In Northern Virginia's editorial article, Technology Goes to School, the author makes the point that flipped classrooms, blended learning and one to one programs are changing the way students learn and think. "In a 21st century model, it's not what you know that's important, it's what you can do with that knowledge."
Digital technology breaks down barriers and enhances learning. This article states that pen and paper are not going extinct, but that technology is there to improve the learning experience.
We don’t see pen and paper as extinct,” says Timothy Flynn, director of instructional services in Loudoun County Public Schools. “There is always a place for books, reading and writing. Technology is not a substitute but an enhancement. Our emphasis is always on instruction and how technology can improve it.”
There are many ways that technology is creating new excitement in Loudoun County students. They are finding connections with the outside world and bringing those connections to the classroom. Specifically, flipped classrooms can free up more time to discuss and analyze the content with their teacher.
When addressing the concern about increased technology use leading to too much screen time, Derek Kelley, coordinator of instructional technology integration at Fairfax County Public Schools, said, "This gives the students more control over how, what and where they learn,"
Many of the classrooms in Fairfax County are flipped, which allows students more time to collaborate face to face. It actually reduces screen time because students are doing their homework, watching videos, at home, and then coming to school to work in groups.
Overall, the article points out that flipped classrooms are just one of the many ways that technology is improving our classrooms. It's time for us to embrace all of the possibilities, rather than being afraid and stagnant.
At a recent conference, my Icelandic/Norwegian colleagues and I were talking about blended and flipped classrooms. One of them referred to what I call, the traditional definition (similar to the one you use throughout this blog): flipped classroom traditionally means watching videos (like Khan academy resources) to learn content, then students interact in project-based activities in class. They argued that there is only one definition of flipped learning. However, I have seem many different definitions and implementations. Does flipped classroom always refer to using videos? Your post indicates there are other ways to facilitate a flipped classroom.
ReplyDeleteAre we stuck with this traditional and strict definition or can this concept be expanded or modified? Please comment :)
Great question Dawn! I think that flipped classrooms do not always involve videos. One of the many things I got out of this book is the various ways to make a flipped classroom happen. I will expand on this in a new blog post.
DeleteDawn, I will gladly offer to go study blended and flipped classrooms in Iceland! I've always wanted to go!
DeleteI was wondering the same thing as Dawn. The one teacher that will be on my team next year, as always done Just videos for math. Are there other ways to teach it? Also How does it work in other subjects like Social Studies. In my mind I guess, it could be reading pages of the textbook, one of the Virginia Studies Weekly (4th grade :) ) etc.
ReplyDeleteI was not a huge fan of flipped classrooms, this got me thinking though.I could do more projects and activities during class, if they did most of the "learning" part at home. It will be interesting to see if I try any of the flipped idea next year, especially since we are moving toward the, no homework end. side of things now.
hey Nick! I just finished a blog post on this but wanted to comment here too. I think the tricky part is to determine what's the difference between "read this for homework" and " learn this ahead of large group time" Another big hurdle would be actually making sure that students do the work.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for group projects and group collaborations in the classroom but I see a challenge with students actually doing the work/learning when they're away from school - I guess if it was some sort of online module then you would know who has done the work, but I see the suffering come when only half the class has done the work and the rest struggle catching up during class project time. I guess over time they would learn the process and expectations of what they need to do when not in class. This sort of falls into my topic of students as designers and empowering students to take ownership of their learning.
ReplyDelete