Flash blog!?? Getting Unstuck

Its funny how things work.  I just in the last two weeks started flipping again and decided to drop into the #flipclass chat tonight.  I have been wanting to get blogging again, but trouble starting.  So I couldn't believe it when Cheryl Morris (@guster4lovers) suggested this flash blog thingy.  Not really sure what it is, but I think I am supposed to be writing for 25 minutes about where I am stuck in my practice and what I'm doing about it.

So cool!  Since that is why I'm back to flipping again.  Not sure how I was "stuck" I was just not happy with how my classes were going and knew that I wanted more work time in my class instead of me lecturing.  I had visitors in my class today who wanted to see a lesson and so I decided to go the traditional way and although it went well, it was today that really showed me I am so much more comfortable with flipping the lesson.

Some of the reasons I think it is working for me better now than it did two years ago is that I have access to iPads and Chromebooks now that I didn't really before.  Also my students seem to have more access to the internet and technology in general.

I am keeping it super simple as well.  I just record my lessons by writing notes in my own notebook under the document camera and record the screen using the free version of Screencast-o-matic.  I upload to youtube and then post on Google Classroom.  Nothing fancy at all, the videos are about 5 minutes, and its basically me modeling a procedure.

The next day, I give a do now ticket that I use to sort the students into groups.  If they get it, they go off to do classwork, if not or they are a little shaky they stay with me and we work on it together until they are released to do the classwork.  I give another exit ticket, leveled for the two groups.

So that is where I am at, I feel like such a newbie again, but a little more comfortable newbie.

After the lesson I did today I met with the visitors to my classroom (actually it was all the math teachers in my school plus an outside coaching consultant.) I shared with them how I've been using video lessons so  this lesson didn't really represent what was happening in my classroom. We talked about it a little bit and I shared one of my videos.  Well, the consultant asked "Where did you hear about this???" He never heard of it before and I was surprised.  I thought everyone knew about it.  Later he told me he was taking notes and was going to tell every teacher he sees about it.  Then he suggested I run a session at the regional charter school convention in April.  Holy cow!