The hard part about this is I am not a big gamer, I don't play a lot of video games so I don't have a good understanding of components of games. I think the hard time I am having with this product is that I'm not sure what our objective of the game is. Our project is very broad and I know I could provide better assistance if the game has an end goal. I feel like because of this I have not been as productive as I would like to be. It hard for me to put my input in without some sort of end goal. So I guess in a sense I like to work backwards in the process. I look forward to seeing the direction the game goes and the final product. Having said this, it has been fun and got the creative juices flowing
trying to create a game. As we work on the process of creating the game
I can begin to visualize the game being played by students. I think as
a group we have come up with a great base for a game. Our group has really taken into count what students would like, giving them plenty of opportunities to go down the specific path they would like. The base that is been put forth is an excellent start to the game. The game in a sense is kept positive where students don't die and they have simple tasks to do if they are injured in the game. One way I think we challenge students was having two different game plays where students can work to defeat the capital or help people break free from the capital. The game is beginning to take shape and I looked forward to presenting the finished product.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
Week 9 Reflection
This whole semester has provided me with an opportunity to examine how technology was used in the classroom. Before this class I thought I was pretty tech savvy and incorporated it a lot into my classroom, but this class has showed me other was to use technology in the classroom. Technology use in my classroom is teaching the same way just through a different medium. In on a
This week made me question the style of teaching I have been using with my student because it is "easy" for all of us. Students are use to learning in a certain way and it may not always be okay to question things culturally so frustration happens easily when they are asked to explain or explore. In one article I read the author states that students need to have an emotional connections to the learning they are doing and the traditional way of teaching does not always allow for this. I know this is not the most effective way to but how to do you move students to being "okay" with exploring their own learning because right now they need the right answer. I continue to try new things in the classroom with my students and slowly they are coming around to trying these new.
This week made me question the style of teaching I have been using with my student because it is "easy" for all of us. Students are use to learning in a certain way and it may not always be okay to question things culturally so frustration happens easily when they are asked to explain or explore. In one article I read the author states that students need to have an emotional connections to the learning they are doing and the traditional way of teaching does not always allow for this. I know this is not the most effective way to but how to do you move students to being "okay" with exploring their own learning because right now they need the right answer. I continue to try new things in the classroom with my students and slowly they are coming around to trying these new.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
What are the challenges in shifting content from "what" to "where" and "how"?
The way we teach and present students for years has been to pour as much information as we think they should know into their brain and hope they understand it all. The shift in education is occurring and teachers are focusing on educating students using a the natural way they learn. Children are naturally inquisitive. With the new culture of learning the focus of learning is no longer on what they need to learn, but where can they find the information and how that information relates to them. "The shift to where alone is significant, but perhaps more vital is the fact that it also opens up the other two dimensions that emerge as cornerstones of the new culture of learning." (Thomas and Brown)
Play is an important part of making the shift from what to where and how in the new culture of learning. Play is not just a part of the human experience but it is part of what is meaningful in human culture. "When we build we do more than create content. Thanks to new technologies, we also create context by building with a particular environment, often providing links or creating connections and juxtapositions to give meaning to the content."(Thomas and Brown) Games and play are not only fun but they create an engaging environment that provides interaction, competition an can also create meaning. In Laura Sharps article she refers to this as stealth learning. "Stealth learning is when an instructor uses clever, disguised ways to introduce learning objectives through non-traditional tools, such as games, to encourage students to have fun and learn." Using games and play in the new culture of learning decreases the passive learning and provides students the chances understand the where and how of things.
I think one of the biggest challenges of making the shift to the new culture of learning is the fear of letting go. When we just let students play and explore we as teachers are no longer in "charge", they are creating their own learning and putting knowledge into a context they will understand. We may have no clue where the learning will take us, and that may make some teachers nervous, but in reality doesn't this lead to the best learning? When students work together to build their learning students are learning how to craft the context.
For some students exploring their own learning can provide challenges and frustrations. They may not have the natural ability to shift to the where and how because they have spent many years learning in a traditional classroom setting or they may not have the background knowledge of the what to understand where to find the information or how the information works. As teachers it is our job to help guide students be confident in this new culture of learning and children can surprise us with the learning they can do if you just let them play. "Teachers and students are sometimes surprised at the level of technology-based accomplishment displayed by students who have shown much less initiative or facility with more conventional academic tasks." (Effects of Technology on Classroom and Students) I have seen this with my students I have been a bit hesitant to do things with my students because of past resistance to student directed but but they have amazed me with their enticement and inquisitive nature with technology and games.
A New Culture of Learning-Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change-Douglass Thomas and John Seely Brown
Stealth Learning: Unexpected Learning Opportunities Through Games
http://www.gcu.edu/Academics/Journal-of-Instructional-Research/-Unexpected-Learning-Opportunities-Through-Games-.php
Effects of Technology on Classroom and Students
http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html
Play is an important part of making the shift from what to where and how in the new culture of learning. Play is not just a part of the human experience but it is part of what is meaningful in human culture. "When we build we do more than create content. Thanks to new technologies, we also create context by building with a particular environment, often providing links or creating connections and juxtapositions to give meaning to the content."(Thomas and Brown) Games and play are not only fun but they create an engaging environment that provides interaction, competition an can also create meaning. In Laura Sharps article she refers to this as stealth learning. "Stealth learning is when an instructor uses clever, disguised ways to introduce learning objectives through non-traditional tools, such as games, to encourage students to have fun and learn." Using games and play in the new culture of learning decreases the passive learning and provides students the chances understand the where and how of things.
I think one of the biggest challenges of making the shift to the new culture of learning is the fear of letting go. When we just let students play and explore we as teachers are no longer in "charge", they are creating their own learning and putting knowledge into a context they will understand. We may have no clue where the learning will take us, and that may make some teachers nervous, but in reality doesn't this lead to the best learning? When students work together to build their learning students are learning how to craft the context.
For some students exploring their own learning can provide challenges and frustrations. They may not have the natural ability to shift to the where and how because they have spent many years learning in a traditional classroom setting or they may not have the background knowledge of the what to understand where to find the information or how the information works. As teachers it is our job to help guide students be confident in this new culture of learning and children can surprise us with the learning they can do if you just let them play. "Teachers and students are sometimes surprised at the level of technology-based accomplishment displayed by students who have shown much less initiative or facility with more conventional academic tasks." (Effects of Technology on Classroom and Students) I have seen this with my students I have been a bit hesitant to do things with my students because of past resistance to student directed but but they have amazed me with their enticement and inquisitive nature with technology and games.
A New Culture of Learning-Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change-Douglass Thomas and John Seely Brown
Stealth Learning: Unexpected Learning Opportunities Through Games
http://www.gcu.edu/Academics/Journal-of-Instructional-Research/-Unexpected-Learning-Opportunities-Through-Games-.php
Effects of Technology on Classroom and Students
http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html
Monday, March 10, 2014
Week 8 Reflection
Having a mini spring break that started on Thursday, it is hard to remember there are still things that need to be taken care of for classes. Thursday afternoon I totally spaced the beginning of the Twitter sessions since my brain was already on spring break mode, so saying that I was very confused with what was being discussed. I really ponder how to use collective learning groups in the classroom and how they would look differently than collaborative or constructivist learning. Collin brought up the question of how collective learning would look like in a classroom where there is a lot of memorization of information. I asked the question if the concept and had the students work collectively to gain a deeper understanding or to solve a problem would this still be considered collective learning. In a sense I would think it would be but also maybe it would not be since students are not working solely collectively to learn new information. I hope that make sense, I feel as I type things I may not have a strong understanding of how collective learning could look.
When I look back I think in a sense we may already use some collective learning in the classroom it just may not involve technology. A teaching style that was brought through conversation with Sara L was the constructivist approach. This to me is a step in the right direction to collective learning. In both students are creating there own meanings. With constructivist learning the teacher still provides the materials students would need to be successful. These ideas and concepts remind me a lot of Montessori schools. I think no matter what type of learning takes place in the classroom, it is important to allow students develop their knowledge of something. We do not learn by sitting and listen to someone explain to us how to do things, we learn best through experiences that are relevant and important to our lives.
When I look back I think in a sense we may already use some collective learning in the classroom it just may not involve technology. A teaching style that was brought through conversation with Sara L was the constructivist approach. This to me is a step in the right direction to collective learning. In both students are creating there own meanings. With constructivist learning the teacher still provides the materials students would need to be successful. These ideas and concepts remind me a lot of Montessori schools. I think no matter what type of learning takes place in the classroom, it is important to allow students develop their knowledge of something. We do not learn by sitting and listen to someone explain to us how to do things, we learn best through experiences that are relevant and important to our lives.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Collective Learing
"Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him as long as the fish supply holds out. But create a collective and every man will learn how to feed himself for a lifetime." (Thomas and Brown)
Before this week and reading A New Culture for Learning I had never heard of the term collective learning. Collective learning mean that humans have the ability to collect and communicate and translate complex knowledge between generations. When students or a group work to together to create and mold information it is called a collective. "It is a collection of people, skills, and talent that produces a result greater than the sum of its parts. (Thomas and Brown) Collective learning is something we do naturally as humans, but there is an importance of bringing it into the classroom as a way to gain new knowledge.
Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown's text A New Culture for Learning-Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change looks at the importance collective learning can have on us. Within the idea of the new culture of learning people learn through their interaction as others. The text states that a collective group is different from a community. In a community people learn to belong, while being part of a collective means people belong in order to learn. This to me is extremely powerful. Collectives are a content neutral platforms that will be filled based on the interactions between the participants. With collective learning you only get back what you put in.
A Khan Academy video looks at the power of humans to gain information through collective learning. The video compares monkeys and humans. Monkeys have to retrain themselves to do everything, while humans gain knowledge from each other. Through strong, precise, and efficient communication we can communicate with each other what we have learned. When things become relevant to our lives we tap into it or learn it. Meaning we don't have to know everything since we can rely on other people to teach us or show us. As human we work together with in a group with one collective memory bank to teach each other.
Technology has allowed for more collective learning to take place. In a blog Little By Little John looks at different examples of collective learning. One that we are all familiar with is companies using wikis to allow people to share they knowledge they have, while others can gain knowledge from others. Also the blog states that we can learn collectively by connecting and creating knowledge. Collective learning can also take place by working towards a similar goal. All of this seemed to be a bit more challenging before the use of technology. The information is out there it just took more time to find.
Like what was said in the Khan Academy video a classroom can be like one collective memory bank, where all students are working to teach each other as a whole group. All of our students come to us with a wide range of knowledge and strong areas that can be used to help others learn and gain understanding a new a new area. Although we may naturally do this as human beings it is not they "typical" way students learn in school. The knowledge teachers have is passed down to the students in hopes they will retain it, but with collective learning the students are taking the knowledge they already have to help others learn and grow. "In this environment, the participants all stand on equal ground-no one is assigned to the traditional role of teacher or student." (Thomas and Brown) If this is a natural way humans learn shouldn't this be the way we hope our students learn?
Work Cited:
A New Culture of Learning-Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change-Douglass Thomas and John Seely Brown
http://onlocationeducation.com/en/world-history-glossary
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/cosmology-and-astronomy/life-earth-universe/humanity-on-earth-tutorial/v/collective-learning
http://littlebylittlejohn.com/change11-position-paper/collective-learning-examples/
Before this week and reading A New Culture for Learning I had never heard of the term collective learning. Collective learning mean that humans have the ability to collect and communicate and translate complex knowledge between generations. When students or a group work to together to create and mold information it is called a collective. "It is a collection of people, skills, and talent that produces a result greater than the sum of its parts. (Thomas and Brown) Collective learning is something we do naturally as humans, but there is an importance of bringing it into the classroom as a way to gain new knowledge.
Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown's text A New Culture for Learning-Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change looks at the importance collective learning can have on us. Within the idea of the new culture of learning people learn through their interaction as others. The text states that a collective group is different from a community. In a community people learn to belong, while being part of a collective means people belong in order to learn. This to me is extremely powerful. Collectives are a content neutral platforms that will be filled based on the interactions between the participants. With collective learning you only get back what you put in.
A Khan Academy video looks at the power of humans to gain information through collective learning. The video compares monkeys and humans. Monkeys have to retrain themselves to do everything, while humans gain knowledge from each other. Through strong, precise, and efficient communication we can communicate with each other what we have learned. When things become relevant to our lives we tap into it or learn it. Meaning we don't have to know everything since we can rely on other people to teach us or show us. As human we work together with in a group with one collective memory bank to teach each other.
Technology has allowed for more collective learning to take place. In a blog Little By Little John looks at different examples of collective learning. One that we are all familiar with is companies using wikis to allow people to share they knowledge they have, while others can gain knowledge from others. Also the blog states that we can learn collectively by connecting and creating knowledge. Collective learning can also take place by working towards a similar goal. All of this seemed to be a bit more challenging before the use of technology. The information is out there it just took more time to find.
Like what was said in the Khan Academy video a classroom can be like one collective memory bank, where all students are working to teach each other as a whole group. All of our students come to us with a wide range of knowledge and strong areas that can be used to help others learn and gain understanding a new a new area. Although we may naturally do this as human beings it is not they "typical" way students learn in school. The knowledge teachers have is passed down to the students in hopes they will retain it, but with collective learning the students are taking the knowledge they already have to help others learn and grow. "In this environment, the participants all stand on equal ground-no one is assigned to the traditional role of teacher or student." (Thomas and Brown) If this is a natural way humans learn shouldn't this be the way we hope our students learn?
Work Cited:
A New Culture of Learning-Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change-Douglass Thomas and John Seely Brown
http://onlocationeducation.com/en/world-history-glossary
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/cosmology-and-astronomy/life-earth-universe/humanity-on-earth-tutorial/v/collective-learning
http://littlebylittlejohn.com/change11-position-paper/collective-learning-examples/
Monday, March 3, 2014
Week 7 Reflection
This week gave me a chance to reflect on change and what that means in my classroom. I am always looking for new and challenging ways for my students to learn. My students have surprised me with their inquisitive nature with new activities we have been doing. I am always looking for ways to incorporate more technology into my classroom and I think my students would adapt greatly to it. Change is a good thing and now it is clear that I am not only up for the challenge but so are my students.
I was unable this week to do much interaction with other classmates this week, visiting another village where internet access was limited. This week I will take the time to read others posts to catch up on what was discussed. I think this week was all about adapting to change in both the classroom and outside of the classroom. My new favorite quote when it come to change. "It means viewing the future as a set of new possibilities rather than something that forces us to adjust."
I was unable this week to do much interaction with other classmates this week, visiting another village where internet access was limited. This week I will take the time to read others posts to catch up on what was discussed. I think this week was all about adapting to change in both the classroom and outside of the classroom. My new favorite quote when it come to change. "It means viewing the future as a set of new possibilities rather than something that forces us to adjust."
Saturday, March 1, 2014
What does the way you play have to do with embracing change and how does this impact you as a professional?
The field of education and technology is ever changing and evolving. Just in the short time frame from when I was in school and to when I began teaching, both of these have change drastically. The current way we teach assumes that the world will stay the same and the information will always be the same. Speaking of how the world is every changing Brown and Thomas state, "But our contention is that the pool of unchanging resources is shrinking, and that the pond is providing us with fewer and fewer things that we can even identify as fish anymore." This quote to me shows the importance of being open to change and knowing that some things may always hold true but many things don't as we go along.
There has been a huge jump in the amount of technology and there has been some resistance to it. "When change comes slowly adaptation is easy." Technology in the classroom and professionally has not come slowly and it can be "scary". Edutopia looks at ten ways to help teachers teach technology. This to me is just as important as teaching students how to use technology. Can't embrace change if you don't understand it. The authors school district requires that five days of technology training over the course of three year. A couple of the ideas stick out, one of them is show don't tell. Instead of doing a book study, each grade level focuses on learning about a different technology application. Lastly one that seems to be quick and easy at the end of staff meetings give teachers less than a minute to tell about their favorite application they are using in the classroom.
My gamer DNA stated I was a killer and than close in second an explorer (Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology, 2006). I was 87% killer and 80% explorer, this in a way does not surprise me. Looking back on the amount of technology and games I played growing up was very little. Even though I grew up in a generation that had endless and ever changing gaming systems and games, I did not play them much as a child. I look at certain board games that were played growing up, and even as adults, and my killer personality defintley comes out. In terms of explorer I think this is evident is the use of technology and new things in the classroom. I may not know what it is but I will explore it and research it until I am able to use it.
My knowledge of games and how to use them in a sense hinders the use of them in my classroom. In my classroom it is not a matter of being resistant to the change but I don't have much experience to them. I think change is a wonderful thing and I am beyond open to it, my killer and explorer personality speak to that. "It means viewing the future as a set of new possibilities rather than something that forces us to adjust." The world is ever changing and professionally the change is a good thing. It means more challenging experiences for our students and a learning experience that is personalized to their needs and learning styles. Here's to using my killer and explorer personality to incorporate more useful technology into the classroom!
A New Culture of Learning-Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change-Douglass Thomas and John Seely Brown
Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology
http://www.gamerdna.com/quizzes/
Edutopia Ten Ideas for Teaching Teachers Technology (2012)
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-teachers-technology-monique-flickinger
There has been a huge jump in the amount of technology and there has been some resistance to it. "When change comes slowly adaptation is easy." Technology in the classroom and professionally has not come slowly and it can be "scary". Edutopia looks at ten ways to help teachers teach technology. This to me is just as important as teaching students how to use technology. Can't embrace change if you don't understand it. The authors school district requires that five days of technology training over the course of three year. A couple of the ideas stick out, one of them is show don't tell. Instead of doing a book study, each grade level focuses on learning about a different technology application. Lastly one that seems to be quick and easy at the end of staff meetings give teachers less than a minute to tell about their favorite application they are using in the classroom.
My gamer DNA stated I was a killer and than close in second an explorer (Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology, 2006). I was 87% killer and 80% explorer, this in a way does not surprise me. Looking back on the amount of technology and games I played growing up was very little. Even though I grew up in a generation that had endless and ever changing gaming systems and games, I did not play them much as a child. I look at certain board games that were played growing up, and even as adults, and my killer personality defintley comes out. In terms of explorer I think this is evident is the use of technology and new things in the classroom. I may not know what it is but I will explore it and research it until I am able to use it.
My knowledge of games and how to use them in a sense hinders the use of them in my classroom. In my classroom it is not a matter of being resistant to the change but I don't have much experience to them. I think change is a wonderful thing and I am beyond open to it, my killer and explorer personality speak to that. "It means viewing the future as a set of new possibilities rather than something that forces us to adjust." The world is ever changing and professionally the change is a good thing. It means more challenging experiences for our students and a learning experience that is personalized to their needs and learning styles. Here's to using my killer and explorer personality to incorporate more useful technology into the classroom!
A New Culture of Learning-Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change-Douglass Thomas and John Seely Brown
Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology
http://www.gamerdna.com/quizzes/
Edutopia Ten Ideas for Teaching Teachers Technology (2012)
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-teachers-technology-monique-flickinger
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