Video Posts - Kids with video games

I'm not sure if both of these will be able to be viewed but as a parent and an educator I thought I would share a bit of my personal experiences with video games and children. The one quote that struck me from the Educational Arcade piece is "for our youngest generations - technologies are shaping the way we think, work and live". That toddler with the Nintendo game or on a parent's iPad will be doing video scientific simulations in elementary school. High School students are already creating their own i-phone apps. Someday, the college application process including the interview will be all virtual or online with a portfolio of work possible including something that is digital technology project learning based. What is wrong with pairing X-box Warlords 3 (that is a simply made up game)with a social studies unit on the famous war battles like Normandy, invasions of Iraq or Afghanistan to help teach tactical war maneuvering and the social and scientific elements of being in battle (ie casualties, loss of life, predicting enemy movements, etc.). Add on a retired military general or Navy Seal and you put a human face to what it is like to be in combat in real-life. For some reason, and it somewhat goes against my parental instincts, but as educators, we may have to initiate more of a give & take relationship with students have more engaged learners in the classroom. Then I think everybody wins!

Updated research on using technology with very young children

Nice overview of recent findings and recommendations on using technology (esp. iPad/apps & the like) with babies and toddlers on the MacArthur Foundation website.  This article mentions that the NAEYC is coming out with an updated set of recommendations for PreK-3 year olds graders this week.

PLAYBACK: A Nuanced Look at Technology use in Early Childhood

Additional thoughts on using cellphones in the classroom

More thoughts on cellphones in the classroom, via WNYC / NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2011/10/28/to-ban-or-not-to-ban-cellphones-mixed-signals/

(listen to the audio stream for radio story ... educational aspects of cellphone use starts around 9:35)

Digital Gaming

As I have mentioned a lot throughout this course, I believe that the massive use of technology could be harmful to children since they become obsessed with it in their personal time. On the other hand, though, I believe when used appropriately in school it can have many benefits. As Klopfer has stated in the article, “The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them”, “these technologies afford us the ability to convey concepts in new ways that would otherwise not be possible, efficient or effective, with other instructional methods. In other words, these technologies don’t just help us teach the old stuff in new ways- they can also help us teach new stuff in new ways”. As the years continually pass, new technology continues to develop. Inventions such as the smart board and educational Ipad games never existed until somewhat recently, which are now two of the largest forms of loved educational technology.

In this article, it also states how it has altered our cognitive abilities in many ways, including it allows us to process information very quickly, to process information in parallel, a way of accessing information through imagery and then using the text to promote further understanding. While these are just a few examples, digital gaming provides many aspects of learning that traditional gaming would not. This will all be further shown in our group presentation that we will show later in class!

It happened on Facebook. . .

In 1995, before Facebook, Myspace, Ning, Think.Com, etc, Robert Putnam wrote a book titled, “Bowling Alone.” In great detail, Putnam described and explained the decline of social capital (the connections among individuals) in US since the 50s. He described the reduction in all forms of in-person social intercourse upon which Americans used to found, educate and enrich the fabric of their social lives. Perhaps most importantly, Putnam described the decline in civic and civil engagement. I thought of this book after reading our assigned readings because I think it would be interested to know what Putnam views are on social networking and how it is effecting social capital and societies contribution to civic engagement. Furthermore, should we now view and modify the definition of social capital because of social networking.

Among my students’, there is a lack of civic engagement and thinks like volunteering and community service are viewed as punishment rather than a contribution. Perhaps this is a generational issue or the way we teach our young people about civic engagement and civic responsibility. I am not too sure. However, I found that the best conversations starts were the ones that began with, I saw this on Facebook or my friend posted this on Google+. Those phrases grasp their attention and draw interest. From there, we have had fantastic conversations about our government, laws, rules, politics and current and community events. Also, when I invited students to participate in a day of community service and high school exploration forum via a Facebook invite, more than 70 percent of our 8^th grade class participated. In pervious years, less than ten students attended. Unfortunately, within my school, social networking sites are blocked. Both students and teachers have limited access to websites and browsing networks. Although it has been proven that social networking sites such as Facebook spark attitudes and behaviors that enhance public life and civic action, help young people develop as individuals (identity), enhances communication and interaction and allows for collaborative learning and exploration, many people continue view it as a negative and distracting contributor to learning. Perhaps students and those in favor of implementing social networking into their curriculum and classrooms’ should make a Facebook page saying otherwise.

Sharon

Digital games

The subtitle of Klopfer’s et al. article, “How Teachers Can Leverage Them”, is a succinct summary of the authors overall message. Klopfer et al. advocate for harnessing students immense interest in digital media. Particularly they advocate for using digital games to supplement the curriculum.

While I was not surprised by the advocacy of digital media and games, I was surprised by some of the games they suggested using. World of War Warcraft is a game that my brothers played incessantly as teenagers. The suggestion that this online multiplayer game teaches “critical higher order thinking skills” would have been laughable when my brothers and I were teenagers.

However, the authors make it clear that digital media and games have a place within the classroom. The teacher examples they provide give an idea of how digital games and social networking sites and simulations can be implemented in the classroom.

It is my belief that Klopfer’s et al. paper presents a somewhat distortedly positive view of the use of technology within the classroom. The authors appear to address only the positive aspects of digital media, while spending little or no time on potential downsides. While I agree digital media provides tremendous educational opportunities, I think there is also a strong potential for misuse and abuse. Klopfer does not stress the role of the teacher enough in supervising students. My fear is that students will be given a game such as Civilizations and simply left to “play “ the game. These digital games are only useful as supplements to the overall curriculum, they should not be the curriculum itself.

Digital Media and Learning

As I read the MacArthur Foundation Report on Digital Media and Learning, I kept thinking about the Common Sense Media video where the teenager didn't mention he was under 18 on blogs where adults would talk about a specialty he was interested in. For this teenager, he felt a sense of pride in being able to "fool" everyone into thinking he was a mature young man becauase of his educated comments on the blog. I see how a blog like this would boost this young man's self esteem and interest, it deals with content [i believe it was a music blog] that is most likely not easily accessible in his immediate area and his expertise is on show for everyone to see, except they don't know his age. It is important for parents and schools to be involved and to accept that our children are deeply immersed in technology and that although it may seem foreign to us, it is necessary to shed that fear of the unknown and walk side by side with our children. They are gaining knowledge, like this young man, he is learning about music from a place other than a school and the information is valid. It's not like he's getting this information and it is incorrect or someone is feeding him lies. There are many "experts" out there that can be helpful to children's research and it would be better if we helped them find these resources.

I personally would like for young people to learn to be responsible about social media. As a facebook member, an older one, I see how my younger facebook friends and family members express themselves and share infomration that is at times too personal. It is clear to me that they are not truly aware of the tracks they are leaving behind. I would like to help my students learn to be responsible citizens in this digital world.

Video Post- Failed

I was going to make a sincere effort to get over my fear of video posting for our final blog session, but when I attempted to upload I was told that the file size was too large! It was all of four minutes, so I am not sure why this is occurring. How frustrating!

I too, was interested in the technological divides discussed in the MacArthur Foundation report. First, I thought the point about the generational divide and our tendency to dismiss what students do online as being another "kids these days" topic was really relevant. It is our tendency to compare our students' experiences with our own past, and to feel nostalgic for the way things were when we were walking to school, five miles, uphill, both ways in our childhood. I am guilty of this in my own practice as well. When I ask a student what they did after school and they tell me they played on the computer, I tend to tune out the rest and think, "why aren't they playing outside?" However, like it or not, this is how our students are choosing to spend their time and we have to pay attention to that. So much of what you read about in education emphasizes the importance of getting to know your students, and their digital activity is just one more thing that we need to learn about so that we can be connected with our kids.

The other component of the digital divide, the discrepancy between students' technology use in and out of the classroom, is also of importance. I graduated college in May, and about one third of my friends now hold a job title that has the word "digital" in it. Whether working in the field of social media, digital marketing, or production this is the world our students will be entering. No longer does proficiency in Microsoft Word cut it as a technological skill, nor is that the type of technology our students are interacting with when they go home in the afternoon. I tend to shy away from technology in my own practice because it is something I am often unfamiliar with, but this article really helped me to see the flaws in my own approach. Like getting to know your students, bridging the divide between school and home is another hot topic in education. One way to achieve this is to align our digital practices in the classroom more closely with the digital practice of students when they are outside of school. Clearly there is research supporting the potential benefits of such technology use. This, coupled with the reality of the digital world we inhabit, is yet another impetus to help our students become digitally literate in a practical, applicable fashion.

Lizzie Smith

Digital Divide Redefined

I had always thought of the “digital divide” as being an issue of socioeconomics, until I read the whitepaper published by the MacArthur Foundation. They introduce the digital divide as being a disconnect between ways of learning and interaction outside the classroom versus inside the classroom. At this point, there is no doubt that the prevalence in technology is affecting the way our children learn, yet great strides have not been made in the classroom to bridge the gap or accommodate our new learners. Not only must we use technology to present content, we should start to consider what content we are presenting, not only how we are presenting it.

The MacArthur Foundation asks us, “Rather than assuming that education is primarily about preparing for jobs and careers, what would it mean to think of it as a process guiding youths’ participation in public life more generally?” As educators, I believe that we have a responsibility to take care of and develop the whole being of our students, not just what takes part in the classroom. If we are to keep our students engaged and the content relevant, we must be willing to take on technology and all of the developmental implications that come with it. This is a wonderful opportunity to create responsible media literate students who have more opportunities for change and success than any previous generation. If we move our goal as educators away from jobs and careers, our students may be more willing to use technology for more, out of the box, socially responsible ways.

Going Beyond "Future Shock"

Reading this week’s articles brought back a childhood memory that I hadn’t thought about in years. When I was an elementary student in the mid-1990s, one of my teachers had us read an article as part of our current events homework. The article was entitled, “Will teachers become obsolete?” or “Will teachers be replaced by computers in the future?” I can’t remember the exact title, but it was something along those lines. We had just begun using computers about one period per week in a special “computer technology” class, where we mostly played educational games or worked on articles for a class newspaper. I remember even as a young child thinking that the article was completely ludicrous. I thought to myself, “Of course we need teachers, because they’re human beings. A computer can’t do everything a teacher can do!” In retrospect, I can see that what was behind the author’s argument was a fear of the unknown. With the rapidly expanding inventions and usage of technological tools, who knows what the future will hold? To what extent will our lives be permanently altered? Will these changes be for the better, or will there be unforeseen detrimental consequences?

In my opinion, it is these very same types of questions that are behind the apprehension towards incorporating gaming and social media into curricula. While I do believe there is validity to concerns about children spending too much time playing video games or in front of a computer, this doesn’t mean we should completely negate their value. Likewise, while I am one of those people who gets a bit worried about children being on social networking websites where they can be coming into contact with dangerous people, that doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to use social media in a healthy way to enhance the educational experience. Since these activities are already so deeply engrained in our culture, it seems that it would be a bit wasteful to not capitalize on their educational potential.

Speaking from personal experience, I have an almost-ten year-old brother who has autism and is an avid video/computer gamer. The types of games he plays always involve some sort of journey or race to reach a final destination, while overcoming a variety of obstacles to get there. I know that my brother is learning, without realizing that he is learning. He is simply enjoying his adventurous games. I often notice that he is developing the types of skills described by Klopfer, et al (2009), especially the “relaxed approach to play, the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving.” A great example of how this shows up outside of video games is when he takes various items, such as books, blocks, or other miscellaneous items from around the house, and creates expansive “domino” tracks in a variety of formations, always trying to make them increasingly complicated. The types of video and computer games he plays reinforce his creativity and problem-solving skills, as well as his desire to continually reach the “next level” of the challenge. So what’s the harm in that?

As for social media, I agree with Will Richardson’s take on the McArthur Study when he states that we should consider education as “a process guiding youths’ participation in public life more generally.” This brings me back to a very important concept that we’ve discussed in this course: Digital Citizenship. In this day and age, it seems almost irresponsible to not reflect what’s going on out in the world, and in our students’ lives, in our classrooms. I completely understand the concerns about using websites such as Facebook, for example, due to privacy issues and the challenge of keeping students on task. However, I do think using social media in a way that is similar to what students do at home is possible, especially with websites such as www.ning.com, which offers much more privacy and structure. I am a big believer in having the classroom be a community, rather than a room full of individuals, and incorporating social media is a way to enrich the experience of being a classroom or school community.

**In case you’re interested in using Ning for your classroom, check this out:

http://about.ning.com/resource-center/best-practices/ning-facebook-alternative-for-building-a-custom-community/

Evolution, Not Revolution

The assigned articles this week are especially interesting to me.  I am skeptical of the idea of using social networking or digital gaming in the classroom.  I worry it could do more harm then good and I worry for the safety of children as they explore sites like MySpace.  I also wonder wouldn’t it be

Social networking technologies, digital games and simulations have helped create new ways in which people are communicating, collaborating, operating, and forming social constructs.  The emergence of social media and digital gaming has changed the world.  Not only has it affected students and the way they learn but it’s found a place in the workforce as well.  I was interested when I read that The Department of Defense, Price Waterhouse Coopers and certain areas of the medical field are incorporating these new technologies into their businesses. 

I believe one of the greatest benefits that we as educators can reap from these types of technologies is the idea of self directed, peer based learning.  I am a strong believer that students have a more meaningful educational experience when they feel vested in what they are learning.  The best way to help kids feel vested in their education is by allowing them to direct the curriculum.  If students feel that their opinions and ideas are important and being heard, then they will be more committed to their learning.  Through social networks and digital gaming children become more committed to their education

The education arcade article said it well when it stated “evolution not revolution.”  It is important to evolve with the new technologies and to find a way to incorporate them into our classrooms as seamlessly and as meaningfully as possible.  It’s important as educators to find a balance between new technologies and traditional teaching methods.  

Technology in the Classroom

The article “The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, Simulations and
How Teachers Can Leverage Them," really struck me on why incorporating technology into the classroom is so important in a way that I hadn't thought of before. The article mentions that utilizing technology in the classroom is so crucial because it provides a bridge between the way in which a child learns in school to the way in which they are engaged at home. I had known that there were many benefits to teachers using technology to reach their students (increased engagement, UDL, learning the tools of technology, etc.,) but hadn't really thought about matching the classroom to a student's life at home until now.

While this article, along with the others given in this week's readings, provided lots of useful information on the benefits of exposing students to the online world, I still struggle with the element of safety and responsibility when it comes to managing a class. Klopfer describes different classroom settings in which the students employ various digital pathways (games, social networking, etc.), as well as the necessity for collaboration; and Richardson lists valid reasons for why students benefit from online exposure (helps them develop and understanding of how it works, builds social skills), however there is little mention of actual classroom management during students' online work. I think it would be really interesting to see the process from beginning to end of how a teacher incorporates technology -- how he/she preps approaches the school, how he/she preps his/her students beforehand, how the students are trained to use the technology, how the teacher supervises during online/digital work, and how the work is monitored over time.

I would be very interested in potentially taking on some of the ideas from these articles, but it would be helpful to see how one goes about it.

Good Learning with Digital Games

I agree with Klopfer’s notion that the newest generation is “completely normalized by digital technologies.” I am currently in a kindergarten class and when students were asked what their favorite game was, they were all digital games, many of which I am not familiar with. Go figure!

One thing that concerns me about the use of digital games is the limited interaction it may generate among children. What I mean by this is while digital games may be highly engaging for students, teachers should be careful not to assign one student to one computer. I think it is counterproductive when a child is playing a computer game alone. In order for “good learning” to take place, there needs to be some sort of interaction among peers. Some of the many benefits may include; sharing ideas with one another, collaborating, problem-solving, developing social skills, etc. So when I read that Ross, the 7^th grade central subject teacher was introducing a digital game called Diplomacy to his classroom, I found it important to highlight that he either chose to assign two students per computer or play the game with the whole class through a projector. That way, there was always some sort of interaction taking place between the students.

Additionally, when would teachers use digital games in their classroom? I know that Jessica briefly mentioned last class that technology does not always have to be used at the end of curriculum, but how would that work with digital games? Just a thought.

Learning with Social Networking

Contrary to adult perceptions, while hanging out online, youth are picking up basic social and technological skills they need to fully participate in contemporary society... Youth could benefit from educators being more open to forms of experimentation and social exploration that are generally not characteristic of educational institutions. 

This quote from the findings of the Digital Youth  Project really resonated with me.  While writing my technological autobiography, I came to the conclusion that most of my learning about technology came through personal use. For example, despite hours of typing class at school, I only learned to type fluently when I started instant messaging with friends in high school.  Both the papers from the Digital Youth Project and the MIT Education Arcade really take this idea a step further pointing out that when youth use new technologies they not only learn technological skills they learn higher order thinking skills as well.

I was particularly interested in the MIT article's discussion of how social networking can support collective intelligence.  I am excited by the potential for social networks to allow peers to support each other's learning and increase intrinsic motivation.  It seems that social networks effectively utilized could be more than just the bait to draw in students' attention; they could actually foster new forms of collaboration.  I would love to experiment with one of the more controlled social networking sites they recommend to see how this works out for me in the classroom.

The Future of Digital Gaming

The article titled “The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking and Simulations” had a variety of resources and specific examples of how to incorporate different tools into classroom settings. It was helpful to read about the teachers who used these games and networks and the benefits and challenges to each of them. Additionally, the rationale for utilizing different technologies in the classroom helped me think about how I could apply these tools in different subject areas.

The part of the article that caught my attention the most was the question that addressed why these technologies aren’t used more in education. Although these tools and games promote deep problem solving skills, team work and critical thinking, among other things that all students should experience, there are many challenges to creating a school or classroom environment that is predominantly based around digital learning. One public school in New York City, Quest to Learn, seems to have been able to do just that. I wonder if many public schools will follow in this direction and/or how much resistance this school will face since its approach is quite different compared to other New York City schools.

It is clear that you need support from your stakeholders in order to make technology in schools a success. Of course, the issue of equity also comes to mind, as schools in lower income areas would likely not have the same access to these tools both in and out of the classroom. Again I wonder how schools will be able to spend so much time using different technology when the emphasis in public education across all grades seems to be on testing and data. I’m curious to see how the use of technology continues to change in public education across the country and I look forward to continuing to implement these new tools in my classroom.

---Robyn

Finding the Right Balance of Technology

I was interested to read the preliminary pages of the MacArthur Study in addition to viewing the responses posted on the “weblog.” Within my own personal experience as both a student and classroom teacher, I feel teachers have made the general attempt to incorporate different types of media into the curriculum. In light of web filters imposed by our respective IT departments, the challenge of using valid sites to teach learning concepts often results in dead ends and frustration. Granted, many of the sites should be blocked for the content, but how can we use certain technologies that do not “erect barriers of participation” if they are blocked and made inaccessible in the educational environment? In addition, I feel this article makes the implication that technology should become an integrated part of the students’ educational lives, but how can our educational communities support this notion when certain schools struggle to financially support these types of technology-based programs (both the technology as well as the teacher/administrator training)?

As we have discussed in class, I really do view teachers as being responsible members of our youths’ journey through and involvement within this digital age. Whether we as educators act as supporters or resisters of the available technologies, our students’ lives are nonetheless influenced by the learning and social networking opportunities that exist within the realm of technology. I agree with the line in the study that makes educators question the traditional goal of most educational programs: “Rather than assuming that education is primarily about preparing for jobs and careers, what would it mean to think of it as a process guiding youths’ participation in public life more generally?” Technology should not be the end-all-be-all in our lives, but I feel technology can contribute to a “balanced” lifestyle that enables us to actively explore individual/group learning opportunities in addition to maintaining communication with others. Finding that balance and modeling the reflection process are two essential components towards making these parts of our lives and our students’ lives meaningful.

The article focusing on digital games, social networking, and simulations offers specific examples of educators using these various technologies to compliment their respective lessons. Particularly for Hal and Kali (two 12^th grade Physics teachers), simulation-based tools such as STARLOGO TNG allow the students to gain a conceptual understanding of the scientific/mathematical principles. In addition, the program engages students in critical thinking and problem solving by having them program their own simulations; the learning naturally becomes more about the process than the product. When deciding which types of digital games to compliment the curriculum, I refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy and try to select or design games that engage my students and provide opportunities to “create” using their prior knowledge of the concept.

The Benefits of Game-Based Instruction

I thought the article entitled “The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them contained some very interesting insights on using games in the classroom. I agree with the idea of using games in instruction because I think it makes the content more engaging for students, allowing them to maintain their attention and retain the information. However, I never thought of the possibility of having an entire school that is centered around teaching students through game based methods. It is definitely an interesting idea and I agree with a lot of the points that the article made.

For example, in reflecting on my own teaching I realize that I try to integrate games as much as possible and even make activities that aren’t really games appear as games because I believe that this will make students more excited about the material. For example, in my reading group the other day I told the students we would be playing “the Buzz Game,” where whenever I would pointed a “buzzing” wand at one of my students, he or he would pick a card. The cards contained the reading questions that I would typically ask during a lesson and if the student got it correct he or she would earn chips.

Even though this may have not been the most exciting game, my students really enjoyed it and they were much more engaged in this activity than they usually are during our typical discussion- based reading group. This makes me think that having a school that uses a game designed instruction would be really effective, as students would feel more excited about the material, making them more apt to participate.

In addition, like the article mentioned there are many other benefits to using games in instruction. While playing games students not only practice the skills connected to the content, but they gain experience using social skills like, negotiation, compromise, collaboration, and perspective taking. I also feel that educational games often allows for children to engage in more authentic –based learning methods, applying their knowledge, rather than just memorizing information. In my opinion, education is all about the experiences which our students engage in, so if it is possible to integrate games and technology into instruction, two things that are very appealing to students, then we should, as it will allow them to become more excited about their learning and practice using real-world social skills.

Virtual Field Trips

Bob Coulter’s article entitled “What’s it like where you live?” offers very useful ideas for not only creating a meaningful, standards-based curriculum, but also for enhancing the value of such a curriculum with the use of technology. One of the messages that most resonates with me is this: “The key is for inquiry to drive the technology implementation and not vice versa, despite pressures to integrate technology into the classroom.” Since I have very little experience with curriculum planning, I have so far not been able to incorporate technology in very meaningful ways in the few lessons I have planned. I tend to fall into one of two ends on the spectrum: I either plan a lesson and then add on some form of technology as an “extra/bonus” to the regular curriculum, or I find some website or software that looks interesting and then try to plan a lesson entirely around that, which can be limiting. I have not yet mastered the art of integrating technology in a seamless and productive way.

In my student teaching setting, the emphasis is on interdisciplinary teaching. I am currently working on a Social Studies and Science unit that combines teaching about U.S. Westward Expansion and U.S. geography (landforms). So far, I have thought of a few hands-on activities and field trips to make this unit meaningful, interactive, and engaging for the students. However, after reading Coulter’s article, I am now even more excited about what I am planning because his tips have opened my mind to more possibilities. The way Coulter describes virtual field trips has me realize that the use of technology in the classroom literally leaves us with the “world at our fingertips.” We are no longer limited to field trips that are within a reasonable geographic distance. After reading this article, I, for the first time, explored Google Earth with the intention of incorporating it into this unit of study. I am sure my students will be just as engaged as I was (or hopefully more) when doing things such as exploring the Missouri River that Lewis & Clark had to cross on their expedition, or zooming in and seeing the geographical features of the land that people crossed when traveling on the Oregon Trail. In this way, I can continue to plan an interdisciplinary (Social Studies and Science) unit, keep it grounded in the standards, AND make the content come alive for students. Coulter describes this purposeful usage of technology best with these words: “In my experience, it is only in the context of rich experiential background that technology use is appropriate for elementary students.”