Education Innovation via Video Games

I was never a "gamer" growing up. I never owned an xbox or a ps3. I saw it as a waste of time and something that killed brain cells. I would hear kids talking about it at school and how they spent their entire Saturday playing some game and how they spent days trying to slay one dragon. When they finally killed that dragon, boy that was a big day. When I heard about teachers using video games in education I couldn't find a reason as to why that would be a good idea. I thought, "I will never be one of those teachers." Until now.
One day in my ECI 296 class, Jennifer LaGarde came and spoke to us about how she used video games in her school to boost math scores. My mind was blown. Video games have something that positively affects the brain. It totally makes sense. Why do people spend so much time on one thing in a world full of short attention spans? How do video games motivate people to try over, and over, and over despite their failures? How do video games keep people's attention for such a long time? The Ted Talk by Tom Chatfield explains all of these questions.

In short, video games provide just enough challenge in relation to rewards to keep people motivated. They aren't so hard that people give up, however its just easy enough to keep people engaged. Implementing this idea into education is probably the most brilliant thing I've ever heard! 5 million students play 45 plus hours of video games a week. If students spent half the time they do playing video games, working on math and reading skills America's education program would sky rocket through the roof. So why not combine these two things to give students a way to learn and enjoy it at the same time. 

It requires some work on the teachers part, but it is possible to take a video game that students already enjoy playing, and make it educational. Ms. LaGarde used Wii games and had students calculate percentages and ratios using bowling and basketball stats. There are also educational games already made for teachers to use such as: Lemonade Stand, Carmen Sandiego, and Oregon Trail. 

After being enlightened on the benefits of video games and how they can can be implemented into education I am so excited to use them in my classroom. I want to inspire my students to learn and if video games make them eager to learn I will give them that opportunity. Video games may get them excited to come to school and give them something to work for. This will trigger something in their brain that helps them to stay engaged and motivates them to learn and attain their goals. Part of teaching includes meeting the students where they are. We have to inspire them and give them a reason to work. We have to try to make it fun and exciting. It's our job to do our best to find what it is in them that motivates them to work hard, and ignite that with a passion to learn. I think I just found a new way to do this.

Professional Learning Networks and Twitter

When students sit in a classroom and look to the front, they see one teacher. However, the truth is that behind the lessons and their one teacher, is a whole network of educators collaborating to create best classroom environment possible. Professional Learning Networks consist of a wide variety of teachers coming together to share ideas and opinions. PLNs are a way for teachers to have support as well as to better their lessons and teaching style. PLNs do not necessarily have to be within a single school, or even within a grade/subject. They often discuss much wider topics than merely specific educational topics. PLNs can discuss things such as common classroom problems, ideas to create better learning environments, or ways to incorporate technology into the classroom effectively. 

This can be beneficial to inexperienced teachers as well as experienced. Inexperienced teachers need mentors and to show them the ropes and to encourage them in their new job. Starting anything new can be intimidating so having a multitude of connections can help ease the stress. Experienced teachers may need new and fresh ideas. After doing the same thing year after year it can become easy to start going through the motions. On the other hand it can be hard to incorporate new technology that has never been used before. PLNs can include new minds that are more experienced with new technology and tactics. PLNs are helpful to everyone. 

Technology has greatly enhanced the world of PLNs. Teachers from all over the world can now be a part of my PLN. I use Pinterest to connect with other teachers. I have found so many incredibly clever ideas from it. It is one of my favorite was to communicate and share ideas for teaching. Communication is faster and more accessible to almost everyone because of new technology, enabling things like twitter chats for teachers everywhere. When participating in a twitter chat there were certain things that I liked, but also many things that I didn't. With so many participants it was hard to follow the conversation. However, if I looked hard enough there were some good comments and resources available. 

Twitter is a good resource for the classroom itself, not just a way to connect with PLN. I now follow various educators and other teaching resources on twitter. Teachers can also participate in twitter chats to share ideas and get new ideas for the classroom. I follow myEDmatch and Teachers First on twitter. I have also followed Smartbrief Education because I find these to be great resources that will benefit my profession. 

One great twitter account that I just love is the kinderkids account. They use it to tweet as a class. This helps the kids with writing full and proper sentences, with assistance and on their own. It also helps them learn how to use and navigate the internet. It allows parents to follow what their children are learning and what they are doing at school. I know my mother would have loved to have that connection my first year in school. I think this is a great idea that I may try as a teacher. 

Overall, there are many ways to connect with a PLN through technology. My favorites include blogging, pinterest and in some cases twitter. These do not require time sensitivity, which is a fantastic attribute for teachers. They can also lead to meeting with other teachers in person at conferences or workshops. The opportunities are limitless. :)  

To read about more ways to enhance your PLN on Twitter go here: 

http://edge.ascd.org/_Building-a-professional-learning-network-on-Twitter/blog/6498319/127586.html?crlt.pid=camp.tPrcCQjy5N0h

For 10 great guides to a better PLN go here:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/10-great-guides-for-better-professional.html

Here is a great video about what a PLN is and how to use it.

Teachers and the Digital Divide

In today's world, some people have an advantage over others due to access to technology. With technology growing so rapidly, the future is centered around its influence. Those people who have technology and internet access in their homes have a better understanding of how to use it, and use it effectively. Coming into a classroom with the prior knowledge and advantage wedges an invisible "divide" between students. As teachers it is our job to close that gap and give all students an even playing field for them to prosper. 

Having students at different ability levels is a common hurdle that teachers have to learn to work around when planning lessons. Technology is adding another aspect to this problem. Some students have computers and Ipads at home that they use on a regular basis. Others only have a smart phone to allow them internet access. This creates a great disadvantage for the latter. When assigning homework, teachers cannot assume everyone has the resources to create a word document, power point, or even to look up a video online. 

Students with access to the internet have an endless supply of information at their fingertips. Other students may only have access from a cell phone or at a local library. The time and experience spent with technology can impact how the readiness a student has to enter into the work force. Employers are looking for people who will be able to work with technology like its second nature. They want young people who grew up with technology and the truth is, that not all young people do.

Teachers need to bridge this gap by providing access to their students as much as possible and teaching every child the basis of technology use so their knowledge can grow from that. Teachers should provide opportunities to let them discover new possibilities that technology has to offer. If every student has a basic knowledge of how to use technology for everyday life and a knowledge of how to learn more, their future outside of school has a greater potential. 

Statistics:

74% of women and 80% of men have internet access in developed countries.

37% of women and 41% of men have internet access worldwide.

48% of people 15 and older use a smartphone. 

Links to more information: 

www.internetworldstats.com/emarketing.htm 

www.edutopia.org/de-technology-access-resources

http://www.infodocket.com/2013/06/10/new-report-from-u-s-census-rising-internet-use-and-impact-of-smartphones-on-digital-divide/

Digital Natives

I think that learning how to use technology is a lot like learning how to speak a language. For the first few years of ones life, the brain is more capable of picking up on words and making them second nature. Being around people that speak this language constantly makes the brain naturally want to decipher the code. Communication interacting with everyday life helps a baby learn what words mean and how to use them. 

Putting a child in the same setting with technology does the same thing. When they see it being used on a regular basis and are exposed to it they will naturally learn how to use technology. On the other hand, older generations have to teach themselves or be taught how to use it. They will have to put in the effort and time to manually teach their brains something that came naturally to a digital native. 

In the debate I took the opposing side to my beliefs. I have learned that for a lot of people in the older generation have a knack for technology and don't have to spend as much time learning how to use new technology as others. As technology develops it becomes harder for natives to adapt, and it is possible that a non-native could learn easier. A lot of this does depend on how much time each generation spends with technology on a regular basis. A non-native could use technology in his or her workplace more than a native does in school. This could put the non-native above the native in terms of technology fluency.  

Photo credit to Ken Lee 

Photo credit to Dave Winer

This is a link to a great blog about digital natives. The author does not automatically claim that everyone in the younger generation is a digital native. Instead she discusses an idea that they still need to be taught and should in turn be called digital citizens. The author states that children will be able to figure out technology when handed to them, although they should be taught proper etiquette. These "citizens" should have guided assitance. 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-native-digitial-citizen-stereotype-mary-beth-hertz