Spirit Magazine - August 2013 - (Page 80)

dency toward procrastination, and the troublesome certitude that tasks can be finished “quickly and at the last minute.” Dr. Small, at UCLA, also wonders how this profligate screen time will affect students’ abilities to communicate face-to-face. “They don’t look you in the eye. They don’t notice verbal cues. Their uni-tasking and empathy skills [are underdeveloped],” he says. Done right, the flipped model addresses all of these problem areas and works to enhance things like teamwork and personalized teacher-student interaction. With software like Explain Everything, Snagit, Evernote, even iMovie, students can turn assignments and long-term projects into multimedia triumphs. They can receive faster and more direct feedback from their teachers. And they can share and discuss work with their peers more easily. A new digital platform developed at Harvard called Learning On a national scale, many kids don’t have high-speed connectivity at home. The flipped model is impossible without reliable access to the Net. Catalytics helps teachers initiate dialogue between students with different points of view. Teachers pose a question to the class, receive their written responses in real time, and then pair up students who can challenge and engage each other. “Education should give kids the ability to express who they are,” says Seigel. “These new technologies let them do that.” In a way, this emphasis on selfexpression is about the democratization of education, something the Internet has helped make possible. Take the new trend of Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs. Many of these classes let students take free, online courses from major universities. Some of the programs offer certificates. And some, including a new initiative just launched by 40 state schools, will count toward college credit. Theoretically, you could earn a degree for the price of your cable bill. But this Internet accessibility should not be taken for granted. Some of the country’s top schools, http://www.volusion.com/soar

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - August 2013

Spirit Magazine - August 2013
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Gary’s Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
The Numbers
Wise Guide
Business
The Greatest Show on Turf
Flipped Out
Your Adventure In Grand Rapids
Life Adventure In Grand Rapids
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Route Map
Rapid Rewards Partners
Flight Service
The “If” List

Spirit Magazine - August 2013