Hey Guys,
Sorry for the late post, I got so busy counting up my comments, I forgot to post.
This week's class was interesting as usual. Splitting the class and staggering the learning experience gave this session a new feel for me, as if it were actually two different classes. Jeff and Kristen work well with each other but their individual teaching styles are still dynamic.
Angry Birds in class? Groovy concept and I knew there was math to that game! Sadly, I can't see a way to apply it to English, nor do I understand the math behind the game. Still, I play it and I can see how using it as a learning tool would engage students. I wish there were an existing game that could segway so effectively into the learning experiences of my own students. Or do I? Nah...I don't. I wish there was a game written just for teaching English. You know, like a virtual newspaper game or something. Something as challenging and addicting as Angry Birds, but introduced in and confined to an educational environment. Can someone just whip this up for me please?
Ah..the Weebly, or more importantly, our Portfolios. I have always been a fan of self-promotion (Hey, sometimes you gotta toot your own horn!) An excellent resume, an outstanding cv, yes....I am familiar with these avenues of academic self-representation, but this Portfolio thing goes far beyond a listing of achievements and/or employment history. Although I know it will be an excellent tool when it comes time to pay the piper and actually get a job, the idea of it still makes me kind of nervous.
I guess it's because I feel that I have ultimate and perfect control over those few pieces of paper (the resume, the cv). They may be one-dimensional, but I don't have to worry about people's perceptions of anything other than the facts as I choose to state them. Cool. I can handle that. A web portfolio? Weebly seems simple enough, but I am far from feeling like I am in an arena where I have perfect control over the finished product. So much content invites evaluation on so many different levels. Ok...ok....cool. I can handle that. I think.
Until next time...
I agree, it is harder to see a way to use Angry Birds in an ELA class, at least in the way we saw it used in a math class, as a demonstration of the principles that need to be covered in that content area. I wonder if video games, because they depend on visuals and, therefore, spatial relationships, lend themselves more generally to math (and science?).
ReplyDeleteWhen I push myself for ideas, they tend toward writing.
I don't know the game well enough (I've actually never played it). Does it have a narrative? In other words, would kids be able to recognize in it the components that make up a narrative, as a way of learning those concepts? If Angry Birds wouldn't work, there probably are games out there that would.
Creative writing would always be an option. For example, kids could write a backstory for a character in a game. I mean, why do those birds want to get the pigs, anyway?!
Kids could evaluate a game and write to the game designers giving feedback on the game's strengths and weaknesses. These letters could be sent or not.
Kids could also write a compare/contrast for two different games.
All of it boils down to what the objectives are, but I could see instances where I might choose to use "non-academic" prompts for writing, as I would think motivation would be high on the part of the student.
Are you any more inclined to see a role for video games in the classroom? I'm not out to convince you. I'm curious.
I like your ideas, but what I would like to see is a virtual world where students assume the roles of people who write for a living or something. I don't really want to bring an existing game into the classroom. I want a game written solely for academic purposes. You know, from a backwards design that focuses on the goals and objectives of the curriculum.
DeleteIt's not that I don't see a role for video games in the classroom, I want the classroom to have a role in the video game. If we are going to use this kind of tactic, we have to be careful that we don't waste valuable time trying to adapt a game, or trying to change the way kids look at a particular game. If video games are to be a part of school, they should write games with the input of teacher and students, with the curriculum firmly in mind. We have to encourage the melding of technology and education without completely blurring the line between work and play.
I guess, to finally answer your question, yes I am inclined to see a role for video games in the classroom.
The comment above mine has a great idea to incorporate creative writing into video games like Angry Birds. If a math teacher in my future school was to do a unit using Angry Birds to teach parametric equations, then maybe I could take a few minutes to prompt my students to think creatively about the same topic. I always like when classes connect, and even though this is a stretch of connection, it still might be engaging and get the students to write. I also like your idea about using games that are specifically designed for use in an English classroom. I haven't found any English specific games, but I have found games in other areas. Here is a link, if any social studies teachers are reading, that goes to Civics Games for students. http://games.sunnylandsclassroom.org/Preview/Default.aspx I wonder if has any value.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it was nice having the class split up. I felt like we were able to get more help when we needed it and stuff.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way as you did about the Angry Birds lesson. It was interesting and all, but it had nothing to do with my teaching major or minor. I would've liked more time to reflect and discuss how we could apply similar things to our classes (rather than spending most of the time talking about how his particular lesson worked). I'm not really sure if there are games on smartphones that would apply to english (for you) or history and psychology (for me), unfortunately. Maybe it would've been helpful if we got time to search for that kind of thing!
As for Weebly, do you know how often principals and administrators look at online professional portfolios when looking for potential faculties? I know that Jeff and Kristin said people look at Weebly, but I would've liked to hear from a real principal...what do you think?
@Alyssa - just to clarify, principals don't go searching Weebly sites until they find a teacher they might be interested in. More likely, you put your portfolio in your email signature or on top of your resume, and if they're deciding on who to interview, they'd click on yours. Weebly is a quick and easy web builder but not a job hunt site!
ReplyDelete@SimplySerious - Maybe something like this would be of interest?
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kevin-ohannessian/not-quite-conversation/neil-gaiman-and-bbc-foster-twitter-fiction
Wow....first I love Neil Gaiman. Secondly, YES! I would like to try something like that with a class room (or maybe a couple of classrooms). However, I just feel that if the goal is to meld technology and education, then new games need to be written with that goal in mind. New games that are just as sophisticated and engaging and addictive as the competition.
DeleteThanks for the idea.
Angry Birds in the classroom would certainly be feasible in a physics classroom but I'm not sure I would go so far as to let my students play the game in class. I understand that it's important to incorporate student interests into the classroom so I wouldn't hesitate to describe projectile motion with an Angry Birds example or even have my students create their own Angry Birds level. But one of our texts for Rachel's class, I believe, suggested that sometimes the use of student interests distracts from the actual content or assignment. For instance, I wouldn't have my students play billiards to learn momentum; I would simply take advantage of their prior knowledge of it when teaching the related concepts. This is because even when I play billiards, I understand the physics behind what is happening but I don't it to play the game. What do you think? How much can video games actually make our students think about the things we want them to think about?
ReplyDelete"But one of our texts for Rachel's class, I believe, suggested that sometimes the use of student interests distracts from the actual content or assignment."
ReplyDeleteYou have hit upon the point which concerns me. I don't feel like school should compete with outside interests. These games were written to immerse the student in PLAY, not WORK. It should not be our job to attempt to re-direct their attention to the learning opportunities that coincidentally exist in the game. If video games are the next educational tool, then they need to be written with that purpose in mind.
I'm sure there are games and software designed to aid in learning, but these games are nowhere near as sophisticated and engaging as the ones designed for entertainment. Has anyone considered that?
We can't allow technology to enter the classroom willy-nilly. It must be a carefully planned and directed strategy that considers the goals and objectives of each individual curriculum. If we rush in.....well....who knows what could happen? That's kind of my point. Teaching with tech is a new animal. We might want to tame it a bit before we let it run loose in the classroom.