Flipped Classroom

Flipping the classroom, I think is a brilliant idea.
I have a lot of ideas and sometimes it is just a bit tricky on how to get started!


Starting a new job at a new school, I don't know my students, and don't know what they like. Student opinion is very important to me and this changes! So I am planning some grammar stuff where students will be given words and then they will have to create a parody video or game and present to the class to help with end of year externals.


To be honest, I am not too sure where to start, but these are the websites that seem the most useful so far in my quest to flipping the classroom:
http://vodcasting.ning.com/
https://sites.google.com/a/cloud.stillwater.k12.mn.us/flipped-classroom/
http://flipped-learning.com/?p=245
http://flipteaching.com/index.php


I am looking at my plans for this coming year and thinking how I can flip them; I will keep you informed of my journey...
However I would very much love to hear from teachers especially of English that are flipping the classroom.

Phones, Children, how I try to be Smart!

There is always discussion over 'how old should my child be before they get a phone?'.  In my house my children  have to be at least 10.5 and going into Year 7. They also have to show me they are responsible enough to own a phone, by looking after their belongings, listening, following instructions and so forth. 
This Christmas my middle child got a smart phone, not an expensive one, but they have come down in price and she attends a primary school that lets students use them! 
I have several rules in no particular order:

•  When going to bed they are put in the blue box in the kitchen, turned off (goes for their friends during sleep overs) - I put mine there when not using it to
•  I can go through their messages when I want and contacts - they can look at mine if they want - no secrets!
•  I will block people if necessary
• Nothing should be sent in a text that I can't read
• If they receive a text that is not nice or they are not sure of, to show me
• Must ask to access the internet
• Whilst it is theirs, everything they own belongs to me (This is something I heard on Nigel Latta http://goldfishwisdom.org/ )- so I can take it at any point if they are miss-using it or as a consequence 

My eldest has had a phone for 2 years and so far no problems. She has received some odd texts from friends but we sorted that and I have taken it the odd time as a consequence.  She is entering high school this year and I hope the habits formed will last - or she just wont have it!


For my middle child I have since discovered this awesome app : Vodafone Guardian it lets you manage how they use a smart phone. I can limit the hours of usage, block sites like Facebook and Twitter as she is under 13. It has a heap of features and even send the guardian a text if the settings get changed! I highly recommend it. I told my child "It is not because I don't trust you. It is because I want you to be as safe as possible whilst learning how to use it, I want to try to minimize text bullying and unwanted calls. I don't want you feeling awkward if another child wants to use your phone for YouTube or Facebook. You can just tell them your mum blocked it from the phone." At the moment she is happy, she can use it as she wants to and it gives me a degree of peace of mind.

Some Ideas...

Merry Christmas,

Despite thinking about doing no school work until the New Year ( we are on summer hols in NZ), I was up at 6am mulling over ideas! 

I am going to set up a book club blog for my classes next year and I would really love to have some students from around the globe joining in. If you are interested could you please leave a comment or email me. I am thinking of calling it  'Literature from Around the World'.

For my Year 10's I would like to focus on change and making a difference. I am thinking of having them create some pod casts for the blind, and looking at the importance of literacy, but I want it to be interesting -any ideas? I want to create a program that integrates technology but where students can make a difference. It would be brilliant for them to create relationships with students from across the globe and share their knowledge of the English subject.

I have a Senior English class which I am so excited about, and I have so many ideas, I literally don't know where to start..

A we update on my daughter: She created two keynotes presentations one on 'butterflies' and the other on 'Christmas around the world'. The thing that filled me with the most pride was she organised a Christmas movie showing with students at school. She got permission from the teacher, created posters, asked for input from the students. The aim was to collect food cans for the City Mission as entry. On the second to last day of term she got off the school bus with two shopping bags full of cans and a massive smile. We went to the City Mission and dropped them in. I told her how proud I was and she said "Mum, you had the idea." 

I said " Anyone can have an idea, it is what you do with that idea that makes the difference". 

After some thought she said:  " Mum, I really made a difference and it felt good...I love my new school... I'm so happy".

Happy Holidays

Silver Linings...

In New Zealand I like the fact that the school year finishes the same time the year wraps up. I like this because I can reflect over the year and put in place plans and ideas for a new year.


2011 has been tumultuous and I will be glad to shove it in a box and stuff it to the back of the cupboard. However I am happy and pleased to have risen to all the challenges and got through like so many others. In  Dec 2010 I moved back to the closest thing I have to a home city, to a new exciting teaching position, just in time for Feb 22nd earthquake! 


Avonside Girls has a had a year of site sharing with Burnside High School, both schools I think coped incredibly well. I was very impressed with my students and their ability to adjust to an afternoon condensed timetable, as well as coping with all the challenges at home such as: chemical toilets, lack of water and houses that were red , orange or green zoned, and so much more. Teachers worked will little resources to start but help from teachers and schools around the country and overseas flooded in. It was welcomed and gave everyone such a positive feeling to know others were thinking of us, thank you. 


I found it hard keeping up with my studies, teaching and looking after my kids, but got there with love and support from family/friends. Then it became apparent that a 149 full time teaching positions in high schools across CHCH needed to be disestablished due to roll drops. I was one of those disestablished teachers, sorry to be leaving but understanding of the process. This is where the silver lining kicks in: My family are happy again, I live in a green-zoned house in need of minimal repair and I have a new position in CHCH at St Andrews College. I am very excited about embarking on this step in my teaching career.


Right now, I am thinking of themes and ideas to incorporate all I have learnt this year, and my love of e-learning into my programs for 2012. If you know of any good websites or have any ideas please let me know.


Happy Holidays

Excited about learning

As a parent of  2 school age children I always find it interesting how they view their learning and school. My eldest likes structure, she likes to know what is happening when, what the expectations are and how she can improve, she will say that "I love school and learning". When she has a test she looks forward to it to see what she has learnt, needless to say her teachers like her input in the classroom and she isn't a know it all! Next year she will start high school, I think she will be fine.


My middle daughter always gets the diligence award, and always tries her best, however she goes to school for: hip hop, art and sport. She is a quiet member of the class but always tries her best. Her comments on school are "It's boring", her teacher is great, works hard and has her students best interest at heart. But this daughter needed a different way to learn.
So something had to change for her and guess what, she is excited about school for the first time. We took a look at the Discovery School this week and she loved it. She told her Learning Adviser 'I have always wanted to learn about the Bermuda Triangle'. On the way home she was completely excited about planning her project of her choice and this is what she wants to do:
Create a website about Christmas around the world. With information on different cultures and how they celebrate Christmas. What food they have and what traditions are important. She wants to try making a Christmas item of food from another culture, review some Christmas movies, create a fundraiser to get food for Womens Refuge 'because they might need help over Christmas time', maybe skype some students in another country. Her ideas are endless and the work will come with putting it together and following through when the excitement wears off.


So what of the Bermuda Triangle...'I can do that next year, Christmas is soon!'
Wow how exciting is that!
Here is a link to the Discovery School

Schools of the Future...what my Year 9s think

I recently asked my Year 9 girls to complete a piece of formal writing about what schools in the future would look like. Here is a summary:

·         Large open space classrooms with lots of natural light – so students can move around and learn
·         All students will have Ipads/tablets – that way you only have to take one thing to school,and you can find      

       all the answers quicker

·         No uniforms  - the ties choke you and the school shoes are uncomfortable
·         Giant touch screen Ipads for whiteboards
·         Schools should be bigger with more students and people
·         Lots of trips to learn about new cultures
·         School hours 10-2 only 4 days long
·         Hologram teachers so they can teach from different places
·         No more books, laptops instead
·         More fitness classes because of all the technology
·         No moving from class to class all the time
·         Learning should be ‘fun, convenient and exciting’ everyday would be different
·         Veggie garden and plants
·         We shouldn't be sitting writing lines about pasta -we should be taking part in a professional restaurant –   
      we would store this in our brain better.
·         Projects instead of boring stuff
·         The world has lots of amazing technology why don’t schools? Schools will have all the technology.

Taking the Ego out of teaching!

It seems to me there is a bit of fear around the use of web 2.0, social media and technology in the classroom, still. I think we need to 'let go' a bit in the classroom. We need to be letting students use the tools they have to learn; to discover the answers. When we acknowledge that we don't know it all and that we can learn just as much from the students, a more relevant type of learning takes place. One where discovery is encourage and deeper learning can take place. A lot of teachers are embracing a new way of teaching/learning and this was very evident at the Ulearn conference. I keep going back to my notes (which are on Google Docs and on my smart phone!) and questioning 'Why?' and then asking 'How?'. 
It is an exciting time to be back at school!

Tool of the day!
Skype in the classroom over 18000 teachers online making connections and blazing the trail.