Games and School

In third grade, on 5 1/4" floppy disks, we played Oregon Trail.  We learned about what problems American's faces int he 1800's.  James Gee and Michael Levine in their article, Welcome to Our Virtual World, offer a perspective that was unfortunately presenting itself in the early 80's when I was in third grade.  Technology can make learning fun and engaging.  They say, "Digital media hold out the potential to hone the skills necessary for success in our globalized world."  Media alongside an interactive internet allow students to engage with content in a much more engaging way.  Games in particular offer us avenues to give students the experience of what we are trying to teach them.  My teacher could have told me what it was like to cross the country in the 1840's, but  taking my family on a trip and virtually experiencing it is what is in my mind almost 22 years later.  What I also clearly remember about my classroom experience in third grade was when those lessons were over and the computer was shut off.  We only used to play Oregon Trail and now that was over, it was back to overheads and lecture.  Marc Prensk in his work, Students as designers and creators of educational computer games: Who else? offers an interesting approach to this problem.  Their premise is that students can be the ones to create the games in the first place.  They also offer a paradigm to implement these games.  One method being, "a complex game for the entire course."  If the average student plays about an 50 minutes of games per day (source), then we can use the same motivation to teach.  Therefore using video games in the class room is must.  Although the challenges are daunting to implement this in a classroom, the rewards would be greater.
We voluntarily skipped recess to play to Oregon Trail.  What textbook can do that?

SMART Board Lesson Review

Having never been in a class with a SMART Board until now, I can safely say that I missed out on engaging and interactive learning.  What these interactive white boards are capable of is incredibly powerful in terms of web connectivity, student involvement and lesson potential.  Simply put, they make teaching and learning fun.  

Although they are fun and interactive, it can give the teacher added pressure because they can do so much.         However there is an entire community devoted to giving teachers ideas and resources so the do not have to reinvent the wheel for every lesson.  Rather they can look at what has been done or take it and use in their own context.  The SMART Exchange has thousands of presentations designed to help teachers who use SMART Boards.  

I reviewed a presentation on William Shakespeare.  This presentation's goal was to take students on an interactive tour of what is known about Shakespeare's early life as well as the culture in which Shakespeare wrote.  The good: this presentation had multiple links to videos and webpages that gave students information.  This allowed the teacher to share information with students by showing them and not telling them.  The presentation flowed nicely and gave clear information.  The content was great and very clear.  In fact, I personally learned a lot about Shakespeare's early life.  The presentation ended with a creative group project that required students to collaborate and create a book, newsletter or travel brochure to demonstrate learning.

The bad: The opening video was fun, but some content seemed a little risque.  I know the content of Shakespeare is often explicit, but it is confined to words, not images.  The pictures and images were very clipart like and not that interesting.  This presentation seemed to be a web quest that the students could have done on their own rather than a teacher led presentation.

Overall, this interactive and fun presentation had a goal of giving students information about Shakespeare's early life and culture, and motivate them to undertake a group project.  I think this was successful in reaching it's goal.

Open Source Universe

This week we looked at open source software for use in education.  Stellarium  is a free open source planetarium for your computer.  It allows the user to turn their desktop screen into a 3D view of the sky.  You can locate galaxies, planets, stars and constellations.  

What I liked best about this software was how realistic and crisp the images are.  You really feel like you in  the middle of a field looking up at the sky.  Each star, planet and galaxie is clickable, and provides information for each.  What I liked least was that it was difficult to get used to and not very intuitive.

This would make a science class more experiential and fun.  It is literally like bringing a planetarium to the classroom.  This would work best if you mirrored your desktop display to the in class projector, you could literally take a class on a  tour of our galaxy.  I can't believe this is free.  To see a demo of Stellarium, check out this video on how powerful this FREE piece of software is.

7 (seven) things about PLE's

Reflection of: 7 things you should know about PLE's

The Educause Learning Initiative's 7 Things You Should Know about Personal Learning Environment offers some general information about PLE's and their implications to education.  The one bit of information that I found very useful was point number 7.  What PLE's do for students is to provide them with a framework for their learning.  Part of learning is doing research to see what the experts say and it's implications for real life.  The goal of research (to me) is learn what has been done, find the meaning and build upon it with your own questions and subsequent research.  A key element for teachers is to equip students with the ability to decipher what is credible, scholarly and meaningful research.  Often, I find that students read something on a screen and accept it as fact.  How often have we heard students say that they, "heard it from a friend."  Or if a teacher presents something to a student then the student takes what the teacher is saying or presenting as gospel.  What PLE's do is challenge the student to think critically about what they are reading and using in their own learning/research.  Not only will students read critically but in the process of reading form more questions for them to research and learn.  Another useful and practical lesson learned from PLE's is the ability to receive, evaluate and learn from criticism.  PLE and Web 2.0 were made for each other in that teachers, students, experts or really anyone on earth can comment or collaborate with a student.  The ability to receive correction is crucial to life.  The next step is to evaluate the source of the criticism.  Is this from a trusted source or not?  And finally the most important part of criticism is the ability to learn from it and not repeat the same mistake.

For a resource about evaluating research

PLE's overall seem to be the natural next step in education.  Where the student is responsible for using the internet to collaborate, research and create.

You MIGHT use this someday...

My biggest complaint through school was that I never understood why I had to sit through Algebra, Chemistry and any other subject I had no interest in.  Lisa Nielsen implies on her blog, the innovative teacher that her school experience was a waste.  She says that she is who she is in spite of school not because of it.  I for one used to agree with her.  That my school experiences did nothing for me other than teach me how to read, write and do basic math.  But after some reflection, I disagree with her now.  What school did for me was to expose me to a variety of subjects and experiences.  Yes, I do not like math and do not want to pursue math further, but how else would I have learned that.  Same goes for the sciences.  

The most valuable lesson taught to me at school was how to learn when I am not interested in the topic.  Not everything in life is easy or interesting.  Sometimes we have to do a task that is not fun or that we are passionate about.  I love my job, but not all of it.  There are aspects that are tedious and sometimes seem pointless.  Nevertheless I have to get through it to be able to do what I love.   

Now that doesn't mean that my schooling was perfect.  It was not.  I unfortunately learned early on that all I had to do is remember enough information for a test to do well.  Essentially, I was conditioned that a good grade on a test was all that mattered and I was rewarded at home by my parents and got honors recognition.    I strongly believe that a test based curriculum excludes learning.  When students are asking what is going to be on a test rather than how it relates to the real world today, then we have a problem.  Therefore, problem based learning would have been a tremendous tool in my education.  

Now that I am studying education, there are more questions than answers for me.  How do we teach and meet requirements without tests?  Is the system designed that all that matters are test results?  Do the state standards prevent learning or promote it?  How do we measure heling students find their calling or passions?

The biggest disappointment for me in my educational experience is that it took me almost 30 years to find out what I am passionate about.  It took me a long time to find out what I am good at and what I want to devote my life to.  Although, school did show me what I am not passionate about and what I am good at.  Maybe school is about exposing what is out there and giving people options to pursue what they want.

To Friend or not To Friend

Ewan McIntosh responds to a tweet that asks if it is ok for teachers to have Facebook pages.  He responds with an astounding, "yes."  The question then becomes, do we allow our students to 'friend' us?  He responds with even more astounding, 'no!'  His advice is to start a facebook pages which is a Facebook page for a product or service.  The idea is that you could have a class page or you could set up a less personal page so you can be friends with your students in a way that has more boundaries.  Facebook in the class room makes sense to me.  The other point raised is that teachers are very similar to clergy in the sense that they live under a microscope (I'm currently clergy).  Everything we say and do is judged on that basis.  So in that regard, we must be ever so careful what is posted, in the event that it ever were to be made known to class (or congregation).  So my questions are: what are the policies regarding Facebook and/or other social sites in any public or private schools?  Are any teachers friends with their students?  Are they any stories where a teacher/student Facebook friendship went well?

Please don't read off the screen.

I don't remember where I read this, but there is a theory or maybe even some research done that says we remember 30% of what we hear but 70% of what we see and hear.  While in the audience during a lecture, the presenter began to speak and a large screen behind them illuminated.  I was relieved to see some sort of technology used to help illustrate fine points, perhaps show a movie clip or use still images to bring relevant meaning to the topic being addressed.  Nope.  Not even close.  What happened for the next hour and half has inspired me to think that teachers or any one that addressed an audience a course in PowerPoint (Keynote ) usage.  Literally every word that came from the presenters mouth was on the screen.  EVERY WORD!  They stood next to the screen and read to us, standing on a awkward angle, looking at us when they read ahead and then back to the screen.  I was able to read faster than they could talk so I would get to the end of the slide, take a note and wait for them to finish.  Needless to say, it was very hard to learn, and to be honest, it was very annoying.  Why bother speaking, just switch the slide when we are all done.  So my thinking (in between slides) I was wondering, who teaches presenters and teachers how to use this media in an effective way?  Is this part of any curriculum?  So here are some resources that I found that might help you or maybe someone who needs some help.

http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/articles/ten_secrets_for_using_powerpoint.htm - as a resource that offers some really practical guides.  One that I learned was to place identical slides at the end so that if you go over the presentation doesn't end and then have to restart the presentation.  

http://academics.hamilton.edu/occ/usingPowerPoint.pdf

A PowerPoint about using PowerPoint 

http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/powerpoint/page.html

Just for fun!

I can't believe I have @ twitter....

Maybe I just missed the twitter thing.  I for one never even new what it was.  Facebook, now that made sense.  In 1999, when I first went to college, I literally was given a book full of faces of all the incoming freshman.  It contained a picture and a brief description of the person (I wish I made the connection #Zuckerbergisagenius).  Facebook therefore made sense to me as it was an expanded electronic version of something I had already experienced.  But twitter, what was it's tangible version?  Since being in an instructional technology class, I was forced to start one.  Now I can't stop.  For one thing, there are athletes, actors and musicians on there that I like.  To get an instant look as to what they are doing, thinking or feeling is actually really fun.  So what does this have to do with a classroom?
Maybe, this time, education will actually be concurrent with the real world.  My friends from college all had business degrees.  Not one of them graduated with the ability to use a copy machine, fax machine or (at the time) the internet.    It seems trivial, but those are essential business tools.  For the thousands of dollars they spent learning management principles, they couldn't manage a fax.  Twitter is becoming, if it is not already, a vital piece of communication and marketing.  I think we can say that it is how the world works and where it is going.  I think it is amazing that it is utilized in the classroom for communication, polls and reflection.  Twitter and History  I can remember the days when businesses didn't have web sites and were slow to adopt them.  Can you imagine a business being successful without a website?  I can't.  I think we can say that a person without a twitter is missing out on what is going on around them.  Why shouldn't schools be at the cutting edge of technology so that its graduates are at the very least in step with what is used in the office instead of trying to catch up.  I suspect that pretty soon every business will have it's own App and that will be the next move for the classroom.  Each teacher having there own App to send push notifications and updates to students.
By the way, I am only 30 years old.  Technology is moving fast.  The use of twitter in the classroom is encouraging in that the institution of education is embracing this change and truly doing it's job: preparing students for the real world by acting like the real word. @jonbags31

Why blogging is good for the classroom. Essential question #1

     I've heard of blogs before.  They are websites for people with a lot of time on their hands and have a lot opinions.  That was what I used to think.  Blogging is difficult.  Having something of value to share with a community of say, 1 billion people.  That is a lot of pressure.  I now look at blogging like a party.  There are a lot of people with a lot of expertise from a lot of different places.  The interesting part of this party is that we are faceless and nameless if we so choose.  I might say things here that would never be said to a person's face nor to a large audience.  Having said all that, what is the benefit to teachers and students using blogs in a classroom?
     First, students engaging in the blogosphere should be motivated to think and write well.  You cant show up to a party poorly dressed.  Therefore, the choices of words, clarity of points and research must be done with excellence.  The benefit to the student is that they can not hide on a blog.  For example, if a student bombs a test, the only people in the room who know are the teacher and the student.  If a student does a poor job answering a question on a blog, we can reasonably say that most people in the class will know.  I believe that this will motivate the student to put forth effort in bringing ideas together in a clear and meaningful way.  Now, you could argue that this could embarrass a student.  Imagine the same student failing a test and the teacher announcing it to the class.  A poor performance on something so public as a blog could provide the same results as a failing grade being announced.  But, for all you behaviorists out there, negative reinforcement should motivate a student toward a desirable result.  Think and write well.
     Next, blogs are a highly social learning environments that remove social barriers.  When a teacher breaks students up into groups there are many factors that can shape the group dynamic.  Theres usually the talker, the shy one, the doer and the kid who doesn't do anything and waits on the "smart" kids to do the work for them.  Low self-esteem, popularity, crushes (depending on the age group) and kids just not liking each other prevent learning and genuine dialogue on a given topic.  The blogs limit those barriers.  Students can feel free to read and respond without too much worry about the aforementioned barriers.  If your like me, after being in a serious discussion with someone or a group, reflected upon the discussion and thought of a really good point but missed your chance.  If you know what I mean, than blogs provide the opportunity for discussion to take place over a longer period that allow points and disagreements to be fleshed out entirely.  Blogs are very social vehicles for learning that limit social barriers and promote learning.
     Finally, blogs benefit teachers by freeing them from being lecturers and acting more like facilitators.  Lecturing is a one way conversation.  By lecturing and then asking students to blog about the lecture furthers the points made in a lecture but now in a class of say 20 students there are potentially hundreds of conversations going on.  Peer to peer learning is taking place and all this is happening under the facilitators eye.  Bringing back my initial point, students should be motivated think and write well should at the very least regurgitate what they have heard.  But, if you have ever played telephone, you know that everyone hears things differently.  This is a further benefit to the teacher.  If all the blog posts by students miss the key elements of a lecture, what better way for the teacher to know and correct misinformation?  This is a great way for teachers to get feedback without actually asking for it.
     Blogs are great tools for students and teachers alike.  They are by no means only for the opinionated adults with free time.  They are serious avenues of learning.  They demand well thought out points, sharpen writing skills, limit social barriers and help teachers guide rather than lecture.