What Keeps Me Going? #flipblogs

Life is still happening in my little corner of the world, and things such as blogging and participating in Twitter chats continue to get pushed to the side.

But I decided to at least add a blog post to this weeks #flipblogs to get a post out there and add my two cents' worth.

What keeps me going?

The follow-up question is: What tools, tech, ideas, beliefs, etc., sustain your flipping?

This is my fourth flipped year. What sustains me?

I still use the same tools and tech I used when I began flipping. I make videos in Explain Everything; I host them on YouTube.

My goal for this year was to begin remaking some of the videos that are now in their fourth year of use (I have made new videos each year, but a few are still the originals). I have not been able to do that. But it has been so nice that, when my extra time and energy is otherwise occupied, my flipped classroom is, in many ways, running itself. I'm still tweaking lessons and looking for new ideas, of course, but when I need to I can post a previously-made video, prepare a previously-used activity, and have a successful class.

What really sustains me are my experiences and the experiences of my students.

Students continue to tell me they enjoy their time in class.  They continue to tell me how useful videos are for self-pacing and studying. They continue to say videos are one of their favorite aspects of the class.

I can't imagine my class any other way. I can no longer stand to hear myself for more than a few minutes at a time (I know...I know...I apologize to all those students through the years who had to listen to me for 30-40 minutes each day). I enjoy seeing students work together and help one another. I enjoy the interaction I get with students as they work through and learn material.

I continue to see all the benefits of a flipped classroom I saw when I first flipped, and that's what keeps me going.