EXCEL IN THE CLASSROOM

Using surveys in my classroom will be a really efficient way to check in with students. Whether its about their progress, their opinions, or their background, surveys will allow me to receive that information in a seamless way. I would use it for opinions on books to read in class, and to check students progress, and evaluate what they were struggling or thriving in.

I loved reading about flipped classroom. I think this is a method of teaching all of us have repeatedly been exposed to, and that we all have mixed feelings about. I think we would prefer to be the learners, and they be the teachers. It takes a lot of diligence to be able to sit down, read material, and teach ourselves concepts and skills before class instruction. I personally struggle with that, because I am a visual learner who needs things to be broken down before I can master it myself. I like the idea of being instructed first, and then practicing on our own, which is the opposite of flipped classroom.

I want to really master an online interactive website. Ive had some introduction to it in this course, but I want to learn all kinds of features with games, chats, and helpful links for my students to use. Teachers with websites are way more interactive, organized, and helpful.

FLIPPED CLASSROOM

Flipped classroom is essentially a backwards method of teaching. It allows for students to teach themselves before being taught by the instructor. It's a way for students to prepare and teach themselves ahead of class time, where the teacher elaborates on the lesson further. Personally I don't agree with it, I think it increases frustration in students if they can't understand and master a subject. The teacher's job is to teach, and I believe the only time a student should have to work heavily on the material on their own is when they're practicing something they've already been taught.

OER stands for Open Educational Resource. Nowadays, textbooks at the higher education level are so expensive. Often times, students can't afford these resources and either choose flunk out of higher education classes, or avoid taking them altogether. OER's are cheaper alternatives to physical textbooks that are increasingly unaccessible and expensive. These include online textbooks, video lectures, podcasts, etc. Campus Technology made an article listing 16 essential OER resources that educators should know about to provide for their students. Some include "College Open Textbooks", "Learning Pod", & "Open Course Library", to name a few. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/07/02/16-oer-sites-every-educator-should-know.aspx

When working with Powerpoint this week, I learned a new skill that I really feel inclined to implement in my class. I learned about non linear powerpoint, and how different words can have hyperlinks that lead to different slides. It is effective for classrooms, because it can be used to direct us to new locations based off of whether or not a student selects a correct or false answer. This is a great tool to use, and I'll be implementing it in Assignment #5. I have a hard time with formatting on Powerpoint and making the aesthetic fit my desires. But I'm learning more and more skills to use in my future classroom. Below I've posted my screenshot from Assignment #4, where I did a powerpoint on class objectives for classic literature I'd want my students to read.