Gamification

What is gamification? 

This is a technique that utilizes games and game concepts to engage students in lessons and learning. 

• What are some important things to consider when using gamification in your classroom?

Some important things to consider when using gamification in the classroom are:

• Is your game age and level appropriate?
• Is this a game that the children need direct instruction from the teacher or can they figure it out by themselves?
• Does the program have a way for the teacher to see the progress the students are making as they go or do they have to rely on the student to report their progress?
• Is it something that they can use for specific lessons or just for general practice?

• What is the best example of gamification you've seen?

The best example of gamification that I have seen was the game played in class called Prodigy. I liked this game because it was teacher-backed and had ways for the teacher to have access to what the children were accomplishing throughout the game. I think the story line and the graphics would also be intriguing for a wide range of age groups and that is important because it keeps the child engaged. However, this is a game I'd let my students use when we had time for extra practice on math skills or during indoor recess because math is a subject that needs more attention with an instructor than to be self-taught or to be taught by an online program. 

• Do you think Gamification is good/bad or just a fad?

I think that gamification is a good resource because it is able to engage the students in different ways. I do not think that it is just "a fad" because technology is being used more and more in the classroom and gamification will evolve with the technology as it progresses. Along with that, children and adults are highly motivated by rewards and playing and "winning" these games is motivation to get through them and be engaged in what the program is teaching. 

How Students Learn

This week I will be discussing how students learn.

• How did you learn best as a student?
  

From my own experience, I learn best through hearing what is being taught. I have always responded well to verbal instruction and although lectures can get very boring, those are the settings in which I retain the most information. 
As a child, I liked the hear my instructions verbally and then be able to read them or have some sort of visual clue. This still holds true throughout my college education. Usually, while the professor talks I will follow along with notes or in the book. 

• How do you think this will affect you as a teacher?

As an educator, I do not think this will effect me tremendously. I understand that students learn in a multitude of ways. My goal is to be able to tailor lesson plans accordingly and plan them to best suit my students' needs, not my own. 

• Do you think humans need some type of reward as motivation or not?

I think that humans do need some type of reward as means for motivation. The reason why so many people are successful or strive to get good grades is for some type of reward, whether it is monetary compensation or recognition, motivation lies within the reward. How does the saying go- the end justifies the means? This is true for humans and will always have truth behind it. Our motivation derives from the ultimate outcome or reward.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Virtual vs. Augmented 

Virtual reality is when the user is completely engaged in the alternate reality. Augmented reality is when there is a 3-D image that is layered on top of a graphic.

The two types of reality are becoming more popular in today's society. There are many different ways that they are also being incorporated into teaching and education as well as gaming and communication. 

In the future, I think that augmented reality will be more widely used by your average Joe than virtual reality. This is a useful resource because it is just a layer on top of a graphic, but it allows us to be able to access a 3-D model of that graphic which is more interactive than the 2-D version. Also, it is cheaper to use augmented reality than virtual because the VR headset can be very expensive, whereas augmented reality can be accessed by using certain apps on your cellphone. 

How will this be useful in the classroom?

Augmented reality will be useful in the classroom because technology like cellphones and portable tablets, like iPads, are being more widely accepted in classrooms. It is more realistic for a school to purchase this type of technology and buy interactive augmented reality apps than it is to purchase a class set of virtual reality head sets. Virtual reality would be nice to have because the students would have access to places and new experiences to things they may never be able to see in real life. However, the augmented reality can be used in classrooms to create a more engaging environment that better promotes learning because it is more hands on than what is offered now

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How I Stay Current

This week we talked about staying current with technology. Our assignments included familiarizing ourselves with social media platforms like Pinterest and Twitter because they are used avidly in the education field. 

Pinterest offers a lot of really cool ideas and especially for teachers. It provides ideas for fun and engaging assignments, classroom decorations, and just tips and advice in general for the classroom.

Twitter is useful in a different sense because if you were to set one up for your class, you have effectively created a platform where students can keep up with the things you post- like assignments and other upcoming events they should be aware of. Depending on who you follow, it can also keep you updated as the educator with things that are going on in the educational world. For example, what new technologies are being developed as well as other teachers and the things that they share. 

When asked the question, "How do you keep current with emerging trends in education, classroom tools, and technologies?" many ideas run through my head. 

In order to keep up with emerging trends in education, classroom tools and technology I would first collaborate with my fellow teachers. It is important to know what platforms and websites they use so that we can all be on the same page and potentially interacting with one another. Then, I would ask the students what they use or have used in other classrooms that seems to be new and that they enjoyed using. Then, I would use platforms that I already use and keep up to date on the things that they post about. For example, the accounts I follow on Twitter post a lot of things about emerging technology and classroom tips and tools and I feel as an educator, it is my responsibility to read those articles and see what the new and upcoming trends are. 

Educational Technology

This week in class we have reviewed the past of educational technology and how it has evolved over time. Below are some questions that reflect the way that I feel about educational technology and then a basic outline of the path that technology has taken and how we have reached the point where are at this current moment.

Some questions that we were asked to think about this week are:

1. What are some of the hurdles that educational technology faces?
One hurdle that educational technology has faced over time is that because technology changes so fast, it is difficult to keep up with it which in turn makes it harder to use effectively in the classroom. Another hurdle is that some teachers or educators do not believe that the updated technology is useful and they get stuck in their ways. Lastly, schools that are in impoverished conditions may not be able to afford the technology that other schools have. 

2. What can teachers, in general, do about them?

Teachers can be proactive in learning about technology. Often times I see that students are showing teachers new ways of using old technology or how to properly operate newer devices. It should be the teachers responsibility to get specific training on these devices and be able to appropriately use them.

3.What is/will be your own personal way of handling these hurdles when you are teaching?

 As an educator, I hope to be up to date on the technology that I use in my class. I think it is important because students are surrounded by technology these days and they obviously respond to it well. I want to be able to provide an appropriate balance between using technology and not, but also to be able to effectively teach using both styles.

Microsoft vs Google

This week we did assignments that dealt with the differences between Microsoft Word and PowerPoint compared to Google Docs and Slides. The assignments we completed for both were very similar but the way that each document was prepared differed in many ways.

• Now that you've completed similar assignments using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and Google Doc and Slides what are the pros and cons to each?
• The pros of Microsoft:
• the operating system is more familiar
• the layout is easier to navigate
• it's easier to figure out by yourself
• there are more options for the design and layout of the project
• easy to share via e-mail attachment
• The pros of Google:

• easier to share with peers 
• easier to submit assignments
• easier to see peer edits
• Cons of Microsoft:
• you have to pay for it
• limited space available based on computer space
• Cons of Google:
• offers less accessibility than Microsoft
• more difficult to navigate

• Did you run into any issues?
• When completing the assignments, the most trouble I had was figuring out the google products. I expected them to work in similar ways as Microsoft, but this was not the case.

• Is there one you prefer more than the other and why?
• I prefer to use Microsoft because I am familiar with the operating system and even when they update the software I can still figure it out. Google products seem so foreign to me, however I like that you can edit other people's documents.

• What makes more sense to you to use with your students?
• I think that it makes more sense to use the google products with students because they can see direct comments made by the teacher and by other students. It is also easy to figure out basic functions and once you get the hang of it, it is more convenient. 

Internet Safety

For this week's blog we were asked a series of questions about internet safety. The questions (and answers) are as follows:

• When you are the teacher, what will you consider when you have younger students searching the internet? 

In the future, one thing that I will consider as a teacher is that not everything on the internet is as it seems. There are people, predators, and scammers who may try and take advantage of students who are unaware of the potential dangers. Other things that I would also consider are that there are many websites that contain material that may be inappropriate for younger viewers and that they may not know how to distinguish between information that is credible and that which is not. Also, not all search engines are age appropriate because they may be too difficult for the students to navigate or learn how to use. The internet has so much valuable information that we can gain so much knowledge from and the material is infinite and on your computer you can have all of that at the tips of your fingers. 

• Will you present it as a scary thing or a positive thing?

Overall, I will present the internet as a positive thing, however, when explaining the dangers I will be very cautious to warn my students of the hazards and bad things out there. The internet is very exciting and extremely useful when used correctly. 

• What policies are you aware of that schools have in place to protect students?

The only policies that I have experienced or that I am aware of to protect students are that many websites are blocked- like YouTube and sometimes Wikipedia. The only way to get on to these websites were if the teacher entered a code to override the block. Another policy was that we were required to have internet safety courses and had to past a test and get parental permission before being granted internet access.

• Find and share some solutions or good resources that may help with this topic.

Some solutions are to give the students a list of alternative search engines such as:

• KidRex
• KidzSearch
• Kidtopia 
• for a list of more child friendly websites click here

Another solution is to make sure the children are well educated on the potential dangers and know how to correctly use the internet. This can be achieved by showing them many types of stimulus to get the point across such as videos, articles, and even quiz them on the material.