Sick Science! Great Resource for Science Classrooms

While on Twitter this evening, I came upon a great resource. Steve Spangler Science has created a library on YouTube of short demo videos for the science classroom. Find the resource at Sick Science! Most of the videos are under two minutes. They show the demo and the materials needed to conduct the demonstration yourself. I watched three of the clips and my mind began to race about the possibilities, plus they got me excited about science (which isn't really that difficult.) These videos would be a great resource to use in any science classroom, including a flipped classroom. The clips challenge the viewer to determine "what happened." The link is provided to Steve's website that explains what is occurring, which is a nice resource for students and teachers. Some quick ideas I had included:

1.) Show a clip at the beginning of the class to introduce a topic and class discussion

2.) Let students browse the collection, pick a demonstration, and conduct it live in the classroom while scientifically explaining what is taking place.

3.) Use as ideas for yourself to spice up your classroom demos

4.) Use the clips either live or in video as "stations" around the room to teach a particular topic

5.) Flip these videos using TED-Ed to create an entire lesson

Flippin' Tip #3

Tip #3: Provide an orientation for students and parents

I highly recommend an orientation of some sort for both parents and students if you plan to flip your class. Parents need to know that their child will be required to use technology, they need to know that the student might struggle in the beginning because how they learn will be changing, and they need to know about your LMS, among other things. I typed up a "flyer" that I passed out during freshmen orientation. I discussed it with all the parents and students that attended the orientation. I also passed it out at the beginning of the school year and went through the document again with all the students. I took time to answer their questions and tried to make them comfortable with what we were about to undertake. The "flyer" had information on what flipped learning is, why I wanted to use it, how it would change the dynamics of the classroom, and a section about Edmodo, which is what I used for my LMS.

Within the first few days of school, I took some time to orient students with Edmodo. I gave them the "assignment" of getting their usernames and passwords set up. Then, in class, I went through the various capabilities and features of Edmodo. I actually wish I had spent more time with orientation of Edmodo and flipped learning. Students did fine getting started with only a few setbacks, but I think we could have had an even smoother transition with a more formal orientation.

Bachelor's or VoTech - My Father & I Debate

Just returned home from a great trip to Shiloh National Military Park/Corinth, MS. If you have never been, go there, especially if you are a Civil War junkie like me. Anyway, as I was scanning articles tonight I came across this one, Study examines vocational certificates' big rewards. Reading the article, I was reminded of a discussion that my father and I had a few weeks back. He is in economic development so he sees the other side of the work force. He commented that he thought we had pushed 4-year college degrees entirely too much and in doing so, had created an entire generation with no real skills. I thought about what he said and realized he was correct in many ways. Sometimes when I ask a student what they will do after high school, they lower their head and say they are not going to college but rather technical school. I quickly tell them to raise their head high; there is no reason to be embarrassed about that decision. It is sad that students feel this way. As the article states, very seldom is a certificate even recognized as "educational attainment." I remind my students that continuing their education is what is important. I also remind them that there are many folks that make twice the money that I do with only a 2-year degree. The article speaks of vocational certificates, not even actual degree programs. Should we continue to encourage students to pursue those pricey 4-year degrees or should we encourage them to enroll in a short certificate program at their local technical school? I tell my students that it is important to love what you do, some careers require a 4-year degree while many others do not. 

According to my father, the two most important things that companies require are for an employee to pass a drug test and show up to work on time. Most companies he works with will provide on-the-job training. Yet, he says, these same companies are scrambling to find people to work. These are good paying jobs, not minimum wage positions. How do we best prepare our students, do we teach them Algebra or do we teach them to come to class on time? Something to think about...

Feed The Teachers!



I had the privilege of reading this book recently as a part of a tech leadership class. I cannot say enough good things about it. It was a short and entertaining read, which is good for someone like me with a short attention span and a 3-year old. The book really had nothing to do with technology, but it was a leadership book that would be applicable in many arenas. To start, the author compares a school to a restaurant, which instantly gives the reader thought provoking ideas. I don't want to spoil the book so I will leave it up to you to read. Then, she uses parts of a meal to organize her information. There are hundreds of ideas for leaders of all types to improve their school, business, and so forth. One of my favorite lines from the book goes something like this, "The best administrators are those that remember what it was like to be a teacher and the best teachers are those that remember what it was like to be a student."

subliminal message....READ ME!!!



Flippin' Tip #2

Tip #2: Create your own videos/presentations
As teachers, parents, mentors, coaches....our time is at a premium. Our students deserve the time it takes to create a lesson. It is so easy to grab a Kahn Academy video or other resource and use as is. Don't get me wrong, in some cases these are good options. Let's be honest though, all teachers are different, students are different, learning outcomes are different, and it is sooo easy to create your own. This can be as simple as adding audio in PowerPoint to presentations you have. Be sure to update them, focusing on the most important information and adding more visuals. I would recommend using iSpring free to convert your file to flash to reduce the file size. This also allows the students to pause and start the presentations easier. If you want to do something more "techie," I would recommend using either the Educreation app or the Showme app, both free. My 3-year old uses these, if that tells you how easy they are. The result using these two apps would be very similar to Kahn Academy presentations. These two apps would also be great tools for authentic assessment of your students. If you have iPads or iPods at your disposal, students can use one of these apps to show you what they know. Two more non-app options would be CamStudio or Jing, these are free screencasting tools that are simple to use. There are several YouTube videos on how to use both of these, but chances are, in five minutes you will be ready to go!

Educreation Example

Cool Tool For Flipped Learning - TED-Ed

Tonight, I found a "tool" that I am very excited about. Most people have heard of TED talks, this is certainly not new. On the other hand, TED-Ed is a somewhat newer addition. The coolest part is the new "Flip This Lesson" option. With a simple click of the mouse, a teacher can turn a TED video into a flipped lesson.



Screen shot from TED-Ed Tour



There are created resources for each video that you can customize or use in their existing form. Even cooler, you can do the same thing with any YouTube clip. With these clips, you start from scratch but the process and result are the same.

Flippin' Tip #1

Flipped learning is all the rage in education today. I tried it last school year in three of my classes and thought it was awesome! I would like to share some things that I have learned as a part of this blog.

Tip #1: Not recommended for new teachers.
Now, before you get upset, let me explain. I think flipped learning is a wonderful thing but I cannot imagine trying it as a new teacher. When you begin teaching, you just want to survive. Flipped learning takes time to implement and plan for and it takes resources. Unfortunately, new teachers usually do not have the resource base. That being said, if you are a highly motivated new teacher that has experience finding resources or you have a great mentor that is willing to share, you just might give it a try.

30 Goal Challenge - Goal #6 -Setting a Google alert

Goal #6: Set a Google AlertI set up three alerts for this goal. The first was everything with my name in it. After a Google search of my name yesterday, I was amazed how much information was out there about me. I found teacher ratings posted by students, compliments from conference participants, and my website information. I thought this would be a great place to start for my alerts. Then, I decided to get alerts on mobile learning. Because this is such an important topic in education today, I found it imperative to keep up with what was new. Finally, taking an idea from Shelly Terrell, I decided to set an alert for e-learning. For this one, I chose to only get alerts about blog postings. This is such a broad topic I was afraid I would be inundated with information.

Evolution of a Revolution

As I ponder the world, sitting in a hotel room across the road from the Atlanta airport, I write my first blog post. Why am I in a hotel, you might ask? I am currently working on my Ed.S. in Tech in Ed as a part of a cohort that meets two hours from my home. Instead of driving back in forth over the weekend, I simply stay in Atlanta. I say all of this to say, as much as I love technology, it is overwhelming. It makes me consider why many teachers are reluctant to try technology. Just this evening, I learned how to use Twitter effectively using TweetDeck and of course I am creating my blog. Yes, these are old tools. Many teachers want to be innovative, but most do not have the time or the resources to do so. I hope to encourage those on the "fence" to break out of their comfort zone and be innovative. Just use one tip, tool, or otherwise a month and you will begin to see the evolution of a revolution. A great place to get motivated for the next step is to check out Shelly Terrell's blog and start the 30 goal challenge, starting a blog is one goal.