Chapter 3 and/or 8: Digital Blog Post #C

The first topic that stood out of me was the concept of digital games for learning. In the high tech world we live in, what would be the best way to get students to want to learn? Catering to them and their interests. While there is much debate over video games and the affect it has on children, there are many studies that show videogames can have a positive influence on them as well. The American Psychological Association did a recent study where they studied the positive effects of playing video games (Shapiro, p. 6). They include cognitive benefits, motivational benefits, emotional benefits, and social benefits (Shapiro, p. 6). So if video games can provide all of these positive benefits, why not implement them within the classroom for the purpose of learning? Within the past five to ten years, the market for digital games for learning has increased greatly. Jordan Shapiro, an educator at Temple University, created a guide for teachers who want to begin using educational games within the classroom. He discussed short-form games and long-form games. Short form games are best when they are focused on a specific topic or skill. While long-form games are best used when students have to build skills over time. Some websites he gives to find these games is: GlassLab, Filament Games, and Muzzy Lane. 

The video below shows a 4th grade teacher and how she uses learning games in her classes.

The second topic that stood out to me was the idea of student-centered learning vs. teacher-centered learning. In teacher-centered learning, the focus of the classroom is based on what the teacher wants. The teacher talks, while the students exclusively listen. During activities, students work alone, and collaboration is discouraged. While in student-centered learning students and instructors share the focus. In this type of learning environment students and teachers interact equally and group work is highly encouraged so students learn to collaborate and communicate with one another. Personally, I have been in both settings during my education. Any classroom that I was in when it was a teacher-centered environment was torturous. Sitting in lectures for an hour or so, with no activities can really drain a student. Especially when that student has two or three classes in one day. However, student-centered learning, I believe, has a much bigger impact on students. It fosters the student-teacher relationship and the student-student relationship because the teacher is asking for input from the students and there are mass amounts of group work. 

Group work is always dreaded in classes. However, with the use of technology, it makes group work practically hassle free and a lot easier. Technology opens up possibilities in group work that were once practically impossible. By using technology, your group can communicate and collaborate much easier than ever before. There are plenty of websites that are free to use that all group members can work on easily. In the past, I have used many of these and all of the group projects turned out to be very successful. Some of the tools that I have used were Prezi, Emaze, and Google Slides. The awesome thing about there websites is that they are all cloud based servers. Which means that they are stored through the website so you can access them from anywhere. All of these sites have a 'share' option so you can share them with your group and each member can work on them at their own pace, without having to rely on other group members. 

Picture courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Resources: 

Calabrese, A. (2016, 29 May). Student vs. Teacher. Created with ToonDoo, from http://www.toondoo.com/privateView.toon?param=pyTz%2FDxcapQOa8x3MzW0q1xqh5CXUB5E4iZIfWApw6V%2BFLb1J8dP0Q%3D%3D

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Shapiro, J, et al. (2014). Retrieved on May 29, 2016, from http://www.kqed.org/assets/pdf/news/MindShift GuidetoDigitalGamesandLearning.pdf

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center. (2012, May 2). Retrieved on May 29, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e54Vq3W8kNM&list=PLA3C69D48D4FFE87E&index=3 

University of Wisconsin-Madison. (n.d.). Retrieved on May 29, 2016, from http://engage.wisc.edu/collaboration/

Chapter 1: Digital Blog Post #A

The first concept in the first chapter that I found astounding was that number of statics about how young children actually start using technology. I am part of the iGeneration, as mentioned in our textbook, so I grew up with technology from the age of about 5 or 6. The amount of technology we had in the early 2000's isn't anything compared to the amount technology available to children today. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't see a child, no older than 5, on an smartphone or tablet. There have been days when I'll be out at a store or a restaurant and a child will be bothering their mom or dad. When the parent wants to "entertain the child", instead of playing with them, they'll hand over their phone to entertain the child. When children are exposed to technology since such a young age, this can have both positive and negative effects. Technology negatively affects children's social skills, physical development, and vision development. However, there are also positive effects of technology on young children. Such as boosting motor skills and the educational value that technology offers.

Second, our role as teachers and educators are to prepare students for their future as advancing students and adults by teaching them 21st century skills. If you think about it, from kindergarten, first, second, and third grades our teachers taught us basic skills that we would need throughout our lives. In kindergarten we learned our letters, counting, and the basic lesson of sharing is caring. As we moved on to first, second, and third grade we built upon these basic skills by learning how to write, read, add, and subtract. And as we moved on through our education to 12th grade we were continually taught by our teachers that, once again, built upon the skills we have previously learned. The video below explains in simple terms a major key component of 21st century skills, the four C's.

Lastly, the work of a teacher can expand multiple environments; both in the classroom and online. In Table 1.1 (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 7), "Educational Uses of Technology by Teachers and Students", lists the different way that educators can use technology both in and outside of the classroom. It is no surprise that teachers use technology in the class from educational purposes. Maybe showing the class a video of a science experiment or using a website to pay a review game before a tests. I had an idea of how much work teachers did outside of the classroom, I didn't realize that almost all of that work is done using technology. 

In conclusion, the amount of technology available to both teachers and students seems to be endless. And maybe in 5 to 10 years, the amount could grow exponentially. As a student just beginning to learn about all of the resources that will be available to me as a future educator, I know that this course and our textbook will teach me countless things that will be valuable to me in the future.   

Resources:

"Children and Computers - Advantages and Disadvantages". (2012, 18 March). Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://www.toddlerhub.com/children-and-computers-advantages-and-disadvantages/

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. 

Thoughtful Learning. (2014, October 6). Preparing Students for College and Career. Retrieved May 14, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMN6kl_BavY