Flipped instruction is a pedagogical practice that supports the academic achievement of all learners. While many educators mistakenly believe it is only about students watching informational content videos outside of class, there is much more to it. It is about providing engaging instruction that helps students move to higher levels of thinking and doing. It also allows students to work at their own pace and take more control of their own learning. Flipped instruction is not an all or nothing proposition. There are many ways teachers can implement these strategies into their teaching repertoires. The Voice Threat presentation below provides some background information and suggestions as to how flipped instruction can be integrated into any content area.
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Using Canva to support student learning
Canva is an online tool that teachers and students can use to design a variety of products. They can make presentations, posters, social media posts, and much more. Pretty much everything is done with a drag and drop menu and there are lots of pictures, illustrations, shapes, charts and graphs that can be used to creatively express information and new ideas, tell stories and work collaboratively. This video should help you get started. Canva Instructional video
The sample presentation below is an example of what ninth grade Local/State/National Government students will create to share their knowledge of specific essential questions in government policy making. They will select an issue that interests them personally, conduct research on their chosen topic, decide which side of the issue they agree with and then present arguments for each side. Students can work on this assignment individually or use Canva’s Team feature to work collaboratively. When they are done, students will share their projects online for their classmates to view and comment. Ideally, this will allow students to engage in civil discourse and begin to experience how decision making and the government policymaking process work. The tip of the iceberg...so much more to learn.There are so many valuable resources out there in the blogosphere that I know I have only just begun to discover their worth. In the Brain of the Blogger article, Drs. Fernette and Eide identify and explain some of the benefits of blogging. While they are writing from the perspective of neuroscience, the value translates to how both reading and composing blogs can impact learning and professional growth. In referring to high quality blogs, they say, "these best blogs foster conversation, interactions with other blogs and other information sources, and invite feedback from their readers" (Eide and Fernette). As I have sought to read and evaluate highly rated and critically acclaimed educator and librarian logs, I have noticed some commonalities. Many are concerned with the seeming epidemic of "fake news". Library Girl's Tips for spotting Fake News poster and Glen Wiebe's 6 strategies your students can use to combat fake news are two of many I have come across on this topic. These are valuable resources that should be used in every library and classroom. While the day to day behind the scenes "business" of being a librarian might not necessarily be exciting, several of the bloggers I reviewed share their insights on the power of this work. Nikki Robertson's post, Shared On Social Media: End of Year Reports and It's Annual Report Season! Here Are Some Tips To Help You Effectively Tell Your Story from Jennifer LaGarde provide important tips about how to make the dreaded End of Year Report work for you as a powerful advocacy tool. Most educators will agree that we do not have a lot of time on our hands to pursue self reflection, professional development, or keep up with the latest trends and technologies. As I am currently enrolled in a school librarianship program, I am constantly learning and being exposed to the latest and greatest, but that will not necessarily be the case once I have graduated. While discussing this blogging assignment with my mentor, Polly Callahan (@PollyCallahan) she shared how challenging it is to stay current while managing her work as a school librarian. I believe blogs can help with this. The key is to find those written by people whose pedagogical philosophy is similar to our own and who share information that we find useful on a regular basis. Admittedly it takes time to sift through the blogosphere to find like minded individuals, but summer is the perfect time to do that kind of work. The other side of the equation is to become a blogger ourselves. Initially I thought bloggers had some sort of superior credentials or educational and professional experience, but that is not really the case. The majority of the blogs I visited were written by individuals who simply have a passion for what they do and want to help others by sharing what they know and do. They recognize the value of self-reflection AND the importance of maintaining a professional dialog with others to talk through their thoughts and ideas. Eide, Drs. Fernette and Brock. “Eide Neurolearning Blog.” Brain of the Blogger, 1 Jan. 1970,
eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2005/03/brain-of-blogger.html. Accessed 7 June 2017. Kils, Uwe. “Iceberg.” Wikimedia Commons, 6 July 2005. Accessed 18 June 2017. The Absolutely True Adventures of a School Librarian-Nikki D. Robertson |
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