No more a belieber but a flipper!

       Last week, I was enthusiastic about Schoology.  Starting this week, I will strive to be a flipper.  I think these are some of the criteria for a flipper

  1. Be thoughtful about how you use it (http://www.connectedprincipals.com/archives/3367)

It is said in the website above that flipped classroom is not the only approach to the teaching and learning process.  Thus, put aside some time to ponder on how to use this approach to the maximum, the suitable resources needed by both the learners and yourself and of course, the learning outcomes.  At the moment, I feel that this approach is very suitable for the teaching of English Literature Component where summary of the poem/short story/chapters from novel are uploaded in Schoology platform.  Then, prescribe 1-2 questions that go along with the uploaded materials.  I just need to find out how to upload materials like text and visuals to Schoology

2. Turn your classroom into a language laboratory

I feel that flipped classroom enables the process of using the language among students come alive.  Teachers are actually using the language as they interact with students in completing their task – individual or group tasks.  From experience, every time I set up a language task for a class, I wish I have lots of time to sit with each group or student and listen to them explaining and I would love to provoke them with questions that will make them think and talk.  But, usually time is spent more on the process and procedure of doing the task so it ends up as teacher talk not students’ talk.  Flipped classroom allows students’ talk to be the core of the lesson.

3. Learn the technology

  One must be ready to learn the technology skills involved in preparing materials for one’s flipped classroom.  Movie Maker is one tool to be learned and it takes practice and patience to get the video ready.  This is the perfect place to practice one’s Movie Maker skill.  For some, uploading is a scary process but just upload!  I guess as we grow older, trying out something new is a skill that we need upgrade.  Basic technological stuff like Power Point and Word is a good start, right?

A Very Late Entry On Teaching and Learning With Internet: Pedagogical Strategies, Activities and Web Resources 2.0

 

    My apology for the very late entry.  I was in school for few days to settle English Department matters so I kept postponing the blog entry.

     My favourite item from that 19 November presentation is Schoology.  According to Wikipedia, it is a “social networking service and virtual learning environment” for both school and higher education institutions.  Schoology “allows users to create, manage and share academic content.  Unlike Facebook whose keyword is social, schoology’s keyword is academic content.  Thus, there is minimal distraction in Schoology.  Schoology is also known as “ a learning management system (LMS) or course management (CMS).  It is also described as a cloud-based platform that “provides tools needed to manage an online classroom.'”

    Honesty, I’m looking forward to use this Schoology with my Form 5 classes next year and also a part of my research paper.  But, after a recent conversation with a friend about using such tool, there is this issue of some stakeholders (parents, school administrator and teachers themselves) who are still skeptical with the use of such tool as a teaching tool.  It is deemed distracting and has the ability to influence students with negative elements.

http://coe.winthrop.edu/jonesmg/LTI/2010Fwhitepapers/Nicole_Gaillard.pdf

explains that Schoology helps to “extend the students’ learning beyond the classroom" so that students are constantly learning during and after school.  Of course it promotes independent learning in a controlled and technological means.  I find that Schoology ‘speaks the language of students’ as it practises the same principle of Facebook. 

Other than that, Schoology helps “to foster the acquisition of skills essential to being successful in the 21st century such as communication, collaboration, online safety, and technological skills (Deubel, 2009). Social learning connects what students are doing in their home lives and what they are doing in school to make their education more meaningful and purposeful to them.”  For me, constructivism comes alive here in Schoology.

    I wish those skeptical parties will want to open their eyes to the unlimited benefits of this tool but parents simply cannot let their children run wild free in the technological world; run together with them.  Just like the horses.

designing a web-based learning?

   Designing a web-based learning is a challenge that any teacher must face if he is a dynamic teacher.  Being dynamic here means he embraces the changes that strikes the education world and web-based learning is one of the changes.

   The reading of the articles have opened my eyes to the principles involved in designing any we-based learning platform.  Usually it is easier to design according to one’s whim and fancy but the fear of whether it works or not will remain when one displays it to the learners.

Thus, conquer the fear by studying the principles of designing a web-based learning and surely, the fear whether it works or not will be minimised.  I admit that the principles are a lot to digest but with practice, the principles will be part of the click of the mouse….I hope and pray.

My question?  Time factor…working together with others or a solo mission…the maintenance aspect…these three factors can affect one’s attempt to be a dynamic teacher in his teaching journey.  As we discussed on these issues that day, there was no answers to the issues.  I conclude that it is something an educator has to go through…sink or swim….