What technology-related games have you played in the past? What are your favorites? What are your thoughts concerning the use of gaming for education/learning?
I grew up playing an Intelevison that played Atari games. When I was in the USAF I played Duke Nuke Em. I have never really been drawn to video games or any kind of role playing. I know that it can be a useful way to learn. My learning and mind are in no need of this. I am ashamed to admit that my favorite games have been the ones where there is fighting and shooting. But I have such a vivid and colorful imagination that a book or a day dream can do more to take me to another world than a video game can.
I'm excited about what video games and role playing could do for kids. I wonder if at one point they combine holographic images and video games. What would it be like to talk to a live size version of Ronald Reagan, etc. Students are so drawn into video games and could benefit from them. What I like is when the role playing games make kids think about what they are doing and solve problems. The World of Warcraft games did this with finances, and bartering.
I do wonder though, if students are trying to avoid thinking too much. Thinking equals work and work equals no fun and relaxation for them.
I do believe that this is a worthy area for education and technology to pursue and develop. The idea of taking students into a virtual history of the Battle of Midway where they see the battle unfold and can be held to the same limitations and options that the participants had in relaunching the battle as they role play General MacArthur is fantastic. Students would really understand history in a way that is nearly impossible to explain.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
What are your thoughts on social networking for educational purposes?
This seems like something that is talked about more than carried out. I for one have been blocked by school policies and then technology. It would be a great way to give the class a way to conect when they are not together. In a way, I almost wish that I was teaching an online course, where students had to coolaborate with and through web 2.0 technology. I'm am currently having good success with using google docs, and students are benifiting form sharing with me and eachother.
I do see this as being the future of education. I have an idea. Cut all the overhead with school campuses and put all the classes online allowing teachers to teach at home for more pay.
Is there a use? Why or why not?
There is a use. Beyond what I've already described you can give students a way to coolaborate and carry out assinments outside schoool boundries. You this can be a safe place to share and be known. It seems like people are more real in these settings, though their is always the risk of deception.
Compare and contrast Facebook, LindedIn, and Ning. Which would be the most appropriate for classroom use?
All have a way to leave information on ones site. You have a measure of persnalization. LindedLn is more aimed at non-educaton profesionals who want to network. The most similas are facebook and the last where facebook is more personal. All of theses allow you to share media. All have membership. I suppose that Ning would be the most appropriate for educational use because it is more modular where all the students could belong to the same site. I would be interest to see if this works at my school, and then may be I'll try it.
This seems like something that is talked about more than carried out. I for one have been blocked by school policies and then technology. It would be a great way to give the class a way to conect when they are not together. In a way, I almost wish that I was teaching an online course, where students had to coolaborate with and through web 2.0 technology. I'm am currently having good success with using google docs, and students are benifiting form sharing with me and eachother.
I do see this as being the future of education. I have an idea. Cut all the overhead with school campuses and put all the classes online allowing teachers to teach at home for more pay.
Is there a use? Why or why not?
There is a use. Beyond what I've already described you can give students a way to coolaborate and carry out assinments outside schoool boundries. You this can be a safe place to share and be known. It seems like people are more real in these settings, though their is always the risk of deception.
Compare and contrast Facebook, LindedIn, and Ning. Which would be the most appropriate for classroom use?
All have a way to leave information on ones site. You have a measure of persnalization. LindedLn is more aimed at non-educaton profesionals who want to network. The most similas are facebook and the last where facebook is more personal. All of theses allow you to share media. All have membership. I suppose that Ning would be the most appropriate for educational use because it is more modular where all the students could belong to the same site. I would be interest to see if this works at my school, and then may be I'll try it.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Microblogging
Edmondo, Twitter, and Microblogging are addicting. I don't know if I can explain why other than it seems to meet a social need. I particularly like the RSS function where breaking news stories can be feed to you. It is also cool when someone starts following you. I can't help but wonder why while feeling flattered in a way. There is something about knowing what others are doing and thinking about.
As far as education goes I was disappointed to find out that my schools web browser will not run Edmondo. I set up all my classes just to find out that version 7 of Explorer is needed. I plan on trying to get my tech department to update but suspect they have purposefully held back due to their security software.
I do see the educational benefit. I would love to be able to so easily share with my students and allow them to collaborate. It could serve as a way to work on a project together while in the privacy of their own home. I am interested in using this technology if and when I can set up a sister class in Japan, or Germany. I hope to use this technology with my class soon.
As far as education goes I was disappointed to find out that my schools web browser will not run Edmondo. I set up all my classes just to find out that version 7 of Explorer is needed. I plan on trying to get my tech department to update but suspect they have purposefully held back due to their security software.
I do see the educational benefit. I would love to be able to so easily share with my students and allow them to collaborate. It could serve as a way to work on a project together while in the privacy of their own home. I am interested in using this technology if and when I can set up a sister class in Japan, or Germany. I hope to use this technology with my class soon.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
RSS & Pipes
What was your experience with tagging, RSS feeds, and Yahoo Pipes?
I was not really using these technologies. I am starting to add some RSS feeds to my FireFox browser and now find myself wondering why I didn't look into this earlier. I need a way to keep up with current events. It also allows me to feed my Delicious account so I don't have to have that page handy anymore. I also like how I can look at the news headlines without going to the sites themselves before deciding what I want to look at. There is a bit of a learning curve with Yahoo Pipes. I watched a couple of tutorials in YouTube before I could figure out hoe to do what I wanted. I do see myself continuing to use these tools.
My Pipe
How might these be used in the classroom?
I made my Pipes able to sort information from various news sites. All you have to do is enter a search term and then it will give ou all of the results. This could be good for projects where you want students to search only a hand full of sites. To do this you could make a text interface that will only look at the site that you give. The RSS would be a great way to handle current events and my weekly look at political cartoons. I often feel overwhelmed by the information out there and hate poking around web sites for good stories.
What literacy skills do these tools incorporate?
If you started with an article and then looked at the RSS feed for it then students would see an example of main idea and summary. Students could then create their own RSS feed based on an article they read. Students will need to interpret relevance of stories based on limited information. Students will learn how to filter information by keywords.
How might you use them for your own professional purposes?
Mostly to keep up on current events. I don't want to miss an important article that would be valuable to share in class. Most stories have a shelf-life. I want to give students a fresh look at the events as they happen.
I was not really using these technologies. I am starting to add some RSS feeds to my FireFox browser and now find myself wondering why I didn't look into this earlier. I need a way to keep up with current events. It also allows me to feed my Delicious account so I don't have to have that page handy anymore. I also like how I can look at the news headlines without going to the sites themselves before deciding what I want to look at. There is a bit of a learning curve with Yahoo Pipes. I watched a couple of tutorials in YouTube before I could figure out hoe to do what I wanted. I do see myself continuing to use these tools.
My Pipe
How might these be used in the classroom?
I made my Pipes able to sort information from various news sites. All you have to do is enter a search term and then it will give ou all of the results. This could be good for projects where you want students to search only a hand full of sites. To do this you could make a text interface that will only look at the site that you give. The RSS would be a great way to handle current events and my weekly look at political cartoons. I often feel overwhelmed by the information out there and hate poking around web sites for good stories.
What literacy skills do these tools incorporate?
If you started with an article and then looked at the RSS feed for it then students would see an example of main idea and summary. Students could then create their own RSS feed based on an article they read. Students will need to interpret relevance of stories based on limited information. Students will learn how to filter information by keywords.
How might you use them for your own professional purposes?
Mostly to keep up on current events. I don't want to miss an important article that would be valuable to share in class. Most stories have a shelf-life. I want to give students a fresh look at the events as they happen.
Twitter Reading
7 Things You Should Know About Twitter
I am struggling to see the benefits of this one. Perhaps once we talk about it in class I may change my mind. I do see one possibility. In a setting where you want students to communicate without talking you could have them Twitter instead. The teacher could then monitor and guide conversation to learning, and like the article says students would be forced into metacognition.
Any way that we can encourage students to think is good. I do see how this could be a good tool for teams of colleagues or students who do not share a common location. It is really an exciting possibility for me that we could still function as a society while not necessarily being present. This could mean more family time, less travel and potentially a return to a real neighborhood where everyone lives and works in the same place.
I can't wait to see more...
Wikipedia Reading
Jimmy_Wales_on_the_birth_of_Wikipedia
It is impressive to see something important like shared knowledge being generated at such a low cost and with the help of volunteers.
I have used this site extensively and found only one error in thousands. One of my students did a search on Edgar Allen Poe and some of the subject line was changed. Other than that it has been completely reliable. I just checked the entry and it has been fixed. Many students have said to me that their other teachers have rejected the site. I think that it is probably more reliable than a great majority of the printed materials out there.
One of the things Mr. Wales said was, the principle of neutrality guides creators of content for Wikipedia. This is truly born out in the entries. In fact, I often will have a student start with Wikipedia for a good overview to leap from.
The idea of collective input and intelligence is working and can only grow further. This is a powerful tool in the advance of intellectual freedom and democracy. People today are no longer at the mercy of those who control the information. Now everyday people control the information. This brings a level of accountability in our society while easing tyranny and control.
My only fear is that at some point these tools could be turned against us as a measure of control. We can write something in a book and it stays, a program can be changed. Let us also hope that our collective intelligence is a good and moral one that will protect all of the citizens of the world. The mass can be just as tyrannical as the few. Can we expect Orwell's 1984?
It is impressive to see something important like shared knowledge being generated at such a low cost and with the help of volunteers.
I have used this site extensively and found only one error in thousands. One of my students did a search on Edgar Allen Poe and some of the subject line was changed. Other than that it has been completely reliable. I just checked the entry and it has been fixed. Many students have said to me that their other teachers have rejected the site. I think that it is probably more reliable than a great majority of the printed materials out there.
One of the things Mr. Wales said was, the principle of neutrality guides creators of content for Wikipedia. This is truly born out in the entries. In fact, I often will have a student start with Wikipedia for a good overview to leap from.
The idea of collective input and intelligence is working and can only grow further. This is a powerful tool in the advance of intellectual freedom and democracy. People today are no longer at the mercy of those who control the information. Now everyday people control the information. This brings a level of accountability in our society while easing tyranny and control.
My only fear is that at some point these tools could be turned against us as a measure of control. We can write something in a book and it stays, a program can be changed. Let us also hope that our collective intelligence is a good and moral one that will protect all of the citizens of the world. The mass can be just as tyrannical as the few. Can we expect Orwell's 1984?
Week Six reading 1
Wikis and Podcasts and Blogs! Oh, My!
I really like how the author understands that the first step in assisting an instructor with tech integration is to evaluate his teaching practices. I have found that a barrier for a lot of teachers to using technology is a fear that they will have to change their style which is the equivalent of changing ones personality. What is needed are technologies that compliment and enhance the practices and personality of a given instructor. teachers would be a lot more likely to adopt a technology that compliments their style while bringing tangible results.
On the same note the author suggests surveying students to see what sorts of technology work for them and at what level. Different age groups have different preferences. You need to also look at the value of the technology in reaching the overall goals and curriculum. Do the tools have a pedagogical value? So, this article agrees with the TPACK model for technology integration.
So, for future success with tech integration we need to have a complete understanding of all the parties involved and about all that needs to be accomplished in the particular class.
I really like how the author understands that the first step in assisting an instructor with tech integration is to evaluate his teaching practices. I have found that a barrier for a lot of teachers to using technology is a fear that they will have to change their style which is the equivalent of changing ones personality. What is needed are technologies that compliment and enhance the practices and personality of a given instructor. teachers would be a lot more likely to adopt a technology that compliments their style while bringing tangible results.
On the same note the author suggests surveying students to see what sorts of technology work for them and at what level. Different age groups have different preferences. You need to also look at the value of the technology in reaching the overall goals and curriculum. Do the tools have a pedagogical value? So, this article agrees with the TPACK model for technology integration.
So, for future success with tech integration we need to have a complete understanding of all the parties involved and about all that needs to be accomplished in the particular class.
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