The last step in creating our game is the game proposal. Creating the game has been a challenging but fun journey. There was a lot of questions and confusion about what was expected for the game proposal. After some much needed clarification, we could all breath a sigh of relief about what we needed to present to the students. Our group discussed different ways to "hook" the students into wanted to know more about our game. As a group our goal was to take components of our game and draw the students in. The way we decided to do this was to use our game opening and the beginning parts of the game, creating and avatar/picking a region, and create a movie trailer. I believe that our game opening is very catchy and will hook the students. As a group we have worked to gather images of different locations and avatars that may be seen in our game.
This process has been an eye opening, I never thought that I would be part of a group that would create a game proposal which could eventually turn into a real game. This has been a wonderful learning experience that has opened my world to a new type of learning and learning environment for students. As we worked through designing the game I had my students in mind and could visualize them playing the game.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Week 11-Game Reflection
Oh the ups and downs of this game. It has been an eye opening experience developing a proposal for a game. On a large scale I never thought there would be a possibility of proposing a game that would have the chance of being turned into a true game. At the beginning of this course when it was stated that we had to develop a game, I wasn't sure what to think.
The process that we went through this game was helpful in understanding how a game is created. One of the challenges that we faced as a group was thinking to much into the project. When we would think that we had it all figured out we would question the work we had down or wonder if we were doing this right. Many times during this process I felt lost and unsure exactly what we were doing with this project, but my wonderful group helped guide me through the process. At times I think we tended to over think things or think we needed to do more than we actually needed to do.
This process was truly a collective learning group. The first time creating a project using this method was challenging in a sense, because most of us are use to creating a project with knowing what exactly is expected. What we may have thought as no guidance was really a chance for all of us to tap into our strengths to create the best game possible. Besides working and discussing within our group the last Twitter session was extremely beneficial to help guide the finishing stages of our project. This allowed a huge weight to be lifted off all of our shoulders.
I think one of the most rewarding experiences of this process is tapping into a creative section in my brain that I would not have done before. I have never been a gamer nor have I ever had the desire to work on building a game. I will admit that I was dreading this part of the course when I first read that we had to create a game. Boy was I wrong about creating this game. It has turned out to be a great activity. I have enjoyed this process greatly and even though it has put me out of my comfort zones on many different level it has been a great experience. I look forward to seeing what the other groups have created and hope our game proposal gets the most votes!
The process that we went through this game was helpful in understanding how a game is created. One of the challenges that we faced as a group was thinking to much into the project. When we would think that we had it all figured out we would question the work we had down or wonder if we were doing this right. Many times during this process I felt lost and unsure exactly what we were doing with this project, but my wonderful group helped guide me through the process. At times I think we tended to over think things or think we needed to do more than we actually needed to do.
This process was truly a collective learning group. The first time creating a project using this method was challenging in a sense, because most of us are use to creating a project with knowing what exactly is expected. What we may have thought as no guidance was really a chance for all of us to tap into our strengths to create the best game possible. Besides working and discussing within our group the last Twitter session was extremely beneficial to help guide the finishing stages of our project. This allowed a huge weight to be lifted off all of our shoulders.
I think one of the most rewarding experiences of this process is tapping into a creative section in my brain that I would not have done before. I have never been a gamer nor have I ever had the desire to work on building a game. I will admit that I was dreading this part of the course when I first read that we had to create a game. Boy was I wrong about creating this game. It has turned out to be a great activity. I have enjoyed this process greatly and even though it has put me out of my comfort zones on many different level it has been a great experience. I look forward to seeing what the other groups have created and hope our game proposal gets the most votes!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Week Ten: Game Progress
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.
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/
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