to get instant feedback. From presentations to keynotes to question-and-answer situations, it’s a useful (and free) tool for any classroom. The tool makes itself a perfect method for garnering feedback from students, by students. The teacher doesn’t even need to be involved. According to what we’re hearing from our friends who wrote in, flipped classrooms use Poll Everywhere to enable students to keep track of the learning process among their classmates. Giving students control of the tool has proven to be quite effective.
Celly is a hit with schools with limited network reliability and availability. It works by letting groups of people (classrooms, student groups, etc.) create a ‘cell’ using the app. A cell is a mobile social network that works with any mobile phone or device. Members can join instantly with one text and exchange group messages, polls, reminders, and web alerts. Students use Celly to connect with one another at anytime, anywhere. They use the text-based social network to pose questions of each other, direct learning, and even create assignments based on where students want to go in their learning next.
Screencast-o-matic is a tool that helps a teacher in recording everything they do does on their computer. They can also add audio to the recording with the help of a microphone. This tool can be especially helpful when teaching involves modeling the use of online tools and resources as students can effectively watch over the shoulder of the teacher. As a teacher you don’t have to install any software to use this tool, as it is run directly from the website. If you set up a free account on their website, you’ll get 15 minutes of free recording, video uploading, and you can directly publish the recorded material to YouTube.
For more information you must check this Flipped-Learning Toolkit: Let’s Talk Tech by Jon Bergmann that mentions of various tools!
Some Tips For Educators:
Collaboration Is Important (For Everyone). One of the greatest benefits of the flipped classroom is the opportunity it provides for collaboration. In class, students can work together in groups to share the information they’ve gained from the content at home. Just as the students in a group can fill the gaps in one another’s knowledge, the various groups in a classroom can also interact to share their learning. The teacher is available to provide solutions the class can’t reach collaboratively and provide a focus for discussion. This collaborative activities facilitates for the group based learning needs. Not just these activities help then in better understanding of the topic but also help them in developing some essential skills. Remember, collaboration isn’t limited to students; teachers can also collaborate on their flipped learning resources. Flipping a classroom for the first time can be a steep learning curve, and help from your peers makes it an easier climb. Share advice, worries, skills and resources with the teachers in your school or network.
Be upfront with learners about pre-class expectations. Be clear and specific about what work they need to accomplish independently—and that pre-class videos, podcasts, reading materials, and other assignments are not optional, but preparation for in-class, workshop-like exercises. You may have to assess learners’ understanding of pre-class assignments to make best use of in-class time.
Prepare for the unexpected during in-class exercises. Agility and flexibility are often over-used terms in business, but they are appropriate in the case of flipped learning. Because more time is spent interacting in the classroom with learners and applying new knowledge and behaviors to real work challenges, instructors and facilitators need to be prepared for unforeseen things to happen. You may need to let your learners set the pace of learning.
Invest time and resources in preparing quality pre-class materials. Don’t be misled into thinking flipping simply means recording a current lecture and posting to website. You will need to rethink existing course materials to determine what portions must remain in print and what can move to video. Spend time finding out what is out there already, then spend more time on the timing, sequencing, and creating clear instructions. Create your own videos or materials as needed, not every lesson.
What’s your take on the introducing flipped learning in classrooms? Share with us in the comment section below.
