Getting My Wife to Flip for Me! (Part 1)

It all started in December 2011 with an article that I read in the Raleigh News and Observer--How new teaching merits higher pay.  This article discussed the “flipped” classroom concept, which I had never heard of up to that point.  The idea is to pre-load content to the students at home through the use of a video and then apply the knowledge in the classroom.  This is just the opposite of how most of us teach and were taught as kids.  As a former teacher and current tech facilitator, this idea just made so much sense!

I started to read a wide variety of articles on the subject, but a version of “flipping” called FIZZ really spoke to me.  This is the style that is advocated by Dr. Lodge McCammon of the Friday Institute, located at North Carolina State University.  He believes that the teacher must create his/her own video in order to enhance the student/teacher relationship.  I then proceeded to watch every demonstration and FAQ video on their website as well as attend a webinar.  I was then really itching to try this.

I Needed a Guinea Pig

As I was researching “flipping”, I knew that my wife would be my target guinea pig for this experiment.  She is a veteran fifth grade Math teacher who is always open minded to new teaching methods.  My next move was to purchase an RCA video camera ($45) from WOOT.com and one 4’x8’ sheet of white panel board ($11.89) from Lowe’s.  After numerous discussions on the topic, she agreed to give it try.  Her first one take video can be viewed below.

Our next move is to inform the parents and prepare the kids to flip!Stay tuned.

Teachers: Please Monitor Your Students When They Are Online at School!

Three different schools and two different districts; same oblivious attitude toward the supervision of the students.  I’m talking about teachers who allow students on Internet connected computers with little or no monitoring.  I’m not talking about one or two incidents a year.  Instead, I’m referring to habitual offenders who repeat this violation, even after the “friendly reminder” email.

The infractions range from the clueless teacher in a lab who has no idea what the students are doing to the more egregious violation of allowing students in a room with an online computer and absolutely no adult is present!

This is not just some pet peeve that your friendly Tech Facilitator has manufactured.  Instead, it is a violation of CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act).  This is a federal law to which schools and libraries must adhere in order to receive E-Rate discounts that most schools systems depend on to offset their Internet costs.  In a nutshell, schools and libraries must have a web filter as well as an enforced Internet policy.

Here are some suggestions for correcting this problem.

Teachers should:

• Circulate when their students are in the computer lab.  If you are “nailed” to one spot, students will realize that they can surf at will.
• Never leave the room/lab unattended when students are on computers.  Really, should they ever be left unattended under any circumstances?
• If your lab is poorly designed to allow proper supervision, contact an administrator and let him/her know about your concerns.

Administrators should:

• Require teachers to sign an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) each year that emphasizes teacher supervision responsibilities and liability consequences.
• Provide computer monitoring software such as NetControl 2 to allow teachers to monitor students in labs.

Educators, please protect your students, your career, and your reputation.

Khan Academy vs. FIZZ

The Khan Academy piece on 60 Minutes was indeed very impressive.  It portrayed the “flipped classroom” concept in a positive light.  This can only help some of the advocates, who, like me, believe in this strategy for improving instruction.  Before widespread implementation can take place, though, many will attempt to discredit this philosophy.  Some will label “flipping” as a fad that will be quickly forgotten.  Hopefully, this high profile national exposure will open some of the minds of our current school administrators.  

For those of us who are familiar with FIZZ, it was hard not to draw some comparisons with the Khan Academy.  FIZZ is the “flipped classroom” approach that is headed by Dr. Lodge McCammon of the Friday Institute, located at North Carolina State University.  Dr. McCammon is also a proponent of having students view lecture videos at home, then applying the knowledge under the guidance of the classroom teacher.  The big difference would appear be, who should create the videos?  Dr. McCammon is adamant in his opinion that the videos should be created by the classroom teacher.  He believes that it is important for the classroom teacher to engage the students through his/her videos.  The same type of bond is just not possible through a video presented by a stranger.

I would agree that the teacher-made videos have the potential to enhance the student/teacher relationship.  This is especially crucial with the younger students.  However, we should acknowledge that all teachers may not be capable of producing engaging and interesting lecture videos, a la Sal Khan.

Going forward, It will be interesting to see if the “flipped classroom” can be proven to improve student achievement and which platform will be implemented into mainstream public education.