As we wind down this semester, I am already anticipating the next semester, and turning my thoughts to ways to improve my instruction. We just finished a pilot year with 1:1 iPad implementation and it has been stressful and fun, in turns. I have intensely examined my practices and put myself under a magnifying glass this year as I worked through how to harness the power and promise of these wonderful new tools we were given. It has been a year of experimentation - some things worked really well and I will repeat them - others not so much. Failure in itself isn't a bad thing - not learning from those failures is the problem. The practices and activities that didn't work won't be back!
To focus on changes that did work:
Shifting to a paperless classroom - I have fully implemented the LMS (learning management system) of Moodle for all of my classes. All assignments and resources are posted in the Moodle classroom, and all assignments are turned in through that portal as well. It also gives us the flexibility of taking quizzes online, engaging in online discussions and collaborating more easily outside the classroom. It's a winner and it's staying!
Flipping the AP classroom - I have taught AP US Government & Politics for about 6 years now. My scores are good, but it is a sprint through the entire semester. At the end of the semester, we are all breathless and frustrated at the lack of time and speed at which we must move. While my scores have been great (ranging from 83% to 89% passage rates against a national average just about 50%), my enrollment numbers never increase because of the perception that "it's too much work." A lot of my reading at the beginning of school was about flipped classrooms. I decided it was worthy of trial and in we jumped. The kids were great and were willing to try it with me, with the understanding that we'd quit if it wasn't working. It worked SO WELL! We found an introductory PSC class on iTunesU with a professor who was interesting and engaging (and competent) and we all downloaded the lectures. Students watched this professor's lectures and read from an online textbook which we rented from Coursesmart. Other than readings and lectures, almost all of the assignments that might normally have been done at home flipped back to the classroom. This allowed for more collaboration and discussion amongst peers, time for simulations and games, and lots more time for DISCUSSION which we all loved. My students enjoyed it as you can see from this video:
The really good news is that enrollment is up for next year! These students really bought into this program and recruited for me. I can't wait to implement even more simulations and collaborations. A lot of this year was done "on the fly" - my summer will be spent tweaking and improving on those assignments for the next group of students!
So, what didn't work?
Classroom Management of Technology - I tried to trust students with this major distraction in their hands and didn't set firmer guidelines from the beginning on its appropriate use. I will do a better job of that next year, although I am not going to set all the rules myself. I want to guide students into the rules and consequences for breaking them. I think they will be more effective if they are part of that process.
Engagement and Motivation - I made the mistake of thinking that students would instantly be engaged with the iPad and harness its potential as an educational tool the way I did. WRONG! They immediately saw it's entertainment value, but educational value....that was slower in coming for many...and not at all for some. This ties back to the first mistake, but it also reflects my failure to adequately redesign my activities to get this buy-in. I will be working on this mistake over the summer as well.
What's next?
Beyond what I've already mentioned, I want to introduce more reading and writing as we implement the common core standards. Blogging is one method I want students to use for authentic writing...so practice what I preach. Here is my attempt at building this habit in myself as well.
I also want to give more control of learning to students. I'm tired of being the "sage on the stage" and so are they. We have literally placed the world in their hands with these iPads and a robust Wifi network. I want more student-directed learning along broad curricular parameters. Figuring out how to make that happen effectively is bound to be an ongoing process for the rest of my career, but I want to make some positive strives in planning this summer so that we start off stronger (and end stronger) next year! My regular students can expect more "blended learning" this upcoming year, including more flipped lessons.
Come along on that journey and we'll see if I can teach them all to fly (figuratively speaking, of course!)
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