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Salman Khan talks about how and why he created the remarkable Khan Academy, a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects. He shows the power of interactive exercises, and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script -- give students video lectures to watch at home, and do "homework" in the classroom with the teacher available to help.

Salman Khan talks about how and why he created the remarkable Khan Academy, a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects. He shows the power of interactive exercises, and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script -- give students video lectures to watch at home, and do "homework" in the classroom with the teacher available to help.

You've all met the Boredom Monster. He's that big blob lurking around our classrooms, poking students in the sides with his slimy fingers for attention and vexing us as we try with all our might to teach content in engaging and inspiring ways. Flipped teaching can trap the Boredom Monster before he infiltrates your classroom...

Infographic describing two studies of Twitter being optional vs. required in the classroom.

Infographic describing two studies of Twitter being optional vs. required in the classroom.

A majority of the time when hybrid/blended learning courses are created, they also incorporate a "flipped classroom" approach. This approach includes having online lectures done outside of the classroom prior to class and using in-class time for active hands-on application that extends learning. To help clarify what is expected prior to class and what is expected after the face-to-face session having separate objectives as stated in this article is a good best practice.

I had the same thing happen to me: I was using a model without knowing it was a model! I'm glad I now have vocabulary to describe my work in the classroom.

Excellent summary of some of the online commentary and a great synthesis model for activity design that goes beyond simple lecture flipping

If you haven't seen this five minute video and if you're interested in interaction with learners, it's worth a look. A professor at the University of Texas - Dallas documents what happens when she decides to experiment with Twitter in the classroom.

"Bay Path University Teacher Tom Mennella Provides a Detailed Look at his Flipped Course and how Students are Benefiting from This Instructional Model"

This infographic is interesting but scroll to the end and view the dramatic changes in student outcomes. This is a high school example but it seems that similar results could also be seen in remedial or gen ed type coursework in higher ed. Comments have some interesting resources, too.

This is great information--thanks for sharing!

It can be challenging to get "remedial" learners in higher ed to dive into doing work before class. Using resources like Khan Academy also mean your focus is on procedure, not understanding; if somebody needs to get through that math-course-you'll-never-use then it's a good too, but if real understanding is the goal then something more conceptually based (and something that's correct more consistently) would be in order.

Lawrence Public Schools began their efforts in 2012-13 with 8 teachers involved in a field test to blend their classrooms. As of 2015-16, 300 classrooms across all grade levels and content areas are blending. Hear from various stakeholders include the central office leader, participating teachers, students and parents.

I recently remembered this article published in The Chronicle of Higher Ed a few years ago. It speaks volumes about some pros and cons (mostly pros) of using technologies like Twitter, online office hours, video chat, etc. to connect to super-sized classes. Though I do not have personal experience in teaching courses with this many students, I still think this teacher has found a way to utilize modern technologies to connect to students in new and important ways. He has taken what many of us would consider a nightmare classroom situation (teaching over 2000 students!) and made it into a classroom experience like no other. If you read through the comments, you'll see that his former students say he has changed their lives and that his was the best class they've ever taken. It's amazing to me that he is/was able to create personal connections with so many students using technology. Basically, if this guy can do it with 2,000+ students, then many of us should strongly consider how we might benefit from these technologies in our own hybrid courses.

The readings this week have begun to make me think about the role of the teacher as a curator and collector of resources and "teachable moments" for inclusion into the blended classroom. I thought that I might post this as a resource for others. I have personally used a number of these, but Storify is a personal favorite for putting together resources for a lesson plan.

A backchannel -- a digital conversation that runs concurrently with a face-to-face activity -- provides students with an outlet to engage in conversation. Every time I think about this tool, I remember my student, Charlie (not his real name). Given his learning challenges, he struggled to keep up during class discussions.

Why should we implement games for learning? How should we do this? What games are appropriate for my needs? This new issue of eLearning Papers should help to find answers to such questions. The potential of Game Based Learning (GBL) is still underestimated.

Educause's ELI was mentioned in the week 5 webinar. Here are materials from one of their webinars covering evaluation of the course from the assignments perspective. This can lead back to student value of the class.