• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • COVID-19 Update
  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Project of the Week
  • Latest News
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Mobility

Ohio Schools Try Flipped Classrooms, Blended Learning

The Edison Local Schools have embraced alternative classroom formats to get students college and career ready.

December 30, 2014 Chrissy Winske Leave a Comment

The Edison Local School District is focused on getting its students college and career ready. The Richmond, Ohio-based schools have invested in a number of new technologies over the past five years that offer students unique educational opportunities. Every classroom has a SMART interactive whiteboard and students have access to carts of Chromebooks to prepare for statewide online testing.

When asked about the district’s vision for technology, Kim Wadas, assistant superintendent says the goal is for technology to be “totally integrated.” And in many unique ways it is. Take for example, the district’s GradeCams, a combination of an app and a document camera that automatically scans and grades student homework, quizzes, etc.

“The teachers really like it. It’s instant feedback,” Wadas says.

It turns out, students like it too. Rather than waiting a week for their teacher to score and grade their work, students know right away how they did on the multiple choice section of an assignment. Teachers still have to grade extended responses or short answer questions by hand, but GradeCam certainly speeds up the grading process.

It’s not just the tools employed by the Edison Local Schools that makes the district stand out, it’s really the district’s approach to education. Its high school recently launched a blended learning pilot with juniors and seniors. They now take a portion of their classes online, meaning they are home for either the first two periods or the last two periods of school one day a week. The school’s goal is to prepare students for online learning before they go off to college.

“You can’t really go to college or have a career anymore without having to take an online class,”  Wadas says. “We’re trying to teach students how to manage their time and see how content is different online than it is in the classroom.”

Edison Local High School has four carts of Chromebooks that teachers can sign out to use in their classrooms.

Teachers deliver the online classes through Blackboard. If the blended learning pilot is successful, the district hopes to expand online learning to its entire high school.

“For now, we wanted to try it with a few teachers to see how it goes. We didn’t really want to jump all the way into it yet,” Wadas says.

In addition to online learning, Several teachers within the district have flipped classrooms. A few math teachers have been using the format for about three years now with Edmodo as their learning platform. Although Wadas was completely comfortable with the idea of an alternative classroom format, parents were another story.

“We met some resistance and we still do,” Wadas says. “It’s getting them to understand that things have changed since we were in school.”

In a flipped classroom, students do what is traditionally considered homework in class and take in “lectures” at home. The lectures can take any format, but most teachers use short videos they post online for students to watch. The benefit of a flipped classroom is that the teacher is able to walk around the room as students attempt an activity like solving a math problem or working together to analyze a reading. The educator is present during active learning and is able to answer questions, provide assistance and deliver feedback as needed.

Edison Local is also a big proponent of collaboration. Students use Google Apps for Education in tandem with the Chromebooks to work together, share documents and complete class assignments. The devices are such an integral part of some classes that students walk into the room and immediately grab a Chromebook the way they would a pencil or notebook. It’s just another educational tool and an extension of the sort of learning environment the district has created.

While there has been support for technology integration from the top down, Wadas says it’s really the teachers who deserve the credit.

“Our teachers are a huge part of this,” she says. It’s their willingness to learn new things and take that leap that moves our students forward.”

Tagged With: Flipped Classroom, K12, Online Learning

Related Content:

  • student using touchscreen display device management Device Management for Interactive Touchscreen Technology
  • Owl Labs' Meeting Owl 3 Owl Labs Launches Meeting Owl 3 Camera Device,…
  • Google Cloud Contact Center AI Platform Google Adds Private Networking Solutions to Portfolio
  • guy with binoculars future vision, emerging technology, workplace collaboration workflows Future Technology & the Impact it Will Have…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • The Ultimate Guide to RFPs is Now FREE – For A Limited Time

    Get expert tips for creating an effective technology request for proposal. Our free guide will help you get the best tech proposals the first time.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the FREE Tech Decisions eNewsletter

Sign up Today!

Latest Downloads

Uber Advanced Technologies Group Drives its Business Forward

The guiding principle for the new Uber meeting room redesign was “invisible comfort” to ensure that everyone could maximize productivity.

Windows 11
Blueprint Series: Upgrading to Windows 11

Upgrading end users to Windows 11 could be one of the most challenging tasks IT has to face in the coming years. Although the new version is touted...

The State of the IT Department in 2022

The role of the IT professional has shifted from one that supports the business to one that is deserving of a seat at the table when it comes to ma...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!
Sharp Microsoft Collaboration HQ Logo

Learn More About the
Windows Collaboration Display

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Subscribe to the Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Media Solutions & Advertising
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2022 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.