The Flipped Classroom

In order to write an educated blog post on the flipped classroom, I had to do a little research.  I had heard about the flipped classroom, but never really knew all the details about it.  I read a blog post on edutopia.org that helped explain the flipped classroom.  Basically the flipped classroom is a way for teachers to incorporate technology in the classroom by providing class assignments and homework assignments via video.  Students can view the videos on the computer or DVDs can be burned for students to view on a DVD player.  The author of this article discussed the pros and cons of a flipped classroom which were very interesting.  In fact, I can understand both views of the flipped classroom.

In my opinion, there is no substitute for one-on-one interaction with a teacher especially in the elementary grades.  However, if a student is out of class a lot and needs to be caught up on assignments, it could be helpful to both the student and the teacher.  I feel like it could be a help to students in high school, but I still believe that teachers should not use it as a crutch to keep them from interacting with students.  One of the concerns of the flipped classroom is that teachers will only teach to one level of students instead of differentiating instruction to meet students' needs.  As technology continues to change, I fear that teachers will become obsolete.  Even though computers can help students in their learning, I believe there is no substitute for a great teacher.