Friday, September 7, 2012
First Flip Teaching Test
Today I finally explained to my students what is flipped teaching and we watched a video together, answer questions via a google doc form. I show them what is expected to them while they are watching the video and assigned them a video to watch over the weekend. I usually don't like to give homework on the weekend but I will be out two days next week. I want to see what the result and turnout rate will be comes Monday. Starting Monday I will integrate a worksheet packet for them to complete while they are watching the videos. So far most students like the idea of flip teaching and of course there are those who flat out tell me they hate the idea. After next week I will take a survey in class to see what the students think and will post it here! Have a good weekend!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
My first flipped Video
I finally finished my first flipped video for the students for the upcoming school year. I'm still not 100% satisfied with it because it is longer then I would have liked it to be. I also should have recorded it on a plain background because it might be distracting for the students. Hopefully video number two will be twice as better! Please let me know what you think!
Go to page here: http://www.sophia.org/physical-and-chemical-properties-tutorial
or I have embedded it below:
Go to page here: http://www.sophia.org/physical-and-chemical-properties-tutorial
or I have embedded it below:
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Differentiation Workshop
What I learned during my differentiation workshop
Students need to be pre-asses for
their learning style.
Not everyone learn the same. I know that I am more of a visual/kinesthetic
learner. You should take some time in the beginning of the school year and get
to know your students. Give them a
worksheet to fill out to see how your students learn best. It’s also a plus
because it shows that you care about them!
·
Why is D.I necessary for struggling learners?
Improves students performance, validates
prior knowledge, and streamlines instruction (focuses on key concepts and
principles).
·
Differentiated instruction typically involves
modifications in one or more of the following areas:
-Contents:
The ‘what” of teaching
(Formulate essential questions and unit questions that reflect key
concepts and skills of what the students need to know.)
-Process:
the “how” of teaching
-Products: the end result of the
learning
(If you are starting out, you do not have
to try and differentiated all three areas, pick one and focus on that.)
·
Flexible Grouping: the goal is to allow students
to interact and learn from others.
Group bases on interests, learning styles,
student relationships. Each group member should know his/her role. Do not put all students with the same
strengths or weaknesses together in one group (share the love).
The presenter gave an example of “clock buddy”. Do not tell students
what the clock will be use for. At the beginning of the school year, have the
student draw a clock with 12,3,6,9 labeled. Ask students to go around and have
their clock sign by each other next to the same label number. When you want
them to pair up just say something like “ I want you to go to your 3 o’clock
appointment. “ Switch the appointment time up with appropriate. This will help
students get to know each other and get out of their comfort zone.
Refrain from automatically pairing
extremely academically high students with extremely academically low
students. (This is important because
both students could get really frustrated. The higher level students might feel
as if he or she is doing all the work and the lower level students might feel
dumb or worst not learning anything.)
·
Tiered Activities/Products:
Students are provided a more direct
instructional match with their instructional needs. The teacher keeps the
purpose of the activity the same but provides the students with different
levels of complexity, abstractness and open-endedness. The activity selection
must contain choices that are relevant and significant to the curriculum and
add depth to their understanding of the topic.
Tiered Activity Example:
Student Expectation: Identify that (organic compounds contain carbon and other elements)
such as hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen or sulfur.
Divide students into team:
Green Team:
-Carefully review your books, notes, and marked Websites. Do the
following activities:
With
your teams
1.) Make
observation of the items that have been placed at your lab/table. What are the
physical properties of each object? Record them in your notebook.
2.) What
kind of chemical properties does each object have? Record them in your
notebook.
3.) What
is the difference between a physical property and a chemical property?
On your own
1.) Select
a card from the product files desk and read the information that has been
provided. Create matchbooks foldable for the product that has been described on
the card that you selected.
2.) On
the inside of your foldable, classify the properties that have been provided as
either being physical or chemical. Describe what evidence would be produced a
physical change and a chemical change took place within the object.
3.) Finally,
based on the make up of the product (found on the product file card) justify
whether or not this product can be classified as organic or inorganic.
Purple Team:
-Carefully review the science magazine and bookmarked Web site. Each
group member should do the following activities:
With a partner from your work team
1.) Select
a magazine and cut 15-17 various pictures of objects from it
2.) Create
a classification system for the object pictures selected based on particular
physical properties that are noted. Each group should be labeled by the
property.
3.) You
and your partner will identify the Product File Card from the Green Team that
(closely) matches a picture object that you selected from the first part of the
activity.
On your own
1.) Use
the Product File card from a Green Team student and 3 facts about the element
that were not included in our classroom study. Include these things on the back
of the matchbook foldable that has been crated. Make a prediction about how the
element directly before it and after it and directly about it and below it will
react.
2.) Write
2 questions about the element that you researched. Make your questions focus on
the use of the element, its composition and reactivity level in nature.
·
Choice Boards:
work assignments are written on
cards that are placed in hanging pockets. (The example she showed was a science
fair board with lots of cd covers for pockets to hold the cards)
By asking students to select a card from a particular row of pockets,
the teacher targets work toward students needs yet allows student choice. Of course
you do not tell students what each pockets represent or why you use different
color cards.
·
Late but not least: Don’t teach in isolation! Teach
plan!
Make each activity as =equally=appealing and interesting as the next.
Take each student into account when
planning. Provide a variety of ways for students to learn new material.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Do You Differentiating Your Instruction?
I went to another professional Development yesterday about:
Differentiating Your Instruction!
What is Differentiation?
Changing the pace, level, or kind of instruction provided in response to individual learners' needs, styles or interests.
In the beginning we were given a classroom practice
Inventory checklist to see what you are doing in the classroom to differentiate
your instruction! I was surprise now how many items I need to work on for next
year! Look at the following list and see where you lie!
Place an “x” on each line to show where your currently
teaching practices lie on the continuum
Traditional classroom Differentiated Classroom
Covering the curriculum is my first I base my teaching on students' learning needs
priority and directs my teaching. as well as on the curriculum.
________________________________________________________________________________
Learning goals remains the same for Learning goals are adjusted for students based
all students. on their needs.
________________________________________________________________________________
I emphasize mastery of content and skills. I emphasize critical and creative thinking and
the application of learning.
________________________________________________________________________________
Students use the same informational I match students to specific informational
resources (books, articles, Web sites). resources based on their learning needs and
abilities.
________________________________________________________________________________
I primarily use whole-class instruction. I use several instructional formats (for examples,
who class, small groups, partners, individuals).
________________________________________________________________________________
I tend to group students heterogeneously. As appropriate, I group students for instruction
based on their learning needs.
________________________________________________________________________________
All students move through the curriculum The pace of instruction may vary, based on
together and at the same pace. students' learning needs.
________________________________________________________________________________
All students complete the same activities As appropriate, I give students opportunities to
choose activities based on their interests.
________________________________________________________________________________
I tend to use similar instructional strategies I use variety of instructional strategies
day to day ( for example, lectures, manipulative, role
plays, simulations, readings)
________________________________________________________________________________
All students complete all activities. Students complete different activities based on
their needs or learning preferences.
________________________________________________________________________________
All students are involved in all instructional. I use methods for testing out of work and for
activities. compacting (speeding up, eliminating,
replacing) work, as appropriate.
________________________________________________________________________________
My enrichment work provides more content My enrichment works demands critical and/or
or more application of skills. creative thinking and the production of new
ideas, thought, and perspectives.
________________________________________________________________________________
In reteaching, I provide more practice using In reteaching, I use a different instructional
a similar instructional method. method from the one I used to teach the material
the first time.
________________________________________________________________________________
My reteaching activities typically involve My reteaching activities demand higher level
lower-level thinking-knowledge and thinking while reinforcing basic skills and
comprehension-to reinforce basic skills content.
and content.
________________________________________________________________________________
I assume the students have limit or no Before beginning a unit, I use pre-assessment
knowledge of curriculum content. strategies to determine what students already
know.
________________________________________________________________________________
I usually assess student's learning at the I use ongoing assessment to check students'
end of an instructional sequence. learning throughout an instructional sequence.
________________________________________________________________________________
I typically use the same assessment tools, I allow for learner differences by providing a
product, or project for all students. variety of ways to show learning.
________________________________________________________________________________
(from Differentiation Instruction in the Regular Classroom: How to reach and teach all learners, Grade 3-12 by Diane Heacox)
I will posted some of the keys points on the workshop tomorrow! Anyone surprised on where your teaching practices lie? I have to admit, I had more X on the traditional side than I would have liked. I will need to work on that and hopefully flipping my classroom will help my classroom be more differentiated!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Web 2.0 Tools
I attended my first Professional Development Workshop
yesterday!
The topic was:
SMART Phones Make Smart Students! Using Mobile Devices with
Students to enhance the Learning Experience.
Participants will (1) practice using Web tools that can be
used with a variety of mobile devices (including iPhones, iPads, netbooks,
etc.), (2) practice classroom management techniques that can make using mobile
devices with students easier and safer, and (3) review PISD policies and
procedures associated with the use of mobile devices in the classroom.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own mobile device, such as cell
phone, iPad, laptop, etc.
Our Speaker did a wonderful job presenting many of the popular 2.0 web tools
and resources that are out there. Since next year will be my first time
teaching, I never have tired any of them. I’m planning to mess around with some
of tools during the summer to see which one I like best. Here were some tools that were presented during the workshop!
A service that allows
grouped of individuals to vote within user-generated polls using mobile phone’s
text messing capability or simple web form.
This was great since the students do not have to register
for this to work. They can just text in their responses or go to a website. I
could use this as a quick warm up at the beginning of the class period
Google forms are a useful tool to help you plan events, send a
survey, give students a quiz, or collect other information in an easy,
streamlined way.
I am definitely using Google forms as a student
assessment to my flip videos.
This online board maker allows you to post thoughts on a
topic or to answer a question in a form of a sticky note.
This is so great as it has the ability to for teachers to
approve the note before it get posted. This would also be a great warm-up tool.
A Free Online student response system that allows teachers
to engage students with a series of educational exercises and games.
This was everyone’s’ favorite application. It’s so easy to use and it has the ability to
import/export with other teacher. You have the ability to have the poll/quiz go
at a student or teacher’s pace. There are also app for both the iOS and Android
User’s can respond to prompt. Provide feedback, input
comments, etc.
This application was so quick and easy to pull up. It
requires no registration from the admin or user! You can keep the room saved
for a length of 2hrs-1years. The problem I see with this is that it does not
filter inappropriate responses.
The easiest way to
share photo!
We did not get a chance to get to this website so I can’t
really comment on it. However, the presenter’s assistant said this website is
be far one of her favorite. She said she uses it for her classroom all the time.
I happened to be on my district’s website and saw this list
of web 2.0 tools! There are many on there I have not heard of. I’ll definitely
check it out during the summer! Please let me know what other tools that are useful!
1. Clipextractor -- a YouTube clip extractor
2. PollEverywhere -- Create free text polls online
3. Glogster -- Great way to share posters and images you’ve made with friends.
4. Edmodo -- Social learning environment and one of the best ways to teach with tech.
5. Bubbl.us -- Free application to brainstorm online
15. VoiceThread
23. Ning
Despite a new cost-based membership program, Ning allows you to have your own social network
Despite a new cost-based membership program, Ning allows you to have your own social network
Figuring out Flip Teaching
The first website that I found when I was researching what I could to use to record my videos is http://flipteaching.com/ managed by Ramsey Musallam. I’m sure most teachers who are flipping had heard of this website because it has such great tutorials and resources! I am so grateful for his time and dedication for putting it all together.
Hardware:
I am researching what piece of hardware equipment I could use to record my videos. For the past week I have been looking at Wacom Bamboo tablets. Right now it is a toss-up between the Bamboo Capture and the Bamboo Create. The major difference for me is that the Bamboo Create has a bigger screen size then the Bamboo Capture but is also $100+ more. I’m not sure if it’s necessary to spend that extra money. I do have the new ipad but I have not really found an app that I could use that my computer will mirror what I write on the ipad without lag…
Software:
I am planning to use ScreenFlow to record, my MacBook pro, and some sort of ink pad like Autodesk sketchbook or just use PowerPoint/keynote with OnmiDazzle. I think letting the student being able to see my face while I talk is important because it makes it more personal.
Website to managed videos:
I am looking into options of creating my own website or just use a learning management system like Edmodo or MyBigCampus.
Student accountability:
I am planning to embed a Google form that the students have to fill out while they are watching the video. I’m still not sure what to do with the data. Will I use it as a grade? If so, how much should it weight? Should I just use it as extra credit? I am looking into Mastery Learning and not just grade every worksheet they complete. I would love to pilot it for the next year. I’m just worry if I’m taking on too much at once!
Again so much to think about, so many decisions to make……..my head won’t stop thinking! I can hardly sleep lately because all I’m thinking about is this at night while I’m trying to fall asleep. I guess I’m just too excited! I’m the type of person that won’t stop until I figure out the answer!! Ahhhhhhh
Cons of Flip Teaching....
I talked to my cooperating teacher when I was student
teaching this pasted semester about Flipped Classroom. While she does see some
pros with this model, she mainly focuses on the cons. She said it was a bad
idea and listed several reasons why she thinks it will not work at the school I’ll
be teaching for. She said that if I am passionate about this idea, I should try
it, but I might be setting myself up for failure. Several key points that she mentioned are:
Equality:
Not everyone will have access to a device that can watch the videos.
In fact, over 70% of the student bodies at
the school I’ll be teaching at are on free or reduced lunch. They might not be
able to afford to have access to the Internet.
While this is a very valid point, when I was going to school, I
qualified for free lunch and my family still could afford a computer with
internet access. I am just praying that most students are the same way. If not
then I could give them videos on a flash drive to watch on their computer. If
they don’t have a computer, I could burn it on a dvd or cd so they can watch it
on their dvd player. If there were several students who do not have a dvd player,
I would not mind spending my own money on buying portable dvd players so they
can use it at home. I will create a survey at the very beginning of the school
year to see how many students have Internet accessibility. Being a floating
teacher really put a handicap on the situation. I have no place to really call
my own so the students could come in before or after school to watch videos if
for some reason they could not watch it beforehand.
Motivation: How will I get the
students will watch the videos?
Most of the students that I’ll be teaching
next year are the lower level students. Chemistry course is supposed to be taken
during sophomore year. These are mainly students who were not quiet ready to take it
sophomore year so they take IPC (Integrated Physics and Chemistry) in 10th
grade and Chemistry in 11th grade. My future class will compose of
inclusion students (where a teacher aid will be in the classroom with me) and
many students who simply do not put school on the top of their priority list.
My cooperating teacher also mentioned that I could get into a lot of trouble if
students do not watch my video therefore they are not learning in my class. She
said that if I do it the traditional way and lecture in from of class, at least
I could say that I do teach and they just weren’t paying attention. Another
teacher from the same school who also taught 11th grade chemistry
mentioned that many students tells him that school is a wasted of time. The
minute they turn 18, they will not come back to school. The said that they are
only in school because the state of Texas says they have too! Students will
tell him they know a friend of a friend who makes over $20 an hr welding or have some sort of construction/technician jobs without a college or even a high
school degree. I even had a student said that his mom made over $80,000 a year
doing what she loves to do which is painting, drawing, and creating murals. His
mom never graduated high school. Another student had said that his dad own a
car shop and when he finish high school his dad will open one up so he could be
the boss. They feel that high school is
a waste of time. How do I motive students like that? I need to find a way to
motivate them! That is part of my job! I should have the same high expectation
for all my students. If I don’t believe in them, who will? I am their teacher,
it is my responsibility to guide them toward the right path, help them see that
they are all capable of great accomplishments, and show them how academic
achievement will impact their lives in the future.
We will have a shorter amount of time to teach a more
intense and rigorous curriculum
In years past, the district gives
CBA (Curriculum-Based Assessment) every 6 weeks to get ready for the TAKS
(Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test at the end of the year. Texas
had replaced the TAKS with another standardized test called the STARR (State of
Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness). It is suppose to be harder and will
have more in depth questions. The upcoming 10th grader will be the
first to take the STARR Chemistry in 2012-2013. I’ll be teaching the 11th
grader so they still will be taking the TAKS. However the district still hold
the same standards for both the 10th and 11th grader. So
instead of having the students take the CBA every 6 weeks, they will take the
CBA every 5weeks (at least this is what I heard from another teacher), and to top it all off, it will cover more objectives then the
previous CBA! My cooperation teachers said that I should give flip teaching a
try. If this fails and the students do not learn anything, it is my
responsibility to find time and catch them up. Then if I cannot find time to catch up, I will
be in so much trouble…
There are so many things to think about. I wish I know a
teacher in Houston, TX that had success with this that I could personally
talk to for advice. Since this will also
be my first year teaching, I am very nervous. However I still think that the benefits
will outweigh the cons. I just have to give this a try or else I would always
wonder what if? So this summer I have a lot to learn, a lot to think about, and
a lot to do to get ready for the next school year. I know that this will be
quite a challenge, but I can do it because I believe in myself. I am passionate
and dedicated.
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