A Technology Book Review

I read a lot of books on technology in the classroom and implement many of the ideas I learn about, but one thing I haven't really attempted in earnest yet is a flipped classroom.  I found a great guide for teachers starting this practice, called The Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture, by Jackie Gerstein.  Dr. Gerstein is an instructor at several universities, having earned her Ed.D. at Northern Illinois University.  She has written several books on classroom instruction which are very popular among educators.  This book is licensed under a NonCommercial Creative Commons license, so it can be found at a very low price from sellers such as Amazon, and is well worth the purchase.

The book starts out with a simple section on what the flipped classroom is, and how websites like Khan Academy have steered education away from they typical teacher/student format that has been around for many years.  Video has always been very popular in classrooms, so why not harness it to create a classroom where more learning and less lecture takes place?  Why do we teach, then assign homework when the students can learn at home and practice in the classroom?  Time, perhaps our most precious aspect of teaching, can be saved and utilized most efficiently.

The book then embarks on how to rethink our ways of teaching and its effectiveness.  Dr. Gerstein cites several other experts in this section and introduces their ideas on flipping classroom.  It clearly lays out the types of teaching that flipping accommodates best, and that it is certainly not a fix-all to issues we face as teachers in the classroom every day.  Perhaps the key detail in this section is that flipping the classroom gives teachers the opportunity to do what they feel is most effective during class time, and not focus on trying to lecture/present all the material they have to cover.

There are many theories contained in this book and how flipped learning assimilates with them.  It focuses on Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, which is currently thought of as a highly effective teaching tool, and demonstrates how flipping can be used to great effect.  They key of Experiential learning is that learning is based on concrete experience and formation of concepts based on that experience, which plays right into the wheelhouse of the flipped classroom.  I found this section the most intriguing part of the book, and could already formulate ways to use this in my own classroom.  It breaks lessons down into fthree parts which are essential to effective flipping.

1. The What - Any lesson/section should begin with exposure of the learners to the concepts of focus.  This can be done with video lectures, podcasts, websites, chats, or other tool that allows the student access outside the classroom.
2.  The So What - Learners reflect on their understanding of concepts and articulate through blogs, generated videos, podcasts, or other creative technology tool
3. The Now What - Learners go beyond reflection, and create something that has applications to their lives.  This is usually done in the classroom setting when the teacher is present to guide the students.

I noticed right away that this approach mirrors Bloom's ideas of going from basic to creation, and I can see how effective it would be in the classroom.

There are many other ideas put forth in this book, along with sample lessons of differing levels that illustrate just how these concepts can be integrated in ones own classroom.  I personally learned a lot in a short time from this book, and while the audience of this book seemed to be educators who already have some background in classroom theory, I could see it also being useful for a complete novice.  It put the steps and theory of classroom theory in simple enough terms that any teacher should be able to follow it and implement their own vision of a flipped classroom.

More of Dr. Gerstein's ideas can be found at http://jackiegerstein.weebly.com/

Citation:

Gerstein, Jackie. The Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture. Amazon Digital Services, 2012.

A Sample Standards-Based Interactive Game

There are a lot of different opportunities for some fun in the classroom, but games have always been a way that teachers can reach students and engage them effectively.  I find the best thing about games is that students are learning when they think they aren't, or rather when they think they are just having fun.  Nothing breathes life into curriculum like a good time!  There are many options for games out there with all of the technology in the classroom, but my current favorite is Quizlet Live.  Quizlet is a well-known flash card application which students use regularly, but they have released a game version about a year ago to help bring engagement to the classroom.

I use many game applications in class to break up monotony and I find they are particularly useful in sections which are vocabulary heavy.  I am well versed in Socrative, Kahoot, Sugarcane, and other similar applications, but Quizlet live adds a dimension that really seems to suck the students in, and that is its collaborative, yet random, elements.

 How Quizlet works is by using datasets to generate simple matching terms and concepts with their appropriate descriptions, just like one would make a study set with flash cards.  One the data set is made, Quizlet offers all kinds of games for students to play to learn the material.  They can simply view them as flashcards, they can test themselves on terms, or they can use the new Learn feature where they type in answers to questions and Quizlet lets them know which ones they need to study more and estimates the time they need to do so.  These, however, are more standard study games, and Quizlet gets a lot more fun than that.

Matching games allow students to match terms against a timer.  Their times are then compared to others in their class (or whoever attempts the same set), and they compete to get on a leader board.  Students particularly enjoy this game, but what they enjoy even more is Quizlet Live.  Live allows a teacher to create a game session utilizing the study session, and goes something like this:

1. The teacher creates the game room, and all students present in the classroom join the session with a generated code.
2. Once the students are entered, the teacher initiates the game, and students are assembled into random groups, each with an animal as their mascot.  
3. Students look at their iPads/Devices, and see their animal, and seek out others in the classroom with the same animal.
4. Once teams are assembled, the teacher presses start and the game is off and running!

A term appears on each students iPad within a group, but Live is different in that each student does not have the correct answer on their iPad.  Rather, only one student in the group does.  The students have to work together to find out which person has the correct answer.  For example, the question might be "Who was the first President of the USA?"  The iPads might have answers like this:

iPad 1

• Lincoln
• Reagan
• Kennedy
• Taft

iPad 2

• Jefferson
• Hamilton
• Carter
• Washington

iPad 3 

• Adams
• Fillmore
• T. Roosevelt
• Wilson

The students would figure out it is Washington, and student 2 presses the answer.  It then shows green and disappears from their screen.  Each round has 12 random questions from a set, and as students answer them correctly they are rewarded with less possible answers to choose from.  The caveat is this, if the students miss an answer, they have to start over from the beginning.  Scores are shown on the projector race style, so students can see their progress.  Games get very competitive and spirited! Here is a sample video of how the game works.

While Live is a fun way for students to learn, it is a very valuable tool for teachers as it has many features that make it effective.

1. It allows for differentiation.  Teachers can customize their study sets to contain many different levels of questions to students.  Some students may struggle with some, but by missing them and learning the correct answer, they will get it next time.  The random grouping feature also keeps groups fluid and changing, so students who are challenged will learn from their peers.  The teams can be mixed each round until a good balance is found.
2. It is highly engaging.  Students, by nature, are competitive, and watching their progress against other groups keeps them extremely active and focused.  Because each round is different, the students feel like they are playing a new game each time for at least the first five or six rounds.
3. It is collaborative.  Quizlet Live gives students the opportunity to team up with classmates they might not normally work with, which gets them comfortable with the class setting as a whole.  Overall, I found that after we do Live for a few different study sets, the students all know each other and are very comfortable supporting each other in the classroom.  It really lends to making the class a safe learning environment.
4. It gives data.  Most games give teachers data, but Live shows a slideshow of what things were missed ("what we learned") and things that weren't ("what we know").  It gives students and teachers a great idea of what they need to work on and what they have mastered.

  I have never had a student not engaged with Live yet, and I have been using it for over a year now.  It is a great game that will excite your students, and can be modified to just about any type of lesson, whether it's vocabulary based, an introduction to a chapter, or a review right before a test.  It is truly a great tool for teachers of all grades and subjects.

Here are some sample study sets I use for my Marine Biology classes:

https://quizlet.com/_2pe09e

https://quizlet.com/_2sb0id

https://quizlet.com/_2hq2xr