10:09 am Tablets
The latest tablet program winner is Stefanie Lane for her proposal to use a tablet to flip her classroom. His complete proposal is below the fold.
Stefanie writes:
I am REALLY excited to move away from the traditional classroom setup and start focusing on a flipped classroom. I would like to start making online lectures (sort of like Khan Academy, but with more diagrams, links, and powerpoints) for students to view at home. This will allow me to give more individualized attention in the classroom. I want to start with the Biology Standard/Accelerated classes with the topics of mitosis, meiosis, and intro to genetics as a flipped classroom experience.
Also, this semester I will be tutoring a girl who is taking an A/P class through Kingdom Academy (working with Brad Ashley). I am interested in doing live tutoring with her where she can actually see my handwriting and speak to me real-time (so it is more similar to being in a classroom). I think the tablet would be awesome for that. I like having the opportunity to get involved with online learning because that is how I am earning my masters degree and am interested in getting involved with hybrid learning. I would like to be one of the first science teachers with an online science course.
The fact of the matter is that we are rapidly heading towards a hybrid learning environment with a HUGE learning curve for the teachers at this school. It can only be beneficial to have someone involved that is excited to get a head start on the process. As we were told by the financial literacy speaker at the beginning of January, we are all a resource. I can be massively resourceful in the world of tablet computers and non-traditional learning. I am also glad that there is a mandatory training session every three weeks because it allows me the opportunity to learn more so I can then spread it on to others.
The tablet in combination with a flipped classroom seems like a win-win situation for everyone. I will get to spend more individualized time with students rather than lecturing and after one semester I will have daily lessons that future classes can see. This will improve continuity in the education that the students are receiving and be a miracle worker for sub plans. The students can still partake in lessons, as they will already be made by me! I also love the idea of looking at classes as more of a discussion opportunity rather than lecture. I enjoy having a seating arrangement in a square where we can all face each other. I got a wireless keyboard and mouse last semester and enjoy being able to interact with the students and make powerpoints on the spot as students come up with ideas. This allows me to email out our discussions in a powerpoint format at the end of class so they can use it for help during homework. A tablet will only enhance this experience (in a traditional classroom as well) because they will be able to see actual drawings and diagrams by me at home and it will be further reinforcement to what we have covered during the day when the diagrams were made. While I loved having a teacher at the board students facing forward lecture education, the times are changing quickly and I am excited to get involved with ways to get students more involved in their education.
Positive aspects of a tablet for the world at large include using less paper and getting rid of heinous whiteboard markers which will save the school (and the science department) a decent amount of budget funds.
Some of the challenges I predict will be: Getting students to take the time to hear my voice at home. That sounds sort of amusing, but I do think it’s going to be a challenge to convince students to sit down for even 20 minutes and look at their computer screen without bringing up facebook or looking at websites. So the initial hurdle is going to be coming up with creative, convincing ways of why it is beneficial to partake in online tutorial time at home. The positive part about this is that their tutorial will be a set amount of time–such as 30-40 minutes most nights and they will not have to struggle through a lot of problems without me, as I will be giving them individualized attention the next day.
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