Resources to Support Flipped Learning

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Resources to Support Flipped Learning

Following are some tools and resources to support Flipped Learning in your classroom:

SCREENCASTING

Screencasting is the process of recording your computer screen while adding your own voice narration to it. Screencasting has become increasingly popular due to the growing availability of free recording tools as well as the integration of flipped classroom instruction strategies. See this video for tips on how to record an effective screencast.   

Screencast-O-Matic is arguably the best free screencasting program for use on a PC or Mac computer. The free version allows you to record up to 15 minute videos which can be uploaded to YouTube or downloaded to your computer. Editing is limited to trimming the beginning and ending portions of your video. To learn more, see this Video Tutorial 

Screencastify allows you to record a screencast on a Chromebook. Screencastify is a Chrome extension that will work on a PC or Mac as well as long as you are using Google Chrome as your browser. While Screencastify is more limiting than Screencast-O-Matic, it has some nice annotation tools and is ideal for having your students create screencasts. Screencastify is free. See video tutorial to learn more.

Note: There is an OnDemand course available to support your learning about these screencasting tools.

RESOURCES FOR EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS

You don't have to always create your own videos. You are all familiar with YouTube as a source for free videos. However, there are some other excellent sources available to you, and many contain only educational or high quality content. Here are a few to check out.

• http://www.schooltube.com/
• Mainly videos
• http://www.watchknowlearn.org/
• Videos searchable by subject, common core standard, grade level, etc.
• http://www.teachertube.com/
• Video, audio, docs, collections, playlists, etc.
• http://www.mnvideovault.org/
• Twin Cities PBS video archives.
• https://www.khanacademy.org/
• Math, and much more! Create classrooms and track progress.

• https://ed.ted.com
• The TED Student Talks Program supports students as they discover, explore and present their big ideas in the form of short, TED-style talks.

Share your favorite sources for educational videos in this Answer Garden.

EDPUZZLE

EdPuzzle allows you to hold viewers more accountable to the screencasts or videos they watch. This is ideal for flipped classroom lessons. By using EdPuzzle, you can embed questions directly into the videos, requiring students to answer before they can move on. You can also prevent students from skipping ahead in the video, thus requiring them to watch the entire video. The teacher admin console give you access to analytics, including which students watched the video and how they performed on the embedded questions.

• Overview Video
• Tutorial Video

Note: There is an OnDemand course available to support your learning of EdPuzzle.

SEESAW: Adding Videos to Activities

You can embed your videos directly into a Seesaw Activity.

Note: There are two OnDemand courses available to support your learning of flipping using Seesaw:

SCHOOLOGY: Adding Videos to Activities

You can include your videos and those you find into Schoology pages, assignments, discussions and assessments. 

Note:  There are two Schoology OnDemand courses available to support your learning of adding video and other content in Schoology.

BONUS RESOURCES:

#1: http://safeyoutube.net/

• Paste in a Youtube or Vimeo video address to show w/o advertisements, suggested videos or comments appearing.

#2: Create a QR code or post a link.

• Create a QR code that takes students directly to the video or post a web link into Schoology or Seesaw for easy access by students.

#3: Create Captioned Flipped Videos with Google Slides

• This is a new feature released in Slides this past month.

#4: Adding Captions to YouTube Videos

        You can also add captions to your YouTube Videos.

The Flipped Classroom: What, Why and How

An Introduction to Flipped Learning

Most teachers have heard of the Flipped Classroom. However, many of us don't have a full understanding of this approach to teaching and learning. The video below provides an excellent introduction to the Flipped Classroom. The speaker in the clip is Jon Bergman, a former MS and HS science teacher. He is one of the two teachers who pioneered and developed the Flipped movement.

What is a Flipped Classroom?

In its simplest form, a teacher moves the lecture (or content acquisition) out of the classroom and then uses in-class time to facilitate engaging, higher-level learning activities.

A variation of the flipped classroom is a flipped lesson where a video (or other instructional resource) is used in-class as a replacement for whole class instruction. This often occurs during station-rotation or is embedded within a playlist.

Here is a more formal definition presented at the iNACOL conference:

“Flipped Learning is a framework that enables educators to reach every student. The Flipped approach inverts the traditional classroom model by introducing course concepts before class, allowing educators to use class time to guide each student through active, practical, innovative applications of the course principles.“ --Academy of Active Learning Arts and Sciences, 2018

Why Use a Flipped Classroom Approach?

Increased Student Engagement:
In the video above, Bergman says, "The magic of the flipped classroom" is not the videos. It's that students have more time in class for engaging learning activities. The "magic" is increased student engagement. He adds, "It's time to change from passive to active learning, so we can reach every student every day."

Because students are held accountable for their own learning of content, they must also be more engaged in the knowledge acquisition process. No one is doing it for them.

Inquiry and Higher Order Thinking Opportunities:
At the iNACOL conference, Bergman stressed to use in-class time to “give them [students] projects and inquiry activities. That’s where the magic will really happen.” He also emphasized that the flipped classroom can "transform a classroom" into a place where students are “applying, analyzing and creating.”

Increased Individualized Student Contact:
Bergman stresses that at the core of Flipped Learning is an intent to "give struggling students more of what they need--me [the teacher]." Full class instruction limits relationship building with students. Being freed up to interact with students one on one and in smaller groups goes a long way to helping establish deeper relationships with students. Bergman also says, "Flipped learning comes down to relationships," and this helps to turn the classroom into "an active place of learning where there is someone there for them [each student]."

Increased Achievement:
Bergman points out that Flipped Learning has been highly researched (over 500 studies), and the vast majority point to increased student achievement. In fact, there are now entirely flipped universities and even Harvard Medical School has adopted the flipped approach. Flipped learning has also been shown to increase the depth of learning due to the increased level of engagement in class.

A Meta-Strategy:
Bergman calls Flipped Learning a "Meta Teaching Strategy" that supports all others. It is a vehicle to move the classroom to more student-centered, active learning experiences. Below is a slide from his recent iNACOL presentation on Flip 3.0. Flipped Learning allows these other strategies to happen.

How Do I Flip?
Start Small:
Don't feel you need to flip your entire course. You can start by flipping a lesson or using an in-class flip as part of a station rotation or even whole class rotation. Consider content that can easily be understood by the student on his/her own.

Choose Your Method of Sharing Content:
Find a way to move whole class instruction to a independent learning activity. This is most frequently done through a video or screencast, but it does not have to be. The content can be gained through research, reading, listening, a slideshow or engaging with online content and simulations as well.

Design an Engaging, In-Class Experience for Students:
This is the most important part. Be sure you take advantage of the flipped experience to now provide students with a more engaging classroom experience. This could be inquiry based, collaborative, experiential, etc. and can free you up as the teacher to interact more personally and individually with each student.

More To Come
In upcoming tech tips, we'll dive deeper into more of the specifics of Flipped learning. Until then, here are a few additional resources to explore:

1. FLR -- The official online flipped learning eMagazine.
2. The Evolution of Flipped Learning (an infographic)
3. Flipped Classroom Model (video)

Station Rotation: Facilitating Differentiation

Station rotation can be used to support our MTSS model. Let's look at some of the ways this instructional strategy can be leveraged to support differentiation.

Individual or Small Group Interventions
The station rotation model gives teachers an opportunity to meet with individual students or small groups of students for interventions. This typically happens in two main ways:

1. The teacher leads a group of students, usually grouped together by academic need, while other students work in groups.
2. The teacher does not lead a group, but rather monitors student work in all the groups. When the teacher sees a student needing help or enrichment, he or she can pull the student aside or enter the group to provide the needed intervention in real time.

Typically, a teacher will group students intentionally during rotations. There are several meaningful ways to group students to support differentiation.

1. By ability--This allows students to collaborate in stations with appropriately leveled work.
2. By learning style--This allows students to collaborate in stations with tasks that align to their preferred learning style, thus increasing the chance for success.
3. By interests--This allows teachers to differentiate the topics to better appeal to learners' interests, thus potentially increasing motivation within the group.

Individually assigned work at independent work stations

When students are asked to work independently at a station, the tasks can be individually assigned to meet a student's individual needs.

1. Seesaw--When teachers use a 1:1 QR login in their classroom, they can individually assign leveled assignments to students. When students log in, they only see the activities specifically assigned to them. These activities can be created by the teacher or pulled from the Seesaw Activities library. 
2. Schoology--Teachers can individually assign work to leveled groups of students, so students only see the work assigned to them. The teacher could also create leveled folders with activities inside each designed for a group of learners, or leveled versions of the same activity.

Seesaw

Schoology

Create leveled tasks at each station

Another option is for a teacher to provide leveled activities aligned to a learning scale at each station. Based on a pre-assessment or teacher assignment, students would know which level of activity to complete in each station. A benefit of this option is that if the activity becomes too easy for the student, he or she can make the choice to move up to the next level.

In this example, students have access to three similar tasks in a station, and they choose the activity matched to their level on the learning scale. If they master a lower level, they are able to try the more difficult next level.

In this example from our fall professional development, teachers were asked to review resources based on their placement on our blended learning scale.

Station Rotation: Building in the 4 Cs

Building in the 4 Cs

While we must teach to the standards and provide our students with strong content knowledge, this is not enough. We must empower them with transferable skills that will allow them to navigate the unseen changes that lie ahead. A simple and powerful model for this is represented by the 4 Cs:

• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Collaboration
• Creation

ISD728 has created a visual representation of this that is integrated with the ISTE standards. Feel free to use this in your planning and with your students.

Integrate the 4 Cs into Station Rotation

Station Rotation provides an excellent opportunity to integrate the 4 Cs into student work. A great strategy is to make sure at least one of the 4 Cs is being practiced by students in each station. Here are some ideas for building in the 4 Cs:

• Station idea: Work with a partner to practice a skill (collaboration, communication).
• Station idea: Work with a partner or small group to solve a problem (collaboration, communication, critical thinking)
• Station idea: Create something to demonstrate learning (critical thinking, creativity).
• Station idea: Students create something with someone else to demonstrate, apply or extend learning (all 4 Cs!).
• Station idea: Work with teacher on challenging thought processes (critical thinking, communication)

Creating with Partners or Groups

When students work with others to create something, they must practice all 4 Cs. This can be powerful, real-world skill building at its best. Common group tasks include the following:

• apply recent learning
• solve problems
• completing projects (project based learning)
• communicate recent learning
• practice skills by applying them through tech-rich creation

Another idea is to ask yourself, "What will students do with this in the real world?" and "What is the most authentic use of this information?" With these questions in mind, empower students to use the technology at their hands to tackle these questions.

Available Technology and Creation Tools

Here are some helpful links to resources available to our students at ISD728. Browse them to get new ideas that can help you meet your teaching objectives and empower students to engage in their learning through use of the 4 Cs.

• Chromebook Creation Tools
• iPad Apps Compatible with Seesaw
• iPad Apps for Kindergarten and Early Childhood
• iPad Apps for Grade 1
• iPad Apps for Grade 2

Station Rotation: Classroom Management Tips

Station Rotation Classroom Management Tips

A station rotation lesson requires some different classroom management strategies than a
traditional lesson. To help you make the implementation of station rotation more effective,
here are a few tips.

Set up your expectations for movement and callbacks.

• Transition Signals: Create a signal to warn students a rotation is about to end or post a visible timer for students to see. Some popular timers include the classroom screen website and YouTube timers embedded into slideshows. To find YouTube video timers, just use a search query like “10 minute timer.”

• Callbacks: Create a callback protocol to bring your class back to attention from individual and/or group work. Be sure to clearly communicate this and practice it before using it during a real lesson. Some of the best callbacks include multiple senses (voice response plus an action). Here is a list of 75 verbal callbacks. Consider adding actions to these.

• Rotation Slideshows: Create a slideshow to help students know their group assignments and where to go next. Here are some slideshow templates you can use or customize.

• Group Creation Tools: When you don’t need to group students by ability or skill level, use Flippity Random Name Picker or add student names to this Google Sheets template and randomize the order of names to create new groups.

• Organize Resources: Create a clear, accessible system for getting group materials to your students. Some common practices are organizing materials into Schoology folders and Seesaw Activities or QR codes. Videos can be posted in these locations to give students directions for how to complete the station.

Build and practice behavior norms for your classroom.

• Involve students in this process. Have them help define what expected behavior looks like/sounds like and does not look like/does not sound like using T-Charts. This give students ownership in the norms and increases likelihood that they will adhere to them.
• Practice a Gradual Release of Responsibility (ASCD).
• Build basic elements for cooperative learning into group activities.
• Practice station skills in small chunks if needed. Consider practicing group rotations with skill building or team building tasks before completing academic tasks.
• For younger students, walk through the rotation process before completing academic tasks.
• Reward good behavior. For instance, randomly select 2 students per day to evaluate their behavior and reward them if they do a good job. Incentives can be extra credit points or positive referral tickets/points. If students don’t earn points, tell the class why they weren’t earned, but don’t reveal the name picked.
• Go slow to go fast. Set strong expectations early on, even if that means moving at a slower pace at first. This will allow you to move faster with fewer problems later.
• Assign roles in the groups for individual accountability (recorder, timekeeper, facilitator).

Station Rotation: What, Why and How

Station Rotation: What, Why, How

The upcoming tech tips will be a series focused on the various blended learning models. The first series of tips will focus on station rotation. The next several weeks will include the following station rotation topics:

• Week 1: Overview: What, why and how to implement station rotations
• Week 2: How to Manage Stations
• Week 3: How to use stations to foster 4 Cs
• Week 4: How to use stations to support MTSS (differentiation)
• Week 5: How your LMS (Schoology/Seesaw) can be used to facilitate stations

What is station rotation?

The station rotation model (Christensen Institute)

"This video provides a dive into the Station Rotation model used in Catlin’s blended classroom where she details her horizontal lesson planning approach to establish smaller learning communities with similar needs in her classroom, allowing her to provide more individualized attention to her students."

How and why should I use station rotations?

How and why to integrate station rotations (Catlin Tucker)

"This video provides a dive into the Station Rotation model used in Catlin’s blended classroom where she details her horizontal lesson planning approach to establish smaller learning communities with similar needs in her classroom, allowing her to provide more individualized attention to her students."

Blended Learning: The best of the best

Blending the best of Face to Face with the best of Online Learning

This year, our district and building tech goals revolve around the successful implementation of Blended Learning. To support this goal, upcoming tech tips will focus on various components of blended learning and how you can leverage blended learning models and tools to improve teaching and learning. This week's tip includes a few resources to refresh your memory about the definition of Blended Learning. The image below contains the definition of Blended Learning from the Christensen Institute, the leading organization researching Blended Learning. Check out their website for a wide variety of resources.

Key takeaways:

• Must have some element of face to face.
• Must have some element of digital/online.
• Students can controls some element of time, place, path and/or pace.
• Face to face and digital components must work together (be integrated).

To review the introductory videos from our District Professional Development day in August, click the links below.

• WHY Blended Learning (2:30)
• Definition (1:15)