Engagement

Engagement

(In Online Learning)

Any learning involves engagement.  The extent to which you employ various online strategies in your flipping and blending will call for even more intentional engagement.  

EVEN if your students will be in your classroom engaged in a well designed Blended unit divided up into manageable module chunks you will need to actively  design engagement on various ways.  

Some Engagement Ideas: 

1) Build puzzles/mini web quests  into any screencast videos you make. 2) Include brief mini quizzes in those same type of videos. 

3) Plan a module where students collaborate analyzing content in some way so that the knowledge developed can be employed in some valid fashion. 

4) Allow students to self-select mini breaks (10-15 minutes in a 90 minute block)  from the normal lesson flow.  They can be assigned to use content from the regular modules to form a search for a website that has relevant information to their studies.  THEN they call you over and explain how it is relevant. 

5) Discussion Boards - Content: This will add back in some of the person to person interaction (discussion, polite argument) that would be missing in an individualized online based unit.  

6) Discussion Boards - “Water Cooler”: Let us be honest with each other, they live in the world of Facebook, Twitter, etc.  They may have ossues they can share and discuss in a discussion board dedicated to social interaction. Even YOU can participate in it.  Don’t be the leader, but a participant.  

We can come up with more ideas, but you would have more fun doing it for your specific needs.

Video as a Learning Tool

Video

(An Educreations video: Less than one hour to plan, construct, record, and post!!!)

Videos are just one way to present content information to your students. You can easily make engaging videos that allow students to see and hear you sharing stories about content in a way that flexibly meets their needs. THEN..... You pair them up with a formative assessment (Can you say Google Forms?) and you know whether THEY know.

Questions Asked:

Are you considering using iTunesU for your purposes?

I have not use itunes U yet, but am not against it. (Can anyone post a comment or new entry giving some information about it?)  I do have a Youtube channel where I put instructional videos I have made. There is another server where some of my instructional videos are hosted that were made with the program Camtasia.  

I also use the ipad app Educreations which allows you to make narrated whiteboard videos and post them to their own server.  

Here is the link to THAT video location.  

Here are links to all of the locations where you can see examples of the instructional videos I have made. I am not the Master of this, just a teacher trying to reach his students.

While it is true you can easily find relevant videos on Youtube (think Khan Academy), I have found my students MORE engaged when it is their teacher speaking to them.

YouTube Channel

LINK

Educreations video spot:

LINK

Screencast Videos (made with TechSmith’s Camtasia):

LINK

Now I am not saying you should use only videos as your instructional tool when Flipping and Blending your instruction.  I am just advancing them as one tool that you can use to your advantage.

Is there a next step after basic videos??? YES!!! Interactivity, which will be discussed at a later time.

Take Courage

Change is hard.  It is especially hard EARLY in a school year.  All of you are part of this group because you are intrigued by the idea of the form of online based learning known as Blending (Some of you are going one step further and are Flipping.).  While it is VERY GOOD for your students, there is a learning curve.  

Fear Not!!!

We are from the government, and we are here to help (Yes. since I am a Public School teacher, I can say that.).  

I invite you to ask any question, via making a comment to this post, regarding any Blending or Flipping you are planning, or in the middle of doing.  

ALSO, if you read someone eases question in the comments, feel free to respond yourself.  We ARE a Collaborative Community here. 

Audio as a Learning Tool

AuDiO

(Example of audio file used in online learning [Blended, Flipped, Etc.])

YES, simple audio can be a valuable learning tool to drive various types of Flipping and Blending.  

It can also be easy to make

It can be combined with images and documents (transcripts of what has been recorded serve  as one example)

It can be split up into small manageable chunks

It can be easily differentiated to support needs of challenged learners (include supportive information gathering guides)

                    

It can be used to add an element of humor, which WILL engage your learners (even if they don’t think it is funny).

      

It can be FREE to do.  Then you get addresses and embed code to use in making the tools available to your students.

The easiest way to do this is with an ipad.  There are a number of free podcast apps that you can use, but the one I will speak about is called Spreaker DJ.  You can access their web site by using THIS LINK, but I will briefly list what I think are some benefits:

1. FREE

2. Easy to record and post

3. Provides both web address and embed code for your recording.

4. Good sound quality

5. Can embed supporting documents on the same Learning Management
   System (Blackboard, Moodle, etc.) page where the recording is
   embedded. These supports could include note guides, Google Forms
   based formative assessments, vocabulary lists, etc.

6. Ability to organize your podcast recordings into “series,” which can help
  students with organizational thinking.

7. Easy access to your recordings.

Laptop Based Spreaker DJ Web Site:

More Information

Tutorial

How can we work together to help each other???

***There are different ways we can do this.  There is the direct, kind of one-on-one contact.  Then there is the more general type of group interaction. We will briefly examine ways each can be accomplished. ***

One-On-One Collaboration:

This can start off as teacher-to-teacher interaction, where both teachers benefit. You can use this blog as a way to begin to make contact, no matter how experienced you are with online learning methods such as Blending and Flipping, you can learn more, and will benefit from getting and giving help. Be specific in developing a plan so you stay focused, and actually end up  accomplishing something.   It has been said that iron sharpens iron, meaning each of you can help the other develop more ability than you had before.

This collaboration can, but does not have to, develop into collaboration between the students of those teachers (A VERY cool and POWERFUL thing.)  The key is to pay strict attention to basic internet safety protocols, as well as the policies of whatever schools are involved.  If necessary, feed this student interaction through teacher accounts, but it STILL must be controlled by that teacher.  Some districts allow students outside their district to be granted access to the Learning Management System, such as Blackboard.  THIS will provide that safe environment. 

We will work together, within our group, to put members interested in this type of collaboration, in touch with each other. Stay tuned, and check back here for information on this.

Group Collaboration:

This can be quite easy, and need not take much time. It does not need to be anything more than reading the blogs posted here, especially the questions and ideas posted by your peers.  Then, think about it and make a comment on that post.  Everyone likes to feel that what is important to them matters, and you can honestly make that happen, and receive benefits yourself in the doing.  

The next step, of course, would be to make posts here yourself where you actually share your flipping and blending ideas and experiences.  This would be especially good if you felt motivated to make a complete post based on the question of another group member.  

General Guidelines.

Be Intentional; follow through; Follow through; Follow Through;

Do not express interest and willingness to collaborate unless you are committed to follow through. It isn't cool. ;  Find someone interested in this kind of learning and “listen” to them.; Be creative and have fun.  If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, no one will benefit; Follow required policies of your Administration. Remember, you like your job, and want to keep it.

Any specific questions??? Post a comment, and someone will respond.

Click HERE for a ---->Helpful Resource from U.S. State Department

Be An Advocate For Flipping and Blending

Blending and Flipping are only 2 of the various types of online learning that are developing.  The reason we are willing to do the extra work to make this 21st C. type of online learning happen is we want our students to learn. Furthermore, we want to prepare them for the academic and economic world of THEIR future.

We also may possess, or develop in the near future,  a VERY strong conviction about the value of the student centered learning made possible by employing these types of online learning strategies.  We may begin thinking it is not enough to share them with our own students, but with other educators.  THAT way even more students will benefit.

Follow THIS LINK to a document that will provide some basic ideas on how to be an advocate for online learning strategies. 

Welcome Post

This is the spot where we will share our ideas and questions.  It IS NOT a place for me,  the lead author, to simply share my thoughts, although I will do so.  It is a place for us to share. Here you can make posts as to: 1) What questions do you have about flipping and blending?, 2) What tools work best to do a particular thing?, 3) After you try something, share what happens.  Include both positives and negatives. We can give each other feedback  and ideas., 4) Share some new online learning tools you have discovered. The more tools the merrier!!!

Always remember, if you want to ask me any questions directly and NOT have them be part of this feed, you may contact me via e-mail at mastevens@fcps.edu.


Keep in mind, this will not be an easy task for you.  Determination must be a big part of your mindset. Some of your co-workers will be afraid of what you are doing. They will give you many reasons why it can't work.  Stay the course.  Work with the conviction that you have a PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY to bring these skills to your students.  If you do not, they are NOT being prepared for the global world in which we are already living.

That being said, be a humble advocate for this type of learning.  Use humor where appropriate.  Do not be afraid to poke fun at yourself, THEN show them data about what it has done for your students.

Along the lines of humor, watch the video below.  Are they really talking about pencils?

P.S. If any of your co-workers show interest in your work, invite them to join our group. They can communicate with me, and I will add them as authors to this BLOG.

P.S. #2: If you need access to the information that will help you learn more about posting to this blog, HERE IT IS.

Humorous Video: