Module 8: Activity 10: The Flipped Classroom Approach

The flipped classroom is students learning at home through recordings and completing guided activities at school with peers.  As educators plan for the flipped classroom they have to consider if the students would be receptive to the new format – be willing to be responsible and take initiative; if the particular subject/content converts well and if the technology is accessible.  For the flipped classroom to be successful, the teacher must:

• Incorporate scaffolding activities to assist the student to absorb, reflect on and apply the lessons learned
• Not rely on their material only but get material online or have students creating knowledge
• Know their students and recognize that all students may not learn from the digital media

Module 8: Activity 9: Cellphones in the classroom

The use of cell phones in education has created some discussions and some educators do not want to use cell phones in school.  Some reasons include:

• Cell phones may make it easy for students to cheat.  To prevent this, teachers should move away from the front of the class and roam.  According to Ken Halla,   “It’s harder to do the negative behaviors when the phones are out and the teacher is walking around,”

• Students can use cell phones to send inappropriate content, playing games or setting up a meeting for crime.  Discussing the appropriate use of the cell phones, reminding students about these and sticking to consequences if rules are broken should assist in curbing this behaviour.

• Cell phones cause students to be distracted or become disrespectful. Ensure that cellphones are turned off when not in use for academic purposes and there can be a place for them to be kept if students are not allowed to keep them in their backpacks.   

I believe that high schools especially should embrace cell phone use in school but should ensure that before use, there is a policy that teachers, parents and students are familiar with, students should continuously be educated on proper use of phones at school and teachers must be consistent with regards to consequences if rules of use are broken.

A smart phone can be a powerful educational tool in the classroom since it has the ability to provide students with so much information because of easy internet access, a multitude of education-friendly apps.  They can assist students to be actively engaged and more attentive, stay organized and for assessing learning, cell phones can be used for students to complete research in small group projects, using pollwverywhere.com (see how it works in diagram below) to test students’ knowledge of their subject material before a test.

Is it time to move into the 21st century and begin using the resources we have available to engage our students in the learning process more readily?

Module 8: Activity 8: Managing online communication and collaboration

Students are actively engaged in social networks. 

Negatives

• Students may lack focus on learning and the retaining of information since they rely on social media for answers.
•  One of the characteristics of 21^st century students is the ability to multitask.  Studying and checking social media sites at the same time can lead to reduced academic performance because of the distractions.
•  Students who spend too much time on social networking may be less able to effectively communicate in person.
• Because of the speed at which information is created, students do not use proper spelling and grammar and they are not able to effectively write without relying on a computer’s spell and grammar check feature
• Students sometimes forget to evaluate the content they post online because of the degree to which private information is available online and the anonymity the internet seems to provide.  This can have a negative impact when they are ready to apply for a job or to go to college since colleges and potential employers investigate applicant’s social networking profiles.

Positives

• Students are better able to collaborate, work in groups, communicate meeting times and share information quickly and increase productivity.
• Social networking helps students to create and maintain connections to many people in many industries thus developing skills to survive in the business world.
•  Spending time with the technologies help to build confidence and skills for life.
• Students are able to use their creative skills in building personal websites and resumes which are increasingly used as online portfolio
• Creative works such as videos, photos, stories are easily shared and feedback is instant because of the upload speed.

It is essential that parents and teachers educate students on how to responsibly use social networking sites and ensure that they adhere to the e-safety policy laid down by the school.