e-Learning Ecologies MOOC’s Updates
UPDATE 1
In this update I would like to talk about the Flipped Classroom, as one of the key concepts in ubiquitous learning. With the advent of technology everything has changed and learning environment and educational instruction could not stand out of this fundamental alteration. One of this comprehensive changes is projected on the classrooms in terms of physical, conceptual, and educational status. With the emergence of flipped classroom concept, an important key switch occurred from legacy instruction and assessment (conventional type) to an instruction where the teacher becomes more of a guidance, and scaffolding provider. This is conducted through already prepared lesson plans and students learn online at home, and for the following day, class is ready to practice what they have learned through class cooperation. Hopefully, learners could put theories into practice.
Videos can be watched on computers, laptops, iPads Smartphones, etc. to avoid inequality, students with no computer access can be given a spot in the classroom, computer lab or media center.
Occasionally, flipped classes are used as a synonym for online videos. When most people hear about the flipped class all they think about are the videos. However, what really matters and make flipped classes not just on-line classes is the interaction and the meaningful learning activities that occur during the face-to-face time. It should be kept in mind that flipped classes are not about teachers being replacing with videos, spending the entire class behind a computer screen, and studying in isolation. On the contrary, flipped classes are grounded in theories in such a way to enhance interaction, engagement, and self-regulation.
This is a good synopsis of the flipped classroom model and highlights the difference between flipped classrooms and, say, platforms such as Khan Academy. At its core flipped is about reversing the traditional model where students are instructed in class and apply that instruction for homework, it is not about flipping from face to face to online.
I have been a close observer of a school attempting to flip a whole program and one of the major issues was student over-load - without clear management and a strategy for planning flipped resources across courses, students can find themselves have multiple flipped activites to do at the same time which caused some real issues not only in students having time to properly digest the resources and information but also in 'selling' the flipped idea to them as an improvement on the the system and schedule they were used to.