30 Twitter Hashtags for Science Lovers

I teach Science & I think Twitter is the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to professional development. So...here is a great link to 30 Twitter Hashtags for every Science teacher and student. I was like most and reluctant to give Twitter a try. Then, a professor of mine introduced us to Tweetdeck. I love it because it organizes my Tweets and I can get multiple resources at a glance. I usually take a peek the last five minutes of my planning period and that is enough to overwhelm me with good resources and reading material. So, take my advice and try twitter. Use hashtags to organize your good stuff, using the link above if you are a science nerd like me!

Wanting to Flip but Lack the Time?

In a recent assignment, I asked my students to find a tutorial on electron configurations in Chemistry. One of my students found Brightstorm. This is an awesome website for those considering the flip but not sure where to find the time to create tutorials or for those who want another avenue in addition to the tutorials they create. The site is divided into Math, Science, English, and Test Prep resources. When you click on each of these links, it is broken down by specific subject. You can also search by textbook, which I found to be really cool. I am not a textbook teacher, but I like how you can search by section/topic in a text. In addition, you can search just by topic then it will link it to textbooks. The end result is a high quality short tutorial on that topic. The tutorials are done by individuals with a Master's or higher. Here is a link to one on the Characteristics of Life so that you can see an example.

Even if you are not interested in flipping your classroom, this might be a good resource for when you are out sick, if you are teaching something for the first time and need to brush up, or if your students just need to hear a topic taught one more time for it to sink in.

Tip #6: Multiple Formats Are The Way To Go

One thing I have learned while flipping the last two years is to create multiple formats of the same tutorial. As mentioned in a previous post, I have been using Screencast-o-matic and Showme this year. When I finish the tutorials, I upload them to Edmodo in the original Java version but I also create a YouTube version. This allows students who get ahead to watch them in class if they need to but also to watch them at home or elsewhere using their mobile devices. Many mobile devices do not play Java files or Flash files, but they connect to the internet. We live in a rural area where some students might not have internet access available at their home or may not be able to afford it, but the vast majority have mobile devices with 4G capabilities. My students have said they appreciate the YouTube version (even though it is blocked at our school). One student said, “Thanks for the YouTube version, I can be in my bed with my Kindle and watch a tutorial.”  When I create the YouTube versions, I always mark them as unlisted and then just post the link in Edmodo. Screencast-o-matic will allow you to upload your screencast in other formats as well. I use the RealPlayer download to share my Showmes on YouTube.  If you want to take this one step further, you can use www.savetube.com to easily convert your YouTube videos to .mp4 files.  This would give you three different file types and would allow you to meet the needs of the most students. Finally, for students who have little to no tech at home, you can put your tutorials on DVD. 

Learning to Change

I am within weeks of completing my Ed.S. in Educational Technology. Can I get a Woot Woot! As a part of a recent assignment, we were asked to view the video Learning to Change. If anyone out there thinks that education is not undergoing a grand transformation, all they need to do is watch this clip. My favorite line from the video is “It is the death of education but the dawn of learning.” I think this is a poignant statement. Our ideas of the industrial version of education where we create little learners through an assembly line process must change. This goes from Pre-K to post-secondary institutions. The most difficult aspect of flipped learning has nothing to do with technology but rather how to get students away from “education” and into the realm of “learning.” Some might argue that these are synonymous, but I disagree as will you when you watch the video. I had a student tell me recently that they were not learning in a flipped classroom, they needed worksheets to learn. I think this is so sad. This student is a Senior and has been programmed for 13 years. My job, in 18 weeks, is to give him a reboot. One of my favorite compliments from my students is when they groan and moan and say, “Why are you making us think?” My reply is always, “I know… they should fire me for such atrocities against students!” J

Tip #5: Video Self-Checks

One thing that I stumbled on and then my students praised was the idea of self-checks embedded in the tutorials I create. This sounds like common sense right. Last year, I would forget and students would get bent out of shape. :-) They said that the self-checks really helped. I try to put self-checks in after a minute or two of the tutorial or after each small subsection. I also try to put in a "you should have learned" section at the end of tutorials. Students say this helps because if they don't feel like they understand something from the "you should have learned" they know they should go back and rewatch.

Flippin' In The New School Year

We are currently in the fourth week of school where I teach. As mentioned in a previous post, I decided to flip my Chemistry classes this year after doing so in my Biology classes last school year. I was apprehensive at first, but it is going well! One thing I would say to all you that are considering flipping, if you teach any type of class that has a mathematical base such as Physics, Chemistry, Business, or any math class obviously, you must flip. I run from bell to bell helping students with their various tasks but it is so worth it. The vast majority of students are working through the material and doing well with it. The goal of flipped learning for me was to get students actively learning, this is something they don't often have to do. I am retraining them from 12 years of "playing school" and trying to get them to focus on learning. This is a daunting task but I believe well worth it. Thus far, I have been using a mix of tutorials I create using Screencast-o-matic and the Showme app. Because I use Edmodo as my LMS, I create self-check quizzes in Edmodo that the students can do when they feel they are ready. I have the results sent to the "gradebook" in Edmodo and even though I do not count the grade I can easily see who has not done the self-check, how students scored, which questions were being missed, and I can get a class average so I can see what topics we definitely need to review before a graded quiz or test. In other words, I have DATA! AAAAHHH! I know I said the dirtiest four letter word in our language.

 On an entirely different note, I attended EdCamp Atlanta on Saturday and came away with enough good stuff to make my head spin. If you have never attended an EdCamp or TeachMeet, I recommend doing so immediately! They are awesome! Both are free "unconferences" where those in attendance drive what goes on. This is particularly the case at EdCamps where you go in and sign up if you want to "lead" a session, notice I didn't say "present." Both of these are also great ways to talk to and network with others. I would love to do an EdCamp at our school in North Georgia because there just aren't those kinds of opportunities for our teachers, without driving to Atlanta. 

Tip #4: Keep it Short

A tip to live by…I know this sounds like common sense, but it is easier said than done. Last year, when I flipped my Pre-AP Biology courses most of my videos were 15-20 minutes long, some longer. I thought this was the perfect time frame, especially since that was much less time than lecture would have taken in most cases. Through discussions with students, I found out that this was too long. They brought up the fact that if they watch the presentation, pause the video, and try to take notes it takes quite a bit longer than 15-20 minutes. This also does not count the time that they use to re-watch a video. I assume that many teachers beginning the flip probably make this same mistake because they want to “lecture” and put it on video. This year, for Chemistry, all the videos I have created thus far are between five and seven minutes. Moreover, I only do one topic at a time instead of discussing multiple topics. My Chem students are much more receptive because they do not see this as a large time commitment. Also, they are not inundated with information since I keep the videos focused.