Good point, Tim, the flipped classroom doesn't flip who's listening during the lecture phase, does it? Could the teach then use Duckworth's model in class, or does the existence of a lecture phase at all limit the effectiveness of her approach?
An example of how online classroom is running. The controversy continues. The argument seems to be not whether we have online learning or not, rather it is about how online learning programs could work, what an online course might look like and how students can learn best.
Marvell Inc., with collaboration with Stanford University, designed "micro cloud" called SMILE Plug for multi-modal curriculum delivery. The goal is to bring knowledge experts from around the globe to any local classroom.
This article weighs in both side of flipping classrooms. "Good teaching, regardless of discipline, should always limit passive transfer of knowledge in class, and promote learning environments built on the tenants of inquiry, collaboration and critical thinking."
Georgia's Hall County partnered with Dell and transforming the classrooms "one student at a time", using 1) personalized 2) blended 3) data collection and 4) results. Sounds familiar? "wouldn't believe that these types of classrooms existed if I hadn't seen it for myself. When you get a group of dedicated educators together with a shared vision that is designed to remove the business-as-usual stigma and support total transformation you can achieve amazing things."
I believe it. Having come as close to a controlled study of this as is possible in day-to-day life (taught the same course in classrooms and online), there's definitely a different level of engagement online.
An easy way to make time-lapse videos could be great in the classroom, especially for science. I can picture setting up a camera on the little seeds that kids plant for mother's day and then when they send home their flowers they can also watch a youtube video with mom showing the flower grow from start to finish - literally. Watch a culture grow. Document behavior in the classroom and play back for parents quickly...the possibilities are endless.
We are falling behind and it's obvious in a global economy that other countries are doing a better job than we are
The back-to-school forum highlighted three main goals to help move the country towards a digital future that puts the US back on the map:
ensuring every child is digitally literate by 8th grade, around 14 years old
educating parents about technology and its value
making every classroom a 21st-Century classroom
Digital literacy is vital
there is a huge entrepreneurial opportunity to fill in that gap
Really interesting article about the perceived importance of Internet to the K-12 student and suggesting how other entities and organizations are supporting equal access in this way.
Really interesting article on a school district in New Jersey that is testing iPad use across multiple classroom subjects . The district purchased 60 devices for students in the testing program. Pending the results, they are considering providing all of their high school students with the device as early as next year.
Thanks for contributing this great article. I am going to closely monitor this "experiment" and may potentially seek to interview some of the teachers who created this iPad curriculum for the various courses.
The Flat Classroom Project is a global Hands-on working together project for middle and senior high school students.
The Project uses Web 2.0 tools to make communication and interaction between students and teachers from all participating classrooms easier. The topics studied and discussed are real-world scenarios based on 'The World is Flat' by Thomas Friedman.
At those early-adopter schools, iPads are competing with MacBooks as the students' go-to gadget for note taking and Web surfing.
the iPad's technological limitations—its inability to multitask and print, and its limited storage space—have kept students dependent on their notebooks. "That's the problem with the iPad: It's not an independent device,
really excited about the technology but have not been "pushing the capabilities" of the device.
Seton Hill University, which gave iPads to all full-time students, are working with the developers of an e-book app called Inkling to come up with new ways to integrate the iPad into classroom instruction
he faculty at Indiana University has formed a 24-member focus group to evaluate iPad-driven teaching strategies.
What about providing students iPads so that they purchase textbooks on these devices to save resources for both the students and the school? Can we assume that all students will be comfortable using an iPad, or might there be implications for students with learning differences? What about the socioeconomic gap for students who cannot afford a computer to LOAD the books onto their iPads (even if the iPads themselves were provided)?
The New York Times and its Learning Network recently put out
a call asking teachers to make videos describing how technology had changed
their classrooms. You can watch our pick of the best submissions here.