Saturday, April 30, 2011

Technology can Always be Incorporated

As this semester comes to a close, I find myself immersed with a huge assorment of new technology to use. From new software, applications, and web tools, I am loaded with a bunch of ideas I want to enact in the classroom all at once! However, I know this is not practical and also not smart. What I have come to realize with technology tools is one must first truly mess around with the application, learn the ins and outs, and master it's function before implementing it full fledge into the classroom. I believe applications such as blogging are wonderful for the classroom, but I know there is work that must be done before implementing it. For example, in order to get successful, positive results from blogging, students must know where, how, and why they are doing it. Once students and teachers over come the "how to" aspect of an application, it truly can serve it's purpose. As an educator that specializes in technology, it is my goal to introduce at least one new program/application to my students each year that they have never been exposed to. I want to continue to educate my students so they can be the tech literates of tomorrow.
One of my favorite finds this past week is Puppy Cam. Just so happens we were learning about conduction as a way of transferring thermal heat energy. Now, is this not an example of conduction at it's finest!?
Puppy Cam

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Video Games and Learning


After reading the article, "Good Video Games and Good Learning" by James Paul Gee, I could not help but relate to everything Gee said. Literally, everything. I got into gaming two years ago, my junior year of college. I used to watch my boyfriend and his friends as they intently played ranked matches in Halo and Call of Duty. After a few months just watching, I wanted to try. What could possibly be so fun, frustrating, and enticing in ten minutes? Well, I quickly caught on. My boyfriend would play "socials" with me so he would not mess up his character's rank, and the more and more I played, the more I realized how much I loved it. I realized why it was so catching and also how important it was for me to think about how I was playing.
The first game I fell in love with was Halo. I would not play any other game other than Halo. I bought myself an Xbox 360, got my gamer tag, and played whenever I had free time. My roommates (7 girls) thought I was nuts, but I just loved playing the game than watching movies. I began to play ranked matches and my gaming changed. I began to realize that I needed to think out scenarios, plan ahead, expect the unexpected and plan for what was ahead. All this thinking needed to be done to succeed, to win.
People that don't understand the impact of gaming probably have never played a video game that they really enjoyed. The article emphasizes the similarities and differences between learning at school and learning through a video game. One part of the article really stuck with me, the idea of taking risks. Gee states,"Good video games lower the consequences of failure; players can start from the last-saved game when they fail. Players are thereby encouraged to take risks, explore, and try new things. In fact, in a game, failure is a good thing." Gee further states that schools too often do not allow much room for students to take risks. I do not agree with this statement. There are many things that go into students taking risks, whether its the classroom environment, fear of failure, feeling comfortable, the teacher. I tell my students continuously that it's okay to make a mistake! I often use the line, "What's the worst thing that can happen?" and even after the student weighs the outcomes, he or she is afraid to take the risk.
I believe somewhere at a much younger age when students enter school it is instilled in them that a grade is everything. It's not. The learning experience is everything. If you fail at something and reflect on what went wrong, you have learned why you failed. I believe you learn the most when you make a mistake because you will always remember what you had done wrong.
Gaming is a great way to take students through the thought process. This article has really inspired me to expose students to gaming in school. I often hear the talk of "360" and "parties" so I know students can relate to this topic. I wish there were more games out there that could be implemented into school that are just as cool to play outside of school.