Flipped Instruction

1) Under what circumstances can this method be beneficial for your students?

I think flipped learning is a great strategy for students who struggle with traditional note taking. With a video, students are able to pause at any moment if they get lost are confused with the material. Further, students who might normally be afraid to ask questions in class would be able to note questions they have and ask the teacher about them individually or via email. For a math class in particular, students have the ability to complete problems during class time and ask questions about the homework versus only getting a few minutes of time to complete homework problems after listening to a lecture.

2) How can occasionally Flipping your classroom help you reclaim "lost instructional time"?

I think flipping your classroom would particularly help with students who are frequently absent or who miss the initial lesson for a unit. Having a video that students can access to catch up on material would help them reclaim lost instructional time. It would also make it easier for myself, as I wouldn't have to find time within class to help catch up particular students.

3) Developing content is time consuming, where can you find quality, relevant sources for Flipping your instruction?

Flippedteaching.com has a whole resource page that lists sites that a teacher can use to help develop videos for their students. There are lots of people who currently do flipped learning, so looking at their example would help. In the district, I know of several teachers who are already flipping their classrooms, so we have local sources as well to help us troubleshoot this concept. 

In math, there already is a great website called Khan Academy that has worked out problems in videos for students to access. 

Introduction Reflection

It seems like the article didn't really connect with the prompt of the question.

As a special educator, I can relate to over identifying students as having ADD or ADHD. If classrooms were more engaging, would students be less bored and more likely to participate in class? Would this also lead to a decline in students who are labeled with attention deficit disorders? I don't think the two are as connected as the writer suggests, because if a student truly has ADD or ADHD, adding interactive activities won't make that simply disappear.

I do think we should look for ways to grab students' interests and provide them with more opportunities for collaborative learning. The blog that the article is written for is one example of using a Web 2.0 activity to provide students with a different way of learning.

As an instructor, I would need to make sure my students were fully aware of how to utilize a given tool to develop a rich learning environment. I have found that students aren't necessarily as comfortable with different types of technology, unless it can be easily accessed and utilized. To help build comfort with different tools, I would need to create a safe learning environment where mistakes are ok, provide student friendly user guides, and be available to address any and all concerns that students have.

Tech 2 Introduction

Here is my introduction.