Am I a Dinosaur?

Lately I have been more acutely aware of the general behavior and actions of the younger generation.  Being the potential students that will fill our classrooms, I suppose this spy like behavior is due to the desire to get to know the clientele a little more closely.  A city such as Ann Arbor, however, has a diverse, yet highly affluent population.  While the demographic makeup may reflect a diverse array of ethnicities and cultures, the opportunities that most people in this city have are greater than most other cities.  Therefore, most of my conclusions must be met with a veil, but I cannot help but notice the sharp drop in personal interaction among peer groups.  Another caveat that I must mention before continuing is that I realize that, inevitably, each generation looks upon the next one with a certain amount of judgement and criticism.  The "back in my day" mantra seems to hold true throughout time.  I am not sure if it is a self-reassuring idea of "we had it so much tougher" or "things were more simple back then" or what it is, but I am starting to feel those sentiments creeping inside me.

    I see ipods, iphones, itabs, ibooks, i carumba!  Bart Simpson

    Is it our job, as teachers, to find ways to cater to their interests in phones and technology?  I don't think you'd find a teacher who would respond yes to that question without some attached explanation.  I do think it is important that we find out what our students our interested in, but what if we're unknowingly sacrificing key life skills by choosing to find ways to use cell phones and other tech devices in the classroom?  I think there's a medium that can be found where compromise is not at the expense of learning or the teaching profession.

I think the bottom line of this post is that I am worried about the reliance on technology by the younger people in the world.  It seems that cell phones are in the hands of younger and younger kids each year.  My desire as a teacher is to help better the autonomy and future life skills of my students as much as it is to teach them french.  For that reason, I worry that I will want to spend too much time developing communication skills while neglecting other aspects of learning.  I am aware of the benefits of technology and I have used it several times with much success, but I fear the trend will continue and eventually become so dependent upon technology that we experience a Matrix like revolution. Ok, that may be somewhat extreme, but I hope that there are still some teachers out there who are dedicated to teaching children and not teaching technology to children.

Waste not, Want not

          Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have the counsel of my grandparents in addition to my parents.  My grandpa was full of idiomatic expressions and really insightful advice. However, when I was young most of these expressions went way over my head. This "waste not, want not" idea was no exception.  It was not until I grew up that I appreciated the consequences of wasting and what affect it had on how much I wanted and needed.  I chose to write to an edublogger who discussed this topic and how it could be used in schools.

 Sans Problemes! (Marie-France Perkins—French) http://mmeperkins.typepad.com/

           Her name is Mme Perkins.  In the summer, I wrote about the creativity and unique technology use she incorporated into her teaching.  While her posts have become few and far between since her retirement from teaching, each post is well developed and thought out.  The post to which I gave a response she titled her lesson (translated) "Stop Wasting!" She had a short article that described some statistics about the amount of waste being done in France and some proposed ways to help prevent waste and help the environment.  All I could think of when reading this was the guest speaker that came into our class and talked about sustainability being a central focus of schooling.  She followed the short article with a short list of questions that assessed students' comprehension of the reading and gave them an opportunity to provide some insight of their own.  It was a pretty simple activity, but the content was relevant and could be applied to their lives after school.  I shared my thoughts (below), but I have not yet heard back.  Honestly, I might steal this idea verbatim for my lessons in January. Is that illegal? 

Bonjour Madame! I have followed your blog for a few months now and I really like the ideas you have posted. I am studying to become a French teacher and I am constantly looking for ideas for ways to deliver content in interesting and fun ways. I really like the slideshare feature that you have on your site. Perhaps I should look more into that, but what I really wanted to know was where you drew the inspiration for the creation of your assignments and lessons when you were teaching. As a student, we are told to make the material we teach sustainable, relevant information. This topic of waste certainly meets these requirements. Additionally, it is something I am conscious of and could see myself teaching one day. Thank you for your creative ideas and your effort to share them with francophiles around the world. Merci!

I wanted to let her know that I appreciated her ideas and that I intended to utilize the information in my future teaching.  I was hoping to get some of her ideas on where she gets her material and where she draws her inspiration.  I am always curious as to how teachers come up with ideas and the process they go through in reaching that conclusion. I believe collaboration to be a huge component of successful teaching.  Edubloggers such as Marie make this possible.  

Tech in the field

    

     Being in Ann Arbor, I wasn't shocked to see technology being used in the classrooms at Clague Middle School.  During the first few weeks of observing classrooms and walking around the school, I noticed a variety of different modes of technology in action.  I began to inquire more about the various forms of technology that are available for students and teachers.  I was shocked by the plethora of items to which the teachers have access.  While some of the materials were slightly out of date (videocameras), some of the tools were fairly new and in great condition (3 computer labs complete with Macs from the last year or two).  In addition to some of these materials, the usage of technology I found to be the most abundant was the carts of macbooks that can be checked out for any class.  There are 3 carts full of 30 laptops that are available to check out online with the school's librarian.  The other forms of technology that exist at this school include recording devices (with a tripod), LED projector screens in every classroom, and an abundance of computers and laptops.  Additionally, at the latest PD meeting I heard discussions about ordering new tech resources for interactive whiteboards.  Meemo I think it was. 

     While having all of this technology at a school is great, how you use the technology is far more important.   I have noticed a pretty significant difference in the attitude and engagement in the students when the computers/projector/other forms of technology are being used with the lesson in class.  While it makes sense that they are more interested in using these tools, it is somewhat less obvious to me that the amount of learning seems to be improved by these methods.  While my sample size is not big enough to make a substantial claim, it does seem that kids' motivation and learning improves when the technology is being used effectively in the class.  My cooperating teacher uses technology really well in the class.  I think the key to this success has been the various ways that the technology is integrated and putting the responsibility more on the students.  When students take ownership of the work and he/she knows that it will be displayed in front of his/her peers, the performance and effort tends to increase.  Because social status and emotional security are so important at this developmental stage, it makes sense that using technology to wrap social and emotional learning into instruction would pay dividends.  

      However, I have also realized that my mentor teacher's personality meshes really well with the activities and tech use in the class.  This may not always be the case with every teacher.  Personally, I see myself using less technology than what I have seen at Clague, but that does not mean that I value it any less.  I admire those teachers who have found a way to incorporate tech into the classroom and keep the intimate relationships and authentic teaching atmosphere intact.  

Please leave your name, number, and homework after the tone...

   My first contact with podcasts was brief, accidental, and uninformative.  It was basically a group of guys arguing opinions on the details of a football game that had recently ended.  It seemed as though there was no legitimacy to the conversation and any credentials that these men had were not made apparent through their words.  However, I recently became more knowledgeable of podcasts and other similar programs.  While the random guys bickering about the football game is an example of a podcast, it is not indicative of the entire scope of what a podcast is, nor does it reflect the true utility in the classroom.  

    Being a foreign language teacher, I am sure that I will be using some form of podcast or a sister program in my classroom at some point.  Auditory learning usually takes a back seat to visual learning, which is somewhat warranted, but using the visual stimuli in addition to the auditory feedback is extremely useful and effective.  I have found that listening comprehension is a very difficult aspect of learning a foreign language.  Podcasts and other programs such as google voice allow students to practice their auditory skills as well as their oral affluence. 

    For instance, I am currently in a college course where our homework is to call into a google voice number a couple times a week and speak in a foreign language.  It is very little work for the teacher and it allows the student to complete the task on his/her time. Podcasts could be used much in the same way.  Students could record a conversation in a foreign language that is taking place in a virtual cafe.  Allowing students to get creative with means such as podcasts and google voice to complete assignments is an effective way to reach the interests of increasingly tech savvy students.  It is also a great way to gauge comprehension and assess the skill level of your students.  This can be done as a take home assignment or something that the students complete outside of school and bring it in to share with the class.  It seems as though the options are wider than one would think.  Especially one who thought podcasts were exclusive to terrible sports talk.  I got schooled. Hopefully I can school some students with this material.

    

My Badges > Your Badges

     Thursdays are long. We're all getting a pretty good sense of what it's going to be like to leave the house in the morning and get home at night without ever seeing the sun. Good times. Towards the end of last Thursday night, however, we were treated with a presentation by a Mr. Pete Pasque.  There was one element of his presentation that really struck me and got me thinking about the future of education and where this idea of BADGES falls in line.  

This photo was taken from a google images search of badges.

     The idea behind badges intensely intrigues me; especially in a foreign language.  I am imagining a certain badge for mastering the verb Aller, for example.  I can also see awarding badges to a student who masters a certain tense or area of vocabulary.  The possibilities, it seems, are endless with implementing badges to award student performance in a specific trade or concept.  Soon after brainstorming all of these possibilities, it seemed that the badge was too 'undefinable' to be of any use.  If anyone can create a badge, then why would it mean anything to a college or any institution that is trying to gauge academic performance, etc.  It seems to me that the key to badges is in the process of listing the credentials that the badge is representative of.  

     While he was presenting, I began to think of how well badges would work in my placement.  I have recently noticed a very competitive atmosphere between a number of students at the school.  It seems that competition drives their motivation to perform and increase their skill.  There's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right?  Being someone who embraced this idea as a middle and high schooler, I was ready to jump on board as soon as Pete mentioned this idea.  However, I wavered slightly because of something a friend told me reflecting back on a high school experience.  This person did not enjoy the competition, the recognition, or to be given any accolades that would put (z)er on display.  Strange for some of us to imagine, and maybe not so strange for others.  I realize that striving for medals can inspire hard work and increase productivity, but I am not certain that it would have the same effect across the board with all students.  I know it entices me, but I am not a reflection of the vast, diverse student population that is changing constantly and evolving each and every day.  Nevertheless, I left Mr. Pasque's presentation curious about the idea of badges and if they really could replace the rigid standards that make up most of school's forms of assessments.  

The Battle on the Mediterranean

French Battleships

         The theme of gaming in the classroom has sparked an incredible amount of thinking and excitement.  In the midst of the elation and thoughtful pondering (redundant<?), I realized that I am experiencing exactly the type of reaction that we are hoping to generate in our students. I would be ecstatic if even one my my students felt inspired to think of different ways that my lesson could be utilized in his or her future life. Cultivating an exciting atmosphere where students are engaged and motivated to participate is something to which I am committed. I also feel that this can be achieved by implementing activities much like the one we experienced in our class today.  Here is one idea I have for integrating a gaming approach to my french lesson:

Anyone remember playing this? Well get ready. Because Mr. Wilson is about to tell you how the game of Battleship and the French language meet in open waters.

     The idea I have for the lesson is to utilize the existing basic strategies used in the game battleship. In case you are unaware of the game, here is a link to the basic rules and objectives: 

http://boardgames.about.com/od/battleship/a/Rules-of-Battleship.htm

    The twist for my french lesson is to use subjects in place of the rows and verbs in place of the columns. In order for a successful guess or "missile launch", students will need to correctly conjugate the verb according to the specific subject. The game will then be played out much like the regular version.  Of course, this is also an opportunity to teach the students about nautical vocabulary and perhaps a history lesson on the usage of naval vessels in World War II. I am not aware of any program that is capable of performing this task online, but I have learned anything in this education with technology course, it is that the possibilities are endless with what we, as teachers, have at our disposal to enhance our classroom instruction. This transition period, as it has been labeled, offers us a chance to take risks and tap into resources that would be otherwise impossible without the use of technology and games.  

Hakuna Matata

I recently explored the blog of a french teacher by the name of Ms. Perkins. I was instantly drawn to her blog by her use of videos, pictures, and creatively placed texts.  Right away, I felt a sense of enthusiasm and joy that she carries in her work. The organization of her work was appealing and had purpose.  The description of her blog basically said that her blog was her french class lessons and her thoughts.  She wants people who read her blog to gain an understanding and appreciated for the language through her material.
    I began to read into the most recent post she had made which concerned Mr. Bean and a lesson that went along with it. The blog post is titled (translated by me) Mr. Bean's sandwich.  There is a short video clip and then a subsequent set of activities. It seems like a rather fun activity that could be given to a french class.  She even gives examples of what instructions to give along with each lesson/activity. In addition, she lists what verbs are mentioned, what vocabulary is involved, and a worksheet that could assess understanding. I'm impressed at how much detail went into this post. It is clear that this particular teachers cares a lot about her profession to take the time to craft these well-organized lessons for the world to see and from which to learn.  It was an inspirational experience traversing through her blog.
     As I continued to scroll through some of the other lessons/ideas she had posted, I began to think of which ones I could want to use for my own classroom. I came across a lesson oriented around animals and the zoo. I really enjoyed learning about animals in all my science classes, but I enjoyed it even more when we got to talk about it in french.  Maybe this was because it felt like an extra treat that we weren't supposed to be doing. In any case, I hope that I will be able to generate as much excitement as this teacher seems to create. The reason I chose this blog was not necessarily because it was a french teacher's blog, but because it was titled "No Problems!" (Sans Problemes). Made me think of lion king. And insert DVD.

Mr. Wilson

Going for it in 2

Taking risks in Education

         Taking risks in order to achieve success sounds so idealistic and distant at times.  It is something on a poster in our rooms that we glance at, but rarely practice in our lives. I don't want to make too many assumptions about the general population, but I don't think it's too far of a stretch to say that most of our daily lives consist of following routines and schedules.  Obviously some of us take more risks than others, but what I want to discuss is the potential risks in education.  In many ways, education has morphed into that stagnant cycle that produces drones instead of innovators.  A risk in education would involve taking a chance to break the standard mold in an effort to produce engagement, creativity, and motivation through an idea that goes against the norm.  Our Ed Tech class has got me thinking about the potential rewards that could result from such a daring move.  These are some questions I have floating around as I imagine what it would feel like to have an innovative idea that you wanted to test for the first time: 

Is there a reason that this has never been tried before?

Is it sustainable over a long period of time?

Would kids lose the focus of what I intended to teach by the nature of my "experiment"? 

What if I try it out and see it is not working at an early stage? Do I scrap the idea and start from scratch or do I try to push through and finish the year?

Among others...

        The idea of making teaching like a video game is an interesting and intriguing concept, in my opinion. Because a gross number of adolescents seem to gravitate towards the virtual world of video games, it seems logical to integrate that into the classroom. However, many of these games involve violence, gore, and inappropriate behavior, which we obviously do not want to condone or encourage.  But what if we cut out a few positive components of video games on a broad scale and used that to drive the motivation of the students? For example, if you created a scenario where all the students created a gamer profile that accrues points (hw, quizzes, etc.), it might give them a real sense of ownership over their work and push them to put effort into their work in fear of missing out on points if they don't.  The obvious drawback to this idea is that for people who could care less about games and points, they would probably tune out and fall behind. On the other hand, if you gave incentives to tag along with this idea, it may bring the entire class motivation up a notch.  The idea of leveling up, which is common in many games, can be implemented in a variety of ways in the classroom. Bonus rounds and multipliers can be integrated into special activities and group work. The biggest idea behind this concept is to get the students to learn while having fun. Clearly learning is not going to be a blast all the time, but using gaming in the classroom might just be enough to make a difference. That's what we're all trying to accomplish, right? 

     Going for a par 5 in two is often associated with many risks. There are lakes, trees, bunkers, and obstacles that strike fear into the hearts of the conservative folks who aren't willing to let themselves fail every once and a while. In schools, these obstacles represent the structured curriculum and standardized tests that are expected to be followed. Taking the safe route may not get you in trouble, but I feel that it diminishes the opportunity for something much more satisfying and rewarding. Take out the 3 wood and give it a whack. 

20 Questions

How can skepticism improve learning?

     Being open minded is an important skill to have, is it not? Accepting information without any filter, however, can be dangerous and foolish.  On the other hand, being too skeptical and cynical about everything we see and read will result in an isolated life of fear and doubt. No one wants that. So how de strike the balance of being open minded and skeptical and why is that important? Perhaps the better question is how do we get students to find that "happy medium" of skepticism? To answer those questions we must anticipate the subsequent inquires that children will have when we tell them they skepticism is a fragile, yet vital tool to have as a learner and personal, in general.  Here are a few of the thoughts I have after exploring the reasons that we question/absorb/reflect information and the individual experiences that lead us to those conclusions:

        The environment in which we grow up has a tremendous  affect on what beliefs and opinions we bring to any given source of information. This component alone sparks all kinds of inquiry and debate, but I want to focus on the individual aspect of assessing information, and even more specifically, information found on the web or through technology. The path I took to reach a "neutral stance" or "intelligent understanding"of a source was a process of determining the meaning of the article. Here is one example:                                                      

       There was a time when I would read "news" and soak in every bit of information thinking that people could not lie on the internet. That naive mindset slowly faded as I began to understand the author of that "news" had a purpose and a motive behind writing the information. Once I began to ask myself questions pertaining to the motive behind writing, I slowly started to realize that there was a bias laced into most pieces of literature.  However vague or obvious, this opinion based information allowed me to see that there were different perspectives that could be had on a certain matter. Furthermore, there wasn't a right and a wrong answer, just an opinion.  

      The activity today really got me thinking deeply about how and why we question the motives people have to speak their opinion or write their thoughts for many to see. As a student, what reasons do you have to be skeptical towards the teacher? Maybe (s)he is always asking me to answer because he wants to make me look bad and knows that I don't know the answer . I think Mr. X wants us to do this work so he can check his fantasy football results. I feel that Ms. Y is only concerned with our test scores because that is how she gets paid.

    I have only begun to imagine the types of skepticism we will all face as teachers. I do know that a certain amount of cynicism is necessary to develop an intelligent understanding of something, but how much is up for debate. I, personally, practice little skepticism in my day unless it is a certain area or content that I know to be predictably bias one way or the other. The questions I will consider moving forward with this thought in mind is how I will inform students of the importance of curiosity/skepticism? As well as how I can use activities like the 20 questions game today to make it engaging, fun, yet thought provoking.  

Mr. Wilson

If you hit the train tracks, you've gone too far...

Organizing your online life

    I need some sense of direction or guidance when it comes to venturing out into an unfamiliar realm, especially one as limitless and confusing as the internet can be.  As I pull out my compass and map, I start to realize that organizing an online life is much like organizing our daily schedules. There are varying degrees of order that can be seen with the likes of: colored tabs in folders, daily planners, calendars with different colored markers that correspond with different subjects, etc. However, perhaps needless to say, it is infinitely more complex when dealing with technology.  That doesn't necessarily mean that complexity is synonymous with difficulty, especially with the various tools at our disposal. For example, most of us today are aware of a few common tools that make online activities simpler and more efficient: google and wikipedia are arguable the most common of the sort.  I was recently introduced to a new (for me) tool that also enhances searching, but this specific website is engineered to help teachers and students engage in a virtual world of learning. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Gooru. 

*Notice*- The site does require some experimenting before getting comfortable with all of the customizable features. It is not as easy to use as google, but I feel it is much more useful and versatile. I recommend watching the tutorial found on the home page: http://www.goorulearning.org/#!discover

A brief overview of Gooru:

1) It is a search engine for learning that allows teachers to discover a topic related to learning. Unlike many other search engines, however, Gooru is explicitly designed to search for teaching tools. While searching, a member of Gooru (it's free) can filter the search to a degree I have never before seen. Search filters include grade level, subject area, even standards for teaching! For example, an earth science teacher can narrow a search of volcanoes down to {videos} for {high school}.

*Once I have found a tool that teaches me how to properly use screenshots, this post will (hopefully) be of much more use.

2) Once you have found a search that meets the criteria you desire, you are free to organize your findings into a customized playlist. Let me extrapolate. This site allows a teacher to form what's called a collection: a list of materials he/she would like to compile into a focused lesson.  For example, (keeping with the science teacher) a biology teacher can create a collection of "The Cell" or "Mitosis". After finding an appropriate set of materials that correlate with each title, all the teacher has to do is drag and drop the selected item into the collection. Once there, the user is free to edit, customize, and supplement the material with links and guides. The "share" option allows the teacher the option to create links to make the material public, open for sharing, or private. Another cool feature of Gooru is not all of the organizing needs to be done by the teacher. There are plenty of already existing collections that you can choose to use faithfully, or edit to your preference. 

3) once collections are created, the user has the option to create a lesson that can be interactive for students. If you select the "sharing" option, the teacher is given a link that he/she can give to the students.  The link will direct them to the collection the teacher has created which allows students to work through the lesson at their own pace and leisure.  This teach option is incredibly versatile and permits the teacher to use several different methods to integrate into the lesson. 

4) The fourth and final quadrant of this site allows students to study material provided by the teacher. This is a feature much more confined to the activities offered and constructed by the instructor. Similar to the teach compartment, the study feature can be a powerpoint, list of notes, online quiz, or a combination of them all.  

In short, it is a personalized study session for students that can be organized and controlled by the teacher.

  As I begin to explore these new tools available online, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. In saying that, I am excited to practice working with sites like this that will no doubt give me advantages I would otherwise not have.  I am looking forward to learning about the other sites in class tomorrow, in hopes of further expanding my knowledge of ways to organize my online life. 

Mr. Wilson

Dewey's Blueprint for Teaching

    Almost four weeks into the program and I have read more articles and books than I have over the past 4 years. Among these works there has been a reoccurring theme of democracy in education and centering teaching around the individual student instead of the curriculum, for example.  One of the proponents of this idea of democracy in education-the creator some might argue-is John Dewey. His proposed blueprint for education (his pedagogy) is an extensive list of ideals that he feels embodies the most effective method for teaching.  The remarkable thing about Dewey's pedagogical creed, in my opinion, is how relavent most of these statements are over a century after they were written.  This is a testament to the revolutionary way of thinking Dewey claims is essential to turning the corner in improving education in this country.

    It is difficult to point out a "most important belief" that could encapsulate the entire body of work, but I feel this reflects the complexities of education and the various tools necessary to tighten each bolt.  Instead of commenting on each of his beliefs and attempt to summarize the entire creed, I would like to explore a couple of his beliefs more in-depth.

•  "I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living." (http://dewey.pragmatism.org/creed.htm)

    Preparation is a word that surfaces time and again when discussing education.  I don't believe Dewey is discounting the value of being prepared as a teacher or as a student, but focusing our teaching around preparing students for the future is borderline senseless. As Dewey points out, because we cannot foresee the future, we cannot adequately prepare anyone for those unpredictable situations.  Instead, he argues, we should focus on developing the ability to adapt to the social construct of a respective society. My question to this approach is, with the multitude of cultural backgrounds and religions, how do we simultaneously advocate democracy and assimilation into the society?  Unless we assume that everyone will be accepting of each other's differences, there is some potential conflict to this idea. Perhaps therein lies the goal of education. To provide students with an acute sense of awareness of their own surroundings so that they will be able to make educated inferences about themselves and those around them.  

So many layers to peel back...

Mr. Wilson

References:

Dewey, J. My Pedagogical Creed. School Journal vol. 54 (January 1897), pp. 77-80

     

Skills that Skyrim can Enhance for Education

"MOM! I told you all those hours of video games would pay off!" 

  **SPOILER ALERT**

    In case you haven't played the video game Skyrim, there are dragons. Lots of them. I tried hard to think of some metaphor of teachers or students being the dragons or the player, but I couldn't find a connection that was applicable to schooling. I digress.

    Here are some thoughts I have as to how this particular video game illustrates various components of teaching: "Skills that Skyrim can Enhance for Education". Before I get into the individual stitches that weave gaming and teaching, I'd like to give a brief summary of why I thought this game would be an interesting model for teaching with technology.  Skyrim is a role playing game (RPG) whose story is largely dictated by the choice of the player.  Where those decisions lead, what consequences there are to those decisions, and the overall value of having choice will be discussed. A wide range of problem solving skills are needed to overcome the endless obstacles that make the game rather complex and challenging. Finally, I will touch on the collaboration present in the game and how the concepts involved can be related to everyday life for teachers and students.

Choice

•  You can choose to follow the main quest line or do "miscellaneous" missions

I feel this is comparable to a teacher's choice to follow the administered curriculum or to take our own path. The great thing about this game, and education, is that you can do a little of both.  

• Often, you have choices of what to say to an individual and also a list of available responses 

As clear as it may be, I'd like to point out the thought process, or lack thereof, behind the hundreds of decisions we make everyday.  Many of the choices we make throughout the day are a result of habit or a response to external stimuli. The choice feature of the game causes the player to think about what each decision means and the subsequent effects as they pertain to the player themselves and the community around them. 

• Consequences of choice - reward, fine, jail time, popularity, etc.

With every action in this game comes a subsequent reaction (minor in biology). If you choose to break the law- you will be sent to jail or pay a fine depending on the severity. If you choose not to do your homework or disrupt the class, there will be penalties enforced by the teacher/administration.  Much like receiving praise for completing a task or helping a fellow student, Skyrim allows the player to gain popularity within the community if (s)he chooses to act on the interest of bettering society. These ideas will be developed much further in future posts.

Problem Solving
   Should you choose to tackle the primary story, there are challenges that must be overcome if you wish to advance in the game. While the challenges in the game are different than those found in the classroom, the principle remains the same. For example, there are a plethora of puzzles placed perfectly that--if mastered and unlocked--provide paths to pursue the ultimate goal of the main quest. By working through these difficult tasks, several skills are exercised:

• Perception

Often times a problem in life will require a view from a different perspective in order to find a solution. Certain puzzles in the game demand the player look at the pieces from multiple angles if (s)he hopes to figure out the problem

• Confidence/Motivation

Upon solving a complicated puzzle, the player is instantly reward (the opening of a gate or door, for example).  This provides the player with confidence to begin the next puzzle with a sense of "I can do this, I've done it before".  However, the next problem may require a different approach. Having completed a similar task, the player is motivated to try a different strategy and search for a new answer. This mindset is extremely useful in facing new material presented by the instructor.

• Perseverance

More often than not, the first attempt to solve the riddle is met with failure. This procedure is no doubt consistent with many experiences in school.  Rethinking our approach to any problem, in the video game world and in our own reality, is an essential practice when trying to break down something we don't understand right away. Continuing to use all of our resources and knowledge is vital to success in both the aforementioned realms. 

Collaboration

• Among the many choices available throughout Skyrim is a choice to join a guild or group

Teaming up with a group of people can have many advantages, but also some drawbacks as well. In Skyrim, for instance, joining the "College of Winterhold" allows the player to learn certain skills, otherwise unavailable, by asking a fellow member to teach them. However, this may also make it less likely to be accepted by other competing guild or groups. In education, sharing ideas with your fellow teachers and collaborating with the administration is a way to increase effectiveness and improve quality of instruction. Unfortunately, there are instances in districts and school where attempts at collaboration are met with a closed mind rigidity. These circumstances force us to either persevere through the proverbial shell that can be our team of teachers or to choose our own pedagogy and "fly solo". 

    As I continue to develop connections between these two wildly disconnected ideas, I realize I am practicing an important trait in teaching: Thinking abstractly. Considering the potential shared characteristics of Skyrim and Education has uncovered a number of issues that I am anxious to dissect further.  This is not an attempt to advocate video games as a sole source for educational learning, but rather to point out the potential advantages technology can have for teachers and students. As is true for the art of teaching, this game cannot be mastered.  However, striving towards that ultimate goal provides an opportunity to learn how to think and to think how to learn. 

Mr. Wilson

July 2nd Reflection

Does anyone remember the game that people used to play on their calculator where you were a snake that had to eat a dot without running into itself? How about space invaders? I remember sitting in calculus senior year playing these games trying to beat the high score of my friend next to me. While I knew the designed function of the calculator was not to play games, I decided it was more fun than to figure out the inverse log and the derivatives of alpha 64 tangent high score! Please. Give me an option to use technology without a guard rail to keep me on track and I was probably not using it the way it was designed to be utilized.  I saw technology as a way to detach myself from the task going on in the class and a way to entertain myself for a few minutes.  Over the past 7 years there have been a plethora of advances in technology that exist both in and out of the classroom. That membrane is seemingly becoming more and more permeable, for better or worse.

Coming into the 504 class (Teaching with technology), I have to admit that I came in with a certain bias against technology in the classroom.  This was reflected in our very first exercise when we were asked to draw our ideal classroom and SPECIFICALLY think about how the set up involved technology.  I ignored the latter because I was more concerned with angles, grouping, desk placement, etc. I drew a few different arrangements that focused on drawing the students attention to the whiteboard I had in the front of the class. Technology was an afterthought for my class set up thinking process.  Among the many reasons I have a certain level of distain for technology is that I fear our growing infatuation with technology is linked to diminishing social skills, avoidance of personal contact, and distant/shallow relationships. This was immediately adressed by our professor which quelled many of my fears for the class being this Extremist Advocation For Technology course.

After my professors shared their own concerns for technology being the driving component of a classroom I felt much better.  It's almost as if a switch clicked on and I started to focus more intently now that I knew the purpose of the class wasn't to drive teachers out of the classroom and bring in the computers and tablets.  This is when I began to acknowledge the potential benefits of technology when it is used appropriately and responsibly.  Appropriate use of technology for my ideal classroom, for example, would be using Skype (or an equivalent) with international students to help improve listening and speaking skills in French.   I also think "old school" technology (radio) would be extremely useful in listening comprehension, especially for those students who tend to learn more effectively through auditory means.   I am starting to imagine the various ways that I can involve technology into the classroom and I look forward to learning more about the different ways I can accomplish this and the nuances of how to deliver lessons integrated with technology.

I am constantly seeing people consumed with their phones as they are out at dinner, walking around campus, or hanging out a friend's house. Technology use in the right setting can be extremely useful and enhancing. However, as is true with many things in the world, the intended use is too often misused and abused.  I hope that this blog will give me a chance to organize my thoughts as they develop throughout the year. In particular, I am curious to see how my tune changes in terms of technology and it's relationship with the modern world.  The challenge I currently see is determining a way to integrate technology into my classroom without it being a distraction or crutch.  A challenge I am eager to accept.  Happy fourth everyone!