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Teachers have been encouraging children to tell their own stories, for generations. Adding and formalizing digital storytelling techniques will not just allow students to utilize varied technologies (thereby learning about them) but also to use narrative tools and forms of expression that are becoming ever-more natural and obvious to children that are digital natives.
Elementary school classrooms do not naturally lend themselves to a flipped or blended environment for a number of reasons. However, it is similarly illogical to ignore the vast and varied online resources, many of them free to use, that are designed specifically for the elementary school classroom.
Constructivism is a learning theory positing that prior knowledge is the foundation for building new ideas; the key phrase in constructivist learning is “active learning” rather than “passive learning”. So what can teachers do to facilitate this guided discovery for students that do a lot of learning online? Read on about a few practical applications of constructivism in an online classroom.
Based on the constructivist learning theory, children construct an understanding of the world around them based on prior experiences, discerning differences between what they already know, and what they learn from their environment and new experiences, thus forming new ideas. However, this approach to education may not always be the best option for the traditional classroom.
While grades remain an important indicator on how well your students are understanding the coursework, there are a myriad of other tools and techniques that will give you even more insight into their progress. Automation, analytics and interactive engagement are available from a variety of assessment tools online, offering more meaningful insights into the learning progress of students.
The 4Cs are a wonderful mnemonic that help teachers keep their eyes on the greater goal of educating children and young people that are able to think for themselves, and who can clearly communicate their needs and ideas. Video is a medium that students understand and for the most part love working with – they are surrounded by it daily. It is therefore a great way to develop the 4Cs in an engaging and effective way.
Teachers have been puzzling out how to make practical their lessons for eons: making rocket ships from matchsticks, paper mâché solar systems, cabinets in Woodshop and Beef Wellington in Home Ec. So, it is with mild bemusement – I’m sure – that many teachers observe the breathless passion with which so many millennials talk about the Maker Movement.
Retaining and protecting the rights of content owners is not only an important principle in keeping the internet a safe and vibrant place for original creation and content, but teaching students the importance of attribution is a critical lesson in the boundary between research and plagiarism. No good digital citizen should randomly and freely use online content and often trample over copyright.
Grasping the distinction between blended learning and tech integration is critical for teachers in the process of enhancing their lessons and classroom. You can gain insight on your own level of tech integration by using the SAMR Model. The model defines four different stages of technology use in the learning process, helping those on their path to building a blended classroom environment, or, to use a gaming analogy, to level up.
Despite there being a smorgasbord of tools, platforms and apps designed specifically to house, manage and direct online educational content, the process of initiating a flipped classroom model remains, for many, an enigma not worth trying. So let’s explore a few practical strategies in order to answer some of the most important questions about a flipped classroom teachers must address.
