The little things...

Sometimes it's the small things in life that are worth exploring. I stopped along the road yesterday and found these plants bathed in afternoon light. I think they are some variety of thistle. If you know what they are, please post a comment.

New updates in Kona's Online Classes

http://screencast.com/t/HCyQ97fDgoU

Does 64 = 65

Watch the following short video and explain why 64=65. Just comment to this post.

Learning opportunities are everywhere!

Last week in Pinehouse there was all sorts of interesting activity at the schools. Stations were set up around the grounds and groups of young people were moving from location to location every hour. Some of the stations included moose hide preparation, traditional foods (blueberries, smoked/dried fish, bannock, moose meat), voyageur canoe paddling, boat rides, fishing, and tug of war events.

Elders were in attendance along with community members and it was obvious on this day that the school is an open and inviting aspect of the closely knit fabric of the community.

Welcome to all of the new online students from Pinehouse: Kayla, Nadine, Joanna, Robert, Nikki, Deon, and Dabney.

Could online classrooms be close to the "Flip"?

I'm listening to an interview by Alan November with two science teachers who are using a flipped model of learning for their classrooms. (Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams)

This podcast explains how these two teachers have "flipped" their classrooms to allow students to take ownership for learning and allow more time to support learning in the classroom.

Instead of the teacher lecturing in front of the class, they put their presentations online so that students can access the learning resources and lectures on their own time. Other resources related to what needs to be learned are provided as well. When the students come to school, they are following up on the lectures, completing labs, reviewing notes, collaborating with each other and discussing what they have learned with the teacher. The "stuff for learning" is available online for everyone, including parents.

Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams have been making videos of their lectures and providing links to their students so that they have access the instructional material at home. They are considered the first teachers to introduce the "flipped" model of the classroom.

If you are taking a senior science course, you might find that these teachers have an entertaining way of presenting lectures. You can go to their web site, find related subjects and lessons to find full lessons.

If you are a senior science teacher, you might consider this learning model for your face to face classroom. If you have been using Kahn Academy to learn about math and science, you will probably like the way these presentations are put together.

I believe there are some interesting parallels between the "flipped" classroom and distance learning. I am wondering if the student centred learning approach used by teachers in the edcentre.ca online courses approximates a flipped model of learning. What are your thoughts?

Feel free to post a comment.