Resources To Help Teachers Prepare For Flipped Classrooms

There are a great many resources available to help teachers "flip" their classroom.  It could easily take hours for me to write about them and hours for you to read about them.  We're not going to go down that road, at least not today.  What we are going to do is simply look at two resources.

The first resource is Podbean.  Podbean is a FREE (this is in all caps because teachers love FREE) podcast hosting service.  Teachers can easily set up their podcast site and begin podcasting right away.  This service allows teachers to present information to students in a way that they can access through a computer at home or at the library.  Students can also easily access this through their smart phones or can download each podcast to their MP3 player so they can listen to it on the bus ride to and from school.  Did I mention this is FREE?  It's definitely worth your time to check it out.  I've also used this with students.  It was definitely motivating for students to post their first ever podcast and hear back from peers who took time to listen.

The second service I want to tell you about is GoAnimate.  GoAnimate is an online service that allows users to make and share animated videos.  You don't have to be an artist to produce these videos.  A variety of preset characters and scenes allows you great flexibility in creating your videos.  Unfortunately, this service isn't free but the plans are fairly reasonable once you consider what you get for the cost.  GoAnimate also offers a service called GoAnimate for Schools.  This service is geared toward teacher use as well as teachers using the service with their students as part of their instruction.  It's a great alternative to the typical PowerPoint project.

I hope you enjoy checking out these resources.  Going to a flipped classroom concept takes a lot of time and resources.  Hopefully these two suggestions will help save you a little of both.

SuperMemo-Is having a great memory worth the risk?

This article is about learning technology-SuperMemo.  SuperMemo is a software application that enhances your memory, teaches learning techniques and strategies.  I like how the software application allows you to choose what you what to learn and remember. I believe this tool can be affective for children who have a stable environment.  When I say stable environment, I mean the ability to purchase a home computer or laptop, etc.  I am also referring to a parent or peer that can help them stick to the schedule/routine and encourage them to be successful while using the SuperMemo Application.  I believe anyone is capable of utilizing SuperMemo, young and old (any age).
The one dangerous condition mentioned is an overload of information which is believed to cause Alzheimer's Disease.  Is having a great memory worth the risk?

Mom you never encourage us

 I should start this blog with  "I hate you mom" I am never good enough for you. That is what my eldest used  to say to me when she was in fifth grade. Now  She is 20 and doing her second year Phd in biomedical engineering.
 When she was to she was tested for a gifted student and she has been doing her academic work at her pace, but during middle school years she had a tough time because she felt I did not say "good job" often compared to other parents.
 I did not understand what she was saying, so I encouraged her by asking how can you improve herself.
I did not know she was asking for my approval. I showed my approval by encouraging her. My focus is on  making her independent,
I want her to understand her own strength, but even today she feels I don't approve of her.
 I should share this link with her.
My second daughter is not a gifted one, but still she also feels the same way.
She feels that she can never satisfy me, but I know they both are independent and make their own decisions.
I trust their judgment completely, because they know their strength and weakness.
for both my children, they thrive on their achievement  than somebody's praise.
It is not to say that they are successful.
 They are academically successful but socially they don't do things for their approval of their friends. They do what makes them feel right so sometimes they have a hard time adopting to their friends
 and they do not know how to approve their friends behavior .
Some times they feel out of place in a group.
So praising the kids may look like a drawback put it helps them to understand the society that they live in.
Practically speaking, all these academic article is good for particular audience  and  great for a class room settings because the peers are also exposed to it in the same level, whereas when I did it myself at home it was very hard for my children.

Gestalt learning theory and teaching grammar in Tamil

 

When I was learning art at HACC, I came to know about the gestalt theory. I thought it was an art principle, but knowing the same as cognitive capacity of the brain makes a difference for my teaching techniques in Tamil. Though Tamil grammar rules are 2000 years old, they are living breathing rules of the language today, but they were taught as a strict rules that one needs to follow. These grammar rules were taught in a sequence. Though they were right behind the lessons in the text books there was no co-relation between the lesson and the grammar instruction that followed the lesson.

So as a student I felt very lost learning those rules and memorizing them, let alone applying them in real life writing. This problem continues even today. I know I am good writer but my grammatical errors turns my thoughts in to poor writing.

Undertaking the cognitive theory and gestalt theory as a learning theory inspired me to look at Tamil grammar in a new light.

The Transposition experiments of the chicken and the idea that humans are predisposed to structure their experiences in predictable way gave me an idea to look at grammar learning in a new way.

 I am going to base my learning on law of similarity and the law of pragnanz. Learning the grammar rules by using similarity, I can make the connection between the rules and its application

 Associating similar words to a rule will give me much more understanding. Learning the rules as a part of word which is a whole will also help me remember to apply the rules in my writing.

I am going to present my case in the other activity.

Class Dojo in the news

ClassDojo is a behavior management app that rewards students with points based on standards set by a classroom instructor.  The app is used in many schools and classrooms across the country.  The idea behind ClassDojo is that it is a motivation tool within the classroom that encourages students to participate and be on their best behavior.  In the article "Privacy Concerns for ClassDojo and Other Tracking Apps for School Children" the author Natasha Singer reports that some professionals think that ClassDojo may in fact be an invasion of privacy and not be a fair tool for the classroom.  The author also reports that some feel that the technology tool is unproven to work and that the positive reinforcement method of classroom discipline should no longer be used. 
From a teachers perspective I find ClassDojo to be very effective and appropriate for a classroom.  While the app itself may be unproven, the theories of positive reinforcement  and motivation are not.  The idea of a student following directions or completing work and getting a reward for it is very motivating and can be seen by any teacher using ClassDojo.  Within the article a few people mention that it is a privacy issue, because students information may be shared with unapproved outlets.  I don't feel that ClassDojo violates privacy of students when it is used effectively.  It is possible for a teacher to use the app inappropriately by setting ridiculous behavior standards, choosing favorites or using it without parent/administration support. Ultimately, it is the teachers responsibility to seek parent support and use it effectively by knowing the population of their classroom.  If used correctly I feel that ClassDojo can have a motivating and positive effect on a classrooms behavior management.

Conceptual learning

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conceptual learning

The human race has evolved in intelligence and their potential from their experiences because of their surroundings. Even non humans learn to adapt to the environment. Based on this basic principle the connectivism theory has come to light.

The digital age has changed the way the humans experience the information around them. It has changed the way they connect with each other.

The humans are always learning. They are learning and responding to the experiences around them.

This learning does not reflect in one's grade. It is a reflection of the growth of their potential and a positive way.

For me a housewife the digital tools like google has opened up a new opportunity. I can sincerely say that I am a student where connectivism applies.

As I watched my children learn to read and write using computer games when they were toddlers, I wished there was something like that for my language.

I used google to research to find out about how certain things are done. I came across adobe, then I learnt adobe watching YouTube.

Then I slowly got my skills in adobe software and all the windows applications wanted to learn more.

So i became a student in HACC. Meanwhile, I created learning site for my language. Now I am taking a master’s degree.

I have a YouTube channel for my language. I have a WordPress blog. To market my learning site. I tweet my lessons and post them in Facebook. Because of these classes in Harrisburg University I have presented papers on learning in Tamil computing International conferences.

Classical Conditioning in Domestic Violence

What is domestic violence to do with learning right?

For one, this is domestic violence month. Secondly the survivors of domestic violence have a long road ahead of them to heal and be normal again. When I say domestic violence I am talking about domestic violence in the context of changing the behavior of the survivors. If there is a way to undo the damage of abuse by applying the learning theory, may be the survivors can escape the trauma of their experiences easily.

It is said that abused people develop PTSD, which is at a higher rate compared to military personal developing PTSD after the war.

So for an abused person their fear, their reactions to environments, their anger in situations consumes them. Most of the time facing the day today is a nightmare.

Why is that?

It is said that classical conditioning involves a response over which the learners have no control. When a person is abused their emotions, logical mind, and body start responding to certain events are involuntary. They lose control over everything. They are always responding and reacting because the conditional response makes them to anticipate and prepare for the worst. Their attitude also changes, All these happen because of association with fear.

So if we agree that classical conditioning plays a role why is it hard for the survivors be normal once they leave the abuser or the situation.

I think that is where the spontaneous recovery happens. Spontaneous recovery is recurrence of the conditioned response after a rest period. Though the response is weaker it still happens. That is why it is hard for the survivors to move forward.

When the abuser cannot leave the abuser or the situation their conditional response may develop into generalization. Generalization happens when the conditional response happens to other stimuli the same way,

When the response of the abused person is generalized can they be called as victims even though they are alive?

What learning theory can one apply to make these victims a survivor again?