WEEK SIX DISCUSSION BOARD - SUMMER I 2014

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ashley Grant on June 21, 2014 at 7:30pm

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/stages-of-education-technology/

The article that I chose to read was "What's wrong with Ed Tech?". This post talked about the various pitfalls that our iPad age has created within the classroom. I found this post particularly interesting because most of the articles I have read have sang the iPad and tablets praises but this pos did the exact opposite. Instead of only talking abou the positives of student egagement and interactivity, it highlighted some of the negative aspects of using the iPads and apps within the classroom. One of the biggest issues it had with the applications being used within the classroom was that teachers are not being adequately prepared and taught about the best ways and applications to use within the classroom. I would have to say that I agree with this statement. Smart boards were given to teachers with limited training and the teachers are only taught the basic functions of how to use it. This has allowed for smart boards to be used for years without reaching their full capabilities. I can only imagine how many ways an iPad could be "misused" within the classroom.

Throughout next school year I will keep up with the emerging trends through training so that are being provided to our grade because of the iPads we are getting. These training swill occurs about once a week during PLC's and will be teaching us about various strategies and ways that an iPad can be implemented correctly within a sixth grade classroom.

Permalink Reply by Mary Grace Flowers on June 22, 2014 at 7:24am

The IPAD makes me very skeptical and you are so correct about rolling it out the right way in the beginning when introducing it to kids. My sons school is full IPAD implementation and I am not sure if I totally am on board with that. I am hoping to see him use this tool to its fullest potential but if he doesn't get the correct instruction on how to use it for educational purposes, it will be another gadget.

Permalink Reply by Gail Scharmberg on June 22, 2014 at 2:01pm

Hi Ashley,

This looks like an interesting article; as you pointed out, most articles encourage technology use and rarely discuss the pitfalls that may occur during instruction. Personally, lack of time is a factor for me that often prevents me from using technology. I never seem to have a chance to learn about and become comfortable with different devices and apps. You are fortunate that your school is setting up training sessions for the teachers. When I want to learn about something new it usually has to be on my own time. G

Permalink Reply by Erika Smith on June 23, 2014 at 6:32am

http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/46-students-explain-assignment...

The article I read was about 46 students explaining what assignments got their attention and had them engaged in their classes this year. Although not specifically technology focused, a number of the assignments were assignments involving technology. I think this is a valuable thing for districts who do not currently use technology or have BYOD programs in place to see that this is what our students want, need, remember, and any other word that tells you that they WILL be successful and LEARN through technology use in the classroom. I have not only gotten ideas from this list of great assignments that students enjoyed, but also have been reminded that the more hands on my assignments are, the more then will remember and LEARN!!! #success =)

Permalink Reply by Kelly Winchell on June 23, 2014 at 10:10am

The article I read was, Create, Publish, Promote: An IPad Workflow for Learning.  I chose this article because the course I am developing on Course Sites focuses on Personalized Learning Environments and I thought this might be another way for students to create a PLE.  Basically, the article discusses how the features and apps that are available on an IPad can be utilized to help students "promote curiosity and ambition as much as it supports students in accomplishing goals, turning in work, and other procedural events" (TeachThought, 2014). The pros of something like this is that it takes the concept of a Personalized Learning Environment and makes it mobile.  So, students don't have to be on their classroom computer or home computer to access their PLE.  With an IPad (or other tablet), the PLE is always available and able to be updated, added to, referred to, shared, and so on.  Also, the apps that are available provide students with such a variety of tools that are right at their fingertips!  The cons may be that not all programs may run on a tablet.  Some websites are not yet able to function with a mobile/touchscreen device.  I suppose there may be some apps that will only work with an IPad and may not play nicely with other tablets/systems.  Currently, only a few teachers at my school have been given IPads and none of the students use them.  In addition, the school is not yet wireless.  So, keeping up with this type of technology will be a challenge.  However, once the school becomes wireless, teachers can make an effort to allow students to use the technology if they have it (BYOD).  Of course, this can create some other issues (some students having access to the technology and others not), but I don't think we as teachers can hold other students back from moving forward.  It's unfortunate that not all students have access to this type of technology (either being provided from their parents or the school), but I really think that we need to find ways to embrace it and welcome it into our classrooms-it's certainly not going away!

Permalink Reply by Kelley on June 23, 2014 at 3:00pm

It sounds like the PLE and topic of my blog (collaborative environments) go hand in hand with each other! It's so beneficial that educational websites and tools can be accessible in the classroom as well as at home so that students can have access to what they are learning at all times. This also allows parents the ability to stay informed as well which is an advantage. I do believe that keeping up with the evolving technology is very hard but I think we have a leg up as educators because of all the in-services we take and especially while taking EDT courses here at the college. It is unfortunate that ALL students don't have access to pieces of technology but I feel like pretty soon, schools will find ways to see to it that all students can learn with the help of technology.

Permalink Reply by David Miller on June 23, 2014 at 7:32pm

The following link will take you to the article I chose to focus on " The Difference Between Gamification and Game-Based Learning": 

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/difference-gamification-game...

The major focus of this article to provide definitions for the terms "Gamification" and "Game-Based Learning", which, in terms of classroom use, is an important distinction to make if only for clarification of the process. Essentially, gamification is the inclusion of game elements in non-game activities while game-based learning is learning through the act of playing games. For some, there is little distinction between the two, but for those who truly wish to incorporate technology into the classroom, these definitions are vastly different.

Game elements are about how and why the player interacts with the game. Reward structures and incentive systems are a major part of this. Things like individual scores and competitive rankings, objectives, objective tracking, and advancement schemes have been a part of games for years for both traditional and electronic games. The benefits of gamification are numerous and obvious. Educators already use many gamification measures without knowing it. Grades, GPA, and class rankings all fall into this category. Whenever we give students a reason to learn and perform for a purpose other than the sake of learning, we are turning the learning itself into the rules of a game. Incentivizing education helps to motivate those who would otherwise ignore it. Considering the fact that some people already ignore the incentives, its not hard to imagine what the situation would be like without them. There are some negatives to these types of elements however. Making education competitive brings with it a host of issues. One of the biggest problems comes in comparing the progress of students. How do we decide which objectives are the most important, and if a student isn't faring well in those areas, but is excelling in others, do we hold back their advancement? It can be difficult to answer these questions when dealing with something as complex as learning and education.

I some ways, game based learning puts the learning portion as a secondary focus. Rather than having students play a game using a skill they've learned, they learn a skill while playing because it is vital to achieving success in the game. For example, a student might play the game Clue and develop their critical thinking skills. This development is not the point of the game, but it can be nurtured as a result of play. The upside is that learning is often unintentional, so students may not push back against the tedium of repeating an action until mastery has been reached. The downside is that learning is unintentional, so it can be quite difficult to nail down exactly how much a student should be able to learn from a particular game.

Fortunately, both gamification and game-based learning are being examined thoroughly for their value in education. Currently, I try to keep up with information regarding emerging trends by browsing various EdNews sites and blogs. Even if you see the same topics coming up over and over again, you tend to get different perspectives and interpretations, which helps you to gain  more rounded understanding of the topic. I also try to keep up on general tech news, because often the trends in education are preceded by trends in the wider tech realm. Sites like Wired.com are a treasure trove of information and usually also come with editorial content that discusses usage in areas such as education, which can provide even more perspective to the discussion.

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