eduCanon: The Flipping Tool You've Been Looking For

Learn about eduCanon

Last summer, Swaroop Raju contacted me about his video-questioning platform at eduCanon. Swaroop and I spent some time discussing the tool in a Google hangout this summer. Right from the start, I found the tool intriguing and knew it had potential. Throughout August, September, and early October eduCanon remained on my to do list.

This is my first eduCanon lesson. There's one tiny error, a
missing 0 on one slide which I'm going to correct soon.

Then last month at the LearnLaunch interactive exhibit at the MassCUE conference, I finally had the chance to meet Swaroop and talk more about the tool. That week I created this eduCanon lesson based on a short powers of ten film. I tried the teaching/learning venue out with my students, and they reacted with great positivity and learning.  That's all it took for me to become more intrigued and invested. Last night I spent several hours trying out another film and lesson to deepen students background knowledge of scientific information related to our current animal adaptation unit.

As with any new tool, I find myself baby-stepping into the medium. So when I share these lessons with the students, I let them beta test too, and encourage them with the following comments and questions:

• Please tell me what you think.
• What can I do to make this lesson more meaningful and memorable? 
• Soon, you'll be able to make eduCanon lessons to teach each other what you know. 
• Together, we'll all learn. 

That kind of student-teacher collaboration builds terrific investment, learning, and community.

eduCanon might be the tool that finally gets you to flip the class, or the tool that will enhance your flipped class strategies. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to maximizing the effect of this medium on my teaching and student learning, but I've taken the first step which is to try it out and share it with students, and rather than just flipping with a video this medium allows students to "interact" with the lesson by answering questions.  The teacher receives a report of student responses which serves to inform follow-up lessons, projects, discussions, and activities. I recommend giving this tool a try; I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Others agree with me since eduCanon was just named a finalist in the 1776 Challenge Cup Competition.  If you want to learn more, visit eduCanon's Facebook page. Let me know if you use this tool in a way that makes a difference with student teaching and learning as I want to grow my use of this venue in positive ways.


Disclosure: The ideas above are my own, and I receive only technical support from eduCanon.