Flipped Classroom

02 July 2015

Technological advancement has a great influence on educational innovation in terms of instructional technology/media, philosophy of education, and teaching-learning methods that need to be adapted to today’s context of digital learning.

A study by the New Media Consortium, an international community of experts in educational technology, and its associate members has analyzed that the growth of social media contributed to trends in education and created changes in various aspects, for example, the integration between internet–based communication technologies and cooperative learning, the rethinking of roles of teachers and school systems, the changing role of students/learners as a consumer into maker, and open educational resources.

In a traditional classroom, we see a teacher standing in front of the class lecturing and students listening quietly. Even though this type of classroom has strong points about face-to-face interaction and interpersonal relationship between teacher and students, it needs to evolve in today’s digital age. The digital native students have the potential to learn what they are interested in by themselves via internet, then make their own knowledge and pass it on to others using modern communication gadgets they have. Therefore, a classroom should be the place where students exchange their learning experiences via active activities such as doing group projects or discussions.

The effectiveness of teaching methodologies that have varying impact on students’ remembering.

Among the key findings of a major study on instructional patterns in the schools worldwide is that students can remember information more effectively when their teachers incorporate audiovisual materials in their teachings rather than plainly give a lecture or assign them to read a book. The more audiovisual aids are used in lessons and the students are urged to be actively involved in their own process of learning, the better the students’ academic performance. The findings are clear proof that traditional teaching strategies need a major overhaul.

The past few years have seen the rise of the “flipped classroom” where teachers record their lessons online for students to watch outside of school and class time is used to work through creative problem-solving, discussion, or debates. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) also enable endless opportunities for both educators and students to create hands-on, customize learning experiences.

With a mobile device, a student today can implement self-directed learning and develop six skills needed for critical thinking — remembering, comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation and synthesis, thanks to the power of digital technology which brings advances in the educational and knowledge-seeking landscape. The idea of allowing students to use their own technology in classes to enhance academic instruction, known as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), will become more common in the near future. Mobile devices have been shown to be important learning tools for students both inside and outside classes. The BYOD trend can encourage government policymakers to provide effective and sufficient technological infrastructure to support online learning.

iPadagogy Wheel. In the digital learning era, students at all levels can benefit greatly from tablet devices and the availability of free educational mobile applications.

Although the digital age has made major positive changes in the educational landscape worldwide, the future of learning should not rely too much on technology until people lack human contact. The process of human development is not all about improving brain, but self-awareness, creativity and state of mind. Technology is merely a facilitating tool and not the ultimate goal of education. In conclusion, the right path towards the education in the digital times is not the overuse of IT devices, but should be hybrid learning which makes an appropriate balance between online and face-to-face teaching as well as brain and mind.

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