Looking back at my Personal Growth Plan from CEP 810, I can say that I am coming closer to my goal of “flipping” my classroom. While there is not a true definition of a flipped classroom, I want to create an environment where students are able to learn ideas at home and then come into the classroom and have a genuine discussion proving they understand the material. However, as much as I would like students to do this every night on their own, I know they would get burned out by checking the site every night. I would like to transform it in such a way that my online portion of the classroom becomes the support section to what is learned in the physical classroom.
I hope to continue improving the connection between my online and physical classroom by making sure there is a near seamless transition between them. My goal is to have one course outlined with guided notes. I think that this is a very realistic goal for me to complete by the end of the summer. If I dedicate myself to a unit a week I will have the course set up by the end of the summer. I also want to make sure that I do include the benefits of using an online CMS. I want to include videos and screencasts, regardless of whether or not they are created by me or someone else. My main focus is that my CMS is utilized as an asynchronous learning environment. This will give students the chance to review and catch up on material when they are absent or confused. In addition, I have realized that I am very capable of committing this time as long as I set that time aside.
The goal that I think I’m going to need the most help with is making sure that I’m not “using technology, for the sake of technology”. The purpose behind integrating the technology is for me to push my students to higher levels of thinking. My students do a good job of recall and remembering basic ideas and concepts. I want them to do a better job of making connections of those concepts and the real world implications of those concepts. This should follow along with Bloom's Taxonomy where students are pushed to compare, contrast, and analyze. I think that I will have the support and help from my fellow colleagues with this goal. They can peer review my site and add insight to ways that I can further improve upon my CMS. The whole thought process of trying to improve the connections of concepts will not only help students in my classroom but also in their other classes. There is the possibility of changing the culture of the class and I want to be to be a positive part of that.
I hope to continue improving the connection between my online and physical classroom by making sure there is a near seamless transition between them. My goal is to have one course outlined with guided notes. I think that this is a very realistic goal for me to complete by the end of the summer. If I dedicate myself to a unit a week I will have the course set up by the end of the summer. I also want to make sure that I do include the benefits of using an online CMS. I want to include videos and screencasts, regardless of whether or not they are created by me or someone else. My main focus is that my CMS is utilized as an asynchronous learning environment. This will give students the chance to review and catch up on material when they are absent or confused. In addition, I have realized that I am very capable of committing this time as long as I set that time aside.
The goal that I think I’m going to need the most help with is making sure that I’m not “using technology, for the sake of technology”. The purpose behind integrating the technology is for me to push my students to higher levels of thinking. My students do a good job of recall and remembering basic ideas and concepts. I want them to do a better job of making connections of those concepts and the real world implications of those concepts. This should follow along with Bloom's Taxonomy where students are pushed to compare, contrast, and analyze. I think that I will have the support and help from my fellow colleagues with this goal. They can peer review my site and add insight to ways that I can further improve upon my CMS. The whole thought process of trying to improve the connections of concepts will not only help students in my classroom but also in their other classes. There is the possibility of changing the culture of the class and I want to be to be a positive part of that.
Great reflection. Do you have a particular CMS you are going to use? It is nice to read about your ideas of incorporating "flipped" learning in a way that doesn't require your students to watch lessons every night. I always think it's nice for students to be able to access learning material at home for reference. Good Luck! It was fun working with you this semester.
ReplyDeleteThanks Liz. I'm using Haiku right now. I've used Weebly and Sharepoint before in the past and didn't completely buy into them.
DeleteI think it's good that you are thinking about how to avoid using technology for the sake of technology. I've seen many teachers fall into that trap and waste class time trying to figure out how to use a certain piece of technology that doesn't do much more than what you could do without it.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Corbin, I really enjoyed reading and watching your Prezi. I liked how it was personal and professional. I wish you the best of luck this summer putting together some guided notes for one of your courses. What a great way for students to review a lesson, see what they missed, review for exams, etc. It sounds like you are very close with trying the "flipped" classroom...that's fantastic! I agree with you about 'don't just implement technology for the sake of it,' but rather asking yourself how this can enhance students learning. It was a pleasure working with you this semester. Your E.O. Wilson quote it so true! Keep up the good work, Clinton is lucky to have you! Go cheer on my AC bulldogs for me! :)
ReplyDelete