Mary Hannah Gaddis ITEC 7554 – Emerging Technology Presentation ClassFlow The all-in-one teaching & lesson orchestration tool for delivering interactive multi-media lessons across connected classrooms. Mary Hannah Gaddis ITEC 7554 – Emerging Technology Presentation

Description & General Purpose A Promethean Technology: “Designed specifically for teachers, ClassFlow™ is a revolutionary cloud-based application that makes lesson planning more efficient and lesson delivery more meaningful by connecting mobile devices such as tablets and laptops to SMART Boards, Promethean ActivBoards and other interactive classroom displays.” https://www.youtube.com/user/MyClassFlow https://www.classflow.com

Description & General Purpose ClassFlow allows students to use the interactive SMART Boards that Paulding County classrooms already have, but it allows ALL students to be actively manipulating the content on the board at the same time (opposed to the single student at the SMART Board or the single student using the SMART AirLiner)!

Why ClassFlow? ClassFlow worked with teachers to create their technologies that could best aid in teaching more effectively, and they continue to work with teachers. Take a look at these teacher concerns…we’ve all been there.

For Example… Now that you’ve seen the introductory video (view in slide 2 or click here if you didn’t watch it earlier), see the following slides for a sample of what ClassFlow can do for our classrooms! The following slides are screen captures of an interactive lesson that could be used in our classrooms! It teaches about 2-D shapes, and allows for much student participation.

Teachers use their free ClassFlow account to create lessons or use the ones that are uploaded for our use under the “Community” tab.

Teachers then allow students to sign-in to the lesson on their own device. Teachers show the specific code for the lesson on the SMART Board and students type it into their ClassFlow app.

To assess student understanding throughout the lesson, the teacher can ask questions. Here is an example of a multiple choice question about a shape lesson.

Once the teacher ends the poll, the results are available immediately!

Multiple Choice is not the only option Multiple Choice is not the only option. This question allowed students to draw shapes they found on a picture of a gate. The image was pushed onto the student devices because they were synced with the SMART Board. They drew on their pictures and they pushed them back to the SMART Board. The teacher can then view them and discuss with the students.

A teacher can even allow students to take pictures and share them back with the SMART Board!

ClassFlow Supports our Technology Use Vision The Paulding County School District’s vision for technology states that students -will be fluent in the use of technology so its application will become commonplace to them. -This will be implemented in 2 ways: 1) delivery of instruction 2) as a professional tool ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ClassFlow works perfectly with this! ClassFlow allows students to use devices that are common to them (tablets and smart phones) to interact with instruction delivery. Teachers can use ClassFlow to share lessons with each other (ClassFlow even allows you to import existing content such as SMART Notebooks and Microsoft files).

Age & Grade Level Use A ClassFlow account can be created via web and can be used with our existing SMART Boards alone, but Because Baggett has 2 tablet carts with wireless internet routers on them… It ensures equitable access for all students to use ClassFlow! The student and teacher app are available for download on all handheld devices. ClassFlow is appropriate for all learners (Pre-School through Professionals). Our school, Baggett Elementary, is a K- 5 school and we would use ClassFlow in all classrooms.

Technical Support ClassFlow’s website provides a Support area. That area allows anyone to submit a question or begin a discussion. The ClassFlow team will quickly respond, but before they do, another teacher may respond and answer your question. This support is an excellent resource for trouble-shooting or for great ideas of how to use ClassFlow.

Limitations Because ClassFlow can be used with Baggett Elementary’s existing hardware, there are no pressing limitations. However, we only have 2 wireless tablet carts in our building currently. We would be able to share these in classrooms now, or we could: Purchase more carts. Allow for BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology).

Technical support & Webinars for training are free! Cost of ClassFlow Because Baggett can use our existing SMART Boards, projectors, & tablets we will incur no cost for the use of ClassFlow! A ClassFlow account is free! The ClassFlow apps are free! Technical support & Webinars for training are free! http://www2.prometheanworld.com/cfdemo

Funding Sources (Title I) Because ClassFlow is a free emerging technology, Baggett will not need funding for the application or teacher accounts. However, if Baggett does decide that the purchase of more student tablets… Title I FLP/Focus School Funds could be utilized.

ClassFlow’s Use in the Classroom ClassFlow can be used with any content area! Teachers can create lesson to teach any standard. (The example at the beginning of this presentation was a Kindergarten math example about shapes). ClassFlow will help PCSD reach its goals for technology stated in its Vision by making technology use commonplace. Students will love to use this tool. ClassFlow helps students meet technology standards, too! 2a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. 3d. d. Process data and report results.

2 Strengths ClassFlow provides for Specific Student Learning Goals Authenticity ClassFlow provides a unique opportunity for students to authentically engage in learning. Students are able to use the handheld devices to take pictures, write, interact, and manipulate information to share with the teacher and class. This helps make the student learning authentic and meaningful. Special Needs ClassFlow makes it easy for teachers to create individualized lessons for students with special needs. Baggett has many students who use assistive technology for communication and participation. These students will be able to take part in lessons on the SMART Board with ease – using their very own tablets with the ClassFlow Student app.

Differentiated Instruction with ClassFlow ClassFlow can help meet the needs of all learners! Teachers can create lesson based on their class’ preferred learning styles. ClassFlow can allow students to work at their own pace. Teachers can created leveled assignments. The instant feedback from assessments will allow teachers to immediately create differentiated learning groups based on current need.

Communication through ClassFlow ClassFlow makes it very convenient for teachers to collaborate and share lessons with each other. ClassFlow enables student assessment data to be saved. Teachers can use this to communicate with students and parents about the student’s progress on a particular standard/skill. The support community through ClassFlow’s website is a great resource for teachers to communicate with others around the globe! I watched a helpful webinar from a teacher in the United Kingdom and learned some great tips from her.

Effectiveness At the 2014 Education Industry Summit, ClassFlow was named the Educators’ Choice winner for the SIIA Education Innovation Incubator Program SIIA=Software & Information Industry Association Teachers who have used ClassFlow explain that it: Keeps their students more engaged. Motivates students to participate and learn. Helps teachers stay organized. Provides the teacher with immediate assessment data. Gives students immediate feedback on their learning.

Implementation Plan Baggett Elementary’s teachers and the Paulding County School District are motivated towards implementing effective instructional technology. Our teachers already use their SMART Boards regularly. TKES requires the use of technology. Because of this, the use of ClassFlow could be implemented in a few simple steps. At pre-planning, ClassFlow could be demonstrated and used by teachers on their own devices: Administration could present “Welcome Back” presentation via ClassFlow. An expert teacher who has used ClassFlow before could present a lesson during our back to school carousel that we already to (teachers with certain strengths teach other teachers their skill during pre-planning). The technology coach could help teachers download the apps on their computers and school tablets and share lessons with teachers. The technology coach and expert teacher can check in with teacher progress with ClassFlow once a month during common planning meetings.

My Reflection My school provided a generic technology-based professional learning opportunity for myself and my co-teacher last year. We chose iSchool Initiative out of Kennesaw, Georgia to create the PL. The instructors presented us with a short session on an instructional tool called ClassFlow that was still in the beta stage. They did not talk about it long because it was still in a beta phase. I, though, have found it hard to get off of my mind because I knew it would be an awesome tool for teachers and students! This assignment brought it back to my mind, and I was thrilled to see that it was now out of beta! This exercise made me examine ClassFlow deeper and I was able to learn so much from my research. This is actually something that I will now use in my classroom this Fall and share with my peers, and it’s because of this assignment. It is difficult for teachers to think about implementing something new (due to time crunches), and I probably never would have looked into ClassFlow again on my own. I’m so glad I did! This assignment also taught me how much goes into trying to convince your school/district/peers to implement a new technology. My suggestion being free makes it a little easier, but there is still a lot of research and planning that goes into the suggestion.

References ClassFlow. (2014, July 14). Available from https://classflow.com/ ClassFlow: Cloud-Based Teaching and Learning Platform – Promethean. (2014, July 14) .Available from http://www.prometheanworld.com/us/english/education/products/classroom-software/classflow/ Paulding County School District. (2014, July 14). Available from http://www.paulding.k12.ga.us/ International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE standards students. (2014, July 14). Available from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20- 14_ISTE_Standards-S_PDF.pdf