Post 4 - Doc 1 Topic--Registration Issues

I decided to make my argument on my Doc 1 topic, registration issues, by first brainstorming reasons for South University to handle the registration process in the current way.  I think that the best way to make an argument is to consider the opposing side's views first, and then to articulate why I believe that point-of-view is invalid.  I think that having paperless, online course registration is beneficial to everybody involved, so my goal for Doc 1 was to refute the reasons for the registration process to still be handled in person.  The problem that I had with this method was that it was extremely difficult to think of valid reasons for our school to not already have online registration!!  It seems entirely nonsensical for the school to have this process set-up the way it is now, and it is a total waste of time for every single person involved in the current procedures.  When students should be focusing on studying for end of class finals, we are forced to stand in a long line to register for the following semester's classes.  There are a few easy fixes that could streamline the process and give student's access to information that would be valuable throughout our school careers.

Post 3 - Mother of a 16 year old!!

My oldest son is turning 16 today and I can't believe that I have a child that can legally drive!!  The time goes so fast.  I had him when I was 18, so we've grown together.  Being a parent at such a young age was tough, but has been a wonderful learning experience overall.  He's been my buddy since I had him!  I'm now looking forward and thinking about the upcoming experience of sending him off to college.  With four other children I won't yet have an empty nest, but I will be really sad to say goodbye.

Post 2 - A Recent Argument

I recently had an argument, or rather a "discussion," with my teenager about his career goals.  We were talking about what he would like to have as his major in college and he informed me that he would like to be an actor.  Oh boy!!  This is not exactly what I had dreamed of for his future.  I don't think that any parent would like to hear that their child's ambitions were headed in that direction.  I immediately had an angry reaction that stemmed from my doubts and worries for him.  That was definitely a poor choice on my part.  He dug his heels in and became even more rooted in his belief that acting would be the career for him.  I then came to my senses and thought of something my mother always told me, "As soon as you begin to argue with a child, you've already lost."

I let both of us simmer down for several weeks before I addressed the topic again.  I spoke to him about my worries regarding his ability to support himself while waiting to get a "break."  I also offered him some alternatives to this problem, like choosing drama as a major and something else as a minor.  He would have a way to support himself and still be able to seek an acting career in his off time.  We have a great relationship, so having a discussion rather than an angry reaction by me worked out well for us.  After considering all of this, he decided a couple of weeks later that maybe he didn't want to be an actor (thank God!!).  I learned that I shouldn't overreact and thought back to how many times I changed my mind as a teen about what I wanted to be when I grew up.  This was a consideration that I should have made when he initially announced his chosen career!  Parental lesson learned.

Post 1- No Access to Course Registration Online

So far I have really enjoyed being a student here at South University in West Palm Beach, FL, but when it comes time to register for a new semester of courses it turns into a chore that is very bothersome when the end of the semester is looming.  We really should be studying and prepping for final exams, but instead the school has us waiting in line to register for new classes.  If they allowed online registration like EVERY OTHER COLLEGE IN EXISTENCE it would make life easier.

Using Google+ in the Class

I have an Android cell phone, so I already had a Gmail account which automatically transfers to a Google+ account.  Having Google on my cell phones has been really awesome and something I appreciated before taking this English Composition course.  I love the ability to have all of my contacts transferred whenever I upgrade my cell phone.  Also, the auto-backup of the rest of my information has been a lifesaver, especially when it has come to my photos.  I don't know how many times I've lost a cell phone memory card, computer, or CD with photos of my family on them since the digital age made cameras with film that was developed a thing of the past.  I began to use Google+ like I use Facebook at the start of this class and it's growing on me.  It doesn't seem to be catching on as quickly with the population at large, though, so I'm not sure if it will be as useful in the long run as some of the other features Google provides.

Using Google Drive in the Class

I learned to use Microsoft Office when it first became the most popular word processing and spreadsheet program to use. Since then Microsoft added the other programs in the office suite and I learned to use them along the way. With my comfort using Office, switching to Google Drive was an experience that took me out of my comfort zone. I very quickly realized that it was used almost exactly the same as Office and had many other additional features that can't be done with the Microsoft programs. Being able to share my documents with others and both, or all, with access seeing the changes to the document in real time was one of the features that I really like about Google Drive. Also, the benefit of my documents being saved to the cloud so that they can be accessed from anywhere that I have access to a computer with the Internet is extremely beneficial in my role as a student. Gone are the days of "forgetting" a paper or assignment. I find myself using Google Drive for more and more rather than automatically pulling up my former go-to, Microsoft Office.

Blogging in Class

I had serious reservations about the blogging portion of this class when we first started.  I thought that blogging was something that other people did.  In the beginning I was using the topics provided by the professor, and, with his focus on us learning all about the flipped classroom, I was extremely bored.  I got really tired of the subject long before it stopped being a major focus of our assignments.  I learned a lot about the flipped class with the paper that was assigned on this topic.  The research that I did won me over on the benefits of using the teaching method.  I would have liked to skip the group assignment and gone right to that topic.  Our class seemed very redundant with the repeating subject.

When the professor gave us permission to explore other subject matter in our blogs besides the suggestions that he provided, I began to see the charm.  We were able to truly and openly express ourselves and, with the added assignment of reading other classmate's blogs, we also got to know each other through our writing.  When we began to personalize our writing, it opened the door to gaining insight into each other's thoughts and, sometimes, lives.  Blogging has given me an outlet in which I can get some thoughts out of my head instead of letting them swirl around endlessly.  I can now appreciate the assignment and experience.

Brilliant Advertising!! Kudos to Coca-Cola...



I would just like to say how absolutely ingenious the creators of the new marketing campaign that the corporation, Coca-Cola are proving to be.  I've always been more of a Pepsi drinker, and have never liked Coke, but I now find myself looking through every display that I pass by in a store to see if I can find a bottle with my children's names on them.  Not only do they have a name on each bottle, but they have the family and friends labels.  I, along with many in the country, have an urge to gather a group of bottles with my family's names and arrange them with the "Share a Coke with Family" bottle.

I'm three bottles in for my children's names, but unfortunately, they don't have a bottle with little Hope's name. :-( They do have her middle name, so I guess I'm going to have to settle for that.  The amazing part of the whole advertising campaign is that I NEVER buy Coke. I am completely aware that I'm being drawn in to this very obvious personalization that is the basis of the entire advertising scheme, and yet I'm still purchasing their product for the sole reason that there are the names of my family printed on the labels!!

With a family the size of mine, I will end up spending a little over $15 on a product that I never would have bought without the names on the labels!  To entice a person that would not normally be a customer of yours in this way, is the epitome of an absolute success with the use of advertising!  So I again say, kudos to Coca-Cola!!

***By the way, if any of my classmates happen to see a bottle with James, Brittany, Brett, or Emily on the labels I would appreciate it if you would grab it for me and I'll reimburse you for it!***

I rest my case.....brilliant advertising!



Traits of an Effective Teacher

I've always noticed that some teachers are more effective than others, but now that I'm back in school I'm even more curious as to what qualities effective teachers have in common.  With my experience through K-12, four children now in school, my current attendance in college, and homeschooling three of my children for two years, I've been exposed to many teachers that have ranged from horrible to absolutely wonderful.  I also have the added experience of being on the other side of the desk with the two years I spent homeschooling my children.  A great teacher can make all the difference in a person's education.  My children have had teachers that made them dread school, but they've also had teachers that they rave about daily.  What makes some teachers inspire a desire to learn and others inspire dread and poor attitudes in their students?  The Chicago Tribute published an article on their website that delved into this topic.



5 traits of effective teachers (Chicago Tribune)

 

1. Open mind Learning and adapting are two of the biggest parts of being a successful teacher.*

"Lynn Columba, program coordinator of the College of Education at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., says the best teachers consider themselves "lifelong learners" who are "willing to explore new teaching strategies and methods" as well as "act on current research in the classroom."*

"Effective teachers are not born, they are made after an enormous amount of hard work and dedication," Columba says."*

2. Flexibility and patience*

"One of the core doctrines of teaching should be that everything is in a constant state of change."*

 

3. Dedication*    

"Summers are a time when many teachers learn new skills, teach at summer school, attend teaching seminars or work on earning a graduate degree."*

 

4. Positive attitude*

"Some of your students will likely come to class with a negative attitude toward the class, so it's best to try and counteract it with positivity and a sense of humor."*

 

5. High expectations*

"An effective teacher should have high expectations and strive to raise the bar for his or her students. If you go in expecting less effort, you will undoubtedly receive less effort."*

*All quotes were taken from the article retrieved from: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/careers/chi-teaching-habits-education-careers-20111107-story.html

  Do you agree with the traits of an effective teacher that are listed from this article?  What other characteristics do great teachers have?

A Personal Rant About a Difficult Class....

When I looked at the classes that I need for my degree and began to plot my courses for this term, I knew that I wanted to take statistics.  I may have lost you already at this point!!  I realize that most people don't enjoy math, but I've always been one of those nerds that love it.  In high school I took extra math classes as electives (I know.......not normal!), and I did as many math classes as I could for dual enrollment credit.  So the only math course that I had left for my degree was statistics.  With my love of math, I knew that this class would be easy for me.

I've been in for a rude awakening!!  My statistics course has become the class that I dread walking into and I panic when there's an exam.  As the course as gone on, my anxiety has increased.  I'm really not used to feeling like this about anything that I'm trying to learn.  I live under the belief that if a student puts the effort into any class, then they will be successful.  With my research on the flipped classroom, I stumbled onto the Kahn Academy website (https://www.khanacademy.org/) and have since utilized the site as an additional resource with this class.  I pay attention in class, sit in the front row hanging on the professor's every word, do my homework, and have mastered every topic that we've covered in class on the Kahn Academy website.  With all of this time and effort that I've put in, my test scores have progressively gone down.  I'm finding that my attitude towards the subject is being drastically altered with just one course.

I'm now asking myself what the problem is......is it me, the subject matter, or the teaching method being used?  I know that I'm doing everything humanly possible to improve my knowledge on the subject matter, so am I the issue?  Maybe.  With my mastery scores on the Kahn Academy site, I am showing a command of the subject matter being covered, so I don't think that's the problem.  I feel like I understand what I'm about to be tested on and I'm as prepared as I can be going into the exams, but then I can barely swing a C on the tests.  Maybe I'm over-analyzing the exam questions.  When I look at some of the questions that have to do with vocabulary (True/False, ugh!), sometimes I think that I'm speaking one language and the professor has put another on the test.  And the kicker is, that the exams are open book and notes!  My last test I turned in feeling completely confident and thinking that I may have missed one of the true/false questions, and I ended up with my lowest test grade yet.  I've now arranged to go over my tests with a tutor at the university to see where I'm going wrong, so I guess I'll find out soon enough!  Are any of you taking a class that makes you feel like I am about my statistics class this term?

(This is me when I see my test scores!)



How I Conclude a Document

I like to conclude a document with a summary of the ideas I expressed within the paper itself.  I also attempt to come up with some kind of a catchy sentence that gives impact to the reader as they finish the document that I've written.  Depending on the type of paper that I'm trying to conclude, this sentence should show the proper type of emotion that I'm wanting the reader to feel about what I've written.  Sometimes this comes easy, but there are other times, like when I'm not very interested in the topic that I've been given by a professor, that forming the words to convey the exact message that I want the reader to receive can be extremely difficult! 

I Accepted!!...and My Challenge is Completed! You're Next.....

#icebucketchallenge

 

 

I am now challenging our English Composition class to the ice bucket challenge.  I want to see some great videos posted on your blogs!!  Let's do it!

Raising Money for the Ice Bucket Challenge...

Please share this link!

If the goal of 591 shirts sold is accomplished, then at least $10,000 will be donated to alsa.org!!  More that $15 of every t-shirt purchased will apply towards the donation.  The balance of your purchase applies to the cost of printing the shirt.  If the 591 shirt goal is not reached, then the shirts will not be printed and your credit card will not be charged.  Unfortunately, there will also not be a donation made either.  The initial request you make for purchase is just a reservation and a charge will not be put through to your card until the 2 week time limit is over.  Please share the link provided so we can make this happen. 
I know that as college students we can't all afford to make a donation to an important cause, but it's nice to get a shirt that, with your purchase, also serves to give to a great charity!  You have the option to purchase a regular t-shirt as shown, a premium t-shirt, or a woman's fit shirt.  The premium is a few dollars more, but the woman's fit shirt is also at a $25 price point.

http://teespring.com/iacceptedtheicebucketchallenge

 

 

My Fiancee Completing the Ice Bucket Challenge...

My fiancée, James Bryant, is the fourth person from the left.  His employer's donated $1,000 to the ALS Foundation if the employees of Brewology completed the challenge.  It's good to see the awareness that is being created and even better to know that he is working for a company that is willing to make a donation like that.

The Ice Bucket Challenge is Officially Accepted!!

 

I am accepting the ice bucket challenge made by my fiancée, James Bryant!! My uncle, Michael Horn, died 2 years ago from this horrific condition. I feel privileged to have known and loved him and I willingly accept this challenge. My Uncle Mike was a brilliant, highly educated scientist that made many contributions to the global society, and our family's loss is shared by all. It's a ghastly disease for every person who suffers through it, but for such an intelligent man to be forced... to suffer through it is absolutely dreadful. I can't imagine what he and his immediate family (my aunt and cousins) felt to watch his extremely rapid decline. I think that his suffering made their loss so much worse. My sympathies go out to them, and I will be doing the ice bucket challenge in his honor. I implore everyone to make a donation to the ALS foundation so we can find a cure. Look for my video tomorrow!!

I will always miss you, Uncle Mike.  You touched my life in many ways and I will always remember you.

Surviving Cancer

The picture above shows the thyroid cancer awareness ribbon.  I had thyroid cancer when I was pregnant with my fourth child, Alexander.  It's a fairly common type of cancer in women and can occur in women of all ages.  I was only 28 years old when diagnosed and it has had a serious impact on my life.  I had my first surgery only 2 months after I gave birth to Alexander.  Dealing with something like this with such a young infant, and three other children to care for, was an obstacle that I hope I never have to handle again.  I explained to my kids that my "butterfly" (because the thyroid is shaped like a butterfly) in my neck was sick which is why I think that the picture shown here is so perfect as a representation of this event in my life.  I went through serious depression, but came out of the experience with an appreciation for life and the determination to live mine.  Cancer is something that has touched all of our lives, either personally or in a loved one, and continues to create obstacles in mine.  With the thyroid affecting so many aspects of your health, it can sometimes be very hard to get out of bed and stay an active member in my own life.

My doctors said that I would probably not have anymore children because of my hormone variations, but five years later, I became pregnant again with my last baby.  We named her Hope Emily because I had several complications with her pregnancy due to my hormonal levels bottoming out with the changing physical needs of my body during the pregnancy.  We had "hope" that she would pull through healthy and normal.  She was born completely healthy (other than a crossed eye....) and is now a normal, active, completely spoiled  one year old toddler, thank goodness!!  That "hope" has continued with her presence in all of our lives.  I'm thankful every day that the doctors were proven wrong, even though we had many reservations about having a fifth child to raise.  She gives much joy to our lives on a daily basis and has been the impetus I needed to finally fulfill my desire for a higher education.  I'm finally open to living and full of "hope" for our future!

Writing with APA Format...Seriously, Not That Difficult

Writing a paper using APA formatting is not a difficult task considering the resources that have been provided by the South University library portal and our professors teaching the courses that require the use of APA format for their class assignments.  The library portal has a significant quantity of resources available for our use and has a citation tool that gives a citation for each source that is already in APA format.  With the use of this citation tool, it's just a matter of cutting and pasting into our papers.  This makes the compiling the resource page of our paper extremely easy.  In addition to the resources and previously written citations provided through the library portal, the professors that I've had thus far in my studies have all given a sample paper that contains the format that they are looking for us to use for any assignments we turn in for their particular course.  It's all really a matter of plugging our writing into this already formatted paper.  These resources and guides that are provided by professors and South University have made our job of writing an assignment in APA format as simple of a task as they can make it.  We just have to use the tools that have been given!

The American Dream.....My Doc 3!

I've been assigned a paper about the American dream in my sociology class.  The assignment is supposed to discuss what the American dream is, what my personal American dream is, and which sociological theory can be applied with the concept of the American dream.  Thankfully this is a topic that interests me and, at the same time, provides a forum in which I can express my personal opinion regarding the reality of a regular American citizen's ability to achieve this goal.  I'm very pleased that I have an assignment that I can enjoy during the additional exploration of the topic that we have been assigned for our third document.

The Great Penny Debate Continues!!

The question that I asked in my recent post, "SHOULD THE PENNY BE ELIMINATED?  WHY OR WHY NOT," has become a more thought provoking inquiry than I first anticipated it to be.  Upon beginning my collection of responses, I thought that it would show repetitive opinions in the responses given.  Initially I believed it would come down to the factors of the cost of producing this currency and the role it plays in our purchasing transactions.  This initial hypothesis was made without my thinking beyond the first factors considered by me personally.  It really is proving to be a question that garners a variety of responses that may be an insight into certain beliefs, values and characteristics of the person giving the response.  I now see that many factors can, and may be, contributing to the differences in opinion shown in answers given to this particular question such as: education level, type of education received, age, income status, family status (children, no children, etc), age and sex of the person answering the question.  Also, in this increasingly digital world, factors like the current forms of payment generally used by those that are responding to the survey and, I'm sure, a wide variety of other factors that I haven't even slightly considered.

As Henry Perez, my classmate and fellow blogger, noted in a recent post on his blog, http://engcompone.blogspot.com/2014/08/keep-change.html, children see the value in coins more than we may as adults.  When I have one of my children with me, I point out coins that I happen to notice on the ground and tell them, "You're closer!" with a little wink.  They love to save their change and I've found that them counting their coins can be a great way to get them to do math without them even realizing they're doing an educational activity.  As a parent, anything that provides an opportunity for them to enjoy learning is a worthwhile endeavor.  This factor that is considered when responding to the question would only be taken into account by parents of younger children, therefore showing an example of how having a parental perspective (which would also take into account the perspective of the children of said parent), is a major contributing factor to the response given by these parents responding.

A perspective that seems to be held by many of those without young children would not consider whether or not there is considered value to the penny by young children.  I sometimes see a small denomination of coin on the ground when I don't happen to have a child with me, and I have a small internal debate over whether or not I think it's worth the time and effort that would be necessary in order to pick it up and lay claim to the found money (Unfortunately I'm not getting any younger!).

As I've browsed the many responses to my assigned question, I've been very surprised by the sentimental thoughts expressed from many of those that have said that they think the U.S. should keep the penny.  A good portion of these positive responses stated that the penny is an American tradition and should be kept for that particular reason.  I suspect that this may have an emotional link to our childhood and the memories and positive feelings associated with the collecting and saving of coins that we all did as children.  Maybe this is the case, or maybe not......what do you think?

Looking for Assistance....

I have a final project for my statistics class that I need assistance with.  Can you please comment with your opinion on:

"SHOULD THE PENNY BE ELIMINATED?  WHY OR WHY NOT?  (AN I DON'T KNOW OR I'M NOT SURE ANSWER IS ACCEPTABLE)"

I would appreciate your participation! 

Thank you.

My Writer's Voice for Doc 2

I chose to write about the flipped classroom as an ideal approach to teaching the Millennial Generation by using the voice of a Millennial.  Since I am not yet a college graduate, I didn't think that a completely "stuffy" and preachy voice about why a specific classroom technique should be used would be appropriate unless I could go at the topic from a direction that made my own experience relevant.  I barely qualify as a Millennial, but it does make sense to me to apply our intuitive use of technology to the classroom.  Once I thought of my personal use of technology and experience in a flipped class, the rest of the paper came together.

TED Talks.....Worth Your Time!

I don't know if you all have checked out any TED Talks, but they're worth the time spent.  Here's a link to a series of slides on a talk given about the way we educate children.  You can check out more on Netflix (compilations of categorized talks) or www.ted.com and I'm sure a variety of other platforms.

http://www.slideshare.net/garr/sir-ken-quotes

Racism....towards pets at the pound. What?

I read an article in the Palm Beach Post a week or two ago about how completely black dogs and cats have a significantly lower adoption rates than other color pets.  I think that this is so sad and absolutely crazy that racism, or whatever it's called when it's towards a pet, would apply to an animal's coloring.  I would like to think that our society has evolved more than this, but maybe people are just getting better at pretending that they aren't racist.  I hope that this isn't the case.  We, as a people, are better than that!!
As you can see in the picture above, I would like to introduce you to my BLACK, adopted, mixed-breed dog, Honey (because she's sweet, like honey!).  And we have an all black cat that was also adopted, named Smoky.  They are two of the sweetest, most gentle and loving animals I've ever had and I'm very glad that I didn't allow their color to effect my choice when looking to adopt at the pound.  Spread the word so others don't overlook a pet that could be just as wonderful as I've found mine to be.

Aaaarrrrrrr!!!!!!

This is my youngest daughter, Hope Emily and the newest pirate in the family!  She and her older brother were born with Ambylopia.  They got this from their father, I swear!!  My eyes are perfectly straight.  So this is my little pirate sporting her heart and star glittered eye patch and not liking one moment of it.  Hopefully her left eye that you can see un-patched in the photo, will straighten with her pirate look and she won't need surgery like her brother did in order to get her there.  Her balance is so off with only one eye to see with, coupled with the fact that she just started walking, that she fell down the bottom step on our porch and now has a scraped nose to match the patch.  Poor baby!  She's looking more and more like a fierce pirate, though which completely suits her fierce personality!  Her older siblings have already taught her to kick butt and take names (mostly them....which I don't think is quite what they had in mind, but she's the monster, or should I say pirate, that they've created)!!!!!

 

Aaarrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

Here's a great link I found about academic branding.  Check it out!

http://www.slideshare.net/SidneyEve/academic-branding-36767502

My Chosen Resource Article Analyzed

As most who are reading this blog are already aware, (Hello fellow classmates!) the second assignment in my composition class was to choose an article related to the topic, the flipped classroom, as a resource for our second paper.  Now, with this post, I am analyzing the article and giving my opinion on the success of the writer, Scott LaFee, to handle his reader and thesis.  I thought this would be an easy assignment.  After all, I had watched the professor's video, read, and really enjoyed reading, the assigned pages in the book, and completely read every topic on the website link the professor gave, not just the parts he said to make sure to read.  I figured, no big deal, right?  Until I sat in front of the computer.  I had already read the article several times, and normally at this point in the weekly assignment I would already have ideas or at least the beginning of something that could get me started.....but nothing!  So I read the article again.  Okay, now what? Not a whole lot happening upstairs at this point, if you know what I mean.....it's not often that I get like that.  A form of writer's block, I suppose.  This paragraph has gotten me through that, I hope! 

So I started to think about the "audience" part of everything I had been reading in our assignment and I decided that the first step would be to decide who was intended to be the audience of Scott LaFee's article, Flipped Learning.  This article was published in The School Administrator, a professional magazine published by the School Superintendents Association (AASA) in March of 2013. (Make sure I give proper credit!!) 

I think it would be safe to assume the audience of this particular article would be school superintendents.  That also says to me that I should be aware of a possible bias that would be good for school superintendents in some way, and I should also think about any personal bias's that I may bring to my judgment of Mr. LaFee's success handling his reader and thesis, be they good or bad.  Personally, I'm adjusting well to the schedule of the class, and my initial fear that it would have the feel of an online course has not, thus far, come true.  I enjoy the flexibility of the flipped class and the quick, concise course instruction.  Since I am aware that I have slightly favorable feelings towards the flipped class technique, I will strive to disregard that in my judgment of the article.
I also have many positive, and negative, opinions regarding the public school system as a whole because it's personal to me.  My children attend public school, so I want to know what's happening with our school system.  I feel, though, that most school employees really care and they have the children's best interests at heart.  I realize that the people that work for the public school system that my children and I have contact with, are the ground troops.  They're in the trenches doing the best they can.  So I don't have any negative feelings towards either the writer, nor the audience, of this particular article.

In regards to a possible bias that could be shown by the printer's of the article, I can't really think of too many things that could really sway a school superintendent considering the fact that the public school system is a government funded program.  After I did a quick glance over the major topics of the last twelve issues listed in the archive on the AASA website, I decided that it appears to be a highly specialized (school superintendents) trade magazine that delves into topics that are directly relevant to the public school system and some topics that are also related to the current events of the time period that the issue was published.  With all of that said, I don't see where if a teacher, school, or even an entire district were to begin to use the flipped classroom method, the AASA would benefit in any way, other than credit for giving good advice.  If the method worked, they gave good advice and if it doesn't then they were introducing it as a new trend, but possible fad........

Which, by the way, is the thesis of the article as stated by the following title, and first two sentences, which were visually emphasized, in the magazine.  The emphasis made it fairly clear what the author of the article was preparing to cover in the text that followed.  And I quote:

"Flipped Learning. Whether it becomes a fix or is just a fad remains to be determined as educators reverse the use of students' time in school and at home.  FLIPPING OUT IS IN."

So far I've covered the audience, my personal bias's, and the thesis, and it's now time to decide whether or not I feel that Scott LaFee handled his reader and thesis.  The text of the article describes the basic idea of what the flipped learning technique is, lists common doubts expressed by skeptics, and then answers through quotes from teachers that have used the technique, shows statistics of improvements in student's scores after the flipped class had been implemented in their school, briefly describes a possible drawback during the implementation of technique, and goes on to include additional resources about flipped learning.  Also included within the pages of the article, is a small article written by the principal of a Title I school who successfully implemented the technique.  I've concluded that Mr. LaFee handled his reader and thesis well.  It is informative, lists pros and cons of the topic, and gives personal accounts from teachers and administrators who have experienced the topic.  The article does a great job informing it's targeted audience of topic and made the information relatable to the audience, school administrators.

Another Positive of the Flipped Class

With flipped learning, there's also the added bonus of not experiencing leaving a class without ever having understood the professor, or the professor lecturing for and entire hour and a half with no interaction from the class.  After a while your brain shuts off and the last part of the class was blah, blah, (I'm so hungry) blah, blah, (Why won't this school let us have any food or drinks in class?), blah, blah, (You know we are adults?), blah, blah, (With what I pay for these classes I should be able to eat a freakin' Snickers bar!!), blah, blah, (At the point of mutiny......stomach growling like thunder.....), blah, blah....lecture's finally over.  I have no idea what happened in the last half hour.  My brain was too hungry!  With the "lecture" portion of the class done at home (Where I can eat a Snickers bar if I want to!), class time is handled differently.  It's more interactive, so it's easier to focus, even if my brain is hungry!

A Student's Approach to Flipped Learning

With flipped learning we, as students, can read and/or watch as few, or as many, articles and videos as we want and as many times as we would like to.  I tend to pick things up quickly, and I have a heavy course schedule this semester.  The ability to get my "homework" done quickly for the following week, then check in on the computer everyday and let the words flow when they happen to, and then show up to class, is a proficient use of my time.  Having a guided, but flexible structure to work within is an ideal format for a class for me and has been easy for me to fall into a regular pattern to manage into my busy schedule. 

 

But I also realize that not all students would utilize the system in the same way that I do.  This system of learning can be a benefit for those students who sometimes need to watch, hear, or read something a couple of times before it completely sticks.  That's the value of flipped learning, you have constant access to the course material and anything that a student doesn't understand can be discussed during the class time.  But a student has the ability to repeat the material prior to class so the concept can already, or at least mostly, be understood before entering class, and then time would only need to be used for the concepts that were not completely understood.  That allows for everyone in the class to pace themselves according to their particular educational needs.



The Flipped Classroom Technique....What Works and What Doesn't

The amount of time that we get to go over the material that should be covered for the week is fantastic.  The videos and reading assignments are short and can be reviewed if necessary for comprehension.  That gives us plenty of time in class to do what would normally be homework.  I do appreciate this, because if you are taking a full schedule of classes, then this leaves you with at least one class that isn't laying hours worth of homework on you every week.  I still end up checking up on my ongoing assignments outside of class, but it's not all left for that time.  That part of the class definitely works for me.

The part of the flipped classroom that I don't care for as much is the fact that it can lead to a less interactive lesson for the initial introduction of new material.  Though, with my current professor that is using the flipped classroom technique, I've found that that interaction comes later, when the parts of the lesson that were not completely understood are being discussed or the "classwork", or homework, portion of the course is happening.  This does provide the instructor of the course becoming involved with the class, so it's absolutely not a hands off approach to teaching.  It just happens to be in a different order than I am used to!  All in all, I do enjoy the flipped technique and I think that it works well for my English Composition class.