Simulations in education have become popular due largely to the fact that more universities offer virtual classes. The opportunity to simulate the experience virtually helps to replace the experience that traditional students have. In order for simulations to be educational or instructional they must focus on facts, concepts or applications and be goal oriented. In a simulated experience, the learner will be able to explore or experience a situation that is not necessarily available to them. Simulations in driver's ed class made it possible for a classroom of 15 year olds to get hands on experience without any of the risk that generally goes along with new drivers. Unfortunately, these simulated experiences are not necessarily beneficial unless there is an instructor or some other outside source to identify key learning elements. Without this key point, simulations may be just experiences.
Distance learning courses have a need for these simulations, and general education classes could also see the benefits. Like all things in education, we must put all the pieces in place to ensure that what we are doing is effective and measurable. Specific learning targets set in place before the simulation takes place in a necessity for optimal outcomes.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Games in education
The 21st century student does not learn in the same way that I did. Students today need more than just core content to make it in the real world. Video games may be a way to enhance student learning. Games have been present in schools for years, but currently the games students can choose from offer much more than those of the past. One huge benefit of games in the classroom is the important role they play in offering an introduction to the virtual world, which can help to develop the way students interact with technology. Also, digital games are user-centred; they can promote challenges, co-operation, engagement, and the development of problem-solving strategies.
A huge problem with games in the classroom is that the concept of using games to teach, not just as a skill and drill tool, is relatively new for most teachers. These same teachers are not skilled themselves in these games and are not able to take on the leadership role that most "digital immigrant teachers want to assume. In order for games in school to be successful, the games need to be accurate in terms of content, and teachers must be supported and encouraged in this new area.
We already know that students are using technology to play games, and that traditional school is becoming more of a passive activity for today's students. Games can offer students skills that are lacking from our educational system. Games can offer motivation and enjoyment. They provide self gratification and a form of play.
Used correctly, games in education offer huge benefits, and getting to the place where using games as an effective tool in the classroom is certainly a goal to strive for. The skills children develop by playing games can provide them with basic skills for computer literacy, and can help to prepare them for science and technology. Research does show that games in education usually benefit the less skilled players in the area of content learning, but the attention skills were better developed in the more skilled players.
Overall, like anything, games have a place in education but there needs to be a balance. With such a relatively new concept, more time is needed to experiment with the process and research the outcome.
A huge problem with games in the classroom is that the concept of using games to teach, not just as a skill and drill tool, is relatively new for most teachers. These same teachers are not skilled themselves in these games and are not able to take on the leadership role that most "digital immigrant teachers want to assume. In order for games in school to be successful, the games need to be accurate in terms of content, and teachers must be supported and encouraged in this new area.
We already know that students are using technology to play games, and that traditional school is becoming more of a passive activity for today's students. Games can offer students skills that are lacking from our educational system. Games can offer motivation and enjoyment. They provide self gratification and a form of play.
Used correctly, games in education offer huge benefits, and getting to the place where using games as an effective tool in the classroom is certainly a goal to strive for. The skills children develop by playing games can provide them with basic skills for computer literacy, and can help to prepare them for science and technology. Research does show that games in education usually benefit the less skilled players in the area of content learning, but the attention skills were better developed in the more skilled players.
Overall, like anything, games have a place in education but there needs to be a balance. With such a relatively new concept, more time is needed to experiment with the process and research the outcome.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
discovery education
Today I spent some time exploring the site Discovery Education. There are tons of different aspects to this site; products and services, classroom resources, home resources, professional development, and a store. This includes lesson plans, curriculum materials and other tools for both teachers and students. Discovery Education streaming has lots of streaming video clips at its core. Some of these videos come from Discovery Channel. Other contributors include Scholastic, the BBC, PBS and NASA. All in all, the basic package has content from more than 150 educational producers. The clips are aligned to K-12 national and state curriculum standards. Many are organized according to themes, and teachers can search for relevant clips by keyword, subject, grade level and curriculum standard. There's also more than just video in the Discovery Education streaming package. Some of the other tools include quiz builders, writing prompts, editable videos, and a Discovery Education Network. In addition, teachers get access to tools to keep things organized, such as a calendar, a grade book and an assignment builder.
Overall, this site has lots of potential for use in the classroom, and would be a great tool to have in any classroom.
Overall, this site has lots of potential for use in the classroom, and would be a great tool to have in any classroom.
Monday, June 1, 2009
A day in the life of the 21st century classroom
Bursting through the door of their kindergarten classroom, the students in Mrs. Getty’s class quickly say hello to their teacher and hang up their backpacks before heading to the computers to find their name and select if they are having hot or cold lunch for the day. This will send an alert not only to the kitchen, but also to the office that those children are indeed here for the day. When finished, the students grab their writing journals and look to the SMART Board for their writing prompt. Mrs. Getty has recorded herself saying each word in the prompt and has added it as a sound button for the students that are not able to read the entire sentence yet. Steven struggles to sound out the word ‘favorite’ so he goes to the board and touches the word. Mrs. Getty’s voice flows through the speakers and any student struggling with that word now knows what it says.
The journals are put away and calendar time begins. Using a calendar template from the SMART Board gallery, the students take turns selecting the month and day of the week from a list the teacher has created on the calendar and drag them into the correct boxes. One student is selected to write in the dates and another writes in the year. When the calendar is finished the students sing the ABC ‘s along with a slideshow they helped their teacher make using Microsoft Movie Maker. In the show, teams of kids formed the letters with their bodies and the teacher took a picture. Using a USB recording device, she then recorded the children saying the letter and the sound it makes. The students watch this slideshow nearly every day and have yet to get bored of seeing and hearing themselves on the big screen.
When math time begins the students are excited to find out that today is a day for math place centers. Five centers are set up around the room and the students are able to visit the centers of their choice. A few of today’s choices are the ‘Beat You To 25” game where students spin a spinner that has different amounts of pennies. On their boards they trade five pennies for a nickel and play until they have five nickels that they can trade for a quarter. Another favorite center is the sea creature estimation center. In partners, one student reaches into a bucket of plastic sea creature toys and pulls out a large handful. Both students have a paper with 3 ten frames on it. They fill in the number of squares on the ten-frame to represent their estimate. Together the pair count the sea creatures by placing them onto bigger ten frames to see who had the closest guess. Mrs. Getty walks around the room with her notebook in hand and notes that Brayden is counting by tens, but his partner is still counting each toy by ones. This method for math had proven to be successful for the students in many ways, but some parents were concerned that no math worksheets were coming home. In the weekly newsletter sent to each parent’s Email and posted on the classroom webpage, Mrs. Getty makes sure to describe the learning goals and occasionally includes short video clips of the students playing their math games or explaining a concept. Monthly, students also get to take home a homework version of one of the month’s games. Instructions are included, but it is the student’s job to teach someone at home how to play the game. The positive feedback from parents has slowly been increasing.
After the math games have been cleaned up, the students gather on the carpet for reading. In the traditional manner, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is read and the students are asked to pay special attention to the foods that are eaten. When the story is finished the class heads to the computer lab. Using a kid’s drawing software that the students have been learning during computer time, each child is asked to remember 3 foods the caterpillar ate and do their best to draw those foods using the software. As they finish up and print their pictures, Mrs. Getty encourages students to sound out the words and write the food names next to the pictures. With only ten minutes until lunch, the students that are not finished are instructed to save their work to finish later. Back in the classroom, a few students are selected to display their work for the other students on the big screen using the document camera before heading off to lunch.
The journals are put away and calendar time begins. Using a calendar template from the SMART Board gallery, the students take turns selecting the month and day of the week from a list the teacher has created on the calendar and drag them into the correct boxes. One student is selected to write in the dates and another writes in the year. When the calendar is finished the students sing the ABC ‘s along with a slideshow they helped their teacher make using Microsoft Movie Maker. In the show, teams of kids formed the letters with their bodies and the teacher took a picture. Using a USB recording device, she then recorded the children saying the letter and the sound it makes. The students watch this slideshow nearly every day and have yet to get bored of seeing and hearing themselves on the big screen.
When math time begins the students are excited to find out that today is a day for math place centers. Five centers are set up around the room and the students are able to visit the centers of their choice. A few of today’s choices are the ‘Beat You To 25” game where students spin a spinner that has different amounts of pennies. On their boards they trade five pennies for a nickel and play until they have five nickels that they can trade for a quarter. Another favorite center is the sea creature estimation center. In partners, one student reaches into a bucket of plastic sea creature toys and pulls out a large handful. Both students have a paper with 3 ten frames on it. They fill in the number of squares on the ten-frame to represent their estimate. Together the pair count the sea creatures by placing them onto bigger ten frames to see who had the closest guess. Mrs. Getty walks around the room with her notebook in hand and notes that Brayden is counting by tens, but his partner is still counting each toy by ones. This method for math had proven to be successful for the students in many ways, but some parents were concerned that no math worksheets were coming home. In the weekly newsletter sent to each parent’s Email and posted on the classroom webpage, Mrs. Getty makes sure to describe the learning goals and occasionally includes short video clips of the students playing their math games or explaining a concept. Monthly, students also get to take home a homework version of one of the month’s games. Instructions are included, but it is the student’s job to teach someone at home how to play the game. The positive feedback from parents has slowly been increasing.
After the math games have been cleaned up, the students gather on the carpet for reading. In the traditional manner, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is read and the students are asked to pay special attention to the foods that are eaten. When the story is finished the class heads to the computer lab. Using a kid’s drawing software that the students have been learning during computer time, each child is asked to remember 3 foods the caterpillar ate and do their best to draw those foods using the software. As they finish up and print their pictures, Mrs. Getty encourages students to sound out the words and write the food names next to the pictures. With only ten minutes until lunch, the students that are not finished are instructed to save their work to finish later. Back in the classroom, a few students are selected to display their work for the other students on the big screen using the document camera before heading off to lunch.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Cell phones in the classroom
Cell Phones in the Classroom
The debate of cell phones in the classroom has been going on since the 90’s. The popular belief is that cell phones don’t have a place in the classroom, and should not be allowed. By thinking outside the box, teachers and administrators are coming up with reasons to keep cell phones in the classroom. The reason being that cell phones are a tool that many students already have, unlike expensive software that a school purchases and students don’t have access to outside of the school setting.
Like all technology used in schools, the key to optimal learning is in teaching students proper ethics when using it. Cell phone use is no different. The benefits of phones in the classroom can only be fully reached if standards are set and followed. Rules need to be instituted in order to avoid misuse of the cell phones in the classroom. Grade deductions can be made if students are caught using phones during a test, or participation points can be withheld if students are texting or talking during class time when they should be working. Another idea would be to collect all phones at the beginning of class, keep in a basket unless needed, and return to students at the end of the period.
As a tool in the classroom, cell phones can be used as data collection devices. They can be audio recorders, digital cameras, or camcorders. For classroom projects, students can use a cell phone to create ring tones, text messages, mobile web pages, or mobile surveys.
As a good starting place, lessons involving cell phone cameras are a great way to get your feet wet. Photoblogger, Flicker, and Bubbleshare are appropriate for students and great sites for introducing student to photosharing, photoblogging and making slideshows.
The debate of cell phones in the classroom has been going on since the 90’s. The popular belief is that cell phones don’t have a place in the classroom, and should not be allowed. By thinking outside the box, teachers and administrators are coming up with reasons to keep cell phones in the classroom. The reason being that cell phones are a tool that many students already have, unlike expensive software that a school purchases and students don’t have access to outside of the school setting.
Like all technology used in schools, the key to optimal learning is in teaching students proper ethics when using it. Cell phone use is no different. The benefits of phones in the classroom can only be fully reached if standards are set and followed. Rules need to be instituted in order to avoid misuse of the cell phones in the classroom. Grade deductions can be made if students are caught using phones during a test, or participation points can be withheld if students are texting or talking during class time when they should be working. Another idea would be to collect all phones at the beginning of class, keep in a basket unless needed, and return to students at the end of the period.
As a tool in the classroom, cell phones can be used as data collection devices. They can be audio recorders, digital cameras, or camcorders. For classroom projects, students can use a cell phone to create ring tones, text messages, mobile web pages, or mobile surveys.
As a good starting place, lessons involving cell phone cameras are a great way to get your feet wet. Photoblogger, Flicker, and Bubbleshare are appropriate for students and great sites for introducing student to photosharing, photoblogging and making slideshows.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Visual learning
Media literacy seems to be one of the newest hot topic buzz words in education. It is evident that the recent explosion of image based technologies has had a huge impact on our everyday lives, and brain development of our students is even being affected on both conscience and subconscious levels. We process visual information 60,000 times faster than textual information. Traditional methods of teaching from a book are clearly needing to be re-evaluated in favor of more current forms of communication that better fit the emergence of new technologies.
Currently, our students are already being bombarded with media images. From commercials to the Internet, media images flood our lives and the lives of our students. As educators, we have the responsibility to help our students to effectively analyze and evaluate the things that they are seeing, hearing and experiencing from media. Taken from an article written by Phillip Seymour, it is stated that media literacy generally encompasses three basic elements:
1. Develop analytical and critical thinking skills in students proproviding them with the skills to positively interact with all media, from newspapers to the Internet.
2. teaching visual literacy skills that enables students to create media that accurately reflects their communication skills in and out of school.
3. Infusing technology and media with core school curriculum.
Today's workforce needs people that are technologically literate and can respond to innovations and change. Technology is creating a sweeping change in the way we live, understand and communicate with the world. It is essential for us to prepare our students to navigate this change by providing them with the best knowledge available to us.
Currently, our students are already being bombarded with media images. From commercials to the Internet, media images flood our lives and the lives of our students. As educators, we have the responsibility to help our students to effectively analyze and evaluate the things that they are seeing, hearing and experiencing from media. Taken from an article written by Phillip Seymour, it is stated that media literacy generally encompasses three basic elements:
1. Develop analytical and critical thinking skills in students proproviding them with the skills to positively interact with all media, from newspapers to the Internet.
2. teaching visual literacy skills that enables students to create media that accurately reflects their communication skills in and out of school.
3. Infusing technology and media with core school curriculum.
Today's workforce needs people that are technologically literate and can respond to innovations and change. Technology is creating a sweeping change in the way we live, understand and communicate with the world. It is essential for us to prepare our students to navigate this change by providing them with the best knowledge available to us.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wetpaint
I decided to attempt a site designed for both the kindergarten team at my school and for the parents. I used the free site; Wetpaint, and after the initial orientation, found it to be fairly easy to work with. It is certainly nice looking, with different template options for backgrounds and individual page layouts. One major thing about Wetpaint is that it is meant to be a shared site, with spaces on every page to post new threads and collaborate. I'm undecided if this will be a good thing or a negative. If this develops into an actual kindergarten web site where each teacher posts information about their own class, the ability to have multiple editors will be a major bonus. If I continue to be the only contributor, I would probably benefit more from a google site.
I did have a good experience with Wetpaint, and the fact that it is free is just another added bonus. My site is nearly done for now, but I have lots of ideas of how it could be improved upon and things that could be added in the future.
Check it out at http://lakewoodkindergarten.wetpaint.com
I did have a good experience with Wetpaint, and the fact that it is free is just another added bonus. My site is nearly done for now, but I have lots of ideas of how it could be improved upon and things that could be added in the future.
Check it out at http://lakewoodkindergarten.wetpaint.com
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