How can you use online learning platforms to flip and blend your classroom?

1 What is flipping?

Flipping is a teaching strategy that reverses the traditional order of instruction. Instead of lecturing in class and assigning homework for later, you provide your students with pre-recorded videos, readings, or other materials to learn the content before class, and use the class time for interactive activities, discussions, or projects. This way, you can make better use of your face-to-face time, and give your students more opportunities to apply, practice, and deepen their learning.

2 What is blending?

Blending is a teaching strategy that combines online and face-to-face instruction. Instead of delivering all your content in one format, you mix and match different online and offline elements to create a flexible and diverse learning environment. For example, you can use online quizzes, games, or simulations to assess your students' prior knowledge, online forums, blogs, or wikis to facilitate peer interaction and feedback, and online portfolios, podcasts, or videos to showcase your students' work. Blending can help you cater to different learning styles, preferences, and needs, and increase your students' motivation and engagement.

3 How to choose an online learning platform?

When selecting an online learning platform for flipping or blending, there are several factors to consider. First, you should think about your learning objectives and outcomes, and how you will measure the progress and performance of your students. Additionally, you should consider the type of content and activities you want to use online, and how they will be organized and presented. Furthermore, it’s important to assess your students’ characteristics, needs, and expectations, as well as the available resources, support, and infrastructure for online learning in your context. Finally, you should also factor in your budget and time constraints when choosing a platform. How much money and time can you invest in choosing, adopting, and using an online learning platform? How easy or difficult is it to learn and use the platform?

4 How to flip your classroom with an online learning platform?

To flip your classroom with an online learning platform, you need to plan your flipped lesson, preparing online content and assigning it to students, designing in-class activities, and evaluating the flipped lesson. When planning your lesson, make sure it is aligned with your learning objectives and outcomes. For online content, you can upload, store, and share it, adding interactive elements to check student understanding and engagement. Assign the content with deadlines, reminders, or incentives, tracking progress and providing feedback or support if needed. For in-class activities, use online tools such as polls, chats, or boards to collect responses. Lastly, use online quizzes, surveys or rubrics to assess student knowledge and skills. You can also solicit feedback from students on their flipped learning experience through forums, forms or journals.

5 How to blend your classroom with an online learning platform?

In order to blend your classroom with an online learning platform, you need to plan your blended lesson and make sure it is aligned with your learning objectives. You should also prepare and assign content and activities, both online and offline, and use the platform to facilitate them. Finally, you need to evaluate the lesson by collecting and analyzing data on your students' learning outcomes, as well as asking for feedback from your students. When planning, consider how you want to balance online and face-to-face instruction, what mode, method, and medium you want to use for each, and how this will provide coherence and continuity between online and offline components. For content and activities, choose or create videos, readings, quizzes, games, simulations, forums, blogs, wikis, portfolios, podcasts, or videos. The platform can be used for assigning content and activities to students; setting schedules; providing feedback or support; monitoring, moderating or participating in interactions; organizing offline experiences; collecting data on learning outcomes; and soliciting feedback.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?