Way back in 2004, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, two teachers in Colorado, came up with the idea of flipping their classrooms. It wasn’t a yoga class where students stood on their heads, but instead they decided to record their lectures, have students watch them before class, then spend class time helping students understand the content. Though this certainly wasn’t a brand new concept, as distance learning, in many shapes and forms, had been in place for over 100 years, it was a change in approach which had many advantages for teachers and students.
But what really made this a fresh idea was that ordinary teachers, using commonly available digital tools, could now create and post simple videos for anyone to watch. Now, just as Web 2.0 democratized content creation for the masses, all teachers could feel empowered to deliver their content in new ways. And this ran the risk of engaging students in a medium they were powerless to resist- video! Yes, YouTube has created a generation of video zombies, and now teachers can further enable that movement. And as cruel as it may sound, students may be entrapped into learning something while they helplessly watch yet another YouTube video.
Clever.
But wait there’s more. With the addition of nifty screen capturing tools, teachers can also create content, such as a Keynote presentation, on their computers, and then discuss that presentation while annotating it, all the while thrilling their students by having their faces embedded live in the video. It sends chills down the spine.
Picture this- hordes of students mesmerized by teacher videos, each one packed full of delicious content, and with each teacher providing expert guidance, along with having her or his smiling face gracing the screen. It is almost too good to be true. But it gets even better. Now, the students show up in the classroom, completely engaged and immersed in the day’s topic, and ready to get to work demonstrating their understanding of the day’s work. It’s a beautiful thing. The only thing left is to cue the inspiring theme music. Oh wait, you can add that to the video too!
I'm thinking there's part of a tongue, at least, stuck in a cheek here, Jim. But I also know you have begun creating some video (Story as Journey) to use "on" your students; "with" them, of course, is a better word choice. While I agree that the dystopian view of YouTube addicted "youts" being fed their daily gruel of edu-flotsam is pretty scary, I think it captures the obvious abuse of the flipped classroom. That's the one where the class is only half flipped, hanging upside down on video with no practical use of the class time that is made available when video delivers the content (or video kills the classroom teacher, to paraphrase badly). You do note that the hope is kids come "read to get to work demonstrating..." which is where the power of flipping really lies. I fear the Mass Customized Learning (see B.McGarvey) bus may roll in with seats full of mastery playlists that anyone can DJ, relegating that big R of relationship to the closet if we're not careful.
ReplyDeleteThat couldn't happen, could it?
spk
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"Video kills the classroom teacher." Funny!!! And great point about relationship building. Certainly flipped classrooms don't signify the end of relationships. They could, in fact, lead to having more time and opportunity for relationship building.
ReplyDeleteBut hey, we gotta have some fun with this stuff, eh?