Campus On/Or About
ECHNOLOGY BOUNDS ON AMPUS
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ately, there has been a lot of talk in the media about innovative uses of technology within the classroom. In February, “60 Minutes” did a segment on Khan Academy, an online resource that allows students to listen to ten-minute lectures posted by founder Sal Khan at their own pace, replaying parts as needed. The Khan Academy math program is being piloted in 23 schools right now, most of which are in California. Teachers at the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools at Gilmour are using technology in many incredible ways within their classrooms. One of the premises of the Khan Academy model is the notion of a “flipped classroom,” which allows each student to master a particular topic before moving on by listening to a
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recorded tutorial at home, pausing and rewinding as needed. Then, they come to class having already heard the lesson, ready to work on problems with the teacher functioning as a coach or mentor. Chemistry teacher Bill Cumming has been using the “flipped classroom” method. The notion began when he was with colleagues at the AP Chemistry grading session at the University of Nebraska in 2008. They came up with the idea of making short video podcasts for students. That summer, Cumming prepared one and when school resumed, he posted it on Moodle for his Chemistry II students to use. The very next day, before Cumming had even notified students that the podcast was available, a student had already downloaded it on his iPod Touch