Monday, May 1, 2017
All Work, All Play
For this assignment I had to watch the documentary All Work, All Play. This is the YouTube preview for the full length video. My video reflection is below.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Gamifying Education
For this assignment, I had to watch the video "Video Games and Learning" by James Portnow and Daniel Floyd.
There are a few points that are the most important when thinking about "gamifying" education. That is, making regular video games more educational and making educational games more fun. The first, and I believe most major, point is the thought that video games can incorporate tangential learning. Tangential learning is gaining knowledge through play. In this case, playing video games. If video game developers insert just a little factual or historical information into a game, people will be more willing to look up that information without being forced to. It's the idea that people will WANT to find out more information if it is relevant to what they are interested in. For example, if a character has a historically based name, the gamer is more likely to look up information about that person in history and learn something. Knowing that one character is based on someone in history, they will be searching for other historically named characters to research as well. This is learning.
Another important point is that learning needs to happen, but without getting in the way of fun. If gamers didn't know they were learning, it would be much easier to get them to actually learn. Keeping the element of fun unhindered, gamers can absorb knowledge that will make them more competent and confident individuals. They will want to share their knowledge with others users while playing, or insert their knowledge into forums or on wikis. Video games can have benefits, as much as educational games can be fun.
There are a few points that are the most important when thinking about "gamifying" education. That is, making regular video games more educational and making educational games more fun. The first, and I believe most major, point is the thought that video games can incorporate tangential learning. Tangential learning is gaining knowledge through play. In this case, playing video games. If video game developers insert just a little factual or historical information into a game, people will be more willing to look up that information without being forced to. It's the idea that people will WANT to find out more information if it is relevant to what they are interested in. For example, if a character has a historically based name, the gamer is more likely to look up information about that person in history and learn something. Knowing that one character is based on someone in history, they will be searching for other historically named characters to research as well. This is learning.
Another important point is that learning needs to happen, but without getting in the way of fun. If gamers didn't know they were learning, it would be much easier to get them to actually learn. Keeping the element of fun unhindered, gamers can absorb knowledge that will make them more competent and confident individuals. They will want to share their knowledge with others users while playing, or insert their knowledge into forums or on wikis. Video games can have benefits, as much as educational games can be fun.
Games Can Make the World Better TED Talk
One of my assignments was to watch the TED Talk by Jane McGonigal called "Games Can Make the World Better." This woman is a genius. She is certainly ambitious with wanting gamers from around the world to play for over 21 billion hours per week, but she believes that this playing can solve the problems of the world, both inside and outside of the game world.
Ms. McGonigal will definitely be the first one to convince you that playing and learning can be combined. Not only can people learn academic topics from video games, such as currency or vocabulary skills, but they can learn the crucial skills of being able to problem solve and cooperation with others. People need to work together to achieve both short and long term goals. With those goal as the center of gaming, gamers need to communicate with one another and think their way through situations that are right on the verge of what Ms. McGonigal calls the "epic win." This gives players the self-motivation to continue through difficult tasks, even after repeated failure.
In virtual worlds, players are continually earning XP points for completing tasks or achieving missions big and small. This small, but important, release of XP points keeps the gamer engaged in what they are doing and focused to the point of no distraction. Different difficulty levels allow for the acquisition of different amount of XP points. This theory could transfer into education a lot more smoothly than teachers and administrators will give mind to. Of course, some teachers and admin will think of XP points like earning an A or C on a quiz versus test, but students don't get rewarded for earning those. They get handed a paper with a letter written on it, that's the end of the motivation. If students were to earn XP points even for poor grades, they would be more motivated to earn XP points by earning higher grades. These XP points would need to come with some reward system or even an online Avatar.
Ms. McGonigal believes there are four pieces that come together and urge gamers to be better people who can make the world better. These four pieces are Urgent Optimism, Social Fabric, Blissful Productivity, and Epic Meaning. If these four pieces are what resonate with all gamers, children and adults alike need to play more games. There is so much negativity in the world and so many problems that gamers can solve by having that optimism. Games teach people how to focus and keep their eye on the prize, no matter that failure is bound to happen along the way. Social Fabric is what collaboration is all about. Every single day I have my students work together in class, even with people that they may not typically associate. It is so important for humans to be able to communicate with one another in a productive manner. This optimism and sense of community leads to gamers being productive in their own quests and with one another. In online games, people connect with one another or even large groups to work through a task. The completion of an objective through optimism and working together gives meaning to what they are doing. Ms. McGonigal believes that we can harness that fire within games and have gamers solve problems in the real world as well.
Ms. McGonigal will definitely be the first one to convince you that playing and learning can be combined. Not only can people learn academic topics from video games, such as currency or vocabulary skills, but they can learn the crucial skills of being able to problem solve and cooperation with others. People need to work together to achieve both short and long term goals. With those goal as the center of gaming, gamers need to communicate with one another and think their way through situations that are right on the verge of what Ms. McGonigal calls the "epic win." This gives players the self-motivation to continue through difficult tasks, even after repeated failure.
In virtual worlds, players are continually earning XP points for completing tasks or achieving missions big and small. This small, but important, release of XP points keeps the gamer engaged in what they are doing and focused to the point of no distraction. Different difficulty levels allow for the acquisition of different amount of XP points. This theory could transfer into education a lot more smoothly than teachers and administrators will give mind to. Of course, some teachers and admin will think of XP points like earning an A or C on a quiz versus test, but students don't get rewarded for earning those. They get handed a paper with a letter written on it, that's the end of the motivation. If students were to earn XP points even for poor grades, they would be more motivated to earn XP points by earning higher grades. These XP points would need to come with some reward system or even an online Avatar.
Ms. McGonigal believes there are four pieces that come together and urge gamers to be better people who can make the world better. These four pieces are Urgent Optimism, Social Fabric, Blissful Productivity, and Epic Meaning. If these four pieces are what resonate with all gamers, children and adults alike need to play more games. There is so much negativity in the world and so many problems that gamers can solve by having that optimism. Games teach people how to focus and keep their eye on the prize, no matter that failure is bound to happen along the way. Social Fabric is what collaboration is all about. Every single day I have my students work together in class, even with people that they may not typically associate. It is so important for humans to be able to communicate with one another in a productive manner. This optimism and sense of community leads to gamers being productive in their own quests and with one another. In online games, people connect with one another or even large groups to work through a task. The completion of an objective through optimism and working together gives meaning to what they are doing. Ms. McGonigal believes that we can harness that fire within games and have gamers solve problems in the real world as well.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Embedding Games
For this quest, I was tasked with embedding a game into this blog. I decided to pull my game from a previous quest and insert that. Enjoy!
7 Ways to Reward the Brain TED Talk
For this assignment, I had to watch the "7 Ways to Reward the Brain" TED Talk given by Tom Chatfield. While watching, I wrote down some insanely interesting stats that stood out to me and made me think about the inner workings of both my 5th grade classroom and my classwork for my Master's.
As someone who has to attend her virtual class aboard the spaceship Prometheus in the video game platform Second Life, I see how engaging and rewarding video games can be in education. One thing that Mr. Chatfield mentioned is having both long and short term goals for the game. This is the same mentality used when setting academic goals in the classroom. Allowing students to reach smaller goals in the classroom is the same engagement factor that is used in video games. Each small stepping stone will lead to the ultimate goal of passing the objective.
Another reward mentioned is earning XP points for progress measuring. Even if a student doesn't measure up to the fill objective, they can still earn points for the work that they have completed. These XP points may add up to a higher rank. Students will be driven to learn because they will push to reach the next level and gain the benefits of that promotion.
The most important part of this TED Talk is the piece about working with other people. In classrooms, it is crucial that teachers get their students talking and working with one another, as this will be an essential skill when seeking employment and working in the global job force. Students and gamers alike need to work with one another to complete those objectives at a faster rate or to receive more XP points. Being able to communicate needs and wants is a vital skill for the 21st Century learner.
As someone who has to attend her virtual class aboard the spaceship Prometheus in the video game platform Second Life, I see how engaging and rewarding video games can be in education. One thing that Mr. Chatfield mentioned is having both long and short term goals for the game. This is the same mentality used when setting academic goals in the classroom. Allowing students to reach smaller goals in the classroom is the same engagement factor that is used in video games. Each small stepping stone will lead to the ultimate goal of passing the objective.
Another reward mentioned is earning XP points for progress measuring. Even if a student doesn't measure up to the fill objective, they can still earn points for the work that they have completed. These XP points may add up to a higher rank. Students will be driven to learn because they will push to reach the next level and gain the benefits of that promotion.
The most important part of this TED Talk is the piece about working with other people. In classrooms, it is crucial that teachers get their students talking and working with one another, as this will be an essential skill when seeking employment and working in the global job force. Students and gamers alike need to work with one another to complete those objectives at a faster rate or to receive more XP points. Being able to communicate needs and wants is a vital skill for the 21st Century learner.
How People Learn
In this assignment, I was asked to create my own mash up of learning theories to create my own learning theory. Knowing that I could take any route into learning theories stressed me out, but then I recognized my own need to have some sort of focus as to who my learning theory would be made for. Since I am a 5th grade teacher, I decided to gear my mashed up learning theory to the students in my classroom. I thought about their interactions with one another, which lessons they respond to best, and their addiction to any sort of technology. The image below is how I visually represent my learning theory (the black dot in the middle).
The kids in my classroom are walking and talking balls of technology-driven energy. Students around this age (9, 10, 11, even 12) work best when they are allowed to bounce their ideas off one another. When students collaborate in class, they are molding their own knowledge based on the feedback from other students. With the infusion of technology in the classroom that has taken the globe by storm, students are able to socialize via the internet to help build and change their knowledge based on those conversations. This is the combination of Connectivism and Constructivism.
To truly represent the idea learning theory for 5th graders, you have to incorporate the various learning styles. When students are accessing forms of technology, they are looking at the screen, potentially listening to information or other students, while typing and manipulating the mouse or cursor. They may not be up and moving around, but teachers can allow for jigsaw activities as a reflection of their technology usage to get the students up and moving from partner to partner. Although students would probably love the ability to NOT have conversations in class, it is still important for students to get that social interaction with people in a face-to-face fashion.
While creating my mash up of learning theories, I started thinking about my connections. How can teachers really get that kinesthetic learning style into their technology rich classroom? Are there any other theories that may fit into my learning theory without changing my view? Are there any key concepts I'm missing that would make my learning theory stronger?
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Ticking Timebomb
This mission was probably one of the most exciting ones we've had yet. Each of the teams (Science, Command, Security, and Flight) had to work together to shut off the reactors and bring the commander back to the Prometheus.
The best part of the entire process was our team's ability to communicate. People from different specialized team's has no hesitation jumping into another channel and helping out the members of other teams. As part of the Command team, I had the opportunity to jump in and out of team conversations and coordinate searches. It was easy to jump in and out of conversations because I knew that the other teams were focused and communicating about their part of the mission. It was my job, along with the other command crew members, to bring those pieces of information to other teams and create the link in the mission. We would jump into our own conversation to collect our thoughts and pieces of information to create a new piece of the game plan.
As an Achiever/Mastermind gamer, this mission styled search was right up my alley. I loved having to coordinate with other players, but kept my eye on the prize. As a gamer, I am better suited to bobbing from one team to another, rather than diving in to one part of the mission. It is almost like being the conductor of an orchestra. You aren't the one who is necessarily going through the motions of the mission, but seeing that requirements get fulfilled to the best of each team's abilities.
The best part of the entire process was our team's ability to communicate. People from different specialized team's has no hesitation jumping into another channel and helping out the members of other teams. As part of the Command team, I had the opportunity to jump in and out of team conversations and coordinate searches. It was easy to jump in and out of conversations because I knew that the other teams were focused and communicating about their part of the mission. It was my job, along with the other command crew members, to bring those pieces of information to other teams and create the link in the mission. We would jump into our own conversation to collect our thoughts and pieces of information to create a new piece of the game plan.
As an Achiever/Mastermind gamer, this mission styled search was right up my alley. I loved having to coordinate with other players, but kept my eye on the prize. As a gamer, I am better suited to bobbing from one team to another, rather than diving in to one part of the mission. It is almost like being the conductor of an orchestra. You aren't the one who is necessarily going through the motions of the mission, but seeing that requirements get fulfilled to the best of each team's abilities.
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