Flipped Classroom

The flipped classroom is a concept that many teachers are beginning to experiment with in their classrooms.  Students watch lectures on their own time, and then are able to work on assignments, labs, and activites with the aid of the teacher during school.  It really puts students in charge of their own learning.  Teachers are more like facilitators of the learning rather than lecturing to the students.  I really like the idea of the flipped classroom.  My classes are really suited to the flipped classroom model.  I rarely lecture, and students are always hands-on with the computer completing assignments.  The flipped classroom really allows students to work at their own pace and control their learning.  I am going to be piloting the Microsoft IT Academy in my classroom next semester, and it definitely sounds like it will be like a flipped classroom.  Students will watch videos and then complete exercises on the computer.  The only problem I see is that all the learning will most likely have to take place in my classroom.  The majority of my students do not have access to a computer at their house.  I believe that the flipped classroom idea will be integrated into more and more classrooms in the near future.