Flipping My English Classroom

Okay, so it has been over a month since my last post and so much has changed!  As I stated in my previous posts, with the introduction of BYOD at our school, I decided to slowly adopt different technologies into my classroom this semester.  Well, after doing more research online and observing the Twitterverse conversation about education technology (more on this below), I made the crazy decision to jump headfirst and start flipping and gamifying my classroom AT THE SAME TIME!!  Even crazier is that I am doing this by myself.  As far as I know, I am the only teacher flipping the classroom at my school.  One benefit of this is that I was able to use a laptop cart of 22 fairly functional Dell laptops that is rarely used in my school.

Before I get started, I have to thank Cheryl Morris and Andrew Thomasson, whose website I stumbled upon in January.  They opened up this glorious rabbit hole of flipping to me, and have been following them on Twitter ever since.  I also want to thank the rest of the Twitter teachers on #flipclass, whose conversation I have also been following ever since I started a month ago.  With this post, I hope to introduce myself to this group, and pray they accept me into their fold as "one of us, one of us."

My next two posts will be the method to this madness.  I will begin with a discussion of flipping my 11th grade English classroom -

My First Flip

While my 10th graders were finishing their research papers, and using my first YouTube videos to support the process, I decided to flip my class with my 11th graders.  I was extremely excited by the results of my students with their research papers, and the time it afforded me to work with my struggling writers.  It just so happens that my 11th grade students have their VA Writing Standards Of Learning (required state test) this month, so I focused on their writing skills, as well, integrated with their readings in American literature, to prepare them for the high-stakes test.  All of these objectives I covered in a flipped classroom environment over the last month through the agenda listed on www.newbornenglish.com:



->Writing
1) Grammar and Parts of Speech videos embedded on my website/YouTube channel and on Edmodo - watched at home before class
2) Quizzes assessing their understanding of the videos in Edmodo - done in class
3) Remediation and 1x1 time for those students who struggled with the grammar quizzes, including additional grammar exercises
4) Kidblog 5-paragraph essay posts on previous SOL writing prompts broken down through this process:
    a) Kidblog entry 1: Assess and analyze their 5-paragraph midterm essay using the rubric I used to grade
        them
    b) Kidblog entry 2: Assess and analyze anchor papers from previous SOLs using the same rubric
    c) Choose prompt from 10 previous SOL writing prompts
    b) Kidblog entry 3: Brainstorm ideas about the prompt on a Kidblog entry
    d) Kidblog entry 4: Begin the first paragraph, with a focus on the hook and thesis statement with three
        supporting reasons.
    e) Kidblog entry 5: Begin the first body paragraph - topic sentence, three sets of concrete
        detail/commentary, transition (minimum of eight sentences per body paragraph)
     f) Kidblog entry 6: Continue with the second body paragraphy - same as previous paragraph.
    g) Kidblog entry 7: 3rd body paragraph with the same format
    h) Kidblog entry 8: Concluding paragraph - Restated thesis and concluding statement

Throughout this entire process, I was commenting on their writing, as were the other students.

->Reading - Romanticism and Washington Irving
1) Romanticism, Washington Irving, and Cultural/Historical Context videos and PPTs embedded on my website/YouTube Channel and Edmodo - watched at home
2) After short video book trailers of Washington Irving stories "The Devil and Tom Walker" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," students chose which story they would like to read and focus their independent study.
3) Vocabulary Chart - each story had a list of 10 words that would be completed like the chart shown here, and upload them to Edmodo:
4) Differentiated texts - for my struggling readers, they had an abridged version or could listen to the audio version linked to my website and Edmodo, while they read along with the original text.
5) Point of View and Characterization videos on Edmodo/YouTube
5) Point of View, Characterization Charts, Legend as Symbol/Cultural Attitudes Handout -  linked and uploaded to Edmodo.

6) Irving story open-note quiz on Edmodo
7) Chose one supplemental modern version of "Sleepy Hollow" and "Tom Walker," then wrote a compare/contrast essay using the same writing process as with the SOL Prompt.

I see my 11th graders every other day, and they were able to complete this work in a month. Amazingly enough, they were able to complete this work with missing three days - one day due to a field trip to see Julius Caesar with my 10th graders, and the other two were snow days.  They watched the Patrick Stewart version of Moby Dick on the field trip day, to which we will be referring after the SOL tests the next two weeks, as we continue this unit on Romanticism, Transcendentalism, and the Gothic.  


    My students took a practice multiple choice SOL writing test during this time, as well, and they will be getting into groups tomorrow to analyze their results and make quiz corrections as Kidblog entries.  They take their SOL Multiple Choice Section on Thursday.




Flipping my classroom is only the tip of the iceberg for me, as I have also flipped my 10th grade and 9th grade classrooms, as well - yes, I teach three different grade levels.  Oh, and by the way, I only have one planning period off every other day - I told you I was crazy!  Anyways, with 9th and 10th, I have also gamified them, creating two role-playing game embedded classrooms (RPGs) around Shakespeare plays: Julius Caesar and The Tempest.  More about The Next Caesar and Tempest Island later this week!

Here's a taste:

All for now!
Sean        

Introducing Edmodo, Youtube, and Google Docs to my Classes

So I introduced Edmodo this week with my students, and except for an opening setback, it was a pretty successful.  First, I created an assignment for my MYP 9 students - a poetry annotation, double column T-chart activity that I linked to Edmodo so my students could  highlight sections of the poem on one side of the T-chart, and quote/label the figurative language, sound devices, and rhyme scheme on the other side.  Unfortunately, Edmodo does not allow students to annotate on documents directly through their site, but does allow them to download the document as a Microsoft Word file and then upload the finished product to Edmodo.  Teachers can annotate the documents through their site, though, then upload the document as a model, though.

As this was the first time I had worked with Edmodo assignments, there was a steep learning curve for my students and I on the first go-round.  As we don't have laptops, IPads, or enough student devices, we went to the computer lab to complete the assignment - an most importantly, get the kids comfortable with the site.  So . . . the download of the document and the completion of the activity went well, BUT, the actual turn-in process - not so well!  We thought that the document would  upload automatically, but, alas, it did not.  Anyways, lesson learned.  The students needed to save the document to the computer hard drive first, then upload the file to Edmodo.  Seems pretty intuitive, but I obviously didn't intuit!

Anyways, we did not have computer lab access for my other MYP 9 class, so I assigned the activity for homework, and so far the students have been doing a pretty good job.  I like that I have access to each of the assignments through Edmodo, I can annotate their finished assignments, grade each one, and provide comments, as well.  Here is a screenshot of one of my students finished assignments:

  

I have also created my first videos for my 10 graders to help them with their research paper, specifically using their notecards to create an outline and how to create hooks, topic sentences, and transitions.  I linked these videos through Edmodo and on my classroom site, so they have multiple ways to get to them.

They seem to be much more independent then in previous years after watching the videos, even though I have already decided how I will do a better job on them the next time around.  I was especially impressed with my special education students, who usually struggle with this assignment, but they seem to be thriving so far.  I think what helps them is the option of having a short instructional video to return to time and again for support when they get stuck, even if I am not available or with another student.  It has also given me the opportunity to spend more time with them individually for motivation and 1x1 instruction.  I can't wait to develop more videos at the beginning of the process, instead of the middle, as is the case now that I started my class flip at the 2nd semester when we were halfway through the research paper.

Finally, my students are utilizing Google Drive to write their final outlines, as well.  (On a related tangent: our school system only allows an older version of Internet Explorer on our computers, so Google Drive is slow and has a delay as they type.  I love that it saves their document as they type, though, and they do not have to save it to the school website.  Anyways, I asked our IT specialists and they tell me that PWCS has no plans to upgrade the browser anytime soon, and Google Chrome or Firefox is strictly forbidden on the school's computers.  On another related tangent #2: Youtube is only allowed on the schools computers in the computer labs, but not through the school's WiFi, so we cannot access Youtube in the classroom, even with BYOD implementation.  Can you tell we are a bit behind the curve?!  I refuse to let this hold me back though!)

So far, so good, as they say, but I will find out more as students will begin to submit their final outlines tomorrow and Friday through Edmodo.

More soon on my 11th graders' use of Kidblog to practice their Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) essay writing prompts, which they started yesterday.

All for now!
Sean            

Appitic: A Great Resource for Classroom Flipping Apps

I found this website a few weeks ago when I was researching EdTech, but this a great resource for apps that support flipping the classroom.  I'm sure that I will be referring to this website many times as I slowly begin to flip my English classroom over the next few weeks.

Introducing Celly to My Classroom

In typical Northern Virginia fashion, we had a two-hour delay on Monday because of a little ice, which ultimately caused my school to reschedule our two exams that we had planned for the day.  There's nothing like waking up to a text stating that there was a two-hour delay, our exams were being rescheduled, and students would be dismissed at the regular time (instead of the 11:30 early release).  So . . . come to find out that we had three classes scheduled, including the two exam classes, and we were supposed to do more exam review.  Instead of grumbling about not having any lessons planned, I took this opportunity to introduce Celly to my two IBMYP English 9 students, and review for the midterm at the same time!

Celly is a free text messaging service that allows me to take polls, create 140 character quizzes, send announcements or assignments, or anything else that a Twitter-like service provides.  Celly has an app for the Android market, but not for Apple.  Not that it matters, as the students signed-up through their phones by texting @classname to 23559.  I had already set-up individual "cells" or classnames ahead of time on the Cel.ly website, so all I had to do is give the students directions on how to sign-up with each @classname and have them create a username that could be easily identified.  When I set-up the cells, I made sure to add each class separately, and choose the curated option, so I could control who was added to each class.

After each student was added, I created quiz questions (as "polls"), with the answers as #hashtags.  I put the question up on the SmartBoard for those without cellphones, so they could answer in their notebooks.  As they answered, the website kept a running tally for each #answer so the students could see the outcomes.  No names were shown during the quiz/poll, just a running tally.  Also, Celly does not show phone numbers, only usernames.  Next, I asked more open-ended questions, such as: Text an example of assonance or alliteration.  Student answers scrolled on the SmartBoard as they texted.  Toward the end of class, we went to the computer lab so students without cellphones could sign-up, and everyone could change their avatars -- such consternation about the avatars that were chosen by Celly!

Anyways, I will be experimenting with Celly this semester and seeing how I can incorporate it into my instruction.  I already see it as a great Bellringer, Entry Task, or Exit Ticket for informal assessment of student learning.  Plus, students seem to really love it! 

  

I found this site at 19Pencils.com for my class

Flipping the classrooom: As I begin to reinvent and re-envision my classroom through educational technology, I am doing more research online about teachers who are having success already with this idea.  The link is a report of one of those teachers and his classroom. 

Trying Out Quizlet in the Classroom

SJHS adopted the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in October, so these last few weeks were the my first real foray into integrating devices into my classroom. We were using cell phones to look-up words for vocabulary and affix study before this, but I finally had a chance to look at some of the apps that could be useful in my classroom.

Since we were studying for midterm exams this week, I decided that a good app to utilize with exam prep was Quizlet.  Quizlet is a free app on the IPhone app store, but not on the Android app store. 



Quizlet app

Android Mobile Browser

Those students with an Android phone could use the mobile browser to sign-up for the service, though.  Quizlet allows students to use and create flashcards for their classes.  It also has a few games for student to test themselves on the class content, as well.

 

     

I set-up classes for IBMYP English 9, English 10, and English 11 that focused on the literary terms, vocabulary, and character lists for the three novels that we read (The Time Machine, The Scarlet Letter, and Night.  At first, it was very time-consuming to enter all of the terms and definitions.  After completing one of my classes, though, I noticed that if you click "Auto-define" under the entry, it will give you choices from other quizlet users that already created the same entry, so this saved a lot of time when I was creating the entries for my classes.  All told, I probably spent a few hours setting up each class with approximately six or seven sets of an average of 10 entries each.  

I previewed the app by putting the website on the smartboard and showing them how to use the flashcards online, then showed them the app on my IPhone.  The kids were very excited about the fact that they could download an app and use it for my class, since this was the first time we did this.  Not all of the students have a smartphone or internet access on their phone, so those who did not have a phone looked at their neighbor's.  They each had to sign-up for the app with a username (school appropriate, since everyone will see their username) and password, then search for my name and class - luckily I have an original name and was easy to find.  After they found my class, they had to add my class on the class info tab.  Once they requested to be added, I had to add them as an administrator.  They immediately began to use the app and compete against each other on the scatter and the space race game, which quizzed them on the terms through games. 

Although I have only been using it for a few days, it seems to be a hit with the students.  I have already added about half of the students to my class, so I need to find out who has not been added due to lack of a smartphone or other reason.  The next day after I introduced it, one of my struggling students mentioned that while he was using the app, his mother told him to stop playing games on his phone, so he showed her that he was using the it to study and she was surprised!  He also hoped that other teachers would use it, as well, because he needed the extra help.  That being said, I guess I need to see what impact it has on my midterm exam grades.     

Beginning the EdTech Journey

As a public high school English teacher in Manassas, Virginia, adjunct professor at UVA, and reading specialist, this blog is a record of my day-to-day journey through the wilds of education technology, as I try to negotiate and integrate electronic devices in the secondary classroom. Videos, apps, and blogs, oh my!



For 2012-13, I teach two sections of pre-IBMYP English 9 (students take MYP classes before formal acceptance into the IB program at the 11th grade), one section of integrated English 10 with special educations students, one section of general education English 10, and two sections of English 11.

With my educational background, expertise, and experience, I feel that I have a great opportunity to develop different models of best practices for other teachers. The social demographics (increasing ESOL population, high percentage of free and reduced lunch) and academic diversity (integrated special education/ESOL and IB programs) of my high school also provide an excellent proving ground to develop and support these practices, as well.

Hopefully, as I outline what does and does not work in my classrooms - both at the high school and college level - I can reflect on my ongoing curriculum design and development using best practices that I have learned and taught over the years.

It has been a great year so far, and I’m excited about the journey on which my students and I are about to embark!