Video Gaming and Schools

   I chose to read Gee's "Good Video Games and Good Learning" first. I found myself first thinking "Yes! That makes sense!" as I read through all the reasons why video games support creative learning and are exciting for children and adults alike. One sentence in particular really struck me: "School is often too easy for some students and too hard for others, even in the same classroom". Unfortunately, this is a problem that I have been struggling with in my own classroom and it is very frustrating. I see that half a class needs reinforcement while the other half is bored out of their minds and yet I feel that I have no choice but to go over the content. I think that it can be easy for teachers to fall into the trap of constantly catering to weaker students, while at the same time falling short of their stronger students' needs. I get that video games progress as you move through, therefore always being just a step outside your "comfort level" but not so much that you feel it is hopeless (unless you are talking about me and the new 007 Wii game because I pretty much gave up on that one already...). So Gee leaves us with the question that we as educators must ponder...how do we either implement these games into our teachings, or how do we structure our classes in ways that model the ways that games draw in kids and adults to keep pushing to new levels of learning. One example that popped into my head is the game SPORE, which I played a couple of years ago and thought it would be PERFECT for modeling how natural selection works, in a biology classroom. The first barrier blocking the possibility of bringing this game into my classroom is the fact that we may not download anything onto our computers. Still, I'm wondering if there is a way to get around that, or perhaps explain the benefits of the game...
    Next, I read Kara-Soteriou's "Video Games for the Disengaged (and not only) Students". When I got to the heading "Why teachers are reluctant to use video games in instruction" I thought "OK, let's hear the blame..." but on the contrary, I appreciated her defending why teachers aren't currently bringing video games into the classroom. You couldn't pay me enough to walk into lunch tomorrow and declare that video games should be used in the classroom because there is growing research that these games actually support creative and cooperative learning. There is such a stigma among adults and the media that these games create violent children, and are a waste of time. A more realistic approach of sharing the research with an adminstrator and suggesting it maybe be shown at the next faculty meeting is still a scary thought for me. So where do we start? I think each teacher has to decide this based on where he or she is working...for me I think structuring lessons to focus on real life problem solving and including varying degrees of difficulty is the best place to start. Where do you think you could start?
    I was going to make that test for Wednesday but I think I'll play my Sims 3 instead :P

SMART Lesson: Punnett Squares

I'm in the middle of our genetics unit and we are at the point where students are practicing Punnett squares to determine the probabilities of different genetic outcomes in offspring. I searched for "punnett square" and got a lesson called "Punnett Squares" by C.Moss on August 4th 2010. It is PERFECT for having students come up to the board and click their way through different scenarios. What I especially liked are the "pull" tabs that the creator added on the edges of the slides. These tabs are informative for the teacher and they tell you where to click on the screen to have answers/definitions "appear" out of seemingly blank space. I have see other lessons where it was difficult to know how to use it, but these pull tabs make it easy for anyone to use it in their classroom.
    My favorite slide is the last one where there are two dice and students must click them to get random genetic pairings which they then must do a Punnett square with. It is kid friendly and begs for student interaction.
    In the past I have found that with some topics in the curriculum it is difficult to find a perfect presentation to use but if you can take one or two slides and put them to good use in the classroom I think it will really be worth it!

Open Source: Celestia!

  Celestia can be found through SourceForge.net. It is a 3D simulator for outer space- it is very visually appealing and has great potential for science teachers focusing on astronomy- at all age levels! If you hit the "d" key the program puts you in "Demo" mode which is a nice way to start since if give you an overview of our solar system. I think that if a teacher is allowed to actually download this software on his/her class computer then it would be an excellent visual to display for the class. I put some thought on how I could use this in my classroom but I know that I am not allowed to download ANYTHING :(  I may be able to get permission from our IT staff so I will look into that.
   I should also mention that Celestia can be used just because its cool...it doesn't have to be a science teacher!

Responsibilities of a Learning Professional

http://mohamedaminechatti.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-skills-for-learning-professionals.html
Below is my response to this intriguing post by Chatti:

I agree with your points regarding the responsibilities of a learning professional. As an educator, I realize how important it is to help others build their PKN. Often we help students learn how to research for new information and with the rate technology is growing, I think we need to keep current in order to fulfill these responsibilities. However, it can be difficult to know how to guide students to finding reliable sources of information. Students seem to be resistant whenever adults try to guide them and I think it is because they feel that we do not understand because we are of a different generation. Do you have any ideas on how to be successful at helping students integrate technologies into their learning? 

Computer Microscopes

Article: http://www.ceo-of-your-life.com/education-technology-integration-computer-microscopes-are-enhancing-science-education/

    This article focused on the use of SmartScope in science classrooms. This technology could replace traditional microscopes because they allow the teacher to show a good sample though the computer. The teacher could project the image on the board and students could all view the same sample at the same time. The blog writer stresses that this would be great because students struggle with making their own slides (did somebody say air bubbles?) and finding the image clearly under the microscope. But I'm not sure I agree with taking away that learning experience all together. I believe it is important for students to learn how to prepare a slide as well as how to adjust a microscope and find their object. Yes, its a struggle and the teacher must bounce from microscope to microscope to help everyone in the class, but I think it is rewarding to see the students' enthusiasm and wonder when they finally see the wiggling paramecium (or whatever it is) under their own microscope.
    That being said, I definetly think there would  be benefits to having a SmartScope at the front of the room projecting an ideal image for all students to see. Furthermore, you can record video and play it back. So if you are mixing various protists in hopes of seeing them engulf each other you can record the action and show other classes. Or better yet, put it on YouTube and track how many hits you get. I plan on looking into the SmartScope and hopefully finding a colleague to write a grant proposal for one that could be shared among all our science teachers!

Using Wikis in Classrooms

Article: http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/09/15/Wiki-Centric-Learning.aspx?Page=1

  After reading the above article, I can see that wikis can be used in so many different ways in a school. My first thoughts were focused on how colleagues could share a wiki when collaborating on a unit. I like the idea of bouncing ideas back and forth with other teachers when developing lessons...I also see a potential use when it comes to posting meeting minutes for others to see. At my school we currently post meeting minutes in a Microsoft word document on our shared files. This works, but it takes a couple of steps to get there and you must be in school to have access to the file.
    Next I began wondering how it could be used with students. For someone in secondary education who often has over 100 students the idea of a wiki can be overwhelming. However, I think that in assignments that ask students to work in collaborative groups, such as labs, a wiki could be a great way of sharing information with one another. Another way that I could see wikis being used in my classroom utilizes one wiki per class period. Perhaps I could find several interesting articles related to our unit and ask each class to comment on a specific article while communicating with each other. I think this idea could strengthen the "community feel" of a classroom...if students are working together online they may find it easier to work with one another in the classroom.
   I especially like the idea of having our students reaching out to communities in other countries in order to learn about different cultures. The article mentions using wikis in this way. I wonder how to get started when trying to set up such interactions...just having students talk to others in Europe because its cool doesn't cut it! (although it is cool).  I wonder how to create a meaningful lesson which asks students to learn about others with a different perspective. Any ideas?
   Lastly, I like to have students work on web-quests occasionally and now I am wondering if it would work to post the instructions (its like a scavenger hunt through the internet to find answers to my questions) in a wiki and ask students to answer on the wiki. I would take any ideas, comments or suggestions!

Students Getting Acquainted with Blackboard's Discussion Board

    We made a big breakthrough in science 7 classes today! I have been working on getting my Blackboard page up and running for my students and today I can see they are really getting the hang of how to use it. I added tasks (homework assignments), calendar events, announcements, important document files of extra copies of notes etc. They were already familiar with these parts of Bb from their other classes, but I discovered last week that they did not know anything about discussion boards. I started a thread yesterday and two out of 115 students noticed. Today in class I showed them all how to get there and how a board works...and now I'm getting posts by the minute from all of my classes! So far we are just saying hi and the kids are being silly but I feel like that is OK for the time being- until the first real discussion thread (maybe next week). I think this is a powerful way to teach students netiquette, that is, how to conduct oneself online. I am a little worried about students crossing the line but overall I trust them to know to be respectful. Some of my colleagues are very weary about the idea of opening up discussion boards, making assignments easily accessible etc. My opinion is that you cannot stop technology and you cannot stop our kids from using it...so jump aboard and learn how to best educate students on the matter!

    My question to all of you out there...how do you feel about using something like Bb for middle schoolers? upsides? Downsides? I'd be happy to hear what you think, this is pretty new to me!