Flipping Out!

The idea of a flipped classroom model has intrigued me since hearing about others doing this for their action research projects in the Spring. It has taken awhile to wrap my mind around the concept and even longer to get the nerve to try it. I like the idea of sending work home in an effort to "pre-teach" concepts. In the realm of early childhood, I like the idea of more parental involvement which is required for little ones to manage the flip. However, I would be remiss if I did not offer some concerns. First of which is the use of technology with a Title I school where many families are struggling to put food on the table. Second is the time in which it requires of the educator to plan and implement the flip.

My first thoughts were much like those in the November 2013 issue of Teacher.net Gazette article titled, Flipped Kindergarten by Kris Szajner. Szajner talks about the misconception of flipping the entire classroom, for every lesson and every subject. This would be an impossibility and take the teaching out of teaching. However, it can be a "one of your tools in the box." A tool used to reinforce, pre-teach, or train parents. The last use of the "tool" is the most appropriate for the early grades. It can be used an effective tool for training parents on routines, homework help, and procedures for certain programs.

The article mentions the three important components of a flipped classroom. A flipped classroom should be: student friendly, innovative and interesting, and available 24 hours 7 days a week. With most families having some type of digital device, this becomes more possible. Although I teach at a Title I school, this year all my families have access to email and/or internet; whether through a computer, smart phone, or tablet. By choosing the right platform information can be distributed to any or all of these devices. YouTube is the most common and practical for all these devices. I have used a screencast for teaching parents how to complete literacy game sheets when they come home, but this technology may not be feasible for all technology devices.

I would like to do more with the flipped classroom, in terms of sight word practice. Sight words are a great way for students and parents to connect over homework. Additionally, sight word apps on the iPad are common and motivating. By presenting sight words prior to teaching them in class would give all students the opportunity to be ahead of the learning curve. This will increase motivation and confidence in the way of reading.

Mobile Technology and Its Additions to the Classroom

At first thought I wondered how could I use any type of mobile technology in a Kindergarten classroom. Then I discovered there is more to it than just the iPod, iPad, and occassional use of these devices on a bus ride to a fieldtrip. Sure these are easy to use and the students are practically independent with these devices, since most parents have one or the other or even a SmartPhone. Then I really started reading...

I discovered these amazing opportunties which I felt would be perfect for the Kindergarten classroom:

1. Google Glass: eClassroom News, in its online article titled "4 emerging technologies with educational potential" (October 17, 2013) suggested Google Glass, an augmented reality application which enables students to experience interactive elements in a normal scene, would entice students to engage more during presentations and lessons by overlaying scenes or interactive maps. My initial thought with this technology would be to use it during our "virtual" fieldtrip to see the nation's symbols. We use the maps frequently, but how amazing it would be to see the flags actually waving at the Washington Monument or snow falling at Mount Rushmore. It would give the students the feeling of actually being at the stops on our trip rather than having to completely rely on imagination.

2. iPad4Schools: According to iPad4Schools, "54% of those whose age ranges from 5 to 8 are familiar with using mobile devices."(ipad4schools.org) Why would an educator not use this technology, if it is available, in a class where over half of the students are familiar with the device? The answer lies in the training and use of applications for the device. iPad4Schools is an informative site which delivers answers and training, along with sage advice on applications best suited for particular grades.

3. Mathforum.org/mathtools/: This site is perfect for students (games and activities by grade) and teachers. It is designed to offer practical suggestions, forums, and opportunities for teachers to share and discuss various uses of technology in the classroom.

While the above tools, sites, and applications of technology are wonderful and will be interesting and challenging to incoporate into the classroom, the biggest challenge is answering the question, "where do we go from here?" The article "Personalized learning a key them from 2013 ISTE conference" (eClassroomNews.com, July 2013) brings up several great thoughts. In order for the above opportunities to actually occur in the classroom, there needs to be a vision shared by all involved and not just the IT department or the teacher. Sharing is the key to making the vision happen. The more teachers are encouraged and enabled to collaborate concerning technology and its use in the classroom, the more empowered teachers will become. The biggest frustration amongst teachers in the district is the disparity between schools. This is more common in large districts and it really separates the "have" schools from the "havenot" schools. There needs to be more equality across districts when it comes to technology and how it is implemented and used in the classrooms.

I have to admit, though, as I read this article there may be many options out there for increasing our use of technology in and out of the classroom, but in the end it is really just one more thing to do - for the teacher, the parents, and the students. Reading over the summaries of Edmentum, PBS Learning Media, programs through McGraw-Hill Education and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the others my eyes started to glaze over. I was not really impressed by any of them. I felt like they might have good qualities: differentiated instruction, challenging options as a student increases in skill, etc., but they all just sounded like textbooks or worksheets gone digital. That is until I read about Skyward! A program to motivate behavior - positive behavior. Now I'm interested! Being in a school which just implemented Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies (PBIS), I'm intrigued by the opportunity to take the reward system digital. I could see this also helping to increase the parent involvement aspect of rewards. This seems like technology that is both practical and positive.

The Importance of Teaching Digital Citizenship

October 21-25, 2013 was Digital Citizenship Week across the education world. However, in the district where I teach, it went unobserved or even mentioned. The more I read about the necessity of teaching Digital Citizenship, the more I realize it MUST start at the youngest of levels. I liken it to wearing seatbelts. When I was growing up there were no seatbelts in cars. As time progressed and seatbelts were added, they almost seemed optional. By the time I was learning to drive, seatbelts were becoming required. Now they are mandatory in every state and the rules of the road are automatic with the newer generations of car riders and drivers. It would never occur to my children to NOT wear a seatbelt. So it is with Digital Citizenship: if we start with the very youngest users of technology, the where’s and what-for’s will develop an automatic awareness of how to effectively and safely navigate the waters of technology. Anne Collier, speaking at the Digital Media and Learning Conference in 2011 had the same thought when she said, “Citizenship and Media Literacy need to be taught from the moment a connected device is put in a child’s hands.” (www.cyberwise.org/blogwise.html)

                Sounds good, right? However it is difficult to find meaningful lessons for very small children. As educators and parents we often view small children as unable to really comprehend the dangers of web surfing, chat rooms, etc. so we just don’t attempt the conversations with them. After looking more closely I found several opportunities and tools for teaching small children the importance of being a responsible digital citizen. Pbskids.org has an interesting program for children eight to ten. It is called Webonauts and is designed to walk them through the need to “observe, respect, and contribute” responsibly on the web. (www.pbskids.org/webonauts) Children learn about passwords, chat rooms, and have various other missions as they learn to navigate the internet safely. The most helpful website I found was Commonsensemedia.org. Through the website I viewed a video entitled “The Importance of Teaching Digital Citizenship “ and learned the importance of internet safety as students are responsible for collaboration and “more engagement with the digital world” as Diana Paradise of the Santa Clara Unified School District stated. Additionally, the website offers lessons for all grades which are developmentally appropriate and easy for parents and teachers to use as lesson platforms.

                As the mother of teenage daughters, I am continually amazed by the many ways teens connect with each other. Since Facebook was taken over by middle-aged housewives (as my girls like to say), teens have turned to Instagram, SnapChat, and Ask.fm. to connect with others. These are not always a place of adolescent innocence. Many of these sites have been used to bully other teens or exclude, tease, or disrespect others. Piper Graber is a 14 year old who narrates the blog “What Kids Are (Really) Doing Online” gives several suggestions for parents on policing these sites. The one I thought was the most important said, “don’t just ask once, ask again and again” what your kids are up to on the web. (www.cyberwise.org/blogwise.html) Find out for yourself and see with your own eyes what your child is doing on the web. Marc Prensky, a famed gaming researcher says, “having been completely immersed and surrounded by technology and digital media for their entire lives” (Cennamo, Katherine S., Ertmer, Peggy A., Ross, John D. (2010). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use.313) teens and even younger children don’t always have an immediate awareness of digital safety and their responsibility on the web. They must be reminded and re-taught often.