What Exactly is a Flipped Classroom?

Before reading any articles I had no clue what a flipped classroom was. Even at first when I began to skim the articles I was not convinced. At first thought I would have to agree with many skeptics f the flipped classroom idea. I thought a flipped classroom takes value out of coming to school if what is being taught is all on the internet and that students could watch the videos online and not feel they need to attend class because they have already leaned what thy were going to learn in class. 

I have a better understanding of how a flipped classroom could be run successfully. Seven Things You Should Know About a Flipped Classroom gave me a good understanding about differences in flipped classroom learning. The article discussed how a classroom could be run with a flipped approach. It discussed how there is no one single way of doing it but the one common standard is that the lecture portion happens at hoe on the students time and the class time is spend essentially doing the homework at home. A flipped classroom can absolutely be a successful way of teaching higher education students, I would personally find it as a nice change of pace from a traditional learning style. A flipped classrooms gives a student an opportunity to take more time to understand a topic instead of taking a massive amount of notes very quickly to read at home later that hopefully make sense. In my time as a undergrad I noticed many students recording the professor during lectures they could listen to exactly what was said in class later at home. I think the flipped classroom would also be beneficial because it almost encourages a student to ask a question at class the following day if they still do not completely understand a topic, or for them to just google the topic themselves and do more reading about it.

I could absolutely support a flipped classroom in a higher education classroom. As I pursue my elementary and special education license I do not see how a flipped classroom would be as beneficial for younger students and students with special needs. But I would love to be convinced otherwise! 

The Art of Storytelling

The art of storytelling is something that a generation maybe loosing. Telling stories around a fire or to a room orally is something that not all will have a chance to experience. This ancient form of communication is something that should not be lost. The article, The Science of Storytelling: Why Telling a Story is the Most Powerful Way to Activate Our Brains talks about how story telling connects the speaker and the lister and how they both can learn from each other. Story telling is the first was the humans entertained each other. Through fables that were eventually written down and are not the beloved children's stories that we still hear.

In a job  as a summer camp counselor I learned and mastered telling stories, as every good camp counselor should. I learned how to get people attention with my stories with pauses and getting silence with my own silence, I learned to scare and excite and instill other emotions thorough words alone. I believe that because I was given a chance to perfect my storytelling skills that is has made me a more effective communicator. Since I was given a chance to tell stores around camp fire it made me a better public speaker, I can project my voice without yelling and get and hold the attention of a room, skills that will help me be a better teacher. Whenever I had a camper ask if they could tell a story i always said yes, because it gave them a chance to improve their story telling skills, and as always a good chance for a laugh because kids always had the funniest stories to tell. 

iPads in the Classroom

Since I started working at a therapeutic day school last April I have gained first hand experience of students using iPads and other devices as a primary means of communication. The school that I work at is about 70% autism as a primary diagnosis. I have seen may of these communication devices in use and seen the benefits and the joy on kid faces as they learn to use them.

Last week a students in my classroom received an iPad as a communication device for the first time. They have a long way to go before they can effectually use it to communicate. The first time they received the device and after after an introduction to it from the speech therapist the students would smile wile "babbling," playing with the buttons to hear what they say, learning the in and outs of the device and their new way to communicate with the world. They are already started to use it to communicate wants and needs. They can now let a teacher know when they need to use the restroom instead of having to sign it or find a picture of it or wait to be asked, the student now has the power to communicate their needs on their own. 

iPads in general are a new technology implemented in classrooms. I would agree that there is still research to be done to determine the effectiveness of iPads in school as a learning tool. In one of the videos this week a teacher gives a student an iPad as an alternative to papers to learning the alphabet and the attention quickly improves and you can see learning happening. I had a similar experience with student in teaching the alphabet. Though at times the iPad is also distracting to the student since they know how to exit guided access and get to a preferred game on the iPad this making the iPad a distraction rather than effective learning tool. 

My New Education Blog!

I am very excited about technology in education!