Vimeo is Back . . . sort of

There is some great news regarding Vimeo.
I have been in communication with the technology folks at WVDE regarding Vimeo.  At this time, Vimeo is blocked at the state level, however, you can send links to specific videos to filtering@access.k12.wv.us to get those videos whitelisted.
I sent the URLs of six Vimeo videos to WVDE for approval last week.  I had an immediate confirmation email letting me know that the request was received.  Less than two days later, I received an email that all six were whitelisted.  Of these six videos, one was Bonnie's, one was Jason's, one was Lewis', one was Rob's, one was mine and one was just something that I found on the web that looked interesting.  All were approved.  In fact, the videos that are in the November 16 and November 18 postings have been whitelisted.
Before I sent the URLs to filtering@access.k12.wv.us I made certain that there was no offensive content in the video, description or, perhaps most critically, the comments.  I disabled comments on my video to prevent offensive comments from jeopardizing the approval.
With this small victory, I plan to contact WVDE to see if we can get a Vimeo channel whitelisted that will allow us to post videos that are available to educators and students.
That all being said, this is the filtering that is done at the state level.  Each county has the ability to impose additional filtering.  While most counties accept the filters at the state level, a few block sites that the state permits.  If your district blocks Vimeo and YouTube videos that the state has whitelisted, I would encourage you to work with your district administration to get these valuable educational videos available to your students.

Connecting to Google Hangouts

As our November 30 flipped professional Development session nears, we need to to a few things in preparation.  Please sign up for a time slot to join a chat (morning or afternoon) on November 30 using the link Jason sent a couple of weeks ago.
You may also need to configure your computer for Google Hangouts.  The Vimeo video below give a summary of how to set Google Hangouts up on your computer.



Google Hangouts also work well on iOS or Android tablets and telephones so feel free to install these apps on your iPad or other device.

I will look forward to "hanging out" with you on Saturday, November 30.

Discussion videos for November 30

In addition to viewing the TED Talk posted by Jason earlier this week, please watch the following flipped lessons by some of our 2012-13 group.
We will discuss these lessons in our November 30 Google Hangout.
Please keep in mind that the content of the lesson isn't what is important to us at this time.  We are looking at delivery methods and ways of making the material accessible to students.
Since these videos are on Vimeo, you will need to view them from a site outside of the school network where they are blocked.  If you view them from home or a public hotspot you should be fine.

Mr. Grady's lesson on calculating density

Mr. Marcum's lesson on kinematics

Ms. Conner's lesson on momentum triangle

If you go to Vimeo, you can see many videos from Ms. Connor, Mr. Grady, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Marcum using the links provided on their names.  Feel free to check any of their videos to discuss on the 30th of November as well.
I will look forward to hearing from you on November 30.

3 Rules to Spark Learning

I remembered this video from last May when I started thinking about flipping our November meeting. Mr. Musallam speaks of how it took a life-changing event to shift his teaching to a level that drove students to ask the questions that expanded learning opportunities. As you watch the video, think about your thoughts on learning, asking the difficult questions, and how this endeavor will modify your teaching. Share your thoughts with the group using the comments feature below.

Disable Comments for Videos in YouTube

I checked this afternoon and this is now white listed by WVDE. Feel free to share with anyone that needs the information.