What would you do with 80 extra days?

This shows my determination of class-time gained using innovative teaching methods.

I recently attended the NYSCATE Flipped Learning Summit, and left feeling excited about what I've recently accomplished in my classroom. More than just utilizing one technique, I've managed to combine many tools to enrich and extend the learning environment.

• Vodcasting
• Online assessments

The number one benefit that I've noticed so far is the amount of instructional time I gain. I estimate that under my new asynchronous timetable, I will gain up to eighty days during the typical school year. The way I figure this is accomplished is by using vodcasting to deliver direct instruction and shift assessment to the take home model I blogged about here.

• Blogging
• Student creation and curation of online content 

The question I'd like to answer is "what do you do with that extra time?" I believe that students learn best by experiencing materials themselves and creating meaningful content with me as a guide. Blogging is probably the best thing I can have my students engaged in on a regular basis. Anyone who has tried to get an idea down on paper has gone through the machinations and revisions which are characteristic of creative and productive work. The learning that goes into being able to express a topic or concept to another person solidifies the information or skill into ones brain- being able to be retrieved again.

Creating quality content should be the goal of every student. In our classroom, we are building a knowledge base of tutorial videos which are posted on our youtube channel. Below you'll see the playlist of review screencasts which were fully created, recorded, edited and uploaded by students in preparation for their end of year exams. Many students mentioned how helpful they were for studying and made the task of studying much less of a chore.