Digital Game Based Learning

Digital Game Based Learning

What is it? Basically it is the integration of digital educational games into the curriculum to support and enhance student learning.

There are a couple of things to consider before trying to use Digital Game Based Learning to support your instruction. The first and most important thing is that the game content ties to State and/or National Standards. The second issue to consider when looking into Digital Game Based Learning is, does the game provide reports that teachers can use to track student performance.

The key to Digital Game Based Learning is to integrate the digital educational games into the curriculum. The digital educational games should not replace the teaching process but should be used to support and enhance the instruction that the students receive from the teachers. There are many different types on digital educational games, and I will list just a few that I have discovered. Some require a fee for you to take full advantage of the resources and some are available for free.

-Genomics Digital Lab-Games About Biology

http://www.genomicsdigitallab.com/gdl/default.cfm

-Dimension S-League of Scientists

http://www.theleagueofscientists.com/

-Dimension M-Math

http://www.dimensionM.com/

video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoFsMIsuKSo

-Chalk House-Literacy and Language Arts

http://created-realities.com/chalkhouse.html

video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq1acJrEGVg

-Lure of the Labyrinth-Math Games

http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/

http://www.thinkport.org/default.tp

-Conspiracy Code-American History

http://www.360ed.com/products/

http://www.360ed.com/

-Information on Digital Game Based Learning

http://www.marcprensky.com/dgbl/default.asp

http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume41/DigitalGameBasedLearningItsNot/158041

NECC-Day 3

Personal Learning Networks in Second Life

Second Life is a 3D Virtual Online environment where you can create an avatar (virtual persona) and do things that you couldn't do in the real world. You can create a virtual classroom for your students and send them on learning quests where they can get the answers to the questions you provide. This gives the students a chance to be active participants in their acquisition of knowledge. You could give your students a chance to start up their own business providing a service that people want to buy, then rate them on how much profit they made over a set period of time. Perhaps you could facilitate a way for your students to interact with people from different cultures or different parts of the country and have them create collaborative groups to work together to accomplish a certain task. The possibilities are endless.

How can teachers use Second Life? The title says Personal Learning Networks in Second Life. There is an entire community of educators in Second Life that you can network and collaborate with. Have you ever felt a need to get help with a problem that you are facing in the classroom? If you have, you could use second life to find some helpful tips or advice. In second life there are groups of people who specialize in education resources. They host virtual trainings, discussions, workshops, and more that you can participate in from anywhere you happen to be with your computer and internet access. I know that "attending" a workshop from a comfy chair with my feet up would help me want to learn.

Second Life is a community that puts you in contact with educators from around the country and world. It is a resource that can be helpful and inspiring. The experiences you have are only limited by the time you spend in second life. Stay tuned for more updates on utilizing secondlife for your PLN.

secondlife.com
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Science Just Got Game by Ntiedo Etuk of Tabula Digita

Tabula Digita has created the "League of Scientists". The League of Scientists is a series of educational games focusing on science topics for grades 3-5. The goal behind the creation of this program is to help students in the target age group be excited about science. They also wanted to provide a way for teachers to use these games in their instruction. Teachers can assign the game play as home work or extra credit and then get a report of student progress.

The League of Scientists games are designed to be multi-user games. Multi-user gaming environments encourage effective learning and collaboration. The students help each other and push each other to higher levels of success.

Ntiedo (the founder of Tabula Digita) said that if we can keep students excited and interested in science during grades 3-5 they will be more likely to be interested in science when they get older. That interest will then lead the students to pursue science and technology related careers when they get older.

Educational gaming can be an effective instructional tool if used appropriately and in conjunction with effective instructional practices. You can go online and check out the League of Scientists and Dimension S from Tabula Digita. Stay tuned for more information on educational games.

http://www.tabuladigita.com/TD/corp.php?s2=3&s3=0
http://www.dimensionm.com/
http://www.theleagueofscientists.com/

NECC-Day 2

Bricks and Mortar Schools are Detrimental to the Future of Education
--This was a debate

This discussion was very interesting and thought provoking. In a nutshell the debate centered around the idea that you don't need a brick and mortar school to be educated. You can view the complete Tuesday Morning keynote debate on istevision.org. As a person who has experienced various forms/types of education I can easily relate to both sides of the discussion. While growing up I attended a traditional public school, a private school, and home-school. Each environment provided varying experiences both good and bad.

In my opinion neither side of the debate was successful in capturing my allegiance. The main thing that I got from this debate was a need for balance in education. There are amazing learning experiences that a student can get from virtual/online experiences that they may not be able to get in a traditional physical classroom. But what about the things a student learns from being in a school and classroom that they can't get from the online/virtual learning environments? What about the homes that don't have computers or internet access?

The bottom line comes down to this: a well balanced approach to educating students is the most effective teaching environment where educators use the best resources available to reach and educate the students. Because when all is said and done isn't it all about the students and what is best for their learning? ____________________________________________________________________________________ Top 10 Web 2.0 tools for K-3 Learners by Gail Lovely

What a great learning experience for me! Gail went over 10 of her favorite Web 2.0 tools for use in education. She focused her list to tools for K-3 learners but most of these tools could easily be used with learners form all levels. In Gail's opinion a tool is only useful if it does something well that she can't do better without using the tool/program--and I completely agree.

I have not had the chance to use and explore all of these tool yet and so I will refer you to Gail's site. glovely09.wetpaint.com

Here is the list starting with 10 and going to 1.
10. Vocaroo-This is a tool that makes recording sound easy and simple. Use it to record students reading. Use it to record instructions for use with ELL students. Really you are only limited by your imagination.
9. Simply Box-This is a bookmarking tool. Use it to create visuals to direct students to certain sites. Not all students can read very well and you can tell them to click on a picture rather than a word, which will help the process be smoother for them.
8. Kerpoof-This is a tool that can be used for creating cards, movies, stories, and books. Use this to help your students learn about perspective, editing, and general imagination and creativity.
7. Yack Pack-This is like voice mail on the internet. Use it to communicate with your students or parents.
6. Glogster
5. Animoto
4. Skype
3. Voice Thread
2. Blogs
1. Wikis

I know that I will be trying all of these programs out and as I learn more about them I will be sure to pass along what I have learned and ways that I think they can be useful to teachers. Stay tuned for more information about how to use these and other web 2.0 resources in your classroom.

NECC-Day 1

Educational Transformation That Works by Sonny Magana

The bulk of this presentation covered the need and value of using technology for education. Sonny Magana referenced some research that was done with a group of about 200 educators and their students. Mr. Magana said that during the study they found that the more educators and learners use technology the more they get out of what they were learning. However he warned that there is a point of diminishing returns where overuse of the technology actually causes student performance to drop. Mr. Magana proposes a "Sweet Spot" for the use of technology. He says that if you have:
1. experienced teachers
2. teachers that have used technology in and for education for at least 2 years
3. teachers that use technology in the classroom for instruction about 75% of the time
=you will see a 30% increase in the academic achievement of the students.

Mr. Magana also said that good research leads to better questions and better questions lead to better education and better learning. As educators we must find out what our students need and how to reach them. The only way for that to happen is to ask questions and to make changes in strategies and programs based on the answers you receive. Sonny Magana said that meaningful learning comes from knowledge construction not knowledge transmission. What all of this comes down to is finding the correct balance of technology and traditional teaching techniques in order to create the utmost learning environment.

prometheanplanet.com _____________________________________________________________________________________ Chalk House: A 3D Game for Building Middle School Literacy

Chalk House is an online 3D game that teachers can use to encourage, support, and improve reading skills, literacy and comprehension in secondary learners. We know that many students already spend an enormous amount of time gaming every week. I would venture a guess that secondary students would choose to "game" instead of do their homework. How great would it be if educators could grab a hold of that passion/drive in their students and channel that energy into learning? Can teachers use video game play to enhance the learning of the students? Better yet, if students are going to play games anyway wouldn't it be great if the teachers could track the progress and learning of the students as they play educational games?

Chalk House is a ready made tool that educators can use to facilitate reading and comprehension. It is a 3D game that requires students to read and understand information presented in the game and then act on the information to advance and succeed. Chalk House incorporates aspects from other popular online games that the student gamers would recognize. Chalk House tracks and reports the progress of the students and then reports the progress to the teacher. The students will need to take notes on real paper and complete writing assignments in order to advance from one point in the game to the next. This Chalk House 3D environment is a safe and secure area for students to learn, play, and work. If you are wondering how to justify this type of classroom activity, wonder no more. Chalk House is correlated to the NETS-S, ISTE, and MCREL standards. Students will receive feedback on their writing according to rubrics and they will take quizes and tests throughout the game play. Is it possible to use online game play as a tool in the classroom to encourage and facilitate learning? I say it is. There are many games out in the online world that require the participants to read and comprehend directions in order to be successful. Stay tuned for more information about games that can be used in your classroom instruction.

http://created-realities.com/

New Job

I am very excited to be a part of the curriculum technology staff at the Jordan School District. This has been something that I have wanted to do since I started teaching. I love teaching and working with students and I feel that I will be able to impact more students from this position than I would have been able to as a normal classroom teacher. I look forward to assisting teachers in their never ending quest to inspire and to educate their students.

Later this month I will be able to attend the NECC conference being held in our Nation's capitol. This looks to be an amazing learning experience for me and I can't wait to share the things that I learn with other educators who want to impact the 21st Century Learners that we love to teach.