Flipped Class Rooms:
The flipped classroom is
a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a
course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before
the class session, while in-class time is devoted
to exercises, projects, or discussions. The video lecture is often seen as the key
ingredient in the flipped approach, such lectures being either created by the
instructor and posted online or selected from an online repository.
It is
the complete opposite of the way a traditional teaching class takes place. In
the flipped model, students get their lectures at home at their convenience and
do the assignments in their classroom. How is it different and how does it
help? Well, it helps immensely. In a flipped model, students get desired
lectures in the form of pre-recorded videos or access those that they
understand better, over the internet. It eliminates redundancy and improves
efficiency in learning. The lectures are not time-bound; students can access
and review the same lecture numerous times.
Flipped
classrooms have brought dynamism in knowledge to students. Classrooms are
becoming more active, the teacher is turning into a coach, and he converts the
classroom into a studio where students collate, collaborate and put into
practice what they learn online.
Need and importance
In a traditional lecture, students often try to capture
what is being said at the instant the speaker says it. They cannot stop to
reflect upon what is being said, and they may miss significant points because
they are trying to transcribe the instructor’s words. By contrast, the use of
video and other prerecorded media puts lectures under the control of the
students: they can watch, rewind, and fast-forward as needed. This ability may
be of particular value to students with accessibility concerns, especially
where captions are provided for those with hearing impairments. Lectures that
can be viewed more than once may also help those for whom English is not their
first language. Devoting class time to application of concepts might give
instructors a better opportunity to detect errors in thinking, particularly
those that are widespread in a class. At the same time, collaborative projects
can encourage social interaction among students, making it easier for them to
learn from one another and for those of varying skill levels to support their
peers.
Limitations of flipped class rooms
The flipped classroom is an easy model to get wrong.
Although the idea is straightforward, an effective flip requires careful
preparation. Recording lectures requires effort and time on the part of
faculty, and out-of-class and in-class elements must be carefully integrated
for students to understand the model and be motivated to prepare for class. As
a result, introducing a flip can mean additional work and may require new
skills for the instructor, although this learning curve could be mitigated by
entering the model slowly. Students, for their part, have been known to
complain about the loss of face-to-face lectures, particularly if they feel the
assigned video lectures are available to anyone online. Students with this
perspective may not immediately appreciate the value of the hands-on portion of
the model, wondering what their tuition brings them that they could not have
gotten by surfing the web. Those who see themselves as attending class to hear
lectures may feel it is safe to skip a class that focuses on activities and
might miss the real value of the flip. Finally, even where students embrace the
model, their equipment and access might not always support rapid delivery of
video.
Where is it going?
As the flipped class becomes more popular, new tools may
emerge to support the out-of-class portion of the curriculum. In particular,
the ongoing development of powerful mobile devices will put a wider range of
rich, educational resources into the hands of students, at times and places
that are most convenient for them. Greater numbers of courses will likely
employ elements of the flipped classroom, supplementing traditional
out-of-class work with video presentations and supporting project-based and
labstyle efforts during regular class times. At a certain level of adoption,
colleges and universities may need to take a hard look at class spaces to
ensure they support the kinds of active and collaborative work common in
flipped classes.
What are the implications for teaching and
learning?
The flipped classroom constitutes a role change for
instructors, who give up their front-of-the-class position in favor of a more collaborative
and cooperative contribution to the teaching process. There is a concomitant
change in the role of students, many of whom are used to being cast as passive
participants in the education process, where instruction is served to them. The
flipped model puts more of the responsibility for learning on the shoulders of
students while giving them greater impetus to experiment. Activities can be
student-led, and communication among students can become the determining
dynamic of a session devoted to learning through hands-on work. What the flip
does particularly well is to bring about a distinctive shift in priorities—
from merely covering material to working toward mastery of it.
Flipped class rooms in India?
It appears that the flipped classroom concept is designed
for India where the teacher-student ratio is alarmingly disproportionate. This
situation worsens in rural areas where pupil strength is too high to the number
of teachers available. Flipped classes can transform the way students are
educated in rural schools. What India lacks at the moment is reliable internet
connectivity in rural areas and the availability of relevant course content in
digital format. The flipped classroom concept, flanked by easy availability of
digital content and access devices, can bring immense opportunities to the
education system—transforming the way knowledge is shared between teachers and
students.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct
or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are
"augmented" by computer-generated sensory input such as sound,
video, graphics or GPS data.
The origin of the word augmented is augment,
which means to add something. In the case of augmented reality
(also called AR), graphics, sounds, and touch feedback are added
into our natural world. Unlike virtual reality, which requires you to
inhabit an entirely virtual environment, augmented reality uses your existing
natural environment and simply overlays virtual information on top of it. As
both virtual and real worlds harmoniously coexist, users of augmented reality
experience a new and improved world where virtual information is used as a tool
to provide assistance in everyday activities
Applications of augmented reality can be as simple as a
text-notification or as complicated as an instruction on how to perform a
life-threatening surgical procedure. They can highlight certain features,
enhance understandings, and provide accessible and timely data. Cell phones
apps and business applications are a few of the many applications driving
augmented reality application development. The key point is that the
information provided is highly topical and relevant to what you want you are
doing.
Types of Augmented reality
1.
Marker-based augmented
reality
It is also called Image Recognition,
which uses a camera and some type of visual marker, such as a QR/2D code, to
produce a result only when the marker is sensed by a reader. Marker based
applications use a camera on the device to distinguish a marker from any other real world
object. Distinct, but simple patterns (such as a QR code) are used as the markers,
because they can be easily recognized and do not require a lot of processing
power to read. The position and orientation is also calculated, in which some
type of content and/or information is then overlaied the marker.
2. Markerless Augmented
Reality
As one of the most widely
implemented applications of augmented reality, markerless (also called
location-based, position-based, or GPS) augmented reality, uses a
GPS, digital compass, velocity meter, or accelerometer which is embedded in the
device to provide data based on your location. A strong force behind markerless
augmented reality technology is the wide availability of smartphones and
location detection features they provide. It is most commonly used for mapping
directions, finding nearby businesses, and other location-centric mobile
applications.
3. Projection based augmented reality
Projection based augmented
reality works by projecting artificial light onto real world surfaces.
Projection based augmented reality applications allow for human
interaction by sending light onto a real world surface and then sensing the
human interaction (i.e. touch) of that projected light. Detecting the user’s
interaction is done by differentiating between an expected (or known)
projection and the altered projection (caused by the user's interaction).
Another interesting application of projection based augmented reality utilizes
laser plasma technology to project a three-dimensional
(3D) interactive hologram into mid-air.
4. Superimposition based augmented reality
Superimposition based
augmented reality either partially or fully replaces the original view of an
object with a newly augmented view of that same object. In superimposition
based augmented reality, object recognition plays a vital role because the
application cannot replace the original view with an augmented one if it cannot
determine what the object is. A strong consumer-facing example of
superimposition based augmented reality could be found in the Ikea
augmented reality furniture catalogue. By downloading an app and
scanning selected pages in their printed or digital catalogue, users can place virtual
idea furniture in their own home with the help of augmented reality.
Key Components to Augmented
Reality Devices
Sensors are usually on the outside
of the augmented reality device, and gather a user's real world interactions
and communicate them to be processed and interpreted. Cameras are also located
on the outside of the device, and visually scan to collect data about the
surrounding area. The devices take this information, which often determines
where surrounding physical objects are located, and then formulates a digital
model to determine appropriate output. In the case of Microsoft
Hololens, specific cameras perform specific duties,
such as depth sensing. Depth sensing cameras work in tandem with two
"environment understanding cameras" on each side of the device.
Another common type of camera is a standard several megapixel camera (similar
to the ones used in smartphones) to record pictures, videos, and sometimes
information to assist with augmentation.
·
Projection
While “Projection Based Augmented Reality” is a
category in-itself, we are specifically referring to a miniature projector
often found in a forward and outward-facing position on wearable augmented
reality headsets. The projector can essentially turn any surface into an
interactive environment. As mentioned above, the information taken in by the
cameras used to examine the surrounding world, is processed and then projected
onto a surface in front of the user; which could be a wrist, a wall, or even
another person. The use of projection in augmented reality devices means that
screen real estate will eventually become a lesser important component. In the
future, you may not need an iPadA to play an online game of chess because you
will be able to play it on the tabletop in front of you.
·
Processing
Augmented
reality devices are basically mini-supercomputers packed into tiny wearable
devices. These devices require significant computer processing power and
utilize many of the same components that our smartphones do. These components
include a CPU, a GPU, flash memory, RAM, Bluetooth/Wifi microchip, global
positioning system (GPS) microchip, and more. Advanced augmented reality
devices, such as the Microsoft Hololens utilize an accelerometer (to measure the speed in which your head
is moving), a gyroscope (to measure the tilt and orientation of your head), and
a magnetometer (to function as a compass and figure out which direction your
head is pointing) to provide for truly immersive experience.
·
Reflection
Mirrors
are used in augmented reality devices to assist with the way your eye views the
virtual image. Some augmented reality devices may have “an array of many small
curved mirrors” (as with the Magic Leap
augmented reality device) and others may have a simple double-sided mirror with one surface
reflecting incoming light to a side-mounted camera and the other surface
reflecting light from a side-mounted display to the user's eye. In the
Microsoft Hololens, the use of “mirrors” involves see-through holographic
lenses (Microsoft refers to them as waveguides) that use an optical
projection system to beam holograms into your eyes. A so-called light
engine, emits the light towards two separate lenses (one for each eye),
which consists of three layers of glass of three different primary colors
(blue, green, red). The light hits those layers and then enters the eye at
specific angles, intensities and colors, producing a final holistic image on
the eye's retina. Regardless of method, all of these reflection paths have the
same objective, which is to assist with image alignment to the user's eye.
What is Bring Your
Own Device(BYOD)?
The
term Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) refers to technology models where students
and staff bring a personally owned device to school for the purpose of
learning.
A
personally owned device is any technology device owned by a student, staff or
guest, including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and mini-laptops.
Benefits
1. Student familiarity
with their device: Student familiarity
with and customization of devices that they already own enables learners and
educators to more effectively incorporate these devices as tools for learning.
2. Bridging
formal/informal learning: When students use
the same device(s) at home and at school, they have access to extended learning
opportunities.
3. Currency and
ubiquity: BYOD can quickly and drastically
improve student access to technology, and technology owned by students has the
potential to be more current than that which can be provided by schools. Nearly
ubiquitous access to very current technology supports teachers to be innovative
as they incorporate technology into instructional design.
4. Cost and sustainability:
School technology investments can be redirected from device purchases to
increasing student access to the Internet and providing technological
capabilities not available on personal devices (e.g., high-end video and
graphics editing).
Challenges
BYOD
Technology Models School authorities can manage BYOD models in a variety of
ways, ranging from high standardization (limiting devices to specific
brands/models) to high flexibility (allowing any device that is
Internet-ready). It is important to have a clear vision of the desired
educational outcomes and design the model to achieve those outcomes,
considering stakeholder input and diverse learning needs.
Challenges
School authorities that participated in the development of the BYOD guide also
identified a number of implementation challenges, including:
• Increased network
traffic: As students bring in their own
devices, the number of devices simultaneously accessing the network increases
significantly. School authorities need to have adequate capacity and bandwidth
to support student learning with these devices.
• Digital equity:
Not all families can afford personal devices or Internet access at home.
Ensuring digital equity can include access to devices and the Internet, as well
as access to resources and quality learning opportunities.
•
Responsible/Appropriate Use Agreements:
It’s important to ensure that BYOD is addressed in student and staff use
policies.
• Pedagogy/Teacher
Readiness: It is important, prior to and while
implementing BYOD programs, to provide professional development for teachers,
time for staff to redesign learning and support for programs that build digital
citizenship.
