EdCamp Boston

      What an amazing day!  If any teacher wants an amazing professional development experience that includes sharing ideas, meeting great people, and regenerating themselves than they should attend and EdCamp.  I have been to two EdCamps, and today I attended EdCampBOS at Microsoft NERD.  The greatest thing about being at EdCamp is being surrounded by some of the most amazing, passionate, and inventive teachers I have ever seen.  I walked out the door feeling empowered.  I now have ideas to add to my flipped classroom and I have ideas to enhance professional development in my district.  I can't wait to share what I have learned with my colleagues!

     I went to EdCampBOS with the intention of learning more about the Flipped Classroom.  I came away with much more.  I went to the Flipped Classroom workshop, but I already knew much of what the teacher was sharing (tools for screencasting, privacy settings on YouTube, etc.).  I didn't learn anything new.  However, he did mention that he saw his grades have improved.  That was an important piece of information.  Something I can use later on.  Later in the day I talked to the teacher about equity issues, which he doesn't have to deal with.  In his district there is an expectation that students do homework and they stay after school when they don't have the resources at home.  Lucky guy. In my school I don't think it's going to be that easy.  Teh group of students I will have next year have a reputation of little motivation and engagement by parents.   I think what I am going to have to do is get parents on board from day one.  At another workshop we discussed how to use Edmodo (I will discuss Edmodo in a later post).  In that workshop I began to develop ideas for getting parents on board.  Edmodo has a parent option to follow along with the class.  If I am going to make the Flipped Classroom work I am going to have to have to have parent buy in.  Maybe the parent option on Edmodo will help.
     Professional development has been on my mind quite a bit lately.   I keep asking myself how am I going to improve the quality of my professional development classes?  I enjoy teaching them, but I feel that what I cover in 12 weeks could be covered in 2 weeks or less.  Also, teachers sometimes feel that professional development is a waste of time.  It doesn't involve anything that they are interested in at the time.  I attended a workshop about creative options for professional development and I walked away with some amazing ideas.  In fact, I am going to implement one this summer.  Watch for EdCampBPS!
      Finally, EdCamp has reinforced the idea that Professional Learning Networks are amazing energizers.  Twitter, Nings (Nings I Love:  Classroom2.0, Educator's PLN, Vodcasting and Flipped Classrom) EdCamps, and even Facebook are bottomless when it comes to sharing ideas.  I made about 10 new connections today with teachers who are as passionate about teaching and technology as I am.  I can now access that "just took a class" feeling every day.  All I have to do is log on and read.  So, is EdCamp worth giving up a Saturday for?  Yup.  By the way follow me on Twitter! (@gonfitz)
   
   

First Day Back

I have been flipping my classroom for a couple of weeks so far.  It seems like it has become the norm. The kids know what to do when I tell them their assignments.  And, I have even begun to hear the groans.  At this point you may be wondering what a flipped classroom is.  If you have heard of Khan Academy then you have heard of a flipped classroom.  Or, if you haven't, if you've ever been assigned a reading assignment in English class and expected to discuss it you have been in a flipped classroom.  In short, it's putting your lessons on video and doing the homework in class.  It takes the pressure off of students who may struggle with assignments when they get home.  The flipped classroom allows students to pause, rewind, and replay parts of a lesson they may not understand.  In theory a great idea.  However, many issues and problems have crossed my mind.
     First of all, equity.  What if students don't have access to computers?  This question has plagued me ever since I started researching the concept.  I have talked to quite a few people and read a bunch of articles.  The answers are varied.  However, the best conclusion I have come up with is that you have to make do.  There are computers available to my students seventh period most days.  If they don't have a computer at home they can stay after school or they can go to the town library.  If neither of those options are available I give them the "homework 1.0" option.  A print out of the Power Point I used to record the video I make.  There is no perfect solution to the equity issue.  However, the only advice I can give is know your students and differentiate.
    Second, where do I find my resources?  The first place I looked for videos (at first making my own videos was intimidating) was You Tube.  I managed to find an educator in Wyoming who has posted several amazing videos that are historically accurate and entertaining.  I have used all of the relevant videos in my class.  I also attended a workshop hosted by EdTechTeacher and MassCUE which provided even more resources.  Finding resources has not been a problem.  However, finding resources which specifically deal with what you want to stress to your students is a little bit more difficult.  I have broken down and began making my own videos for my students.  So far, no complaints.  I may post one of them here at some point.
      Flipping so far has been fun, but I have yet to see a major advantage.  I believe that this is the direct result of trying the concept mid year.  Students like routine and when you upset that routine they tend to rebel a little bit. Especially eighth graders.  I am going to keep on plugging and let you know how it goes.

Below are a couple of articles on Flipping the Classroom:

12 Must Read Resources For Flipping Your Classroom.

Flippin Freaking Out!

I have taught for 11 years.  When I first started teaching my students were only 10 years younger than me.  I was a kid teaching kids.  At that point in my career I was idealist.  I believed I could save the world through group work, interactive lesson plans, student centered learning and constructivist lesson planning.    Although I have had a few bumps in the road I can proudly say I still feel that way. I have an enthusiasm that is undying.

However, my enthusiasm is a bit unfocused.  I jump from idea to idea.  From method to method. And, right now it's focused on flipping my classroom. The idea for flipping my classroom came from my assistant superintendent.  All she said was "Carla, have you heard of the "flip"?"  I started researching and became obsessed.  It seemed like the answer for the nagging issues facing my classroom.  Such as, "why don't I have enough time to teach?"  Or, "why aren't my students learning from my notes?"  I have collected resources and begun my process.  For the next couple of months I will use this space to review and reflect on flipping my own classroom.