I have heard several educators lament "kids these days" and their video games. While I understand that there are a handful of kids who stay up way too late losing precious sleep to video games, and video games keep some kids inside instead of getting them out to play and exercise; I also believe that these are the exceptions not the rules. Instead of complaining about video games, teachers need to learn to harness their power. The games are here, they aren't going away anytime soon, so why not use them to our benefit? We need to be using games that are fun but have educational value to bolster, or "punch-up" our lessons. These serious games not only teach valuable critical thinking skills and engage students at a higher level, they also can be used to reinforce concepts and standards we are already teaching.
Now, I'm certainly not advocating using only games to teach. I am also not advocating their use daily. However, when used effectively, it is my belief these games will increase student engagement and learning. What does it mean to sue them effectively? I think that question was best answered by Mary Ulicsak in her June 2010 Futurelab literature review, Games in Education: Serious Games. While discussing serious games, Ulicsak states on page 5, "the learning outcome is dependent upon an appropriate pedagogy and the underlying game mechanics and how the content is integrated into the game so the learning is intrinsic to play." In other words, the game is not effective unless it incorporates the content in a way that students must apply their learning in order to be successful at the game.
In my classroom, I have used games in a variety of ways. I have used them as a way to practice skills, especially with keyboarding and basic math. In our technology time, we use a site called Sumdog to practice math skills. Our computer lab technician has imported our students into the site, which allows her to put them in classes. The kids' favorite aspect of this site is that they can play against anyone in the world or against their classmates who are online. They can also participate in contests and play at school or log in from home and play. We spend the first quarter learning how to keyboard for half an hour per week at a site called Dancemat Typing. The students love this site, which is user-friendly and features animated songs when the students are successful.
I have also used games to bolster critical thinking and problem solving skills. My favorite site for this is Cool Math 4 Kids. This site features all sorts of games that involve higher-level thinking to win or advance to the next level. Also included on this site are several simulation games, such as Coffee Shop and Lemonade Stand. These two games allow students to participate in real world situations that involve marketing and supply and demand.
It is always exciting to students learn when they think they are really just playing a game. One of the reasons I decided to become an educator was to help students who are like I was in school. I disliked school most of the time. I thought it was boring and didn't understand why I had to go. Serious gaming is just one tool I use to make students excited about learning and show them real-world applications of their knowledge. Hopefully, this reaches one of those kids who feels the way I felt as a kid and changes their views on learning!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Flipped Classroom
I first saw the phrase "flipping the classroom" on Twitter a couple of years ago. In fact, for a while I felt like it was the only topic on which educators in my feed wanted to comment. The first explanation I read made no sense: "Learning happens at home, homework happens at school." While this is a somewhat accurate description, I feel that the words learning and homework were misleading. When I read that description, I first thought that I'm not sure if my students can handle learning on their own at home. I was thinking about them reading information, though. Also, for third grade, I don't really give a ton of homework, it hasn't been a successful method in the past. If I give any homework at all, it is just practice over something we have already learned. It is never an assignment for a grade.
After studying flipping the classroom, I realized that learning doesn't just happen at home. In fact, it seems to me that most of the learning still happens at school. Students get the information at home, via videos not reading textbooks, but then they learn by participating in assignments (not necessarily what I consider homework) at school. While I had researched this quite a bit already, I had not seen the infographic at http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/. The information at the bottom was the most eye-opening. Not only had the number of students struggling with concepts dropped, but the number of discipline cases dropped by almost 500 cases. The first theory I have on why those discipline problems dropped so drastically is that the flipped classroom is more engaging for students. Asking students to be responsible for taking in the instruction outside of class gives them personal responsibility, requiring them to be accountable for their own learning.
In the past two years, I have been on both ends of a flipped classroom at school. Last year my principal started sending us videos from Teaching Channel as a way of incorporating more PD. We would watch them on our own time and then either discuss during a future PD session or send her an email containing our thoughts and reflections. This has allowed me to see into other teachers' classrooms and watch how they teach different subjects. It has been an excellent tool. One video that I have viewed more than once is Reasoning about Multiplication and Division, which is about teaching the thought process behind multiplication and division - something the Common Core stresses in third grade.
I have also begun to experiment with the flipped classroom approach with my students. So far, I have used iPad apps such as Educreations (free) and Explain Everything ($2.99) to create videos that my students can watch. I enjoy making these videos and the kids seem to enjoy watching them. It should be noted that I don't exactly follow the flipped model in my 3rd grade classroom. Instead of having students watching the videos at home, I have them watch the videos on our iPads in class. I do this for two reasons. First, I have several students who don't have internet access at home. Secondly, I am not sure how many of my students in third grade are quite ready to go home and watch the videos by themselves. They still require some motivation and monitoring in class.
My experiment with flipping the classroom will continue this year.. Now that I know about Screencast-o-Matic I am excited to experiment with it and get even more videos out to my students. I also want to try to have the students who have internet access watch the videos at home and see how it goes.
After studying flipping the classroom, I realized that learning doesn't just happen at home. In fact, it seems to me that most of the learning still happens at school. Students get the information at home, via videos not reading textbooks, but then they learn by participating in assignments (not necessarily what I consider homework) at school. While I had researched this quite a bit already, I had not seen the infographic at http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/. The information at the bottom was the most eye-opening. Not only had the number of students struggling with concepts dropped, but the number of discipline cases dropped by almost 500 cases. The first theory I have on why those discipline problems dropped so drastically is that the flipped classroom is more engaging for students. Asking students to be responsible for taking in the instruction outside of class gives them personal responsibility, requiring them to be accountable for their own learning.
In the past two years, I have been on both ends of a flipped classroom at school. Last year my principal started sending us videos from Teaching Channel as a way of incorporating more PD. We would watch them on our own time and then either discuss during a future PD session or send her an email containing our thoughts and reflections. This has allowed me to see into other teachers' classrooms and watch how they teach different subjects. It has been an excellent tool. One video that I have viewed more than once is Reasoning about Multiplication and Division, which is about teaching the thought process behind multiplication and division - something the Common Core stresses in third grade.
I have also begun to experiment with the flipped classroom approach with my students. So far, I have used iPad apps such as Educreations (free) and Explain Everything ($2.99) to create videos that my students can watch. I enjoy making these videos and the kids seem to enjoy watching them. It should be noted that I don't exactly follow the flipped model in my 3rd grade classroom. Instead of having students watching the videos at home, I have them watch the videos on our iPads in class. I do this for two reasons. First, I have several students who don't have internet access at home. Secondly, I am not sure how many of my students in third grade are quite ready to go home and watch the videos by themselves. They still require some motivation and monitoring in class.
My experiment with flipping the classroom will continue this year.. Now that I know about Screencast-o-Matic I am excited to experiment with it and get even more videos out to my students. I also want to try to have the students who have internet access watch the videos at home and see how it goes.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Mobile Learning
This topic is one of my personal favorites. As has been stated by many people, most of our students already have smartphones or tablets and are using them daily - some are using them hourly or even by the minute. With that information in mind, are we doing a disservice to our students if we do not integrate some sort of mobile technology in our districts? I believe we are. We have long talked about meeting students where they are and differentiating our lessons when it comes to ability and learning styles. Today's learners have a brand new style we need to incorporate - mobile technology.
I have some experience with iPads in the classroom. I was fortunate to receive a grant from my school district that provided me with a 2:1 student to iPad ratio this year. It has been an amazing experience so far. The iPads have had a tremendous impact on how I teach. My teaching style has become way more student-directed than every before. I now design lessons with research in mind - especially in science and social studies. Currently we are researching our space unit instead of just reading from the textbook and the iPads play a huge role in that research. Having the power of search engines like Kid Rex and Google, as well as access in my district to Searchasaurus by EbscoHost, at our fingertips has transformed how we learn.
In social studies, we have done a video report on homecoming in which the students turned into investigative reporters and film makers. That project alone was one of the highlights of my career so far. Our district's high school allowed us inside the fence at the game and the kids were able to interview players, cheerleaders, and even homecoming queen candidates. Considering the technology costs around $500 per iPad (including costs of storage cart and protective case), I was pretty nervous. However, the kids did an awesome job. They were careful with the iPads and serious about their work. It was easily the most engaging assignment I have ever created.
Another technology I have used in my classroom was the SMART Response System - also known as clickers. Several years ago the technology committee at my building was able to get five sets of clickers per grade level. We had seven teachers for each grade level at the time, so some teachers had to share. Using the clickers was a great way to include formative assessment in my classroom. I could quickly see how many students understood the lesson by posing a question on the Smart Board and having the students answer. Then, I could quickly view the data and decide whether to go on or re-teach. It also allowed students to vote or take assessments in a more engaging way. The technology at the time cost roughly $1,800. Now, since I have iPads, there are free apps that do almost the exact same thing for free. My favorite of these apps is Socrative.
One technology I am interested in is the newest version of Microsoft Surface. It costs $450, which is comparable to the iPad. In our Technology for Productivity and Practice class, we were discussing taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment, which is computer-based. As I thought about this, I realized my building only has one computer lab, which could be a problem come assessment season. I began to wonder if the iPads would work for these assessments. If the assessments, which I have not seen yet, require Flash, then they definitely will not work on iPads. Microsoft Surface might be a solution to this, as it uses a Windows operating system, which should work with Flash. The Surface tablet looks to be a nice hybrid of laptop and tablet, which would make creating reports easier as well.
No matter what the technology is, it is important to incorporate mobile learning devices into our classrooms. I have seen first hand the power of these technologies. They almost immediately increase student engagement, allow students to use what they already understand to learn, and allow for more authentic hands-on learning experiences. I would encourage every teacher to learn as much as possible about mobile learning. There are many resources out there, but one of my favorite Learning in Hand by Tony Vincent, an edtech guru who came and spoke to our school and gave us a ton of inspiring ideas. I also find a lot of ideas on Twitter and would encourage any teacher to use this tool as well.
I have some experience with iPads in the classroom. I was fortunate to receive a grant from my school district that provided me with a 2:1 student to iPad ratio this year. It has been an amazing experience so far. The iPads have had a tremendous impact on how I teach. My teaching style has become way more student-directed than every before. I now design lessons with research in mind - especially in science and social studies. Currently we are researching our space unit instead of just reading from the textbook and the iPads play a huge role in that research. Having the power of search engines like Kid Rex and Google, as well as access in my district to Searchasaurus by EbscoHost, at our fingertips has transformed how we learn.
In social studies, we have done a video report on homecoming in which the students turned into investigative reporters and film makers. That project alone was one of the highlights of my career so far. Our district's high school allowed us inside the fence at the game and the kids were able to interview players, cheerleaders, and even homecoming queen candidates. Considering the technology costs around $500 per iPad (including costs of storage cart and protective case), I was pretty nervous. However, the kids did an awesome job. They were careful with the iPads and serious about their work. It was easily the most engaging assignment I have ever created.
Another technology I have used in my classroom was the SMART Response System - also known as clickers. Several years ago the technology committee at my building was able to get five sets of clickers per grade level. We had seven teachers for each grade level at the time, so some teachers had to share. Using the clickers was a great way to include formative assessment in my classroom. I could quickly see how many students understood the lesson by posing a question on the Smart Board and having the students answer. Then, I could quickly view the data and decide whether to go on or re-teach. It also allowed students to vote or take assessments in a more engaging way. The technology at the time cost roughly $1,800. Now, since I have iPads, there are free apps that do almost the exact same thing for free. My favorite of these apps is Socrative.
One technology I am interested in is the newest version of Microsoft Surface. It costs $450, which is comparable to the iPad. In our Technology for Productivity and Practice class, we were discussing taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment, which is computer-based. As I thought about this, I realized my building only has one computer lab, which could be a problem come assessment season. I began to wonder if the iPads would work for these assessments. If the assessments, which I have not seen yet, require Flash, then they definitely will not work on iPads. Microsoft Surface might be a solution to this, as it uses a Windows operating system, which should work with Flash. The Surface tablet looks to be a nice hybrid of laptop and tablet, which would make creating reports easier as well.
No matter what the technology is, it is important to incorporate mobile learning devices into our classrooms. I have seen first hand the power of these technologies. They almost immediately increase student engagement, allow students to use what they already understand to learn, and allow for more authentic hands-on learning experiences. I would encourage every teacher to learn as much as possible about mobile learning. There are many resources out there, but one of my favorite Learning in Hand by Tony Vincent, an edtech guru who came and spoke to our school and gave us a ton of inspiring ideas. I also find a lot of ideas on Twitter and would encourage any teacher to use this tool as well.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Digital Citizenship
As I started reading the resources and research about digital citizenship, I began to feel a little overwhelmed. The topic seems to be incredibly broad as well as incredibly important. I decided to focus on two subtopics within digital citizenship that I feel are most important to my third graders: cyber-bullying and using caution when communicating on-line.
When I was a kid, all I had to worry about was the classroom bully. In fact, I can still remember his name. He would pull chairs out from under kids as they tried to sit down, make fun of how kids acted, and call others horrible names. I thought that was bad enough, but now kids have to worry about the types of bullying possible face to face as well as the whole new area of cyber-bullying. We have all seen the effects of cyber-bullying in the news and, unfortunately for some, maybe in our own personal lives. It almost seems like there is an epidemic of this online behavior occurring. As has been our calling in the past, teachers and schools must address this current issue and help students learn how to deal with it.
To me, one of the most important things students need to learn about the internet is that the things they type and post online have the same impact as the words they speak. It is easy to hide behind a screen, and the distance it creates between you and another person can make you feel like your words don't affect them. However, we know this to be false. One way I plan on covering this with my class is to compare and contrast "old-fashioned" bullying with online bullying. This will allow students to see that while one happens in person and the other seems to be impersonal, there are still many similarities. The consequences and damaged caused by cyber-bullying are just as real and painful as bullying someone in person. I found a good lesson on this at commonsensemedia.org designed for grades 3-5.
A similar issue facing students in our digital age is using caution when communicating on-line. The BrainPop video that edutopia's Digital Citizenship Week page linked to did an excellent job introducing this. Mary Beth Hertz had an excellent post about linking internet safety to stranger danger for younger students on edutopia. If you are interested, read her post here. Our students are using social media, even at young ages. They chat with people on instant messaging or within games. It is important that they are aware of the dangers of talking with people they don't know. Again, I feel like the screen creates a sense of security for them and they don't realize that speaking with strangers digitally is just as dangerous as face to face.
While reading all of these resources, I came to a somewhat startling realization. If I have felt so overwhelmed by how and when and why to teach digital citizenship to my 3rd graders, then their parents must feel the same way. In fact, I wonder how many parents realize how important it is to teach their children these things. I have decided to start sharing articles I read about safe internet practices and digital citizenship with the parents of my students. One example I found is also on edutopia by Matt Levinson, appropriately titled "Think Before You Click".
Our children (well, your children/my students) are growing up in a completely different world than did we. The threats that face them are similar to, but not completely the same as ours and it is our job as adults to help them learn how to act as a safe, responsible digital citizen.
When I was a kid, all I had to worry about was the classroom bully. In fact, I can still remember his name. He would pull chairs out from under kids as they tried to sit down, make fun of how kids acted, and call others horrible names. I thought that was bad enough, but now kids have to worry about the types of bullying possible face to face as well as the whole new area of cyber-bullying. We have all seen the effects of cyber-bullying in the news and, unfortunately for some, maybe in our own personal lives. It almost seems like there is an epidemic of this online behavior occurring. As has been our calling in the past, teachers and schools must address this current issue and help students learn how to deal with it.
To me, one of the most important things students need to learn about the internet is that the things they type and post online have the same impact as the words they speak. It is easy to hide behind a screen, and the distance it creates between you and another person can make you feel like your words don't affect them. However, we know this to be false. One way I plan on covering this with my class is to compare and contrast "old-fashioned" bullying with online bullying. This will allow students to see that while one happens in person and the other seems to be impersonal, there are still many similarities. The consequences and damaged caused by cyber-bullying are just as real and painful as bullying someone in person. I found a good lesson on this at commonsensemedia.org designed for grades 3-5.
A similar issue facing students in our digital age is using caution when communicating on-line. The BrainPop video that edutopia's Digital Citizenship Week page linked to did an excellent job introducing this. Mary Beth Hertz had an excellent post about linking internet safety to stranger danger for younger students on edutopia. If you are interested, read her post here. Our students are using social media, even at young ages. They chat with people on instant messaging or within games. It is important that they are aware of the dangers of talking with people they don't know. Again, I feel like the screen creates a sense of security for them and they don't realize that speaking with strangers digitally is just as dangerous as face to face.
While reading all of these resources, I came to a somewhat startling realization. If I have felt so overwhelmed by how and when and why to teach digital citizenship to my 3rd graders, then their parents must feel the same way. In fact, I wonder how many parents realize how important it is to teach their children these things. I have decided to start sharing articles I read about safe internet practices and digital citizenship with the parents of my students. One example I found is also on edutopia by Matt Levinson, appropriately titled "Think Before You Click".
Our children (well, your children/my students) are growing up in a completely different world than did we. The threats that face them are similar to, but not completely the same as ours and it is our job as adults to help them learn how to act as a safe, responsible digital citizen.
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