Webinar titled Flipping Social Studies Instruction; My Journey as a Classroom Teacher

Webinar Title: 

Flipping Social Studies Instruction; My Journey as a Classroom Teacher 

Are you considering flipping your classroom? Have you tried flipping a unit or a lesson? This webinar identified reasons to flip, what supports are needed to flip, and pitfalls to avoid.  Link to Webinar


This webinar was very helpful. In fact, I watched it two times. I decided to watch it twice because the instructors really outlined what it was like to flip their classrooms. They acknowledge not only their struggles but also all the web tools they are using to ensure their success as well as the success of their students. At first I didn’t understand why they spent so much time talking about their student population but by the end I realized that most schools fit into this broad spectrum and that my school can do this, that I could do this, if I wanted to.

I've been contemplating "flipping" my classroom and this webinar caught my eye.  I usually like to jump right in and bite too much off and get all stressed out, then I sort things through.  However, after seeing how much support both of these gentleman have, not only with well developed personal learning networks, but also with the webtools such as Techsmith, Safari Montage, and Camtasia Studio. I don't think I am really ready for that kind of move.  Additionally, I am new to teaching 7th grade and would like to feel more comfortable with my scope and sequence before I get all crazy changing things up again. 


Something that is more feasible would be flipping my homework and assignments.  I've contemplated  using blogger, posting videos and summaries of learning, and doing the synthesis and evaluation types of things in the classroom.  Perhaps I can find a good project based learning activity for inside the class and send them home with follow up work, something high interest.  Andy and David both stressed starting out small.  

Recently, for students who were absent and missed the lecture and reading we did in class, I listed two videos I wanted them to watch. I asked the students to write a 5-8 sentence summary and submit it via Google Docs.  I received almost 100% of their work.  I've also had students complete a primary source analysis guide using the chrome books in class.    Now that I know how to use VoiceThread, I could envision students analyzing a primary source using the analysis tool from Library of Congress and submitting their work via VoiceThread.  
 
What I am really waiting for is the end of this school year because the district has invited me to participate in a "think tank" for technology and innovation in the district.  2Revolutions, a consulting group affiliated with the NH Department of Education through their Innovation Network will be working with us. This group will work to design and implement several new projects, and further develop others already under way, that will advance the use of instructional technologies and personalized learning in our district.  So in the mean time, I am thinking, talking to other staff members who use web 2.0 tools, and observing.  I want to see what others are doing so that I can find a personal learning network at school.  For me, collaboration with others is very important.   Mr. creativity and I have a problem, but if I know someone else is willing to work with me than I know I will be more successful.  

Webinars are a fantastic way to get professional development.  This was not my first webinar.  I've participated in at least 4.  Most recently through the Library of Congress.  Live webinars are good but some times the chatting begins to feel like multitasking and I start to lose focus or get distracted.  It is nice to be able to ask questions at the end of the session once others have left the group.  Then its like a private tutorial between you and a few others.  However, recorded webinars offer flexibility that this busy mom and full time teacher needs. 

I grappled with how much to share with you. But after much reflection I decided that I wanted you to walk away with something valuable, something that you too could use in your teaching. Although I am not ready to flip my class (it appears that is much to learn and do before I make that change) I took away the power of Twitter and Google Hangout. I immediately signed up for a Twitter account and started looking deeper into a Ning they recommended called Flipped Learning network.

I felt that this webinar met two learning outcomes.
 • Promote and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources. Familiarize students with Web2.0 tools that may be used professionally or within the classroom environment to establish deeper learning experiences through proper curricular standard driven development.
This webinar met the learning outcome because it listed many types of tools they use in order to successfully flip their classrooms.  I was able to find each of the tools on the internet and read a little about them.  For future reference I included a link to each of the tools.  

And
 • Become familiar with current technology issues, trends and technology use within the K- 12 environment. Discuss how technology use impacts student learning outcomes.
The webinar was about a current technology issue, flipping your classroom.  I had never heard of such a thing just 9 weeks ago and now I am contemplating it myself.  Both teachers found that by flipping their classroom they were able to increase student achievement.  Students were better prepared for classwork, they were using higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy, and their engagement had increased.  

Summary of Webinar:
This webinar  spotlighted two high school social studies instructors who flipped their classrooms. Two instructors break down the process of how they came to the decision to flip their classes, the process in which the “flipping” occurred, pitfalls to avoid, and supports that helped them.

Andy’s Journey:

Andy Kastl is a social studies teacher at Clintondale High School  (Check out this website!) which is located 10 miles from Detroit, Michigan. The student population is approximately 600 students in grades 9-12 who come from the surrounding urban area. All teachers and all subjects in Andy’s school are now considered “flipped” although it wasn’t always that way. Andy was motivated into trying to flip his class because he felt he wasn’t meeting the needs of his students or being an effective teacher for his students. Homework wasn’t coming in, large numbers of students were failing, and standardized test scores were low. He was willing to try something new. He was one of a small group of teachers piloting the program in the first year.

Andy used many web tools and collaborated with different groups to make his change successful. His group was aided by Techsmith  and used Snag it (Check out the video on how educators use it), Camtasia Relay and Camtasia Studio. He spent hours digging through archived video clips, PowerPoint Presentations, and decades of lessons as he reviewed the standards. He enjoyed weeding out old material and took the opportunity to have his own “garage sale” in the teacher’s room. Consulting other staff members was a great asset because he was flipping his classroom along with a few others. He enjoyed finding new ideas for his lessons using YouTube videos and PowepointPalooza. According to Andy, making the videos was intensive and many mistakes were made. Length was a concern and he found that videos between 8-12 minutes worked the best.   Sound quality was also another concern but with time he was able to create a video library.

In order to ensure success for his students he used Google Groups to submit questions and found that students were more likely to complete the homework when it was presented in this manner. Initially, Andy reports that students were excited because they thought it meant “No homework”. A small amount of students wanted to cling to the traditional mode because it felt safe to them. He had fewer failures at the end of the fourth quarter. There are several students who do not have access to computers so he has allowed time before and after school and uses a program called Remind 101 and Edmoto to motivate students.  

David’s Journey:

The second instructor was David Fouch. He is from Northern High School near Grand Rapids, Michigan. David was motivated to flip his classroom because of the time it took to cover the AP History content compared to the length of the school year. Homework was also an issue and students were struggling with it. He felt like he was wasting time in the classroom because he could “Only go as fast as the slowest note taker”. He was also drawn to the idea of working 1:1 with his students.

David spotlighted several technologies that helped him. He was most happy with Camtasia Studio and Safari Montage. He reports that over time his videos have slowly improved and that student feedback has contributed to that improvement. David went on to describe the way he organizes his 50 minute class session. Routine homework includes watching a 5-7 minute video that he created and reading 5-6 pages in the text book. At the beginning of class he usually asks comprehension questions based upon the video and textbook. Next, he has class discussions that enrich the nightly reading and finally the last part of class is to work on projects such as writing pieces because AP History requires such a high degree of writing proficiencies. This process allows his students to gain a deeper understating of concepts, applications, and connections to content. He is using higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy than ever before. Students can receive support as needed in class without having to hold all students back.

Final Recommendations:
Both instructor recommend starting small, one lesson, one unit, and one week at a time. They also reminded us to make sure teachers were modeling the correct way to do their work at home. This is new to all students and should be modeled to them for several weeks. Both instructors warned not to be isolated in this process. People are willing to help. David commented about how Twitter helped him with resources. He was able to meet great people who are flipping their classes and they were willing to share resources. Monday night they have an 8pm #flipclass chat which was the best professional development he ever attended. They even got together in a Google Hangout. Andy recommends being collaborative with your fellow staff members.

If you are still reading......I hope you understand why I grappled with such a long summary.  I found writing the summary to extremely valuable because its saved to my blog.  I hope one day I will be ready to flip my lesson or unit and will be able to retrieve this valuable information in a snap.  Perhaps you could too!