Recording Your World

Intro
Many people feel like they are being watched/ recorded all the time, and in many cases that is true - for better or for worse. They also feel like the details surrounding that are hazy (hence the smoke filter on my image for this post). Despite all the questions and uncertainties, I want to explore some possibilities for recording interactions in the classroom and other parts of education.

Recently I was working with the incredible staff at Crossroads Middle School in Northview, MI (outside Grand Rapids). A couple of the science teachers were describing how students often strayed from small-group discussion topics when the teacher moved away from them. That led us to think about how we could hold students accountable for their conversations, and we developed a plan for them to record their discussions and send them to the teacher. Here is the process we concocted:

Flipped Classroom: Examples and Testimonial

You have likely heard about a flipped classroom, the teaching approach in which instructors record all or part of a lesson for students to view before class. But have you seen some examples or heard from someone wh Watch these videos to see examples and hear from teachers who have started flipping:

Digital Recording

Digital recorders can be used in the classroom for many purposes. Some of the more common ones include providing audio for texts, practicing speaking, creating podcasts, recording conversations, delivering focus lessons, and more. This post features tools and ideas on what is needed to make digital recording happen for you.

Your computer is one option for digital recordings. You can record on a computer in a variety of ways, but which way is best depends on what you are trying to do. Here are some options for you:

Livescribe Pens

 (content created by Andrew Steinman)


The smartpens from Livescribe combine the ease of writing with the functionality of a computer. You can record audio while you write, which can be played back through the smartpen or on your computer. Not sold on this concept? You might change your mind after watching the video below: