What is a Flipped Classroom?

It is a method of teaching in which students view the content before class so that class time can be focused on the higher levels of thinking - analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating (Brame 2013). The more common form of the model is for students to view videos on their own through various media, and then the class time is spent on homework, discussion, interventions, etc. The teacher is better able to provide support and differentiated instruction based on feedback from students.

• Why I Flipped My Classroom

Some Questions to Consider before Flipping Your Classroom

• Do your students have access to a computer?
• Do your students have access to the Internet? 
• Will you included yourself in the video?
• Do you have the video recording equipment necessary?
• How many videos should you create?  

Flipping the Training - Modeling for Teachers

Flipping the Classroom for Teachers 

Screencasting vs. Video Recording with the Teacher

There are different sides to the coin. There is research that shows that making it personal by appearing in the video may be more effective than having students just watch a narrated presentation. You will have to find what works with your students because each classroom and each teacher is unique.

Here are some videos that discuss the importance of the teacher in the video:

• How Do You Make Your Videos? Why? 
• Katie Gimar's Flipped Classroom - why it has to be me! 
• Why This Method? Flipped Classroom Training Program 

Software for Screencasting

You should pre-plan using a storyboard or outline of some sort. Once you have your script, you will need a screenrecording or screencasting tool or you can videotape yourself using a camera (like the videos in the previous section), mobile device with video recording capabilities, video recorder, etc.

• Screencast-O-Matic (FREE, web-based)
• Jing (FREE, install)
• Screenr (FREE, web-based) 
• Movenote (FREE, web-based) 
• Camtasia ($$, install)

Ideas for Putting a Lesson Together

There are different ways to post your videos and get feedback from your students.

• You could send an email to your class with the links to the videos (CDs or DVDs for those without Internet access).
• You could post the links to the videos on your class website.
• You could use a wiki or blog where students would have to comment on the content they viewed.
• Use websites such as Educanon, Blendspace and LessonPaths and get feedback.

Getting Started with Screencast-O-Matic

Depending on the content you may want to present it using screencasting software or simply video tape yourself using the devices mentioned above. Some concepts may be better presented one way or the either, so don't be afraid to try both methods. For this training, we will focus on the web-based software, screencast-o-matic.

• Screencast-O-Matic Basics (Free Version) 
• User Guide for Screencast-O-Matic 
• Decide what you will be screencasting (a presentation, interactive whiteboard software with annotation, website navigation, etc.)
• Create a script and practice what you will be saying on the recording.
• If you will be narrating, you will need a microphone or a computer with a built-in microphone.
•  Create your screencast. 

Making Students Accountable

One of the concerns of the flipped classroom is how to ensure that students will watch the videos or read the articles you have assigned. There are some tips for teachers to train their students. Indeed, teachers should set expectations for their students and must remain firm (at least in the beginning) to not allow students to catch up during class time. Otherwise, it will become a habit, and students will know that the teacher is not serious about implementing the model correctly.

Below are two methods that may help ensuring students are viewing the content.

1. Having students take notes, writing a summary, or completing a WSQ (Watch, Summarize, Questions)
2. Use Web 2.0 tool such as Blendspace (used in the sample lesson above), Educanon, or Lesson Paths to add interactive questions about what they read or viewed.

Additional Resources for Making Students Accountable:

• What if Students Don't Watch the Videos (Part 1) 
• What if Students Don't Watch the Videos (Part 2) 
• With Flipped Learning, How to Make Sure Students are Doing the Work  

Blendspace

This sections provides information on how to use Blendspace. This tool allows teachers to add content from YouTube, Educreations, Webpages, Flickr images, and much more. You can also create questions, add your own text, and upload files from your computer. 

• Blendspace Tutorial 
• Blendspace User Guide

References

Brame, C., (2013). Flipping the classroom. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved Friday, July 11, 2014 from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/.

Flipping the Classroom by Veronica Garcia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.