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I can use this tool for upcoming classes related to business and technology

This is useful and more important, it's free.

Wow, Dipity is really awesome! I was looking at the timeline for Mr. Steve Jobs and it's very well done. Dipity can be used for doing a timeline digitally instead of doing it on a poster. There are many pros to doing it on Dipity such as been saved there for other classes to see and to be used as examples. Usually when students create a timeline on poster it get tossed away towards the end of the year or gets sent home with the students. By doing it on Dipity it stays there for many years to come.

These are great strategies. I love how they suggest for teachers to involve kinesthetic movement, hands on activities and providing experiences as a way to make teaching the content meaningful and easier to recall. By creating student-centered learning activities, the teacher will reach a greater population of the students through the use of incorporating several learning styles. Learning modalities need to be considered for the lesson to be effective.

In my experience tip #2 has been my greatest challenge in my classroom. Implementing an activating stratetgy to activate student thinking is very crucial to capture their attention and curiousity which will then trigger learning. The challenging part is making the time and carefully planning each activity and following lesson timelines at the same time.

Mari I completely understand. Time gets away from even the best teachers. I am a coach and this is the issue I have most difficulty with on the field (that and yelling). I always carry my watch with me and set timers. Some teachers use simple kitchen timers to keep both the teacher and the students on task. It helps both know there is a limited amount of time to complete tasks. It keeps the class moving and students engaged.

I really enjoyed the article Vincent, I'd agree with limiting lecture because student's haven't developed a cognition level of grasping information in one sitting. So breakout sessions work best along with collaborative group work discussions. The way I've learned to keep a class engaged is use a timer system online and students are aware of how much time is left. From experience I noticed that time flys by fast.

Vicente, thanks for sharing! I agree that those are ten of the basic steps we as educators can take in helping or students become successful. I believe that sometimes we as teachers are pressured in keeping up with our timeline, that we're teaching more than one lesson, making it harder for students to learn and retain what was taught. If there wasn't so much pressure in standardized testing, perhaps we would be able to better reach all our students and not feel inclined to teach the "bubble" kids. Graphic organizers are a must in my classroom. Not only does it better illustrate for all students, but it also assists those students who need the visual and have modificiations. All the other key points listed make me believe that this is geared towards PBL. I think it's great! Students will still be required to use higher order thinking while still conducting a student-centered activity. Great job Vincent. I'll be sharing these tips with my fellow co-workers.

This was a very interesting article about how to get underperforming students to improve. The one tip that would be a challenge for me would be the movement on a daily basis. I only teach math to my fourth grade students and I try to get my students to use manipulatives as often as possible. When they use the manipulatives I do tend to become stressed due to the movement of the students. I know it is good for them to move around and I will try to implement this tip more often in my classroom.

lI like this article because it gave each step and then the author explain it futher. Making each of the step a "Non-Negotiables" is sometimes difficult. But once you practice doing them in each lesson I'm sure you can change with time making each day better and each lesson engaging.

Vincent, great article I really appreciate all of the valuable tips for engaging students in the learning process, a way as to actively involve each student. I do incorporate a few of these tips with my students, and I agree that it will keep the students in control of their learning. Nonetheless, using these tips will make the students aware of the content that is expected to be learned on each subject area.

I really appreciate all of the valuable tips for engaging students in the learning process, and I am aware of how each can be used. However, my huge frustration is in the fact that in a self contained classroom it is so difficult to plan for each class subject in such a way as to actively involve each student. I try my best, but it really is a challenge. I do incorporate a few of these tips with my students, but I guess more time would make all the difference.

I think the particular strategy that would take me longer to achieve would be limited lecture. Finding a different activity to do with them and keep them focused will be very challenging after a while.

Great article, very informative and awesome strategies to implement in my classroom. The ten interactive learning non-negotiable strategies are great when planning the lessons. I do see some resemblance to the 5-E strategies I use in my classroom, but to use all ten strategies on a daily basis might be a challenge to keep all the students engaged.

I really like how the article highlights how it is working for Allen: Casto believes this "innovative instructional strategy" is catching on because it fosters a higher level of learning that is needed for the 21st century. As students shift from a passive to active role, they acquire critical thinking skills, learn to collaborate and become independent learners. These quotes describe how the flipped classroom fits into 21st century learning. I think that for our district to start implementing this teaching method it would have to survey students to see what percentage has internet access at home. HCISD has already taken this step, but since we are not at 100%, it seems that we will not reach the entire classroom population. In addition to students not having access to internet connectivity, our school distract lacks the technology resources needed for teachers to be able to record their lessons such as a bloggie or digital video recorder.

Maribel, this article is very interesting. It's interesting how students like the format of "listening to online lectures at home" in the evenings, and then in the classroom they want to work. It's great how when they walk in the classroom, they are ready to discuss the topics covered in the online lectures. "Flipped Classrooms" is a very interesting program that would be nice to start implementing. Probably the equipment that the district would need to provide is a computer or internet access to students who don't have the means to acquire it. This could easily be done by having a computer lab available after school like the article mentions. Great Article Maribel!

Maribel, interesting article. I believe our district has the capability to implement this strategy of a "Flipped Classroom" and will probably very soon consider implementing it. With the new state assessment STAAR core subjects are finding that more time is needed to apply what is being taught. I feel that most of our timeline is invested in giving theory lessons and hardly anytime is used in applying theory. I believe if we can get students used to using internet tools at home and get their notes, terms and examples down at home that we could transform our classrooms into student work rooms where students can implement concepts and theories learned and therefore deepen their understanding as they work on solving problem scenarios. Students would be learning form doing instead of just learning to do and never practicing and therefore never really learning.

Applying the lesson is the key aspect to successful learning and implementing "Flipped Classrooms" will be a great way to being this process. I can see that it will require much dedicated and consistency like any other project but I know the results will be dynamic. Personally in our district I think much needs to be done prior to committing to "Flipped Classrooms" accessibility is crucial and like I said it might take some work but it is not impossible. Great way to enhance learning and making our students long life learners.

Maribel, it's an interesting idea, but I wonder if the kids are able to concentrate at home on new material via video when they are tired from school and more distracted by being home. It would be great if they could view the videos first thing in the morning. Also, I wonder if a combination would work. Lectures via video but maybe a review lecture that covers the entire unit done in the classroom. And maybe less homework in class so there is time for a short lecture to review the previous day's concepts. I love technology for creating new options!

Thank you for your comments. I think flipped classroom will be our future and we just need to get enough training for our flipped classrooms to be effective for our students.

Great article, its a great way to get students motivated and engaged in learning, but I don't see flipped classrooms being what every student needs. Online classes will not meet the needs for every student if a district wants to implement this idea. I don't see my district is ready to commit to Flipped Classrooms anytime soon. First the internet infrastructure isn't at a high speed in our district to provide the video teaching.