Week 10: Activity 1 Storyboard

Week 10: Activity 2 Rough Draft

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Double Entry Journal #8

“We define “media arts practices” as the means by which one engages in media art and the reasons and motivations for doing so.”

I thought that this research article was interesting.  I like how they focus on computation, collaboration, and creativity, rather than computer-familiarity and basic computing at Computer Clubhouse. However, I chose the above quote because I never thought of the word “practices” including motivations and reasoning behind doing things. We throw around the words “educational practices” and “instructional practices”, but we never include motivations and reasoning in the definition.  I think reflecting on reasoning and motivation are important concepts in everything done in education, whether discussing a student’s education or the way information is presented to them within a class.

Other Resource:

I chose this resource because it is a visual way to describe how education is designed for a previous age and not for the students in this era. He then discusses the problem with students’ attentions in school and how it is the aesthetic experiences that motivate learning. It’s an awesome video about changing the educational system.

theRSAorg. (2010, October 4). RSA Animate- Changing Education Paradigms. Retrieved March 16, 2013, from Youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Week 9

What is the academic concept students will be involved in as they play the game?

      Solving Equations and basic math operations

What is the story line?

Players have to race the clock to disarm a bomb using their mathematical skills.

Who is the main character?

      The player and Dr. Pi

What does the main character do to win the game?

Travel through mazes, solve math problems, and disarm a bomb through specific steps.

What challenges will the main character face to move up a level?

            Answer math questions correctly

Inspirational Game

Double Entry Journal #7

“Players are game literate if they can recognize the goals and the rules of a game, understand how the game works, and acquire and apply skills and knowledge to achieve goals by complying with rules.”

I chose this quote, because I immediately related it to succeeding in life. You have to learn the rules of the “game” when it comes to getting and keeping a job, providing for a family, and all the other situations life throws at you. Moreover, I never thought about the differentiated instruction that is involved in gaming, such as tactile, audio, and visual. It’s a nice little package of Gardner’s multiple intelligence. Players have to learn by and improve on their different learning styles. This is something educators are taught to do and incorporate with each lesson. Gaming is an easy and engaging way to accomplish this so that every student can master the concepts presented.

Other Resources:

     I chose this video because it has many quotes and explanations about the different aspects of learning, video gaming, and literacy. I especially like how it discusses the interdisciplinary instruction found in video games and technology that is not often found in schools. This video also shows examples of the different aspects of literacy in video games. Moreover, it discusses the barriers that teachers face when trying to incorporate gaming into the classroom.

igstarter. (2010, May 18). Video Games Literacy. Retrieved March 16, 2013, from Youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_msUtPMGTXM

Week 8: Pac-Man

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Double Entry Journal #6

1.      Students were also asked about where they found information for completing their work, and 86.3% of respondents indicated that they used the Web as opposed to printed materials.

I think it is a good thing that students use resources such as the Internet to find answers to their questions, rather than just asking the teacher. The Internet is a wonderful tool that is filled with all sorts of differentiated instruction and learning. I don’t view this statement as negative, but a display of how the world has changed to a technologically advanced society. I like that students are creative and resourceful enough to look for answers on the Internet.

2.      Better theories of learning are embedded in the video games many children in elementary and high school play than in the schools they attend. Furthermore, the theory of learning in good video games fits better with the modern, high-tech global worlds of today’s children and teenagers live in than do the theories (and practices) of learning they see in school

I really was offended by the first statement. For years, teachers have used games, videos, and other means of learning to promote critical thinking skills. And although learning principles are achieved through video games, doesn’t mean that the student is learning the correct content that will help them graduate high school. Most students do not like educational games. They love regular games, but throw some math in there and the kids will freak. With that being said, I do agree with the second statement. This is a new age—an age of technology and thus, video games are the attraction of teenagers and children. The games are interactive and gives the students a feeling of control, especially of their learning and achievements.

3.      Beck and Wade (2004) describe five characteristics that distinguish game environments as adaptive:

a.      Rapidly analyze new situations

b.      Interact with characters they don’t really know

c.       Solve problems quickly and independently

d.      Think strategically in a chaotic world

e.       Collaborate effectively in teams

This is what teachers try to motivate students to do within their classrooms, so that the students can become better 21^st Century learners. As I sit at home reflecting on this quote, I’m watching my husband and brother-in-law play Battlefield. My husband brought his TV from downstairs while my brother-in-law is using the living room TV. They are communicating and strategizing while working separately to accomplish the group goals. Battlefield is a real-life simulation of war, and I see the five characteristics that Beck and Wade described in this game as I observe my family. It is not just the two of them on a team; there are several people they have never talked to on their team as well. They have to analyze situations and solve problems quickly in chaos. All of the characteristics fit, and they are engaged so intently that my brother-in-law wouldn’t even answer his phone ringing. My only thought is, I wish school was this engaging.

Spires, H., Lee, J., & Lester, J. (2008). The 21^st century learner and game-based learning. Meridian, 11(1).

Other Resources:



     I chose this resource because it describes the learning process now and what needs to change for the future of our students. It discusses learning and how it is an integration of different pedagogy that will work for our future students. This is a very good video about the future of learning and how to reach the majority of students that come through the school system.

Senser, R. (2012, March 1). Youtube.com. Retrieved from The Future of Learning:
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoSJ3_dZcm8

Scratch Tutorial and Cards

I did the tutorial and the cards a couple weeks ago, but I didn't know that we were supposed to post them to our blog. So here they are:

Scratch Tutorial



Scratch Cards

Week Seven: Catlibs

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Double Entry Journal #5

“The findings reported here suggest that a level of direct teacher involvement can result in focused opportunities for students to engage curricular content.” (Lee & Probert)

I agree with this statement. Students cannot learn everything through game-play. Teachers need to facilitate student-learning rather than become instructors of it. However, game-play should be an instrumental, application tool to assess learning. The teachers are the ones who can focus and direct content and instruction for students’ optimal learning environments. This comes back to the point of how “the man in the box”. Without a teacher or a more experienced person, there is no way a student could get the necessary instruction to achieve the knowledge needed in their grade level to succeed at the next level in their life. People are necessary tools for learning, not technology. Technology is a supplemental resource that enhances the process.

  

Lee, J. K., & Probert, J. (n.d.). Civilization III and Whole-Class Play in High School Social Studies1. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 34(1), 1-28. Retrieved March 2, 2013, from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:WdD2wWfkvSMJ:https://www.fi.ncsu.edu/assets/research_papers/new-literacies-collaborative/civilization-iii-and-whole-class-play-in-high-school-social-studies.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgrS-FzsaMI0_yxz39vf

 

Other Resource:

I chose this picture to represent my point that technology in access doesn't help anyone. Cell phones are a great tool in class, especially since students are familiar with that technology and they love to use them. There are websites, such as polleverywhere.com, that allows students to interact with their device while learning. However, there is an expression: "everything in moderation". We can't rely on technology. We have to rely on ourselves and what we've learned.

References:
Google Image search for "people vs technology".

Mathletics39. (2009, July 21). Scott Flansburg The Human Calculator on Discovery Channel's More Than Human . Retrieved from Youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LyoeWLmclU