Thursday, October 25, 2012

Flipped Classrooms...Really?

Flipped Classrooms...I heard it last summer! One of my students wanted to do a dissertation in flipped classroom. Flipped? it sounded like a using a flip camera or something.. After she explained me what it is, and how effective it is, I become interested on exploring it more and more. It seems like it requires some preparation, and you have to move some of the traditional class time (such as explaining concepts) outside of the classroom, and use the class time to follow up with activities or questions. I have researched this subject further. I have to tell you, the concept is not new. We have been using podcasts during the last years before class. Now this is video. What is new, is the content of this video, and the follow up in the classrooms. It is all about how we organize our lessons. Flipped classroom have demonstrated that increase learning!...Watch this TED video: http://youtu.be/nTFEUsudhfs Flipped classrooms has some advantages and few disadvantages. Some of the critiques is that teachers are assuming the students will have computers and internet in their houses. I do believe learning to use the flipped technique correctly is key to having a successful flipped classroom, and do not confuse it with simply showing a video to the student.