Flipped Lessons

May 7, 2012

The school year is almost over! It always speeds up at the end. And we all need to RELAX and ENJOY sleeping in, gardening, vacation trips—and then we get excited about our classrooms again. Summer is also the perfect time to remodel your curriculum and have fun with it!

If you’ve been thinking about flipping your classroom, now is a great time to go “shopping” for a hosting platform that works for you. It’s a place where you can upload videos and have them all ready to go, for partial or complete lessons with quizzes, that will give you the data you need to be on top of it from the beginning next year (I love that feeling!).

While we are currently working on a remodel to make things smoother and easy to use, you can check out www.flippedlessons.com and test it out by making a lesson. It’s free to use! But don’t worry, if you want to start uploading now they will still be there for you in the fall on the shinny, newly remodeled website you are sure to love.

Enjoying the sun,

Kathryn from Flipped Lessons

kat@flippedlessons.com

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March 22, 2012

It’s nice to remember you don’t have to flip every day.

https://www.phoenix.edu/forward/careers/2012/03/could-the-flipped-classroom-method-revolutionize-teaching.html

The article above inspired a few thoughts for me. Teacher Lisa Highfill is speaking about her experiences flipping her class, and I have recently read of teachers to intimidated by the new change and how to begin.

Another thing I think Highfill is doing right is not stressing about a video every day. I think it’s especially important to tell yourself you can start with a trial, and see how it makes you and your class feel. One video—and then ask how it went. Were you proud of it? Did it do what it was supposed to do? Remember, you do have to find/make a quality presentation, but you are saving class time and opening up communication lines. You can also reuse videos (updated when needed) the next semester, year, or even the next hour’s class. The first time, give students at least three days to complete and check to make sure they have access to a computer and internet. Using a site like Flipped Lessons (www.flippedlessons.com) tells you exactly when a student completed the assignment and what they answered on the questionnaire. Public or school computers can be used if not at home. This is nothing new to students in this tech age.

Another very important point made is this:

She is concerned that many people still have a lot to learn about the new method. “I’m so worried that people get the wrong message. They get the feeling that the kids are teaching themselves. That’s not what I’m doing.”

No, the teachers are not slacking. They are using what makes sense and getting more into a class. While parents may not understand this right away, explain what happens during class time. If some are still upset, get your principal on board and invite the parent to sit in during class. This can be a very eye-opening experience for parents. The energy in a working classroom alone can “wow” tough parents (not to mention their child is usually very good that day).

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March 7, 2012

Stress and learning

Have you ever been to stressed out to learn? Yes, we’ve all been there. For me, it was middle school math. As a student who did not excel in algebra, I was the one who would hold up class trying to grasp a concept, and learned it was easier for the class if I just fell behind. The problem became that I remained behind, and could not figure out how to complete the problems from home.

Panic and stress became a part of my math experience. I became convinced I could not learn that particular subject matter. I fiercely wish that having an understandable, comprehensive lesson to rewind had been a part of my learning experience.

This article was interesting to me about both teacher and student stress:

http://wapo.st/joPgj8

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March 6, 2012

Another new report-Flipping Advantages!

http://bit.ly/zqv8s0

I viewed a similarly changed classroom on January 30th, which was the global open house for Flipped Classrooms. Mr. Greg Blatz was our host to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade math classes in session that day located at St. Thomas Aquinas school in Indianapolis. As his first year flipping, he has made several preparations over the summer before instituting it this fall.

The biggest question when instituting the flip is what video material you will use. We have noticed many teachers feel more comfortable making their own videos from scratch, lecturing and using podcast images just as they would to a class. They then know exactly what is being taught and the personal connection remains between student and teacher. Mr. Blatz used online videos that came with the text books, but planned to remake videos in his own way for next year over the summer break. (Perhaps he will use FlippedLessons.com!)

One question that everyone asks is “What about students without home computers or home internet connection?” Mr. Blatz said he was ready for this with several handheld mp3 devices with screens ready to be sent home, and also dvds of the videos if nothing else worked. However, of all his students, only two had either no computer or unreliable connection, and both were able to find time to watch presentations at the school before class or at the public library.

Talking to students in the class, the response to the change was very positive. Students who wanted to improve were more capable and felt stronger as learners. Mr. Blatz agreed that he feels this way of teaching is the right thing to and could not go back, because it would not be to his student’s benefit.

Moving forward to improve education is what it’s all about. The Flipped Lessons team could not agree more! Thank you to Mr. Blatz for the window into your flipped classroom.

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March 2, 2012

You can now upload your videos to Flipped Lessons!

Teachers, when creating a lesson at FlippedLessons.com, you can still use You Tube videos, Vimeo videos, but now you can upload straight to our site! Host lessons and make life one step easier while flipping your classroom.

Coming soon: Tutorial videos on how to use Flipped Lessons to create lessons!

Happy Friday And Dr. Suess’ Birthday,

Kathryn

Flipped Lessons CreativeDirector

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March 1, 2012

Open House for Flipped Classrooms-Jan 30th

The Flipped Lessons team was really lucky and was invited into a flipped classroom on the Global Open House day a month ago. Later I would love to write more, but for now, check out this article and video made from that day:

http://bit.ly/xNEpYN

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February 29, 2012

What’s your dream?

What if you could record, upload, insert questions and quizzes, and have lists of all the best educational videos available on the web, compile these elements to create lessons and share lessons—-all on one site?

We are working toward this vision at FlippedLessons.com, and hope to work with all teachers in the future as flipping classrooms become the best solution to education throughout the world! As we work, I want to make sure we’re headed in the right direction—so, what do YOU want? What else am I missing? Fellow teachers, please check my work. =0)