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!