Week #12 Initial Post...Creating our Proposal

Blog #12 Initial Post

Whew!!  This week was sure a busy one for our group.  We have met a couple of times to solidify our ideas and come up with a plan.  After spending lots of time creating our outline for our game, we began the “proposal project” for our serious game.  We decided that we would create a “movie trailer” style of proposal using VoiceThread, slides of anime characters, background music and narration.  My job was to write a script for the narration while other team members searched for anime pictures that would work and flow with the narration.  After writing the script, it was sent off to a member of our group to be critiqued.  Once that was done, it was sent off again for additional critiquing by the rest of the group.  Music was then selected with battle type sound to it and the slides were collected.  At present, we have a script, background music and most of our slides collected and uploaded to VoiceThread.  All we need are a few more slides to fill in some gaps, the music to play, and the narration to be done.  This will all happen on Saturday...enough time to make the mistakes that will happen and redo it until we feel it is ready for submission.

Week #11 Initial Post

This week has been quite the whirlwind of activity for our gaming project.  At the beginning of the week I really wondered if it all was going to come together, then Bam!!  It all seemed to come together at once.  Brandi worked really hard on the outline and others in the group started filling in holes along the way.  Folks are communicating regularly and we are seeing things come together.  Dr Graham suggested VoiceThread for our presentation.  I did some research and signed up for an account and it looks like the direction we need to go.  So now, I am the “expert” who has never used it before...and the one putting the presentation on VoiceThread...Yikes!!  But, I did volunteer to do that as part of my team responsibility.  A game name was suggested and members seem to like it so maybe that hurdle is over and we can focus on perfecting the game.  I love that the members in my group are over-the-top when it means putting together a quality project...thanks guys.  It’s great that there are no “slackers” and all are pulling together and doing their parts.

As I look at the current outline, I can see the tons of work done by our group and am proud of what we have accomplished and the ideas we have had in putting this together.  Now, we need to finalize the outline and put the presentation together.  Not sure how it would happen if Dr Graham would not have given us an additional week to perfect our project.

Week #10 Initial Post

Holy cow!  I have been spending so much time emailing my group, commenting on the Wiki, and researching, I totally forgot to write and post my blog...Oooops!

Anyway, a very productive meeting on Wednesday night (March 26).  I am very appreciative that I am in a group of hard-working, creative, and energetic folks of which many have actually played games.  Thanks to all of you.

As we met together, it was obvious that we were all kind of lost, but the synergy between us helped to “clear the waters” and allow us to find a direction to head, with great ideas along the way.  When the ideas flew during our meeting, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the new info to process.  I am usually pretty easy going...even with my OCD...crazy, right?  But boy, without an outline, I was a mess.  

At present, after a flurry of emails over the past few days and living in the “Wiki-village”, I am feeling more at ease.  We have a huge amount of work done, but still have lots more to do.  Working on the standards in education and integrating them into the game is the difficult part of this project for me.  The storyline seems to be coming together well and my imagination has been sparked and it is fun to imagine this new “world” our game has as a setting.  So, all in all, I am thinking through the game throughout the day and coming up with ideas.  

I guess what I am especially enjoying is the constant correspondence with classmates.  In most classes, the student-student relationships are not really pushed and you get to know each other in a very shallow type of way.  But, in this class, I feel connected with my group.  They always say that when folks go through difficult times together, a bond is formed.  So, it’s pretty fun (I know, bad grammar) to get to know my group members.

Week #9 Contribution to Learning

Blog #9 Contribution to Learning

As I entered into the scary world of “game mechanics” I realize I am getting closer to the actual creation of games...this is not a happy time for me since I have no idea what I am doing.  But, I did share a big discovery, at least to me, that I shared with my group.  This discovery was “Game Star Mechanic”.  This site allows me to create a game with all the mechanics necessary to make it fun and interesting to students and yet, makes it simple for me to use.  I shared this with my group as a possible option for creating our game in the future.  The link is:  https://gamestarmechanic.com/join/gamebld101/free.

At this point, I haven’t heard anything from other members of my group to determine if this site was actually helpful, but it sure did make me relax a bit.

I also shared with several classmates my thoughts on the “what”, “where” and “how”.  Oftentimes I get on my soapbox and share info that can be offensive to some...I really try to express my opinion cautiously, but sometimes I really get “riled up” and type faster than my brain and filter work.  I hope I didn’t say anything offensive this week.  I really try to respond to the quotes from sources by students rather than with the student themselves...this usually keeps me out of trouble as I state an opinion contradictory to the blog.  I guess after 30 years in and out of the classroom, I believe that I have learned a few things and sometimes share them whether they are wanted or not.  

I did appreciate Chris’ blog and responded that I often see teachers skip the “what” and move directly into the “how” with complete failure.  To often, I told her, I see teachers dump the “old stuff” and grab onto the “new stuff” with abandon, forgetting that the old stuff is often necessary to do the new stuff.

I was really interested in Scott’s blog since it seemed to center around math, which I teach.  I suffer along with him when it comes to trying fun learning projects in math while still trying to get through the required material for standards.  Sometimes it just isn’t possible to do that.

Finally, I responded to Megan’s post about teachers providing the tools for students to make sense and create knowledge.  OK, I will probably get in trouble for saying this, but there is a limit to open-mindedness.  I read a quote once that said, “If you become too open-minded, your brains may fall out”.  I agree with this.  We cannot just whole-heartedly embrace every idea that comes down the path.  One that I particularly had a hard time with was a quote Megan included in her post which said, “our opinions are the answer”.  Boy, really?  Some things are just plain true without any room for discussion.  If things were not true the world would be in total chaos and cease to exist from my perspective.  I think someone’s brains fell out with that statement...just my opinion : )

I also mentioned that it is good to allow students to be involved in their learning, but they aren’t always mature enough (either are adults) to learn the things necessary to be successful in life.  They need guidance along the way to help steer them down the path of education.  Whether we like to be told what to do or not, to be successful in life, we must follow a certain path.  If I want to be a math teacher, I do not have the choice to get there anyway I want...I must follow a certain path.

Anyway, this weeks information learned kept me pretty passionate about some things.  I am pretty conservative in my thinking, so I probably believe quite differently than some, but hopefully I said a few things that caused some folks to think.

Week #9 Initial Post...What are the challenges in shifting content from “what” to “where” and “how”?

Blog #9 Initial Post

First Point:  Summary of discussions with Group #2...since I was in a “non-internet access zone” in Pahrump, Arizona most of the week, I was not able to discuss until Thursday night, March 13.  But at this point (Friday morning), I am again in Alaska.  I noticed from the 3 of us who have messages on our wiki, that none of us are really familiar with game mechanics.  So, after delving into it a little, I found a website that allows teachers to sign kids up for a “game building” class.  It sounds really good as it is reasonably priced ($2 per student) and pretty powerful with no downloads needed.  The free edition is what I signed up for.  I have played a few of the student-created games and have investigated the lesson plans available for the classroom, etc and it seems to be intuitive for “techo-naive” people like me.  The site is:  https://gamestarmechanic.com/teachers/what_is_gamestar if you are interested.  

Response to question:  What are the challenges in shifting content from “what” to “where” and “how”?

As I thought about this week’s question, I believe that it should not be a shift from “what” to “where” and “how”, but an addition to the “what”.  I think that oftentimes, the idea of throwing out the proverbial “baby with the bathwater” gets us into a lot of trouble.  New ideas do not necessarily mean the old ideas were wrong and need to be thrown out.  Oftentimes, or shall I even go so far as to say, most of the time, the new ideas help to reshape the old ideas to form a synthesized idea?  Sometimes the new ideas come along and offer new things, but shouldn’t negate old ideas. But I do believe that some “whats” are always necessary (learning multiplication tables, etc.)  Dr. Ben Carson, the world’s most skillful neurosurgeon, said,  “There is no such thing as useless knowledge, you never know what doors it's going to open up for you” (2012).  I agree.  Some of the “whats” are imperative to survival and some learning by rote memory is necessary to move to the “wheres” and “hows”.  I remember using the “whats” to learn a foreign language, the periodic table, chemical formulas, algebraic concepts, the mechanics to writing, etc.  Then, after the “whats” were learned, I was able to use them for the “wheres” and “hows”.  I agree with Thomas and Brown (2011) when they said, “In the twenty-first century, knowledge is becoming less a question of ‘What is the information?’ and more of a ‘Where is the information?’” (p. 91).  But I wonder, is that always a good thing?  My teaching has changed in some respects with the advent of computers and calculators in my English and math classes.  I still make my students learn how to figure out trigonometric problems “by hand” rather than pushing a few buttons on the calculator because I believe it is important to understand the theory behind the answer, but I allow them to access formulas using the computer rather than memorizing all of them.  But, when I teach Alaskan survival skills, they must memorize information (the what), rather than learn how to find the information on their phones (the where) since knowing the information in the wilderness is better than knowing where to find the information...especially if someone is bleeding to death.  So, I continue to take my stand of “all three concepts are important and has their place in learning”.  To me then, the challenge is how to use the “what” to encourage the “where” and “how”.

But, a bigger challenge in bringing to the classroom the “where” and “how”, is the “fight” teachers are constantly battling with teaching to the test.  With students, teachers, and schools being measured on the results of testing, memorization is at the forefront of educating our students according to Heather Hiles (2013).  She also brings up the point that memorization must be thrown out in favor of deeper learning which can only be accomplished when teachers are allowed to move to more effective learn-by-doing methods.  And, it is also quickly added that applying what is memorized is the key acquisition of knowledge.  If only teachers were allowed to take the time away from teaching to the test and given the opportunity to help students better understand the “whys” of the knowledge.  Students need to be give the opportunity to be taught why learning the information is important and how it can be integrated into real-life.  I believe that being allowed to do this in the classroom is one of the bigger challenges facing education today.

Hiles, H. (2013). Moving beyond rote learning. LinkedIn.  Retrieved from:  http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130211172636-1265384-moving-beyond-rote-learning   

Olasky, M. (2012).  No Useless Knowledge.  World Magazine.  Retrieved from:  http://www.worldmag.com/2012/07/no_useless_knowledge

Thomas, D., Brown, J. (2011).  A new culture of learning.  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Week #8 Initial Post

Blog #8 Initial Post

What are your thoughts about “learning in the collective”?

By taking online courses at the graduate level since 2004, I have been “learning in the collective” for quite a while.  Because of this, I, of course, have an opinion about learning in the collective.  I agree with Thomas and Brown (2011) with the idea that learning in the collective is not a new concept.  I also believe, along with Thomas and Brown (2011), that if students take an active role in creating and molding learning, the information shared is more up-to-date alleviating the need for the teacher to keep current in all things.  But, learning in the collective can be a tough method for a teacher to use.  I have seen it used in discussion boards when all students are expected to share their learning.  I have also seen it used poorly in that students who think they have all the answers criticize other’s perspectives and thoughts, thus shutting down conversation and ostracizing  students.  I am not sure how to best approach the collective learning of students since so often either students won’t disagree with others because of not wanting to hurt feelings or confront issues, or students will use the learning medium as a way to push their philosophies on others.  It seems that Thomas and Brown’s thoughts would work in a utopian environment, but I have yet to see collective learning work very well.  Sorry, I hate to “rain on parades”, but although I would love to see collective learning take place, I don’t have many examples when it did.

So, what are my solutions to making “collective learning” work?  I can’t be negative without offering solutions.  In 2007, Pfizer offered access to their knowledge networks so that doctors and the healthcare industry could work together to improve patient care.  By working together on a similar goal, folks with expertise in various areas were able to collaborate and build knowledge that would be impossible otherwise (LittlebyLittlejohn).  This method is very similar to the collaborative learning we have been using in this class.  I think that when we worked together to create our rubrics, we, as students, were very helpful and encouraging to one another and used our skills in various areas to make a rubric where the sum total was greater than the individual parts.  I think it worked great in this instance.

Don’t get me wrong...I love the idea of collective learning.  As Garavan and Carbery (2014) have said, “Learning emerges because of interactive mechanisms where individual knowledge is shared, disseminated, diffused, and further developed through relational and belonging synergies.  I don’t believe there is a better way of learning.  Although “synergy” seems to be a somewhat new “catchphrase”, I do believe when we can gain a sum total greater than the parts, we are learning far more than we might otherwise.

So, although I may appear to be rambling (or maybe I really am rambling), I think collective learning is a great idea and when used correctly can be an excellent method for students to learn.  The downside, from my perspective, is that it is a very difficult method to use and a challenging skill for students to develop.  Because it is so difficult to implement correctly, it is often misused by both educators and students and can cause more problems among students than good.

Garavan, T., Carbery, R. (2014). SpringerReferecne. Retrieved from http://www.springerreference.com/docs/html/chapterdbid/319564.html

Little by LittleJohn.  Retrieved from http://littlebylittlejohn.com/change11-position-paper/collective-learning-examples/

Thomas, D., Brown, J. (2011).  A new culture of learning.  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Week #7 Contribution to Learning

Blog #7 Contribution to Learning

This week I think I contributed to my own learning a lot more than I contributed to others.  I read the assigned material, do my own research, read the blogs of others, then respond to these blogs and really start firming up my philosophies of teaching and learning by putting all my jumbled up ideas into words on a page.

I teach an outdoor survival course for Alaska Marine Safety Education Association out of Sitka, and one of the key 7 things you must do in a survival situation is “play”.  This is to keep your spirits high and your mind focused on the good things in life rather than the dangers and struggles when in a desperate situation.  That seems like it works for any job as well.  Play, whether it be a practical joke I play on my students, or taking a few days to use technology as a learning tool in game form, will help my students to have a better attitude toward my class and what I am helping them to learn.

I mentioned to Megan my newly learned idea that games can so easily be incorporated into the day to day classroom...sometimes with no preparation.  True, it is good to implement the game into the classroom environment when you are planning your lessons, but it is also good, and sometimes more fun, to “spur of the moment”, throw out a quick and easy game just to give a freshness and happy spirit to the class...even if it is to jump up, run outside, and race around the parking lot for a minute.  

I also mentioned to Shauna my fear of embracing all change.  I am of the mindset that not all change is good, and some change may be good for some teachers and not for others.  I think it is important for teachers to be a bit autonomous and able to choose the technology ideas that are best for their classrooms and not be pressured to use ideas that may be against their own personal philosophies.  Although, I do agree that “old dog’s ideas die hard” and sometimes they may need to be strongly encouraged to make changes, it needs to be done carefully.

Finally, I loved the comment that Leslie made about helping our students be explorers and search in the dark corners and discover new ways of doing things.  I hope I was an encouragement to her when I mentioned that I believe that all humans have an innate desire to learn, it’s just that many times this desire is “squashed” by others (sometimes teachers) and becomes dormant.  Then, it is up to us to do what we can to bring students to those “dark corners” where they can discover new things and get excited about learning again.

So, this week, my direction seemed to be more in the area of a philosophical change of integrating games in the classroom (not just technology type games) to help students re-establish a love for learning and self-discovery.