The increase of mobile devices in the classroom has equated to a flood of educational apps in the iOS App Store and Google Play. Just a quick search for educational apps brings back thousands of results. Many of the apps are fair at best, but then there are some that prove to be worthwhile. ShowMe App is just that.
ShowMe is very simple, but can do so much. The whiteboard interface allows users to record and capture text, voice, images, and more. Users can import images from their photo gallery or web and annotate on top of the images. The writing feature works with the touch surface to appear as natural as possible. The best part is the ability to record voice because it forces one to verbalize their thinking, much like teachers practice with "think alouds" where they walk through the process aloud for students to hear and understand.
A worksheet is one thing, but what if students could create their own problem, solve the problem and talk through how they solved it, and then submit it to show their understanding? Better yet, what if they used this to record themselves teaching the concept? That is the highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy!
I could continue to write about this or actually show you...
Even better, watch real students use ShowMe...
A.E. explains mean, median, mode, and range:
E.B. is attending the middle school for algebra, so this tool allows her to explain her math while everyone continues to work on the 6th grade math standards:
M.R. explains one of her vocabulary words:
If you still want to see some more examples, please visit the following links for more student work:
6th graders doing more math:
http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=9vqrhNA
http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=fL8XbzE
6th grader discussing vocabulary:
http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=NFTMsJE
2nd grader doing place value:
http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=7vb5vO4
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
PearlTree SchmearlTree
The assignment: Write about 1/2 page on your theorist, should be bullet points rather than narrative, summarizing your theorist's big ideas. Put these summaries online in a way that shows the connections between theories/theorists.
I chose to type mine up in Google Docs because I could get all of the information in that I needed to and it seemed cohesive. I added the image of Bandura and an infographic that explains his social learning theory in three simple parts. It was quite simple to do and provided a quick way in which to view my theorist's information.
Then came the part that became disastrous....putting it together with everyone else's. First impressions of Pearltrees made it seem possible to connect things fairly simply. Wrong!
I wasn't impressed by Popplet when using it the first time, but I actually wanted to go back to it after we started to have so many issues with Pearltrees. Surprisingly, for as visual as I am, both Popplet and Pearltrees fail. I think much of it has to do with the limitations of each...and the chaos that they create. At one point, I just wanted everyone to write their information on Post-it notes and then put them on a posterboard. My board would have looked similar to an FBI Profiler's, but the string connecting everyone's theories and theorists would have made so much more sense.
I wish the content would have been displayed better so I could read everyone's and not bounce around so much. Overall, I was able to determine the connections and understand how many theories have evolved out of other work.
Creating a Pinterest CoP
Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder describe a community of practice as "groups of people who share concern, set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise int his area by interacting on an ongoing basis" (p.4).
What better way to share my passion for all things Pinterest than creating a community of practice?
In all my free time these days, that is...
Pinterest still remains a hot topic of conversation at school and among friends because of the slew of ideas that can come from it. I had previously tried to capitalize on it by doing holding a craft club with staff members, but it quickly fizzled out. Maybe it's my desire to do something non-academic for a nice break, or maybe it's because I really wanted to start my own community of practice...
We have had several get-togethers now and I am pleasantly surprised with the group thus far. Every member comes with varying levels of experience. I generally present the project to the community and they decide if it's something that they want to do. When we start, those who have more experience, or have even done the project before, help ensure that everyone understands the steps to complete it.
I am glad that my principal challenged me to try it again this year!
What better way to share my passion for all things Pinterest than creating a community of practice?
In all my free time these days, that is...
Pinterest still remains a hot topic of conversation at school and among friends because of the slew of ideas that can come from it. I had previously tried to capitalize on it by doing holding a craft club with staff members, but it quickly fizzled out. Maybe it's my desire to do something non-academic for a nice break, or maybe it's because I really wanted to start my own community of practice...
We have had several get-togethers now and I am pleasantly surprised with the group thus far. Every member comes with varying levels of experience. I generally present the project to the community and they decide if it's something that they want to do. When we start, those who have more experience, or have even done the project before, help ensure that everyone understands the steps to complete it.
I am glad that my principal challenged me to try it again this year!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Initial Thoughts on Bandura
Much like we learn over time and build upon what we already believe or hold to be true, Albert Bandura has done the same. When Bandura first started out in the field of psychology, he moved away from the behaviorist theories into the social learning theory. His research at the University of Iowa expanded the dominant behaviorist theories by focusing on the ideas of modeling, observational learning, and self-regulation, which led to the social learning theory. With further research and application, Bandura expanded his social learning theory to cognitive theory in order to support the social cognitive theory.
Bandura is one of the most cited psychologists to date. His work has had a profound impact on the field of psychology and even mass communications, communications, and education. We use his theory in education very often, without even fully knowing it.
I appreciate the fact that Bandura's work continues to develop, even now. Psychologists always seem to develop a theory and it remains stagnant with absolutely no further research that might influence change (this could be because they die before that is possible). In Bandura's case, he is still alive and still working at Stanford where his theory continues to expand and develop through continued application and research.
Bandura is one of the most cited psychologists to date. His work has had a profound impact on the field of psychology and even mass communications, communications, and education. We use his theory in education very often, without even fully knowing it.
I appreciate the fact that Bandura's work continues to develop, even now. Psychologists always seem to develop a theory and it remains stagnant with absolutely no further research that might influence change (this could be because they die before that is possible). In Bandura's case, he is still alive and still working at Stanford where his theory continues to expand and develop through continued application and research.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
CoP - CrossFit Hydro Video
The final product of my community of practice case study on CrossFit Hydro:
Who wants to join this community of practice?
Who wants to join this community of practice?
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Gamifying my Intervention Group
As I sat and watched my 6th grade intervention group work on Friday, I realized that I could gamify their learning. One of my 6th graders is an avid gamer, so I proposed my idea to him first.
What if we earn badges as we work through the lessons on various comprehension strategies? We could then Level Up to the next strategy. We could create a bulletin board where others see the badges that each student has earned. There are no prizes necessarily, but there would be public recognition.
He bought it immediately! Before I even had the chance to propose the idea to the other members of the group, he was sharing the idea and that we should do it. Two of the boys even asked if they could design the badges. SWEET!
Can't wait for these kids to badge in Main Idea, Finding Details, Cause and Effect, and more!
What if we earn badges as we work through the lessons on various comprehension strategies? We could then Level Up to the next strategy. We could create a bulletin board where others see the badges that each student has earned. There are no prizes necessarily, but there would be public recognition.
He bought it immediately! Before I even had the chance to propose the idea to the other members of the group, he was sharing the idea and that we should do it. Two of the boys even asked if they could design the badges. SWEET!
Can't wait for these kids to badge in Main Idea, Finding Details, Cause and Effect, and more!
CoP - CrossFit
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that incorporates high intensity workouts. I was unfamiliar with this form of workout until a colleague of mine responded to my inquiry email regarding CoPs. As soon as she started giving me more information about her CrossFit group, I was intrigued and thought it would fit this project perfectly.
CrossFit Hydro is a CrossFit group in Omaha that has been in existence for about 2.5 years. Justin, the owner of the gym, started this group on the campus of University of Nebraska-Omaha. He was intrigued by this type of personal workout and thought that it was a comprehensive approach in a short amount of time. Word of mouth spread about the CrossFit Hydro group on campus, and soon student athletes, students, moms, and community residents joined the group. The group outgrew the facility that they were using on UNO's campus, so they found a simple rental property nearby that is really industrialized.
CrossFit Hydro currently has about 85 members that participate in daily group workouts. Justin and his partner Brandon run the administrative side of providing this workout program. They also discuss the daily workouts and confer with several key group members. The workouts range from 50-58 minutes in length, with time to warm-up, develop a certain skill, perform the Workout of the Day (WoD), and then a group stretch time.
Each member works at their own ability level, but is pushed by Justin and the other group leaders during the workout to maximize their output. The activity is non-stop for the full workout. Once the stretching is over, members are asked to write their heaviest weight used during the WoD and the amount of repetitions of a certain activity. Each member is responsible for maintaining their records should they choose to keep track of their performance. They can input their information in the CrossFit Hydro blog for easy access.
The camaraderie of the group was very apparent as I observed the workout. Each member was willing to help another and push them to maximize their output. The men seemed to compete against one another, yet encourage each another at the same time. The women gave each other encouraging words during the workout to help push through.
Personally, I would be interested in trying to do some of these workouts, but I know it's completely different than the workout I am used to. I was encouraged to come for open gym some Tuesday night to give it a try. We'll have to see...
CrossFit Hydro is a CrossFit group in Omaha that has been in existence for about 2.5 years. Justin, the owner of the gym, started this group on the campus of University of Nebraska-Omaha. He was intrigued by this type of personal workout and thought that it was a comprehensive approach in a short amount of time. Word of mouth spread about the CrossFit Hydro group on campus, and soon student athletes, students, moms, and community residents joined the group. The group outgrew the facility that they were using on UNO's campus, so they found a simple rental property nearby that is really industrialized.
CrossFit Hydro currently has about 85 members that participate in daily group workouts. Justin and his partner Brandon run the administrative side of providing this workout program. They also discuss the daily workouts and confer with several key group members. The workouts range from 50-58 minutes in length, with time to warm-up, develop a certain skill, perform the Workout of the Day (WoD), and then a group stretch time.
Each member works at their own ability level, but is pushed by Justin and the other group leaders during the workout to maximize their output. The activity is non-stop for the full workout. Once the stretching is over, members are asked to write their heaviest weight used during the WoD and the amount of repetitions of a certain activity. Each member is responsible for maintaining their records should they choose to keep track of their performance. They can input their information in the CrossFit Hydro blog for easy access.
The camaraderie of the group was very apparent as I observed the workout. Each member was willing to help another and push them to maximize their output. The men seemed to compete against one another, yet encourage each another at the same time. The women gave each other encouraging words during the workout to help push through.
Personally, I would be interested in trying to do some of these workouts, but I know it's completely different than the workout I am used to. I was encouraged to come for open gym some Tuesday night to give it a try. We'll have to see...
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Understanding CoPs
What is a Community of Practice? To my understanding, it is a group that gathers to practice something in which they are passionate and ultimately become more experienced with more interactions.
In my own life, I've been part of many Communities of Practice (CoP), but never called it so. Most of my CoPs were church-related because I grew up in the church and find that is where I spent much of my "free time". Sign language troop, children's choir, drama team, worship arts team, Bible studies...
To this day, I am still involved in many of these CoPs because I can surround myself with people who all share similar interests and pursuits. More recently, I have become involved in online CoPs, specifically in the area of education. Social networks like Twitter and Nings, bring together passionate educators who create a very distinct type of CoP.
This project will provide a fascinating insight into other CoPs that meet, simply for the fact that there are such varying topics of interest. I plan on asking friends and family for recommendations for local CoPs before blindly selecting one to observe. It will also be interesting to compare how one of these local CoPs functions outside of a "religious" context or an online context.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Learning Theory Process
As I mentioned in my previous post, I couldn't initially answer how people learned or what I considered my own learning theory. The project was very simple and easy to create really, but it was the content that I had to wait for and ponder. As I worked with my students in small groups, I realized that I didn't know how they preferred to learn. When students come to me for our brief intervention time, we are all business (some play, but mainly business). So, why would I ask them how they learn best when I already know how I have to teach them? Wow, did I really think that?!
I remembered a YouTube video with students asking to be engaged, so I watched it again. (You can too here: http://youtu.be/ZokqjjIy77Y) Then I took a walk around my school to see how learning was taking place, and if indeed students were engaged in their learning. No surprise...I saw very few students engaged in learning. So I wondered, how do we engage students so they are invested in their own learning? Well we start by asking them how they learn best...
That is exactly what I did, asked students. Some of my youngest ones needed examples of learning styles or ways in which we learn, but they were very quick to identify which ones they preferred. Then they wrote on whiteboards or papers and I captured it. Simple. Intense, considering that many had never been asked the question before.
My trailer took a serious tone because I wanted viewers to see how serious my students took the question. I actually trimmed a lot of my footage for time sake, but still went over the time limit. I felt that the message needed to be conveyed directly from the students themselves, and 2 minutes just wasn't enough to hear what students had to say. I think we managed to get the message across and I was able to fully develop my learning theory.
I remembered a YouTube video with students asking to be engaged, so I watched it again. (You can too here: http://youtu.be/ZokqjjIy77Y) Then I took a walk around my school to see how learning was taking place, and if indeed students were engaged in their learning. No surprise...I saw very few students engaged in learning. So I wondered, how do we engage students so they are invested in their own learning? Well we start by asking them how they learn best...
That is exactly what I did, asked students. Some of my youngest ones needed examples of learning styles or ways in which we learn, but they were very quick to identify which ones they preferred. Then they wrote on whiteboards or papers and I captured it. Simple. Intense, considering that many had never been asked the question before.
My trailer took a serious tone because I wanted viewers to see how serious my students took the question. I actually trimmed a lot of my footage for time sake, but still went over the time limit. I felt that the message needed to be conveyed directly from the students themselves, and 2 minutes just wasn't enough to hear what students had to say. I think we managed to get the message across and I was able to fully develop my learning theory.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Theory of Learning
What is your theory of learning?
This is a big question. Initially, I couldn't answer it. I think people learn in many different ways and it's difficult to put it into a concise thought. So I let it marinate....for quite a while. I worked on exercises for class, I read about things online, I read our books, I observed students. It wasn't until I watched students "learning", or not learning in some cases, that I began to wrap my head around how people learn.
*Learning happens when we allow students to use their preferred learning style.
My preferred learning intelligence, or style, is visual-spatial and interpersonal. I need to see, feel, and design information to learn it. After I have done this, I need to talk about it...a lot! Once I am able to discuss new learning with someone or a group, I internalize the information and I remember it much easier. Students have their preferred learning styles - generally not a sit and listen to lecture style either. We want students to be aware of their learning and know how they learn best. But we also have to take it a step further and ensure that we are accommodating the various learning styles.
*Learning happens when we communicate and collaborate.
Communication and collaboration are 21st century skills that our students should be honing every day. There simply isn't an excuse for not allowing students to work together in pairs or small groups and talk about their learning. These skills are expected in the real world. What better place than school to model the skills, address issues that come up while working on them, and practice their use? The real world and school world can no longer be isolated places with no overlap.
*Learning happens from each other.
Once we allow students to work together and talk through things, we will see that learning takes place because there is shared learning. It is inevitable. Students will work through the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning by progressing through each stage. If students take the time to verbalize the information that they are taking in with others, they will learn how to understand and apply the information, as well as analyze and evaluate the information.
*Learning happens within the context of the tools that students know how to use.
Students are very literate in their preferred literacies of technology, gaming, and more. Imagine tapping into that literacy to teach content that meets standards. Technology plays a large role in students' literacies now, but so do many other areas. We have to assess what tools our students use and bring that into the classroom if we want them to understand the application of content. If we continue to teach content without context or a real world application, the learning will not be committed to memory.
This is a big question. Initially, I couldn't answer it. I think people learn in many different ways and it's difficult to put it into a concise thought. So I let it marinate....for quite a while. I worked on exercises for class, I read about things online, I read our books, I observed students. It wasn't until I watched students "learning", or not learning in some cases, that I began to wrap my head around how people learn.
*Learning happens when we allow students to use their preferred learning style.
My preferred learning intelligence, or style, is visual-spatial and interpersonal. I need to see, feel, and design information to learn it. After I have done this, I need to talk about it...a lot! Once I am able to discuss new learning with someone or a group, I internalize the information and I remember it much easier. Students have their preferred learning styles - generally not a sit and listen to lecture style either. We want students to be aware of their learning and know how they learn best. But we also have to take it a step further and ensure that we are accommodating the various learning styles.
*Learning happens when we communicate and collaborate.
Communication and collaboration are 21st century skills that our students should be honing every day. There simply isn't an excuse for not allowing students to work together in pairs or small groups and talk about their learning. These skills are expected in the real world. What better place than school to model the skills, address issues that come up while working on them, and practice their use? The real world and school world can no longer be isolated places with no overlap.
Once we allow students to work together and talk through things, we will see that learning takes place because there is shared learning. It is inevitable. Students will work through the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning by progressing through each stage. If students take the time to verbalize the information that they are taking in with others, they will learn how to understand and apply the information, as well as analyze and evaluate the information.
*Learning happens within the context of the tools that students know how to use.
Students are very literate in their preferred literacies of technology, gaming, and more. Imagine tapping into that literacy to teach content that meets standards. Technology plays a large role in students' literacies now, but so do many other areas. We have to assess what tools our students use and bring that into the classroom if we want them to understand the application of content. If we continue to teach content without context or a real world application, the learning will not be committed to memory.
Four Essential Questions
1. Answer from your own perspective: Is learning a solitary activity, undertaken by an individual, or is learning a social activity, something done by a group within a context?
I think learning happens in the manner that you prefer or want it to happen. Some people choose to isolate themselves to read, study, and learn information. Others choose to learn within groups or networks to work through problems, discuss key points, and summarize what has been learned.
My husband is a solitary learner. Ryan can work well in groups, but prefers to work and learn by himself. During his undergrad years, he spent hours in the university library studying and reading in isolation because that was his preferred method of learning. Once he started his MBA through Florida State's Online campus, he functioned primarily the same way - spending a lot of time reading and learning, by himself.
I am a social learner. I much prefer to take in information and then process that information with others to ensure understanding. I almost typed "correct understanding", then realized that often it's not about correct understanding, but understanding that makes sense in context. Reading all of the books for MALT thus far has proven to be a true challenge for me, because I'm not sharing the load or discussing them with other people immediately.
2. Answer from your own perspective: Is learning primarily focused on the transmission of facts and information or is it focused on the development of understanding of concepts and new knowledge?
It really depends on who you ask. The creators of standardized tests and the government officials who support these tests want learning to be about facts and information that can easily be recalled for testing purposes. Many educators, administrators, and leaders in education reform want learning to be about development of concepts and new knowledge that can be applied in the real world. I am personally in the latter group because I want learning to be about developing concepts and knowledge in order to put them to use in real-life contexts. However, state testing requires me to focus on facts and specific information that is on the test in order to ensure my students meet expectations. It is a terrible place to be when you know what's best for students, but are required to do what will help your school and district meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) according to the No Child Left Behind Act.
3. Answer from your own perspective: Is our goal as educators to prepare an individual who can recall sets of information or develop groups of individuals who can apply the information to as yet unsolved problems?
This question reminds me of a statement by Alan November during his ISTE session entitled Digital Farms, "If a student can Google the answer in under a minute, it shouldn't be tested." We live in an age where students can quickly and easily access information. We have moved beyond the type of learning that requires students to memorize and regurgitate facts because those kinds of answers are just a few keystrokes away. Now, learning has become modeling and guiding students to discover their natural abilities to become students who create, communicate, collaborate, critically-think, and problem-solve. Once students hone these skills they will be able to apply their knowledge to solve any problem.
4. Answer from your own perspective: Does development precede learning, or does learning precede development?
This question makes me think back to my Early Childhood Education classes where we often discussed development and learning. Development and learning have a dynamic relationship. Cognitive, physical, and social/emotional development have to take place in order to learn. Coincidentally, learning must take place for cognitive, physical, and social/emotional development to take place.
Much like Smith says in his book, learning happens without awareness, particularly when in the company of a child's first teachers - his parents. Children learn while in utero, and from that moment on. Is it developmentally appropriate to speak to a baby in complete sentences? Absolutely. Is it developmentally appropriate to model social behaviors and manners to toddlers? Absolutely. Is it developmentally appropriate to read stories to Pre-K children and discuss the title page, author, and concepts of print? Absolutely. Learning happens while we develop. Development happens when we learn.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
You are a Genius
"They learn to be nonreaders, or that they are nonspellers, or that they can't do mathematics. They learn who they are. If they learn they are leaders or geniuses (or clowns or fools) they behave accordingly." Frank Smith p. 10
It is the last line that Smith says that struck me the most. "If they learn they are leaders or geniuses...they behave accordingly." If we show our children that they are geniuses with amazing abilities in this life, they will believe it and be it.
My friend and mentor Angela Maiers has talked about the idea of letting kids know that they are their own genius quite a bit in the past couple of years. She has challenged many teachers to tell their students "You are a genius and the world needs your contribution" when they enter their rooms. It is through this labeling of each child and identifying them as geniuses that children take on the characteristics of a genius and the attitude of a genius. They hone their "habitudes" of curiosity, imagination, perseverance, self-awareness, adaptability, courage, and passion to be leaders and geniuses of this world.
So imagine putting this out there for students in your classroom and see how they learn who they are. They ARE leaders. They ARE geniuses. They will learn this without "learning" it...and because of this, they will also learn to change the world.
It is the last line that Smith says that struck me the most. "If they learn they are leaders or geniuses...they behave accordingly." If we show our children that they are geniuses with amazing abilities in this life, they will believe it and be it.
My friend and mentor Angela Maiers has talked about the idea of letting kids know that they are their own genius quite a bit in the past couple of years. She has challenged many teachers to tell their students "You are a genius and the world needs your contribution" when they enter their rooms. It is through this labeling of each child and identifying them as geniuses that children take on the characteristics of a genius and the attitude of a genius. They hone their "habitudes" of curiosity, imagination, perseverance, self-awareness, adaptability, courage, and passion to be leaders and geniuses of this world.
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| Photo used with permission from Angelamaiers.com |
So imagine putting this out there for students in your classroom and see how they learn who they are. They ARE leaders. They ARE geniuses. They will learn this without "learning" it...and because of this, they will also learn to change the world.
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| Photo used with permission from Angelamaiers.com |
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Probing
Probing Principle: Learning is a cycle of probing the world (doing something); reflecting in and on this action and, on this basis, forming a hypothesis; reprobing the world to test this hypothesis; and then accepting or rethinking the hypothesis.
Once I completed the tutorial in The Settlers, I was on my own. My little settlement that I had established was busy making things, but I wanted more. I set out to search for quests by wandering or probing. I was stuck on my part of the land and in my settlement without the ability to move anywhere else. I hypothesized that by accepting a quest I would be able to leave my settlement. In the initial tutorial, the quests kept you in your own settlement, but allowed you to explore further out than where your settlers lived. I was hoping that it would change once I finished the tutorial. I wandered around (reprobed) trying to fulfill the challenge, but in reality the challenge was to send one of my explorers to do it for me. I never really knew where they went. When they returned, they informed me that they had found copper, gold, rebels needing to be killed, etc. It was not until after they returned that I was able to see where they had gone. Much of the time, it was just a little beyond where everyone lived, but still on our piece of land. This often made me rethink of my original hypothesis in order to regroup and try again. Perhaps a different quest would finally take me elsewhere... Thus far, it has not. I'm frustrated about that. I was hoping to interact with other players a bit more than just chatting.
Once I completed the tutorial in The Settlers, I was on my own. My little settlement that I had established was busy making things, but I wanted more. I set out to search for quests by wandering or probing. I was stuck on my part of the land and in my settlement without the ability to move anywhere else. I hypothesized that by accepting a quest I would be able to leave my settlement. In the initial tutorial, the quests kept you in your own settlement, but allowed you to explore further out than where your settlers lived. I was hoping that it would change once I finished the tutorial. I wandered around (reprobed) trying to fulfill the challenge, but in reality the challenge was to send one of my explorers to do it for me. I never really knew where they went. When they returned, they informed me that they had found copper, gold, rebels needing to be killed, etc. It was not until after they returned that I was able to see where they had gone. Much of the time, it was just a little beyond where everyone lived, but still on our piece of land. This often made me rethink of my original hypothesis in order to regroup and try again. Perhaps a different quest would finally take me elsewhere... Thus far, it has not. I'm frustrated about that. I was hoping to interact with other players a bit more than just chatting.
Just Keep Swimming
What happens when you don't have the chance to open your email until 30 minutes before class, only to find out that you're leading your own class and you better come prepared? Give yourself a brief moment to panic, quickly brainstorm some topic ideas, and then find out where everyone is meeting. This is exactly what happened to me tonight after a long day of work and trying to eat somewhere along the way. Fortunately, I have an amazing group of people who are all in this with me and we managed just fine.
As an elementary student, I attended a private Christian school that used the PACE curriculum. It was called PACE because students went at their own pace and worked through the workbooks with as little or as much time and help as necessary. I did a lot of my own self-guided learning in third through sixth grade and am familiar with how it needs to be addressed. Tonight's class took me back to elementary school where it was up to me to pace myself. Yes, there were others along for the ride this time, and I wasn't completely alone, but in fact we were directing our own learning. This tends to be how MALT works in many ways. Most days I feel like I'm barely staying afloat with all of the demands and am doing much of my learning in a self-guided format. My peers are here to help me along the way, but I am in charge of my own learning. When I feel like I might be in danger of drowning, I think of Dory's song from Finding Nemo..."You know what you gotta do when life gets you down? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.What do we do, we swim, swim, swim. Oh ho ho how I love to swim." Sunday, August 26, 2012
Friday Night Fever and Gaming
It's time for Friday Night Fever...which must mean it's time for high school football...
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Tonight I was able to attend the first game of the season for Ralston High School (district's only high school). I arrived early enough to mingle with district administrators at the BratFest, which is always good. Then we headed for the football field to watch the Rams take on the Crete Cardinals. I don't normally get involved with a football game, even when I'm at a live game. I like the atmosphere and people-watching, but that's about it. Tonight was a different experience, completely. I have decided it is largely in part due to my time gaming. I now know certain plays and formations and have a much better understanding of the game. Do these high schoolers run really complicated plays like the options available on NCAA College Football '13? Not entirely. Nevertheless, I was able to understand the run/pass plays that the Rams so clearly executed well to beat the Cardinals 33-7.
The best part of the whole game was when the Rams were going for the PAT after their second touchdown, but the play clock was quickly winding down, so I yelled "call a timeout" and sure enough, the coaches did. It was then that I knew they weren't going to go for just the 1 point PAT, they wanted to push for a 2 point conversion. When the timeout was over, they were in place, snapped the ball, and the runner got blocked on the left side, so he quickly retreated back to the middle and found an opening on the right to run the ball right in to the end zone. I called it, just like I would make the same call when I'm playing NCAA College Football!
What I found most interesting about this whole experience is that I was able to hold my own in a conversation with surrounding fans. I was sharing my learning! I was seeing the dispersed principle come to fruition from my own gaming and learning into the real world as I talked to people. The men seemed pretty impressed that I knew what I was talking about. Do they still know way more than I do? Of course. But it honestly felt like an out-of-body experience as I could see myself taking a learning principle from Gee's book, seeing how it applied to my own gaming, and then making it happen in real life. My husband was not able to join me for the game, but you can bet that he heard all about my football conversation when I returned home.
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Tonight I was able to attend the first game of the season for Ralston High School (district's only high school). I arrived early enough to mingle with district administrators at the BratFest, which is always good. Then we headed for the football field to watch the Rams take on the Crete Cardinals. I don't normally get involved with a football game, even when I'm at a live game. I like the atmosphere and people-watching, but that's about it. Tonight was a different experience, completely. I have decided it is largely in part due to my time gaming. I now know certain plays and formations and have a much better understanding of the game. Do these high schoolers run really complicated plays like the options available on NCAA College Football '13? Not entirely. Nevertheless, I was able to understand the run/pass plays that the Rams so clearly executed well to beat the Cardinals 33-7.
The best part of the whole game was when the Rams were going for the PAT after their second touchdown, but the play clock was quickly winding down, so I yelled "call a timeout" and sure enough, the coaches did. It was then that I knew they weren't going to go for just the 1 point PAT, they wanted to push for a 2 point conversion. When the timeout was over, they were in place, snapped the ball, and the runner got blocked on the left side, so he quickly retreated back to the middle and found an opening on the right to run the ball right in to the end zone. I called it, just like I would make the same call when I'm playing NCAA College Football!
What I found most interesting about this whole experience is that I was able to hold my own in a conversation with surrounding fans. I was sharing my learning! I was seeing the dispersed principle come to fruition from my own gaming and learning into the real world as I talked to people. The men seemed pretty impressed that I knew what I was talking about. Do they still know way more than I do? Of course. But it honestly felt like an out-of-body experience as I could see myself taking a learning principle from Gee's book, seeing how it applied to my own gaming, and then making it happen in real life. My husband was not able to join me for the game, but you can bet that he heard all about my football conversation when I returned home.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Settling In
I'm settling in...I think.
Since my venture to be a pirate didn't go as planned, I have since become a settler...Peyton Earlham to be exact.
The Settlers is an MMO game that is played online with no download. Players start with a piece of land and go through the tutorial to fully understand how things work and how best to settle. These first few moments of settling may seem rather trivial because it is all prompted by the tutorial, however the key to productivity is also based on how you arrange your settlement. Different buildings, factories, residences, and storehouses all vary in importance to the new settlement and require a bit of strategy.
The tutorial provides a lot of information and help up front. However, I have found the Discovery Principle to be more helpful because it allows for me as the player to learn as I play. Because I have been able to explore my settlement and its development, I am able to execute the quests when they appear. I can always refer to the FAQs or the wiki that has been created should questions arise.
I've been thinking about this principle with my ELL students. According to ELL strategies, frontloading, or providing information at the front of a lesson to help build background, is very helpful to overall learning and retention. When I read about the Discovery Principle, I questioned whether or not what I was doing was then right. My students are often confused when I frontload information because it is not in context or they have never had exposure to the information. The idea behind the Discovery Principle truly makes sense to me because it allows students to be immersed in the content with just enough information to help them understand. These two schools of thought seem to contradict one another though. My ELL director would argue that frontloading is still an important ELL strategy, but I'm starting to doubt that it really is when you look at how we learn...in context.
I don't have the answer really. Maybe frontloading works for some, while it doesn't for others. Perhaps a combination of the two is truly necessary to see results. I'd like to further explore this with my students this year...
Since my venture to be a pirate didn't go as planned, I have since become a settler...Peyton Earlham to be exact.
The Settlers is an MMO game that is played online with no download. Players start with a piece of land and go through the tutorial to fully understand how things work and how best to settle. These first few moments of settling may seem rather trivial because it is all prompted by the tutorial, however the key to productivity is also based on how you arrange your settlement. Different buildings, factories, residences, and storehouses all vary in importance to the new settlement and require a bit of strategy.
The tutorial provides a lot of information and help up front. However, I have found the Discovery Principle to be more helpful because it allows for me as the player to learn as I play. Because I have been able to explore my settlement and its development, I am able to execute the quests when they appear. I can always refer to the FAQs or the wiki that has been created should questions arise.
I've been thinking about this principle with my ELL students. According to ELL strategies, frontloading, or providing information at the front of a lesson to help build background, is very helpful to overall learning and retention. When I read about the Discovery Principle, I questioned whether or not what I was doing was then right. My students are often confused when I frontload information because it is not in context or they have never had exposure to the information. The idea behind the Discovery Principle truly makes sense to me because it allows students to be immersed in the content with just enough information to help them understand. These two schools of thought seem to contradict one another though. My ELL director would argue that frontloading is still an important ELL strategy, but I'm starting to doubt that it really is when you look at how we learn...in context.
I don't have the answer really. Maybe frontloading works for some, while it doesn't for others. Perhaps a combination of the two is truly necessary to see results. I'd like to further explore this with my students this year...
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Two-a-Days Aren't Required Virtually, Right?
With the 2012 college football season just a matter of days away, I can't help but think of the actual football players doing two-a-days right now in preparation for their big season. I would like to think that my own virtual players are undergoing the same amount of practice, but they're simply not. As much as NCAA College Football replicates the actual playing experience, I understand it is not real. Nevertheless, I feel the identity principle and practice principle are both driving my experience so far.
NCAA College Football does not require that one create an identity within the game if you're playing exhibition games like myself. There is the opportunity to become a "real player" out on the field though. While there are different aspects to this type of identity development compared to a role play game, it is easy to transport yourself into the "real player" because of the overall player mentality that sets in. No matter who you are, or how much you know about football, you want to be the teammate that helps win.
Much like the real world football players who practice on a consistent basis, it is important to practice in NCAA College Football. When I started the game up tonight, I opted not to run a few plays in practice mode and instead chose to play a game right away. While my opponent was lower ranked than my team, and I still played at the freshman level, I found it much more difficult to execute plays. I fumbled over buttons in the plays and got frustrated very quickly. My field goal attempts were abismal and we went into a double overtime with a tied game of, get this...........0-0. Really?? One more quarterback sac, as well as a run into the end zone that finally helped me gain a point advantage, I won the game. About halfway through I wanted to abandon ship and go back to the practice field because I could tell that I was indeed out of practice. The practice principle is there for a reason...and in my case tonight, I now see why.
Thus far, I am not too certain how this is helping develop my love of the game, or even my knowledge about it. If I spend some more time in practice and develop my skills in a handful of plays that I can always defer to, then maybe I will be able to understand the complexities a bit more. For now, I still feel like I'm just quickly selecting a play because it looks different than the one I just ran. While that may be one way of pursuing a win, I would like to think there is more strategy and development required to further guarantee success in each game.
Pirate's Life Isn't for Me
After several attempts at playing Pirate Storm, I have discovered that a pirate's life isn't for me.
Pirate Storm is designed to be a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) with some aspects of role play (MMORP) due to the fact that you take on the role of a pirate. The biggest downside to this game is that since it is played online with now downloads required, the actual game is very simple and has limited functions. The screenshots I showed in my previous post are an accurate representation of the game and its limits. I sought out information and tutorials online to help me further understand the way in which the game worked, but continued to find broken link after broken link or membership only sites. To a beginner user, this was an immediate turnoff and predictor of how the game would start to feel.
I was never actually able to accomplish any quests because the cannon-happy pirates would sail nearby and start a battle, which I would always lose in epic proportions. When I felt like I was getting the hang of killing the sea creatures, my arsenal of weaponry was sufficiently depleted because of my half life status after being sunk. Sure I could spend actual money and buy diamonds that would increase my power, my fleet, or just my ship size...but I don't really want to invest my hard-earned money in a fake arsenal.
The idea of pirate role play is what initially caught my attention, but then I quickly realized that I didn't actually feel like a pirate at all. Instead, I was a wimpy ship sailing the crowded seas and being blown to pieces every few nautical miles. It didn't feel like there was much opportunity to develop my skills...shoot cannons or be shot...with the latter happening more than I care to think about.
Overall, Pirate Storm couldn't keep my attention as an actual user. I was easily frustrated by the lack of direction once you got past the tutorial to know how to become stronger or power up. There wasn't that great of a "community" while playing it either. If I'm going to play an MMO, then I want to feel like I'm doing it with other people and not be some lonely ship at sea.
Guess I'll have to find my gaming booty elsewhere.
Pirate Storm is designed to be a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) with some aspects of role play (MMORP) due to the fact that you take on the role of a pirate. The biggest downside to this game is that since it is played online with now downloads required, the actual game is very simple and has limited functions. The screenshots I showed in my previous post are an accurate representation of the game and its limits. I sought out information and tutorials online to help me further understand the way in which the game worked, but continued to find broken link after broken link or membership only sites. To a beginner user, this was an immediate turnoff and predictor of how the game would start to feel.
I was never actually able to accomplish any quests because the cannon-happy pirates would sail nearby and start a battle, which I would always lose in epic proportions. When I felt like I was getting the hang of killing the sea creatures, my arsenal of weaponry was sufficiently depleted because of my half life status after being sunk. Sure I could spend actual money and buy diamonds that would increase my power, my fleet, or just my ship size...but I don't really want to invest my hard-earned money in a fake arsenal.
The idea of pirate role play is what initially caught my attention, but then I quickly realized that I didn't actually feel like a pirate at all. Instead, I was a wimpy ship sailing the crowded seas and being blown to pieces every few nautical miles. It didn't feel like there was much opportunity to develop my skills...shoot cannons or be shot...with the latter happening more than I care to think about.
Overall, Pirate Storm couldn't keep my attention as an actual user. I was easily frustrated by the lack of direction once you got past the tutorial to know how to become stronger or power up. There wasn't that great of a "community" while playing it either. If I'm going to play an MMO, then I want to feel like I'm doing it with other people and not be some lonely ship at sea.
Guess I'll have to find my gaming booty elsewhere.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Arr Matey!
Captain Jack Sparrow and the pirate life has always been intriguing to me. Perhaps it's just Johnny Depp playing him in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or maybe it's the thought of being an explorer on the open seas with the ability to take down other ships. Whatever the case may be, I was drawn to the MMO game Pirate Storm.
The first time I played the game, I chose to go through the tutorial. Everything was very easy to maneuver through because the game-makers created it to give new users a sense of quick understanding. I completed my tasks, learned how to get in and out of the port, attack other ships, fix my ship, attack sea monsters, and more. Then it was time to play.
By completing the tutorial, I was given a false sense of confidence. I didn't realize this until the game had officially started and ships came by to start attacking me immediately out of the port. While in the tutorial, or training mode, the new user works through how to do things and doesn't see the game as it really would be with other users.
I was able to kill several sea monsters, pick up some booty, and attack a couple of ships. But I was attacked more, so my ship was sunk. Luckily I could come back and play again.
I am frustrated as I play because there are no clues or help along the way. I just want to know why my cannons firing back aren't as powerful or doing as much damage or why there are so many ships with the same name (is it a fleet?).
The first time I played the game, I chose to go through the tutorial. Everything was very easy to maneuver through because the game-makers created it to give new users a sense of quick understanding. I completed my tasks, learned how to get in and out of the port, attack other ships, fix my ship, attack sea monsters, and more. Then it was time to play.
By completing the tutorial, I was given a false sense of confidence. I didn't realize this until the game had officially started and ships came by to start attacking me immediately out of the port. While in the tutorial, or training mode, the new user works through how to do things and doesn't see the game as it really would be with other users.
I was able to kill several sea monsters, pick up some booty, and attack a couple of ships. But I was attacked more, so my ship was sunk. Luckily I could come back and play again.
I am frustrated as I play because there are no clues or help along the way. I just want to know why my cannons firing back aren't as powerful or doing as much damage or why there are so many ships with the same name (is it a fleet?).
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Intro to NCAA College Football '13
A little background as to why I chose NCAA College Football '13...My husband is obsessed with football in all aspects. He lives for Husker football and has since he was very young (apparently you're born a fan in Nebraska, whether you like it or not). I have learned to be a football widow in the fall into the winter as he watches every possible college and professional game available on DirecTV, including the NFL Ticket. As part of our engagement, it was required that I learn all about the Big 12, including school names, locations, and mascots. No joke.When first posed with the challenge of gaming for the month of August, I defaulted to NCAA College Football '13 because I knew Ryan had just purchased it before I left for CadreCamp. While playing this is required for class, I think it's also required for me to further understand what draws my husband in for hours at a time. I know he loves to play the game as if he were the actual players, but he loves the complexity of the game too. I wanted to understand this.
First time playing...Last night was NCAA College Football 101. Ryan knew he needed to leave much of it to me to figure out myself, but he did help me understand basics like turning on the PS3 (seriously), which buttons performed certain functions, and a brief snapshot of what the game requires. Surprisingly, I wanted to jump right in, so I did.
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