Flop in the Classroom: Using Google Classroom to Flip a Lesson

As I said in a previous post, I flipped my AP Psych class last year, to tremendous success (94% pass rate on the AP test, anyone?).  Not to toot my own horn, but...you know...TOOOOT.  :)

I decided to try to do more flipped assignments and units in my intro to psych class.  I had great plans to start this day one - and then my mom passed away.  The best laid plans, right?  So last week, I was beginning to get my feet under me again, and I decided to do a split lesson. They had me for the first half of the hour, and the second half of the hour they were required to go online for the rest of the lesson. They didn't have to finish the lesson that hour, but they had only until midnight that night to submit it.  This is very rapid for an online assignment for me, as I often will try to give 2-3 nights to work on something online, since they may not have access at home.  This time, instead of using my Google site to submit the assignment, I tried it on Google Classroom.

Talk about a flop.

I imported students the night before. Super easy. Kind of a pain, but it's a one-time thing, so no big deal.  I put the assignment up.  Awesome.  Honestly, I was so excited to give out this assignment. It looked awesome.

Only 17 of my 28 students that hour could figure out how to submit the assignment.  One submitted it as a separate post in the stream. (There is currently no way to turn off the students' ability to post in the stream, by the way.)  Two submitted it (cut and pasted) in the comments of the assignment itself (also no way to turn off comments).  One handed me a paper copy. One emailed it to me.  Several didn't bother doing it for one reason or another.  What a mess!

I thought it would be intuitive.  Read the assignment, then hit the big blue "turn it in" button.  It is NOT intuitive to all students.  Do take the time to go over how to submit an assignment.  For this, you will need to have a student log in so that you can project what they see.  As of right now, teachers can't see what it looks like from the student perspective. I hope this will change soon.

Grading-wise, I love it.  All of the papers in one place.  didn't get 1700 emails (slight exaggeration) as the students shared their assignments with me.  I could even grade it right there and submit with comments to the student, so the student is alerted to when I have graded it.  Of course, then I have to submit grades into my grading program...but that's a different issue.

I think that Google Classroom will be good. I think it will be the go-to for most teachers. I'm really excited about it. I'm just also reminded what "beta" means - and that it will not be as easy for others as it is for me.

So this one didn't work out.  Should I just give up?  Of course not.  I will be trying again. And again. Until I get it right. By covering basics out of class, I have time for the application piece.  Google already knows facts. The kids need to know what to do with them - and flipping the classroom allows me time to do that.  So I will keep on keeping on.

What about you?  What happened to you when you tried to flip the classroom? What about your thoughts on Google Classroom?

How-To...Podcast, Part II

Now that you're all set-up, let's create a podcast. This particular type of podcast is called a mash-up. This is my favorite type to create for my French classes, because it allows them to hear authentic French. If you are interested in a regular audio podcast (like, where you talk), check out the GCast icon on the left side of this page - I just created a podcast about how-to create a simple audio podcast.

Okay, so the first thing you'll want to do is import audio into audacity. Go under file, then import, then audio. You'll need to know where iTunes dumps its podcasts. Import one of your favorite podcast episodes. Open a new audacity window and repeat for as many podcasts as you want to include into your mash-up. I usually use three or four.

Next, pick the part out of each podcast that you want to include. Podcasts really shouldn't be over 6 or 7 minutes long or you'll start to lose your students. I try to limit mine to six, but students tend to be more willing to listen to longer podcasts if music is involved. In your original window, hit the record button and record your intro. Something like "Hello, and welcome to whatever the name of your podcast is. My name is your name here." or whatever else you'd like is just fine.

Once you've intro'd your podcast, then you can cut and paste from your other podcasts. Make sure to always (and I mean ALWAYS) give credit where credit is due. I usually assign a worksheet to accompany the podcast (again - it's in French, so the kids need a 'roadmap'), and at the top I indicate the sites that I took the material from. At any rate, cut and paste until you have the product you want.

Then, save the project as an audacity file. Please. Sometimes audacity crashes, and you could actually lose everything. You don't want/need that. I actually have a folder on my hard-drive that is just for audacity project files.

Once you have saved the project as an audacity project file (have I said that enough?), you may export the file. Under file, click on export. Save the file as an mp3 file (specify mp3 file!), and again, make sure it is somewhere that you will remember it. If this is the first time that you have exported a file, you'll need to find that LAME file and tell Audacity where to find it. And that's it - you've made your file.

Technically, it is not a podcast unless someone can subscribe to it - either via RSS or iTunes or whatever. My school podcasts are all uploaded onto a site that automatically sends it to iTunes. My podcasts for this site are hosted on GCast. This site is pretty nice because it is free AND will provide you a widget for your website.

If you have questions, or I didn't make something clear, please let me know. Thanks, and happy podcasting!

Technorati Tags:
Beyond Podcasting, podcasting, iTunes, How-To

How-To...Podcast. Part 1

Okay, so initially this was a blog to help those who had attended a session of mine at a conference. Obviously, it is now also to voice my opinion on any and all things edutech-related. After reading a Twitter from one that I follow, it became apparent that I have been taking everyone's knowledge for granted. I mean, come ON. The name of this blog is BEYOND podcasting - not what-is-podcasting?

I was wrong. Dear reader, I am sorry. Let's start over, okay? Like we'd never met before. I won't take your knowledge for granted. I promise. Okay? Forgive me?

Great. Now that we're beyond that stage, let's talk about the first segment in my newest features, which I call "How-To". (I know, right? Original.) This is How-To Podcast - Part 1.

First of all, a podcast is simply an audio file that is broadcast to computers, mp3 devices, and iPods. Originally, it was meant as a broadcast for an iPod - hence PodCast. :) If there is a video component involved, then it becomes a video broadcast for an iPod - or a vodcast. Cool, huh?

Okay, now that you know a little about what it is, let's try to make one. First, if you are on a Mac, then you are good to go. You have your iTunes and your GarageBand all loaded, you lucky person you. For the rest of us poor, unfortunate PC people, we need to download. First, download iTunes here. Sign your life away, and let it do what it wants.

Second, you need a recording program. My favorite is Audacity. Download it here. Be careful. It asks you were to put a file named LAME. Put it somewhere (like your desktop) where you can find it right away. You WILL need this later. Trust me.

Third, you will need a good microphone. My suggestion is not to go crazy - yet. Get a headset (think Madonna - or a travel agent) with a built-in mic. This works very well for podcasting as well as Skype, UStream, etc. You will love it. The best are USB headsets, but a regular two-jack set is fine, too.

Fourth, for this particular podcast, download several podcasts on iTunes that interest you. These should all be free. Check out podcasts from universities on iTunes U (be careful - make sure they aren't charging) or just type "keyword podcast" into the search box to find podcasts on whatever you are interested in. For me, I type "French podcasts" into the box to find intro to French podcasts. You should have a few to choose from.

Okay, that does it for part one. Tune in soon to see the continuation of the Podcasting How-To.

Technorati Tags:
Beyond Podcasting, Podcasting, iTunes, Skype, UStream, Audacity, GarageBand, How-To