"To Flip or Not to Flip?"

Johnathan Bergmann and Derrick Waddell voice their opposing views on the new concept of flipped classrooms. Bergmann believes that with a flipped classroom, students go from boring classroom lectures to a "learner-centered, problem-based, inquiry-driven hub of learning."  Bergmann also believes that by letting the children teach themselves the material, they can learn whichever way is easiest to them whether it be via videos or through their textbooks. Waddell, on the other hand, disagrees with Bergmann's ideas of flipping the classroom. Waddell wonders "why aren't we finding innovative ways for our students to collect, collaborate  and create instead of new ways to simply consume information?" Waddell also has the students in mind who may not always have access to a computer or internet at home all the time. What are those students going to do when they are supposed to watch videos online to learn?

This article is good for teachers who are considering flipping their classrooms. Bergmann believes that it's a great idea, but one still has to think about if just a lesson is going to be flipped, which subject is going to be flipped, etc. This article gives teachers, and future teachers, some pros and cons about the new style of flipped classrooms.

The ISTE NETS standard I feel fits best with this article is standard three: Research and Information Fluency. I feel that this standard fits best because with a flipped classroom, students are forced to go home and (mainly) use digital media to teach themselves the concepts that would otherwise be taught in lectures. Not only would the students be using digital media to locate the videos of the lectures online, but some students may branch out and dive deeper into the internet world to find some information that pertains to the subject they are teaching themselves.

Bergmann, J. & Waddell, D. (2012) To Flip or Not to Flip? Learning & Leading with Technology. 39(8), 6-7. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20120607#pg8