Everyone is talking about the Flipped Classroom Model (or Blended Learning) for teaching and learning. There is a real opportunity here to use technology to flip learning on its head. Students spending independent time at home absorbing and interacting with the prior-learning concepts means that they can access time in the classroom for problem solving, applying concepts and developing deeper understandings through collaborating with their teachers and peers.
I've started to use the new 'add-in' for PowerPoint called Office Mix. With a few years' worth of material that I have developed in PowerPoint, this has been an absolute timesaver for me and made recording videos so much easier. It's got everything I need to create flipped classroom material such as screen casting, webcam recording and embedded quizzes and other interactive apps to my embed into my existing PowerPoint slides. It allows me to make sleek, pro-like interactive videos for my students without having to have any video editing experience. I simply record and upload my recordings to Office Mix for my students to be able to access the videos on any device.
Like all new technology innovations, everyone is talking about it. Some are trying it. Few are actually nailing it. With any shift in practice it takes time and professional learning to develop the new skill. We all know that we learn from our mistakes, of which I have made many. So as I continue to refine my Flipped video recording skills I have been noting my successes and failures. Here are my suggestions for getting the most out of the Flipped Learning videos that you create:
I've started to use the new 'add-in' for PowerPoint called Office Mix. With a few years' worth of material that I have developed in PowerPoint, this has been an absolute timesaver for me and made recording videos so much easier. It's got everything I need to create flipped classroom material such as screen casting, webcam recording and embedded quizzes and other interactive apps to my embed into my existing PowerPoint slides. It allows me to make sleek, pro-like interactive videos for my students without having to have any video editing experience. I simply record and upload my recordings to Office Mix for my students to be able to access the videos on any device.
Like all new technology innovations, everyone is talking about it. Some are trying it. Few are actually nailing it. With any shift in practice it takes time and professional learning to develop the new skill. We all know that we learn from our mistakes, of which I have made many. So as I continue to refine my Flipped video recording skills I have been noting my successes and failures. Here are my suggestions for getting the most out of the Flipped Learning videos that you create:
10 tips for transforming your Flipped Learning videos:
1. Brand yourself. If sounds a little daft but your students will like the familiar nature of your videos. Khan Academy do a great job of this. They have an excellent pace and narrative plus use spiffy glow like colours. Think about your audience and what engages them. Use common colours, fonts and themes that you students will come to feel comfortable with.
2. Show your face. Ok I know it's a little scary but it adds a personalised touch to your videos. Technology often takes the personalisation of learning so bring it back in. It also shows your students you are willing to take safe risks and jump out of your comfort zone. As you build up confidence try using Office Mix to pre-record just the first slide with a 'hello wave and welcome' message. Recordings from other educators can be great but doing it yourself means you can contextualise it precisely for the students you know!
3. Give a timeline. At the start of the video include a quick explanation of what the video will cover. A visual timeline is perfect. This way the students know what to expect and will be more likely to sit out 'the boring bits' when they know it only goes for 30 - 60 seconds.
4. Less is more. When developing slides avoid using too many pictures and text. Our kids are already overloaded with digital information, so I recommend an image as the background and a couple of key words on each slide. Don't write it all on the screen and read from it. The kids will end up loading it onto boring.com!
5. Half bake your slides. Before recording your Mix, have your slides prepared but not finished - leave space for you to use the pen to draw on your slides, provide worked examples, annotate diagrams or write dot points. Something moving on the screen will indefinitely increase engagement. Nobody likes to a brutal 'death by PowerPoint' even if it's a recorded version.
6. Allow for thinking time. Especially if you are asking students to participate in higher order thinking and questioning it's so important to slow down and give time to your students. It's not radio so you can have silent moments. Office Mix allows you to segment your video. Encourage them to pause and take notes by highlighting important
7. Keep it to 5 - 6 minutes or less. I read some research somewhere about this but it really just makes sense. Don't bore them with lengthy videos. Keep it short and sharp. If you need more time, split your videos into parts or modules. This way they can do them sequentially or (for those like me who get a little distracted) they can self-pace.
8. Quizzes are a no brainer. Students love to gamify learning. When they know there is a short quiz, about the content you are sharing at the end, they will be more likely to engage in the content. Best part is you will also be able to view the analytics that Office Mix provides enabling you to see how long each student spend on each slide, number of views per student and the responses to your quiz questions. BOOM - there is your formative assessment data!
9. Include a discussion thread. Office Mix allows you to activate a discussion thread on any video you upload. Providing a space for students to ask questions or discuss key topics transforms it from a passive video view to an active learning session where everyone can be involved.
10. Finish with a 'call to action'. Sounds salesy I know, but one of the biggest challenges with implementing a flipped model is having a strategy to manage the viewing of the videos prior to class. By asking students an open-ended question at the end of the video and requesting they respond in a discussion thread, will help you identify who has watch the video carefully. You could provide a link to a Web 2.0 tool or a quick activity, linked to the video content, for completion in their personal/class OneNote.
2. Show your face. Ok I know it's a little scary but it adds a personalised touch to your videos. Technology often takes the personalisation of learning so bring it back in. It also shows your students you are willing to take safe risks and jump out of your comfort zone. As you build up confidence try using Office Mix to pre-record just the first slide with a 'hello wave and welcome' message. Recordings from other educators can be great but doing it yourself means you can contextualise it precisely for the students you know!
3. Give a timeline. At the start of the video include a quick explanation of what the video will cover. A visual timeline is perfect. This way the students know what to expect and will be more likely to sit out 'the boring bits' when they know it only goes for 30 - 60 seconds.
4. Less is more. When developing slides avoid using too many pictures and text. Our kids are already overloaded with digital information, so I recommend an image as the background and a couple of key words on each slide. Don't write it all on the screen and read from it. The kids will end up loading it onto boring.com!
5. Half bake your slides. Before recording your Mix, have your slides prepared but not finished - leave space for you to use the pen to draw on your slides, provide worked examples, annotate diagrams or write dot points. Something moving on the screen will indefinitely increase engagement. Nobody likes to a brutal 'death by PowerPoint' even if it's a recorded version.
6. Allow for thinking time. Especially if you are asking students to participate in higher order thinking and questioning it's so important to slow down and give time to your students. It's not radio so you can have silent moments. Office Mix allows you to segment your video. Encourage them to pause and take notes by highlighting important
7. Keep it to 5 - 6 minutes or less. I read some research somewhere about this but it really just makes sense. Don't bore them with lengthy videos. Keep it short and sharp. If you need more time, split your videos into parts or modules. This way they can do them sequentially or (for those like me who get a little distracted) they can self-pace.
8. Quizzes are a no brainer. Students love to gamify learning. When they know there is a short quiz, about the content you are sharing at the end, they will be more likely to engage in the content. Best part is you will also be able to view the analytics that Office Mix provides enabling you to see how long each student spend on each slide, number of views per student and the responses to your quiz questions. BOOM - there is your formative assessment data!
9. Include a discussion thread. Office Mix allows you to activate a discussion thread on any video you upload. Providing a space for students to ask questions or discuss key topics transforms it from a passive video view to an active learning session where everyone can be involved.
10. Finish with a 'call to action'. Sounds salesy I know, but one of the biggest challenges with implementing a flipped model is having a strategy to manage the viewing of the videos prior to class. By asking students an open-ended question at the end of the video and requesting they respond in a discussion thread, will help you identify who has watch the video carefully. You could provide a link to a Web 2.0 tool or a quick activity, linked to the video content, for completion in their personal/class OneNote.
My OfficeMix sample:
Here is one of my flipped videos for my Year 7 Science class - watch it now.
Getting Started with Office Mix:
Get an Office Mix account for free at www.officemix.com
Download Office Mix add-in for PowerPoint here.
Office Mix How-to-guide access here.
Download Office Mix add-in for PowerPoint here.
Office Mix How-to-guide access here.
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