Flipped Classroom Tools

Screen Capture and Video Sharing-- two concepts that are frequently used within the flipped classroom, yet we, as instructors, have a tendency to shy away from them. Incorporating a new technology into the classroom often comes with the stereotype of being cumbersome, time consuming, and difficult, leading to the conclusion that it's more hassle than it's worth. I would disagree with this assumption. Technology does not have to be any of these things. With the right tools and know-how, you can easily screen capture your lectures and quickly share with your students. This morning Michael Trest, Multimedia Specialist in the Learning Enhancement Center, demonstrated just how easy it really can be.

Before I start comparing the two programs Michael shared, I want to talk about why you would want to use these tools in your classroom. Or better yet, let's start with what it is...

What is screen capture?
Quite simply, screen capture is creating a video or image of what your computer screen displays at any given moment. You might be familiar with a screen shot, where your computer will create a still-shot of the screen, screen capture creates an animated demonstration of your screen.

Now that we know what screen capture is, why would we want to use it?
Michael shared the three reasons why he uses screen capture in this class and with his students: 

1. Demonstration.
Capturing how you do something on your computer allows you the opportunity to share with students without having to replicate the process every time someone has a question. You can quickly guide students through the process once, share it, and then refer back to it when needed. Students are also able to access the process even when you are not available. So if they are working on something in the middle of the night while you are not answering emails, they can easily retrieve the video you've shared and watch it as many times as they need to understand it.

2. Capturing a lecture. 
While lecturing, why not record it? Students will be able to refer back to the lesson covered to review information. You will be able to refer back to previous comments. Students who might have to miss class (for whatever reason) will be able to access the missed information from home. It sounds like a win-win for everyone involved.

3. Sharing announcements. 
Often times we have to send out announcements to students during the semester- updates on changes within the syllabus, reminders about upcoming assignments. How many of those messages go unread? Rarely is there a 100% read-rate, and that's just me guessing. Why not send a quick video you delivering the message? Students are more likely to listen to an announcement than read it. I'm not saying you shouldn't send text announcements, do that too because it does work for some students, but add some variety with a voice memo or video announcement as well.

Quick summary of benefits...

• Students can start and stop whenever they need to-- video allows them to customize the flow of the learning process. 
• Students are able to access the information when it is conducive to their learning. 
• Students are more likely more likely to watch and/or listen to short, quick announcements than read the same material. 
• Instructors can refer back to previously covered material. 
• Instructors do not have to explain the same concept multiple times outside of class. 

So what about the actual technologies. We've talked about why you would want to use screen capture for your classroom and the benefits of the inclusion, so now what- what should you use? There are so many to choose from, what's the best? While we cannot answer that, we can give solutions as to what is easy and quick to adopt.

From the makers of TechSmith, Michael demonstrated Jing and Camtasia. 

Camtasia and Jing are a lot alike in that they quickly and easily capture your screen and allow you to share, but there are also big differences. As Michael put it, Jing is the little brother to Camtasia. They do the same thing, Camtasia just has a little more power behind it.

The quick and dirty on Jing: 

• FREE! Yes, I said free!
• Limited on size/length of videos that can be made
• Video capture and Photo Shot capabilities
• Very fast uploads and processing
• Saves files compatible with Blackboard
• Saves files in .swf format which is not compatible with youtube
• No editing functions 
• Saves files to Screencapture.com for your access and sharing 

The quick and dirty on Camtasia: 

• Educational versions offered-- Camtasia for Mac $79, Camtasia Studio $179-- here's a comparison of the two- http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-camtasia-mac-to-camtasia-comparison-prior.html
• Editing capabilities
• Files can be saved in a variety of formats
• Music and text can be added
• You can add captions, call outs, titles, transitions... 
• Saves files compatible with youtube

Finding what is right for you is important. Don't let the cost keep you from choosing a different software that may work better for your needs. Camtasia offers a 30 day free trial. You can test it out to see if it's what you really like before investing in the purchase. 

Another technology was shared with the group, but I'll save that for another blog. Gotta keep you guys interested, right??

How do you think you can use screen capture in your classroom? Or are you already using it? Tell us about it! We want to know!

Happy Flipping!

Before you Spring- Break to reflect

It's Spring Break. Students have hit the road for their much anticipated break from books while faculty members are most likely doing the exact same thing-- clicking their heels with the joys of one week of freedom! Before relaxation mode sets in too deeply, it might be helpful for the rest of your semester to use some of this "time-off" as a period of reflection and personal assessment for your course(s).

Take some time to reflect. 
We are officially half way through the semester, but that does not mean that the rest is downhill from here. Having a week off near the middle of the semester allows you to take time to assess how things are going within your classroom. Here are a few questions to ask yourself about your individual courses: 
If you are you trying something new (flipped classroom), how are students reacting?
What are some of the hangups you've experienced so far?
What has gone really well?
What do you feel that you do well that students have a positive reaction to in the classroom?
In what areas do you feel you could use improvement?

Make changes-- if needed. 
From the information you've gained from your reflections, look ahead to what you have planned. Are there any tweaks you can make to the assignments or activities you have on the agenda? You don't have to throw out anything, but make adjustments as you see fit. Did you try something at the beginning of the semester that could have gone better or just differently? Make adjustments, the experience does not have to be same-- you have a great influence on what happens in the classroom. Observing how students react and process information can help with the planning and implementation of instruction.

Reassess the timeline of the remainder of the semester. 
At Southern Miss we have experienced some setbacks that could not be escaped-- does anyone remember the ice-pocalypse? Having two days taken out of the semester sent a few faculty members in a scramble to rearrange their schedule. The Think Center was all a-flurry with rescheduling missed class meetings, so we can only imagine the work across campus.  From those cold icy days off, we learned that schedules can be reworked and students can be flexible with the changes. Take another look at the rest of your semester, are there some assignments that can be rearranged to enhance the flow of knowledge occurring? If so make them, and then be sure to clearly communicate those changes when classes start back.

Take notes. 
We encourage students to take notes throughout the semester, but we can't forget to take notes ourselves. As you experiment in the classroom, keep an active reflection of how the new assignments go in the classroom. What changes would you make? How did students react? What worked really well? Keeping your notes on the different assignments as they are being carried out in the classroom will help you next semester or next year when you start to plan for another semester. You will have notes and reflections taken with a fresh eye instead of trying to remember what happened after too much time has lapsed.

While we are all ready for a break from the hectic schedule of the semester, taking a few moments in our break to reflect, plan, and adjust will help alleviate some of the busyness that will return after Spring Break is over.

Before you flip your class, you need to flip your mindset.

  

Committing to flipping your classroom can seem quite daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Many instructors feel that the notion to “flip” is all or nothing. When in reality, it is not. Below is a quick and dirty on how to get into the mindset of flipping your classroom.

1.     It’s all been done before.

So many think that the flipped classroom is a new innovative strategy for the classroom that will answer all instructor questions. It’s not. It’s something that’s been done—by you perhaps—it just has recently gained a lot of attention, and for good reason. Most likely you have been practicing some form of flipped methods within your classroom already. Now that the pressure to try something new is off your shoulders, we can really dive into refining what you’re already doing. 

2.     If you flip, you still have to teach.

Flipping your classroom is not a substitute to your lectures or taking the place of your job as a teacher. A video or reading cannot replace the value of the interactions you have with your students. The implementation of a flipped lesson or classroom is a supplement to your teaching. Even though you have students attending to new knowledge outside the classroom, you are still exploring the understanding and application of that knowledge inside the classroom. There will be times that a lecture will be required, perhaps not a full blown lecture, but a mini-series may be needed to help students along in the learning process. You as an instructor are not being replaced. 

3.     Start small.

Course design/redesign takes time, and it’s not going to be perfect the first time around. Think about the first course you ever taught. Does it still look identical to when you started? Developing a course that is meaningful to you and your students takes refinement. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. While you gain your confidence in a different teaching method, start slow. Choose one lesson or activity that you feel will be good to start with, and do it. Once you get your bearings, pick another lesson or activity. As you incorporate more lessons, don’t forget to assess what you’re already doing. Is it still relevant? Are you still engaging students? Are tweaks needed to improve? Do not start a semester with the intention to flip the entire course. This could be overwhelming and cause much anxiety for both you and your students. 

4.     Prepare to devote time.

Preparing a flipped lesson takes time. Be prepared to devote an adequate amount of time for preparation. This will be a service to your students to ensure they are getting quality information. If you are wanting to incorporate new or different technologies in the classroom, be sure to understand the technology before assigning it to the students. If you plan to make videos, you may want to put some time aside to learn about the process of making videos before you start. Familiarizing yourself with the technologies before beginning might curve some frustration when you get started for your course. 

5.     The goal is to engage.

When considering where and when to implement a flipped lesson into your curriculum, be mindful of WHY you are implementing a new concept into the classroom. Are you exploring different strategies because they will add value to your instruction or adding a new method because you want something flashy for the students? Remember the goal of education is not to have student like the class, but rather to engage them in the content and learning process. Make sure your instructional practices match your learning outcomes. 

6.     Take risks.

When trying something new in the classroom, take risks. It’s okay—it’s actually a good thing. Doing something different should push you outside your comfort zone. We grow as individuals when we push our personal boundaries. Implementing something new will stretch you as an instructor as well as your students in their discovery of knowledge. What’s fun is that you might learn something along the way as well. 

7.     Embrace the chaos that can (and will) ensue.

Many flipped classroom models incorporate group work or group discussion. This may be led with a challenging prompt from your mini lecture or a question that is brought to light by a student. Allow your students to get into small group discussions. The noise level might get above the normal classroom whisper, that’s okay. That means they are engaging in conversation. Use this time to invade that space beyond the lectern, and converse with the groups. See what they are talking about, contribute to the conversations, and pose questions to continue their conversations.  

8.     Allow, or even encourage, movement within the classroom.

So many times our classrooms are not conducive to movement. Unspoken rules have been established that movement from the seat is not allowed. Why? Who says so? Get students up and moving around the room to get in smaller groups. This might mean moving to an empty space in the room and sitting on the floor, rearranging desk to have better eye contact among group members, or even venturing out into the hallway for more space. Students, believe it or not, take cues from you, the instructor. Encourage movement; let them know its okay to become unglued from their seats at different points in class. Plus moving around the room will promote more blood flow stimulating more brain activity. 

9.     Be comfortable with questions.

If students are asking a lot of questions, you must not have taught something correctly, right? No! Students asking questions shows their interest in the content and gives them an outlet to process what they are learning. Welcome the questions; embrace the questions. Let them know you encourage their inquiry for more knowledge. Don’t be afraid that students will ask questions. If they ask something to which you might not know the answer, that’s okay too. Use it as a learning experience to find the answer together—sage on the stage vs guide on the side.

Flipping your classroom does not have to be scary or daunting. It can be a fun exploration of creating new learning experiences for you and your students.

How are you keeping your students engaged in the classroom?

If you are thinking about flipping your class, do you have any apprehensions? What are you most anxious about? What are you most excited about?

Share! I want to know (and so do others)!

Resources:

How ‘flipping’ the classroom can improve the traditional lecture

http://moodle.technion.ac.il/file.php/1298/Announce/How_Flipping_the_Classroom_Can_Improve_the_Traditional_Lecture.pdf

The flipped classroom: online instruction at home frees class time for learning

http://educationnext.org/files/ednext_20121_BTucker.pdf

Five best practices for the flipped classroom

http://ticharter33.org/library/TIarticle36.pdf

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (John Ratey)

http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

The flipped classroom: A survey of the research

http://www.asee.org/file_server/papers/attachment/file/0003/3259/6219.pdf

Introverts and Extroverts in the Flipped Classroom

A primary purpose of teaching is to engage all students in the content and learning process. There are plenty of times that some students are not receptive to the learning process and/or content, but as teachers, we have the mission to break through and engage them.

Different methods of teaching appeal to different learners, this is why we want to create variety in the classroom. The flipped classroom has the potential to appeal heavily to the extroverted students, so what about those who aren't extroverted?

Today Faculty Focus promoted an article on this topic, sharing tips on how to integrate reflection into the flipped classroom model: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/flipped-classroom-tips-integrating-moments-reflection/?campaign=FF140217article

How are you creating an environment that is inviting to both introverts and extroverts?

How do you incorporate reflection within your pedagogy?

What have learned from your students through reflective activities?

Getting Started...

Hi and Welcome to the Southern Miss Faculty Learning Community on Flipped Classrooms!

This blog will serve a forum for those involved to share ideas, experiences, and thoughts about flipping their classrooms. As we learn more about flipping the classroom, we will use this forum as a way to share among the community. Please feel free to comment or make suggestions.

A few early brainstorming ideas for the community are...

Monthly Meetings: A regularly scheduled meeting once a month would allow us all to get together to discuss how things are going in the classroom as well as target some issues that might be arising while we learn more about the implementation of the flipped classroom.

Blog/Communication Forum: In-between monthly meetings, I have created this blog. In this forum topics from our monthly meetings will be posted with the opportunity for you to respond, comment, clarify, share experiences, ask questions, and so forth. Having a communication outlet will allow us to continue to share resources and experiences/thoughts as they occur in more of a real-time fashion as opposed to waiting until the monthly meetings. These forums could also serve as conversation catalysts for the monthly meetings.

Flipped Development: As you begin to experiment more with the flipped classroom concept, help with the development of flipped activities may be needed. Getting feedback and brainstorming in the development of flipped activities is available through forming of small groups or meeting individually with the resources available in the Think Center, i.e. myself or others in this flipped community group.

Peer Observations: A lot of times when implementing something new in the classroom, we want feedback on how things are going, from our peers. Through our discussions, we can coordinate peer observations to get constructive feedback about how our flipped out lessons are going. Of course, this would be on a voluntary basis.