"Describe how your students learn best."
The answer to this lies in the individual student. My students' learning styles are highly varied. I tend to think that the more styles I can hit on in a class period the more likely they all are to benefit from the instruction.
-Lucas
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Day 3 Morning
"Describe Your Teaching"
I would describe myself as a very animated and "goofy" teacher. Whenver possible, I interject humor into my instruction because I find that it helps to keep my students engaged. I integrate technology whenever it benefits or enhances my instruction. My students would describe me as a "geek" or "nerd", terms which I've wholeheartedly embraced.
-Lucas
I would describe myself as a very animated and "goofy" teacher. Whenver possible, I interject humor into my instruction because I find that it helps to keep my students engaged. I integrate technology whenever it benefits or enhances my instruction. My students would describe me as a "geek" or "nerd", terms which I've wholeheartedly embraced.
-Lucas
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Day 2 Afternoon
"How does the technology you currently use enhance your students' learning and your teaching? How do you know?"
Again, the technology is just a tool. If used properly, they can enhance learning, if not, they could potentially hinder it. I'll use my Qwizdom Classroom Response System as an example. This technology enhances my instruction in the following ways:
-Lucas
Again, the technology is just a tool. If used properly, they can enhance learning, if not, they could potentially hinder it. I'll use my Qwizdom Classroom Response System as an example. This technology enhances my instruction in the following ways:
- It allows for random selection of students. Thus, no student gets by or "slips through the cracks." Any student could be selected at any time.
- It allows the students to have immediate feedback as well as allowing me to immediately see how well they grasp the concepts being taught.
- It provides a high level of interactivity for the students during review, even providing a competitive environment that motivates them to do well during Qwizdom games.
-Lucas
Day 2 Morning
"How do you currently use technology in the classroom?"
Being the geek and gadget freak that I am, I'm always seeking new ways to integrate technology into my instruction. Currently I do the following:
-Lucas
Being the geek and gadget freak that I am, I'm always seeking new ways to integrate technology into my instruction. Currently I do the following:
- My classroom website is: http://www.nerdscience.com
- I use media-rich PowerPoint prentations with each section in Biology.
- The most exciting technology I use is the Qwizdom Classroom Response System. This is an interactive system where each student is given a remote that they use to respond to questions that I pose either orally or on-screen. Their remotes interact with my classroom computer and both I and they get immediate feedback on their responses. It's great for quizzes and even better for test/exam reviews! It's a wonderful assessment tool and the students beg me to use it.
- I use a variety of interactive websites and encourage my students to use emerging "Web 2.0" technologies.
- I play music for my students streamed through my classroom stereo system via my Zune or stream it via Pandora.com.
- I use my Dell Axim occasionally for typical PDA functions.
- I host a "Games Club" meeting in my classroom where students bring in their Playstations, X-Box, etc. and play games after school.
-Lucas
Monday, June 25, 2007
Day 1 Shutdown and Power Off
"End of The Day Reflections"
It's been an interesting experience participating at a distance via Skype. I think the potential for a graphically-rich environment as afforded by the Steam engine and the Virtuoso mod. is amazing. Students will, almost by default, be more interested in these virtual world experiences simply because that's the form much of their digital entertainment takes. I think, also, that we must not abandon good instructional design concepts as we drool over the technology. Ultimately, it's still just a tool... just like a chalkboard, overhead, or calculator. Used properly, however, it can be a great tool.
-Lucas
It's been an interesting experience participating at a distance via Skype. I think the potential for a graphically-rich environment as afforded by the Steam engine and the Virtuoso mod. is amazing. Students will, almost by default, be more interested in these virtual world experiences simply because that's the form much of their digital entertainment takes. I think, also, that we must not abandon good instructional design concepts as we drool over the technology. Ultimately, it's still just a tool... just like a chalkboard, overhead, or calculator. Used properly, however, it can be a great tool.
-Lucas
Day 1 Afternoon
"What brings you here?"
Well, at this point, I'm technically not "here." I'm participating as best I can via the Internet (Skype). My interest lies in the potential for gaming in education. This stems from both my interest in gaming and education.
"What are you excited about?"
I'm excited about collaborative virtual worlds and their use in education.
"What are you concerned about?"
I'm concerned that technology can create false realities and could result in a loss of the "human touch" that is a part of a face-to-face classroom setting at least as it applies to K-12 education.
-Lucas
Well, at this point, I'm technically not "here." I'm participating as best I can via the Internet (Skype). My interest lies in the potential for gaming in education. This stems from both my interest in gaming and education.
"What are you excited about?"
I'm excited about collaborative virtual worlds and their use in education.
"What are you concerned about?"
I'm concerned that technology can create false realities and could result in a loss of the "human touch" that is a part of a face-to-face classroom setting at least as it applies to K-12 education.
-Lucas
Day 1 Morning
"What are feelings about video games in general?"
I'm an avid gamer myself. I think video games are an excellent, interactive, and engaging passtime. I think the gaming industry is set for major growth as people crave more interactive entertainment options.
"What are your feelings about video games as learning tools?"
I first realized the educational potential of video games as an undergraduate at UNCW. I was ahead of my classmates in Western Civ. largely due to my time spent playing Sid Meier's Civilization series. That game allowed me to understand many of the fundamental technologies, developments, and key points in history while enjoying a fun and challenging strategy game.
As I began my graduate studies in Instructional Technology, the educational value of gaming was re-affirmed. I realized that the best video games and the ones with the most educational potential were those that made learning seamless and almost subconscious. For example, in the online game, World of Warcraft, the interface allows fluid access to pertinent game-related knowledge, just-in-time, and in a format that integrates smoothly with the game itself. So, I began to wonder, "What is it that the game designers know, that we, as instructional designers could learn from? How can I design instruction that models what I experience in the game world?" Thus, begins my "quest" for understanding!
"Why is it that I and my students can navigate an expansive, online virtual world that doesn't exist? How is that we understand the political interactions of fictitious factions? How can we understand the mathematics of our character's combat abilities and the complex formulas affecting our performance? ...all without spending time in a traditional classroom?"
No, an understanding of how much my damage output will increase by the addition of one point of agility to my statistics isn't practical knowledge in the real world, however, I understand it and thus, learning has occurred. How can I teach science like this?
-Lucas
I'm an avid gamer myself. I think video games are an excellent, interactive, and engaging passtime. I think the gaming industry is set for major growth as people crave more interactive entertainment options.
"What are your feelings about video games as learning tools?"
I first realized the educational potential of video games as an undergraduate at UNCW. I was ahead of my classmates in Western Civ. largely due to my time spent playing Sid Meier's Civilization series. That game allowed me to understand many of the fundamental technologies, developments, and key points in history while enjoying a fun and challenging strategy game.
As I began my graduate studies in Instructional Technology, the educational value of gaming was re-affirmed. I realized that the best video games and the ones with the most educational potential were those that made learning seamless and almost subconscious. For example, in the online game, World of Warcraft, the interface allows fluid access to pertinent game-related knowledge, just-in-time, and in a format that integrates smoothly with the game itself. So, I began to wonder, "What is it that the game designers know, that we, as instructional designers could learn from? How can I design instruction that models what I experience in the game world?" Thus, begins my "quest" for understanding!
"Why is it that I and my students can navigate an expansive, online virtual world that doesn't exist? How is that we understand the political interactions of fictitious factions? How can we understand the mathematics of our character's combat abilities and the complex formulas affecting our performance? ...all without spending time in a traditional classroom?"
No, an understanding of how much my damage output will increase by the addition of one point of agility to my statistics isn't practical knowledge in the real world, however, I understand it and thus, learning has occurred. How can I teach science like this?
-Lucas
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
