Learning to Fly...Piloting the 1:1 Flipped Classroom

Top Ten Things I Learned While Flipping a Classroom within a 1:1 Environment

Course: World History

Unit: French Revolution

Duration: 2 Weeks

Students: Freshmen and Sophomores

Level: Mainstream

Homework Transmission: Box. net and Good Reader

Web Tools: 

• http://www.timeglider.com/ (digital timelines)
• http://www.pixton.com/ (comic strips)
• http://www.xtranormal.com/ (custom animation)
• blogs (SharePoint)
• discussion boards (SharePoint)

Location: Media Center

Devices used: Tablets

Classroom Portal: SharePoint

File Management and Word Processing: Google

Assessment Tool: www.socrative.com

10. My students were't as tech savvy as I first thought. Their tech skills were limited to social networking, gaming, and entertainment. The concept of using technology to create and learn was very new to many of them.

9.  Be patient, there were many obstacles that I wasn’t ready for.

8.  There will come a time when you will have to tell a student, “figure it out”.  Working within a 1:1 environment is an exploration for both the students and the teacher.   Guide them, but allow them to explore and make mistakes.

7.   Your worst student will do better, and your best student will be challenged.

6.  “Make-up work” was not done during class time.  My students were asked to meet either before/after school or during a free period if they needed extra help or time.  This forced the students to take ownership of their studies and their learning.

5.  Student interest in Social Studies increased.  The project based learning allowed for students to learn history in a way that made sense to them. 

4.  As a Social Studies teacher, I had to create lesson plans that were far more abstract than ever before.   

3.  Differentiated instruction is implemented with greater ease and with more frequency when compared to a traditional classroom.  

2.  You are driving in the Daytona 500, so leave your scooter at home.  The devices, software, and technology used must be up-to-date and run smoothly, because tech problems can feel like driving on a flat tire.

1.  Students will learn more than the teacher could ever hope to teach them.