If you have ever though about “flipping the classroom” there are many different resources that can be used. Flipping the classroom can be done effectively with technology, allowing students to interact with informative videos or text online. BUT, “flipping” can be done without technology as well. The general idea of “flipping the classroom” is:
The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, while in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects, or discussions.-educause.org
Some teachers at CHS have taken this model a step further. English Teacher Julie Graham has used the online resource Pow Toons to create her own cartoon videos that walk students through instructions in a fun and student-friendly way. Here is Mrs. Graham’s example of a cartoon that instructs students on ‘Group Dynamics’: https://youtu.be/xKLojqZizUE
The benefits of flipping the classroom are vast and varied, but most importantly I find that beginning or continuing learning outside the confines of a classroom provides me with more opportunities to facilitate hands on learning instead of lecturing. Students come to class with an article or a basic understanding of what we are going to cover and they can begin practicing/applying what they are learning right away in the classroom. This also lends itself to more in depth conversations in the classroom and during collaborative sessions.-Julie Graham CHS English Teacher
Flipping the classroom can also be done on Schooloop or Google Classroom where articles are posted for reading or viewing outside of class and then discussed once students are in the classroom.
Advice: Try this at the beginning of the week on a Monday. Post an article or video that has content which can be used in discussion or activities during the week. You may notice that students are more engaged, bring in more depth of outside sources to the activities or conversations and may stop asking you “What are we doing today?” Instead, they will already know and be ready to work before as they sit down to class!
More information about flipping the classroom can be found here: https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7081.pdf
Most students felt it was easy to get started using HSTRY.co
A vast majority of students felt that creating a Timeline positively impacted their education. Creative format, collaboration, easy organization, and integration of media were all seen as positives for learning.
many different reading comprehension levels, making meaningful differentiation difficult. However, Ms. Fleener approached reading nonfiction using NewsELA by allowing students the option to choose the article they wanted to read which kept them focused. She also taught them the benefit of the changing the lexile rating and had students choose the reading level they felt fit them. By doing this, and having students use a Goal Setting Chart like the one below, students are empowered to continue reading past their frustrational level and choose texts that interest them. This approach to teaching reading empowers students, teaching them ownership of their learning and skills in autonomy. Occasionally, I have even heard students say, “I want to read it AGAIN. Take the quiz AGAIN! I CAN DO BETTER!!”
Alongside my colleague in our path towards Google Educator certification, I attempted the Google Gmail 60 question test today. Blaine, my Google colleague, had warned me on the way to my apartment that he had taken the Gmail test and failed only hours after our last successful passing of the Drive test a few weeks ago. “78%!” He claimed through clenched teeth. “One question away from passing. We have to do better than that together.” Almost 90 minutes later I had passed with an 81%(80% is passing score) and we both were breathing heavy as he contemplated taking the test himself.
life and that golden relic, safe by inches from the crushing weight of the stone ball. The only thing is, we have 4 four temples to conquer, 4 more pitfalls to outwit, and four more treasures to grab and covet. And yet, I still feel accomplished enough to say that I have the skills of a semi-master of Gmail…at least enough to teach someone about the ins and outs of Tasks and Labels. Passing a ‘high stakes exam’ must have that kind of impact on a person.
highlighters and still print out some quizzes & tests. However, our school’s VP of Curriculum and Instruction, Justin Ponzio, recently turned me on to a wonderfully compact and easy to use site called 
Educator. At this point in my career, I find the certification could be useful, especially since my district feels inclined to charge astronomically for insurance and I’ve begun to update my resume. But I’m not here to rant… There are also colleagues around me with which I can share the load. It all begins, as most stories about teachers do…at Starbucks. Here I am, seated across from a fellow teacher, staring blankly into my glowing macbook screen, waiting for my Carmel Macciato and at once dreading the 90 questions I must complete in 90 minutes. Still, I was happy I invested a saturday to visit a Googles Summit training at a local high school put on by a world renowned Google Trainer named 
During the test…Dun, Dun, Dunnnnn! Okay, don’t freak out. This is why you have a partner in tech-crime. One person takes the test at a time. The other person is using the windows open to each of the chapters and performing the ‘ctrl+f’function to search the tab that the question in the test is asking about.
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