1)Reflect on the process and post your reflections on our class blog. How did you respond to the pressure to be creative? Did you feel that you adequately contributed to the group’s creative process? Was there a dominant leader in your group? How well did the group collaborate to achieve the goal? What did you learn about yourself and/or your colleagues? What, if any, educational value do you see in this type of process? How might you use it with your students?
2)After reading the two articles on gaming, take a pro or con position on the educational value of games from your point of view as a teacher. Give specific examples from the readings and your experiences to support your position.
3)Rate the videos from last weeks class on a scale from 1-4 with 4 being the best.
4) Remember to check out our MySpace blog and respond to any of our Chinese colleagues who posted new information.
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21 comments:
Music Videos
Well, looks like I will be the first to post on how FUN and challenging this activity was. Making a song and then having to sing it was definitely out of my comfort zone (especially the singing part). Truly writing the words to the song and trying to make it flow with the beat of the music was a huge challenge and I think students would either be really awesome at this or experience the same level of difficulty. Most likely, they would adapt better than I.
It was definitely obivious that some group members had specific talents, like writing ability and musical understanding, which was a huge benefit when trying to hear the different parts in the musical arrangement and compose lyrics. This process reminds me of David Warlick's proposal that students should be transforming information into products/texts that are meaningful and dynamic, rather than regurgitating information that is already available. I can see students taking learned concepts and having to create texts (lyrics)to demonstrate what they know in dynamic ways.
Without a doubt, this activity also gets at different learning styles and could motivate students with various personal interests who may not be readily motivated with other traditional activities.
I give the videos currently posted a 4. It's awesome that everyone did this and amazing the variety of lyrics that came out of the groups.
I think that I felt a little pressure when I had to be creative on the spot. I tend to think that I’m a creative person, but, having to think of lyrics and put them to music was not something that I usually do. As a kindergarten teacher, I sing songs and rhymes on a daily basis. My students, however, have no idea how tone deaf I am, so, I feel comfortable “performing” in front of them. This was a completely different experience.
I feel that I contributed adequately to my group. I tried to listen to the music carefully and count the beats as best as I could so that it would help when I was thinking of lyrics to contribute. I think that we were all a little shy, but we collaborated well with one another. We all shared ideas for lyrics, practiced singing them, and ultimately decided what fit best. I learned that, although we were hesitant about the task at hand, we came together and accomplished a common goal.
The process was interesting. If I tried this with my students I would make sure that I , too, gave them a list of vocabulary words to give them a starting point. An activity such as this allows students to work together collaboratively and to show off abilities that they may otherwise not have the chance to. This would really give certain students a time to shine.
I take a pro position on the educational value of games. I agree with Hiller when she says that games aid in students rapidly analyzing new situations, thinking strategically, and collaborating effectively. When students are playing with games, “Playing” isn’t the only thing happening. They are becoming problem solvers. They may not be solving problems that occur on a daily basis, but, I feel that they can take from what they’re doing while playing games and adapt the same skills to real life situations. There are also many educational games that incorporate reading, writing, and math objectives. This is a new and exciting way for students to learn in this modern, high tech world that we live in. I have students who have difficulty meeting expectations in certain areas, and allowing them to play games online where they can practice these skills gives them extra practice and helps to prepare them when I pull small groups.
All students learn differently. We all know this. We have to find different ways to teach children that will help them learn to the best of their ability. Games prepare to students to learn and handle situations that they will come across in their everyday lives. I don’t think that children should sit in front of a television all day playing video because it will make them brighter. I just agree that we must explore multiple paths for learning.
I rate the videos posted so far a 4. I know that it was intimidating for us to have ourselves videotaped while out of our comfort zones. They did a great job!
I really enjoyed working with my group to create our song about new media literacies. It was challenging at first to create lyrics that were on topic as well as fit the beat of the music. I learned that Andrea and Brad both have a lot of experience with music and create music of their own. It was very helpful to have them in our group. Once we got going, we were able to brainstorm ideas collaboratively to create a product that we were proud of.
This task would have probably been impossible if I were tackling it alone. However, it turned out to be an enjoyable experience working with my colleagues. Although it was a little out of my comfort zone, I was able to adapt, thanks in part to my group. This activity targets various learning styles. It would be interesting to see how students approached something like this. As a teacher, you would have to have an understanding of your students to know how to group them accordingly. In addition to sparking creativity, this activity also teaches cooperation and working collaboratively to accomplish a common goal. This would be a great way to reinforce a concept.
I agree with Tina that games can be of educational value. The majority of our students are active with gaming technology already. Reinforcing it at school, targeting an area of interest, developing problem solving skills, and improving social skills through collaboration are all positive aspects of using games in education. My students love to go to our Orchard Lab to "play games." They are playing games related to skills that we have learned in reading and math. They are required to read, problem solve, and use prior knowledge to reach a goal on each game. This is an exciting and interesting way to reinforce skills. I think that we should include gaming in educaiton, however, it needs to be implemented effectively so that learning is occuring and teaching is still happening!
All the videos are great! It looks like everyone had a great time! Very creative ideas!
I loved the challenge. I am not musically inclined whatsoever, so this opportunity was a great stretch. I wanted to have fun and not “over-think” the process. I generally believe the first thoughts are the ones to go with. As it was we were lucky enough to have Lodge and Brian in our group and they were very encouraging about not too much trudgery. Kim, Heather and I have been in the same classes for over a year now and have worked together in a variety of settings on a range of projects. We have a deeply respectful and collaborative relationship. We are a natural fit. Kim brings enthusiasm. I am a task master. Heather is the “cool head” of the group. These roles compliment each other very well. I discovered that I am not as musically handicapped as I have thought. In the 21st century many jobs and roles will require individuals to be able to play, create, and design in a time sensitive environment. Everything seems to be “speeding up”…our students should have relevant and applicable practice with these endeavors. I play Scattergories often with my students to get those “out of the box” juices flowing. I have students create a chain story with each group building on the ideas of the previous group. I have had students create individual raps about the myth Odysseus perhaps I could modify it to match this challenge paradigm. In fact I know I will…using a list of Gods, Goddesses, Humans, Creatures, human behaviors etc. I am excited!
Spires’ article specifically quotes Pink: “the future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind—creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people . . . will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.” This quote exemplifies my reasons why I support the possibilities of pedagogy infused with games. Stakeholders and employers of the 21st century will be required to have multifaceted communication and proficient problem solving skills. These are prevailing characteristics found most games. Students are given limited opportunity to build capacity for these two skills in the classroom setting. Culligan and Nepf in Harnessing the Power of Games suggest that students have limited understanding that problem solving and/or environmental investigation is actually a social process. I believe students have difficulty generalizing direct instruction about “problem solving” to real world applications. This is where I believe that games can serve as bridge from knowledge to analysis and application.
Video 4 gets a 4. Video 1 gets a 3. Video 3 gets a 3. Video 1 gets a 3. They all rocked, but video really put a teacher spin on it. Congrats to everyone!!!
On Monday night when I found out we would be responsible for creating the lyrics to a song about “New Literacies” I was wondering how on earth we would be able to create a song in the time we had. However, it was actually a neat learning experience. The group I worked with made it a fun and educational experience, and we were all able to brainstorm ideas to come up with pretty good lyrics. I feel we all contributed equally to our group and we were all able to come up with ideas that we could somehow work into our song. When we first began the activity we had a lot of ideas floating around, which made it difficult. However, when we came up with the overall theme of our song, it was a lot easier to write the lyrics. In our group Brad knew a lot about music, so he was able to break the beats up in the song for us in order to make the activity easier to tackle, which was a huge help. It was interesting to work with my other colleagues on this activity, because this wasn’t your typical group project. It allowed us all to be creative and think outside the box about the information we were learning in class.
Like Yorke said, this activity targeted different learning styles, so it would be an interesting project to incorporate into any classroom. I feel that this type of activity has an educational benefit because it allows the students to incorporate core content information, technology, creativity, and collaboration. I feel that students could get a lot out of doing an activity such as this one. Plus, I think music is such a huge part of our student’s world, that this activity I feel would really engage them and get them excited about learning. While I think this activity would be too complicated for my Kindergarteners this year (unless it was modified), the fourth grade class last year would have a great time with an activity such as this one. I could have seen myself incorporating this type of activity into the social studies curriculum, which is based around North Carolina history.
I think every group did a great job on their video and I think everyone’s video should get a 4!
As a teacher and after reading the two articles we were assigned to read, I agree that games have an educational value for our students. As we approach a whole new world, filled with technology and virtual reality, it is of the greatest importance for teachers to keep up to date with this type of information. Our students are playing games on game systems and computers all the time, so we need to begin to embrace this type of technology. That’s not to say we should allow any and all games into our classrooms, only those games, which have an educational value, should be allowed. Games that are educational are games that in some way connect with the standard course of study, allow students to analyze new situations, interact with characters, solve problems, think strategically, and collaborate in teams (Spires 7). I feel that games have an educational value to students because in many cases they allow students to solve problems, which “resemble classic world problems” (Squire and Jenkins 15). For example in games such as Civilization III discussed in the reading, players have to make decisions about the economy, the government, and the culture within virtual worlds between 4000 BC to the present. This incorporates so many aspects of education, that students could gain a lot from playing a game such as this one. Gaming also allows core subjects to come alive in a virtual world and it can truly engage students in learning information about social studies, science, and literature. Games allow students to see different points of views because they are able to manipulate so many different characters in the games. The student must place themselves in the mind sets of different virtual characters at different times. This is opening up their minds to a series of new perspectives. For example in the game Revolution, students can take on various roles of people during the American Revolution. This game is allowing history to come alive for these students. Critical thinking and active learning skills are also developed as students manipulate different aspects of the gaming world. The benefits of games for our students can be endless, if they are educational and used in the right way in the classroom. Our biggest concern will be how to think about how different games can fit into an educational context within our curriculum. This is quite possible with the rate that technology is being developed these days. While I have not had personal experiences playing games on the computer, it is from my observation with the students I have taught that gaming can create engaging learning environments. For example my Kindergarteners, love to play a game called Larsen’s Math. They are able to travel all around map to many different types of places, and solve math problems with different scenarios they are placed in. It is amazing to watch my five year olds solve problems in a virtual world because they are truly engaged and they learning a great deal of information. We have most certainly come a long way from games that I used to play, such as Oregon Trail, and I feel if we move in the right direction, games can become an integral part of our classrooms. Like Squire and Jenkins state in their article, games “create a richer learning environment--- one that goes on ‘outside the box’ as much as inside it” (Squire and Jenkins 30).
Overall I enjoyed the songwriting activity. At first I was apprehensive because I feel like I’ve already used up most of my brainpower by 4:00. However, working with my group made it manageable and fun. I don’t really mind working creatively under these kinds of deadlines. I think those short time frames make it easier to get things down on paper because you know there isn’t a lot of time to second guess yourself. Our group worked together very well and shared the responsibility. Some were better at the musical aspect, while others were comfortable with structuring the song or contributing to lyrics. I am thankful for Tori, because otherwise I would never have come close to finding the melody.
I think this activity could be quite beneficial in the classroom. When I taught English I would sometimes offer students extra credit for writing and performing songs or raps based on a literary work we studied. Not only did this activity encourage students to reflect on the work in order to write their songs, but it also gave students with special talents or interests the opportunity to link them to their academic work. Without fail, the rest of the class loved hearing what their peers came up with. I never tried giving this activity as a required group assignment, but I think it would work well. As Tina noted, such activities incorporate the sense of play that is important to learning. This kind of activity could be used with any grade level in any content area.
I agree with Yorke. I think all of us earned a “4”!
Having never really been involved in gaming myself, I am impressed by some of what I learned in the readings—particularly examples like Civilization III. I was also intrigued by the Revolution game that MIT was creating. The idea of having an entire class collaborate as they play a game that brings history to life opens up many possibilities. It can’t help but increase the depth of their historical knowledge, and the fact that they each have distinct roles to play in terms of class and loyalties would certainly enliven class discussions. Students would, to some extent, take on the point of view of their own character reminding them that history involves real people with real feelings and struggles. Certainly, ensuring the high quality and educational worth of games is necessary for making them a part of the curriculum. Finally, I think such simulations do evoke real-life problem solving skills. For this reason, I do think that games have a real, if limited, place in the classroom. I do have reservations, however, about relying too much on cues from the business community about what and how children should learn. While we must certainly consider our children’s futures as they relate to the business world and the economy, I don’t think these concerns should overwhelm other, equally valid ones.
I thought that trying to be creative was a little hard, but I think that our group did a good job after we began throwing out ideas. I feel that this is something I would not want to do alone. It was easier when you had other people to talk to and build ideas from. I think that I adequately contributed in the process of this activity. I wish I could have been a little more creative then what I was, but trying to write lyrics was not easy. I think that our group worked well together at achieving the goal. We came up with ideas together and worked together to create our lyrics. I learned that I am not the best singer, but I had fun doing this and the others in my group did not care that I was not the best at singing. I have not done something like this with my students, but I do, do songs that relate to what we are learning in class.
After reading the articles, I would have to take a pro position to games. I use games in my own classroom. I use educational games with my students. For example: I have a game that they play that helps them with learning the beginning sounds in words. The students like playing this game. They enjoy working with a partner and they are figuring out what they hear at the beginning of a word. I also have games that help with learning the letters/sounds. The children are learning while they are playing the game. Not only do I have just games for letters, but also math. Students are also using problem-solving skills when they play games. Games also allow students to make decisions. I also use computer games with my students. The games involve reading, writing, and math. I have to agree with Tina that all students learn in different ways. So games might help those that are having a hard time in an area. I have a child in my room that is having a difficult time with the letters so I have been using this computer game that helps with the letters and she has picked up on a lot. She says the sounds out loud and tells me letters that she sees in a person’s name. So I think that sometimes games should be used in the classroom to let students learn in a different way.
I think that all the groups deserve a 4 on this project. We all did a good job.
I agree with Tina, I felt a bit out of my comfort zone. I loved creating the lyrics, but I had a great deal of difficulty matching the beat beyond the chorus. I think what I struggled with is the reversal in the creation process. I tend to develop the lyrics, and then have the music meet the lyrics, having to reverse this process was challenging for me, but the activity was not only fun, but defiantly something I could see myself doing with my students in the classroom. When looking at our group I wouldn’t say there was a dominant leader per say, but we did fall into roles that fit our personalities. At different times we shared the lead as our talents emerged. I was so grateful to have a wonderful group to work with. We seemed to mesh well together in the creation process, and the end product was educational and entertaining.
After reading the two articles I have a new found respect for gaming. I never thought of gaming as having such rich educational value. Not a gamer myself I have had little exposure to many games on the market beyond basic educational games such as Study Island and the ones my children play at home. I was very impressed with what I learned about Civilization III, and the game MIT was creating (Revolution). I never thought of games as ways students could participate in solving classic world problems such dealing with limited geological resources, and political, scientific, military, cultural and economic issues. Until this article I never saw how a game could help students develop the “complex problems solving skills and quick intuitive decision making ability” that students will need in their real world life as adults. I also never realized that gaming could teach students empathy (as defined by Pink) for others through role playing . By students taking on the various character roles in Revolution they are learning not only what life could have been like for a person in that position during that time period, but also empathy for anyone in similar roles today. This week I was given a perfect example of how this skill is so needed. We were learning about Ann Frank in a class I was covering on Friday and most of the student had almost no ability to understand why Otto Frank and his family couldn’t simply leave Amsterdam. It wasn’t until I helped them realize the time frame and the level of technology available that they began to understand some of the struggles the Franks endured. Simple things like the length of time mail took to go from Amsterdam to the US astounded the students. Once they began to understand the environment of the time they began to become very empathetic to Ann Frank’s family. I so wish we could have had a game similar to “The Underground Railroad” (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/), or “Revolution” to help the students truly understand the cultural of that time. It would have made what they were learning so much richer and more meaningful!
On a similar note, I do worry about how well students would transfer their game learning to other situations though. I suspect that this where open discussions in the classroom would be important. Helping students to make connections from what they learned in the game to the world could be done in lots of different ways. I already am envisioning having my students find similar events in the news papers or researching job descriptions similar to what they role played in the games, doing multi-genre research projects on time periods. The possibilities are endless.
In summary, these two articles provided many powerful “ahh haa” moments for me. Up until reading these articles I never realized how powerful a tool games could be in the classroom. I look forward to seeing how educational games will evolve and what type of impact they will have in the years to come.
Well…I must admit that I was NOT excited about the idea of having to create a song. I like to think of myself as a creative person, however, not when it is demanded of me or when time constraints are placed upon me. I like to think about a task at hand, take a few days to gather ideas, and then let the creativity flow. However, that was not possible in this situation. Participating in the activity was fun though. I worked with Heather and Lisa…a great combination. We have known each other for over a year, and I think that we all work very well together. Once put into the situation, we worked well together. Everyone contributed to the idea and the lyrics…and it didn’t hurt that Lodge and Brian were the other 2 members of our group! We all led equally…no one stood out as dominant, and I think that is what makes us work well together. We all feel free to spit out ideas and bounce them off of each other. There is no pressure to be right, we all value each other’s ideas, and we are all compliments to each other’s personalities. From this experience, I learned that even though you might feel like an idiot, the end product is all worth it. We had fun, and when learning is fun it really sticks. School should be fun. I try to make lessons interesting and engaging for my students. Some of the most fun lessons are the ones that are talked about weeks, months, and even years later. I would love to engage my students in more creative projects. I think that it would be interesting to see what they could come up with…true learning occurs when a child can take the content and then apply it to other situations. This type of project would really show whether a child understood a concept that had been taught or not.
As for the videos…I do agree that Video 4 was awesome. But I think every group deserves a 4. We all tried our hardest when thrust into an uncomfortable situation, and I think we all did great!
After reading the two articles on gaming, I definitely see the educational benefits of using games in school. In today’s society, there is no way of avoiding games. The children are constantly playing different games…and they are everywhere (computers, game consoles, on cell phones, hand held game consoles, in their parents’ cars, etc.). If we, as teachers, want to make what we are teaching applicable to their lives, we must embrace the new technologies that they are embracing. I just saw a commercial for Leapster…4 year-olds are using video games to learn the letters and letter sounds. I have seen children more drawn to the credits from a movie on television than to an adult reading with great enthusiasm. I fear that if we do not adapt and utilize games in the classrooms, that we are not going to be able to hold their attention, to get them interested in learning. In the Spires article, she mentions the economic implications of the gaming phenomena. It’s true…in 2001 in the US alone, over $9.8 billion was spent on video and computer games. It is becoming such a prevalent part of our society, that educators would be amiss not to embrace it. I use computer games to reinforce concepts in my classroom. The children play Sammy’s Science House, Millie’s Math House, Bailey’s Book House, the JumpStart series, Mighty Math, Starfall.com, etc. They are truly excited when they are on the computers. They excel at them. They are using knowledge that they have gained in group instruction in new ways, furthering their learning and reinforcing the basic concepts that are vital in kindergarten. Is it not the job of educators to provide the students with the best education possible? Who is to say that including games in that education is not best practice? I think that we need to be open to all possibilities, and willing to try them out…that is what makes a good educator.
When Lodge announced that we would be writing and performing songs, I was a little apprehensive about how it was going to turn out. Singing in front of people is definitely not within my comfort zone; however, I enjoyed working with Kim and Lisa to create a song about new media literacies. Some of my students would enjoy composing and performing songs as an assignment. It would give some students an opportunity to shine who may not be great in other academic areas. A project like this would hit several intelligences while giving the students an opportunity to play and to be creative.
After reading the two articles on gaming, I think serious games are a wonderful tool to use with students. As the Spires article pointed out, serious games are one way to help prepare students for 21st century jobs. Games require students to solve problems, to think creatively, and to practice many other 21st century skills they will need to be successful as adults. Also, games are motivating. Disengaged students may love an opportunity to play games or to try something new at school. Allowing them to play may open the door for them to learn new content and to explore new ways of thinking. The Spires article pointed out that complex communication and expert problem solving are dominant features of games. These are two 21st century skills that are not typically addressed in traditional schools. Games alone cannot prepare students for the 21st century, but they can be a stepping stone or one tool teachers can use to help students increase their new media literacies.
I think all of the videos were great. Most of us had to step outside of our normal comfort zones to create and perform a song. I would give all the videos a 4.
Gaming:
I would have to take a pro position on gaming in the classroom; although this is an evolution of thought for me, I can see a ton of educational value in CURRICULUM ALIGNED gaming. After reading the two articles, I find myself thinking, why would we not embrace this educational tool?
Obviously, gaming to the extent discussed in the Jenkins article is not readily available to the masses of school systems, but many games exist online that have been created for educational purposes. In the Jenkins' article, students who were interviewed commented that "if (students) are going to learn from the games and want to play, they better be good" and that the quality of educational games in the past "sucked" (Jenkins pg 8,9). I would like to contradict these two comments in that I am very critical of educational materials, especially textbooks and websites. I hate to waste time on anything that is not directly connected to the curriculum. With that said, no matter the quality of internet-based games that I have used in my classroom, students respond so energetically. It can be a simple website where they have to work out a problem, type in the answer, and get checked by the website, and they are still more engrossed than when doing paper based work.
At the following website, you can find powerpoints and lessons on a ton of topics.
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/index.htm
I have used many of the powerpoints on fractions, and to be honest, the powerpoints are really basic, almost boring, but students respond so differently to this SCREEN-BASED, colorful approach than they do to me using the white board or a transparency to teach a math concept. Although some of the interviewees were critical of "sucky" educational games, I think our students still appreciate even basic level gaming approaches to what they are learning, perhaps because gaming at school is still a novel idea.
The inclusion of the science fiction novel "Ender's Game" was absolutely fascinating as well as somewhat frightening to me. I do wonder what the future holds for teachers if gaming takes over as a predominant learning approach. I guess the fear comes from the few years that I have been a teacher, been able to do what I have imagined myself doing since I was a little girl, and it feels like this world of teaching that I am finally a part of is changing so rapidly that it will be very different from my current vision.
I have found myself cynical about buying textbooks (it's time for social studies adoption), making purchases of print materials, and using transparencies instead of a powerpoint in math. If my approach to teaching has already changed so rapidly because of exposures and awarenesses brought about in ECI 546, I can only imagine what the implications will be for the teaching world in a few years.
Wow, now I know how hard a job musicians have! Being put on the spot and having to create a song in a short period of time was a little stressful, but fun as well. All of us working together collaboratively made it all happen. I feel I adequately contributed to my group’s song. If I had to pick a dominant leader it would definitely be “Tina.” She was really good following the beat and her singing voice came into place for us! Our group collaborated really well in order to achieve the goal. I learned that together with a group of people it is easier to accomplish tasks like we were given. I would have had a difficult time if this task was assigned to us and we had to complete it independently. I definitely see the educational value in this. Students could create songs that went along with our units of study (similar to what we saw modeled at the beginning of the semester). You could give them a list of vocabulary words and allow them to work in small groups to create a song, poem, riddle, etc… This would allow students to show their creative side.
I would take a pro position on the educational value of games. As stated in Hillers article, “Gamers are able to: rapidly analyze new situations, interact with characters they don’t really know, solve problems quickly and independently, think strategically in a chaotic world, and collaborate effectively in teams.” These are all essential character traits that will be needed in the 21st century workplace. Currently in my classroom I have my students get on a math program that allows them to be problem solvers and they can even play part of it against one another. They love this competition and they are learning at the same time. I love it. This is a new and exciting way for children to learn, and it reaches many learning styles. I think this is a great motivational tool. I liked the website that Tammy shared with the group, http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/index.htm
This was a very easy site to follow and had some great resources on it.
I rate all the groups’ videos a 4. Although we all had to step out of our comfort zones we all came together collaboratively to create great media. We all did a great job!
When I first heard that we would be writing songs and then singing the song, I felt very apprehensive about being able to write a song in a short amount of time. This was definitely out of my comfort zone. Once we sat down together as a group, it was a little easier than I had anticipated. It was a fun experience and I think our group worked well together. There was no clear leader in our group, but everyone contributed and their strengths were shown in each part of the process. this activity definitely brings out all the different learning styles and allows everyone to be able to contribute even if they feel uncomfortable about it at first.
As for the articles, I think that gaming can have educational value when used effectively to teach the students and coincide with the curriculum. Our students are already so engaged in games, we should find ways to target that enthusiasm at school. My students already use games that target math and reading skills. They enjoy being able to use these games and it is usually their favorite aprt of their day.
As for the videos, I think everyone did a great job and everyone deserves a 4. They were all creative in their own way. Great job to everyone!
Similarly to other students, I like to consider myself a creative person, but when presented with the music video assignment, I initially shut down and felt somewhat vulnerable. Because the task was so unfamiliar to me it felt overwhelming and tiring at first and I was skeptical of the project. As I saw the lyrics come together, I was pleased and proud of the group’s work. I was reluctant to contribute at first, because I felt unsure of myself, but if I were to do it again, I would take a more participatory role. Overall, we collaborated well, and we seemed to have similar feeling at the various stages of making the song. The greatest value I saw in this activity was the collaboration of the group members and the success of completing/creating something new and using new technology/a new format. For me personally, writing songs does not further my understanding, because I am not at all musical. Additionally, while it was an interesting challenge to match words to the beat, doing so did not improve my knowledge or understanding of the material. However, my admiration for songwriters grew immensely. I can see how this kind of project would draw in particular students, and overall, I think it was interesting and engaging. Because I work with such young students, I would be more likely to have the whole class write a song together vs. working in small groups. I would be most likely to offer this project as a project choice at the end of a unit or when studying music. In terms of rating the songs, everyone came up with terrific results,and I think they all deserve a 4. Unfortunately, the slow speed of my Internet streaming prohibits me from properly viewing/hearing the songs, but I look forward to seeing them on a faster computer sometime this week.
A s for gaming, a take a pro stance, because I think we should utilize any innovative, engaging technology. I am very interested in the way that students can role-play and expand the depth of their experience and knowledge with content area material. I would support any educational initiatives that enable students to participate in learning to a greater extent. Though I am pro-gaming and though I understand gaming provides students with many opportunities to interact with each other, I still find gaming socially isolating and somewhat contrived. While I appreciate the value of learning through navigating historical lands and societies, ideally, students would have more opportunities to use technology to address current, real-world situations and problems. I do think that gaming is far more engaging then memorizing facts and timelines, and that such shared experiences could spark really good thought and discussions among classmates.
As it’s no secret to the class, I’m not a big fan of these creative activities. They’re typically not done in higher education and I’m also not particularly creative. The time issue didn’t play a big factor for me. If anything, I think it helped because it pushed me and my group to work harder at finishing the song. I hope my group feels that I did contribute my fair share to the song. I felt like I had got the ball rolling with a few suggestions for lyrics. I also manned our computer to allow our group to hear the song over and over again until they understood it.
Performance-wise, I think it turned out just fine. Of course I’ll give our group a 4. Given the time and lyric restraints, I’m not sure we could have done any better. I certainly won’t be showing my performance to anyone I know, but I think our song holds up just as well to the rest of the groups. I see the value in using this type of activity with younger students. I think with the right enthusiasm by the instructor, young kids would really get into a project like this. But just like with most of these activities, I do not see myself introducing them into my curriculum anytime soon.
In regards to this week’s readings, I already had a level of familiarity with them. I had read the Jenkins piece for a different class semester, so it was just a refresher for me this time. In fact, I used a lot of the material from that article when I presented the other Jenkins piece in class a couple of weeks ago. As for Dr. Spires article, a lot of the points there are ones that she has stressed throughout the semester, so again, there wasn’t anything fundamentally new there.
I feel like I’ve already given my take on gaming and education before, but for the sake of this blog, I’ll reiterate them once more. I definitely see a lot of potential in the usage of games in the classroom. Their strengths were nicely brought up in both the Jenkins and Spires articles. However, we have a long way to go before we will see any significant progress in their implementation. There are main problems that will need to be addressed before they are used on a more regular basis. The first is their design. As Jenkins pointed out, too many educational games look like cheap versions of regular video games. Somehow educational games will have to be designed to look the same. This is going to take having a working relationship between educators and game designs; a relationship that has yet to really get on track. The other major problem facing the implementation of games is the learning curve for teachers. I see teachers either refusing to learn how to play the games in order to use them or never being able to keep up with their students’ skill level at playing the games. If the teacher cannot keep control over the educational tools they are using, then you won’t see those tools be implemented. But because the skills that games can provide our students are so important for them to learn and utilize, hopefully there will be a continued concentrated effort from all parties in order to successfully bring gaming into the classroom.
Well, the group song-writing endeavor was certainly a new one for me, especially given the time constraints. I firmly believe all four groups should receive a "4" on the project, considering we had no idea what we would be doing for that class period...and all four groups were able to come up with something that followed the guidelines given us in the short amount of time we had to play around with. No one person in my group dominated the process, and everyone contributed valuable input throughout the assignment. At first, we were pretty clueless as to how to get things rolling. However, by the end, our group was able to pull together quite nicely and lay down a decent track that I'm sure will have the internet community falling out of their chairs worldwide by this time next week. Even though I'm a musician and am therefore a huge fan of these creative assignments, I am not sure how I will be able to practically implement them in the classroom once I begin teaching.
In regard to implementing games in the classroom, I am all for it. However, it seems as though educational games are still Grade B when compared to "normal" video games. I think that educational games are at a disadvantage currently, because Nintendo Wii and PS3 have games that can do SO MUCH. For instance, there are rumble packs that attach to controllers that shake in the user's hands at certain times during the game. There are sporting games that require the player to swing the controller like a bat, a tennis racket, or roll a bowling ball down a lane or steer a car (or even a cow you are riding, depending on which game you are playing). I think video game makers realize they can be downright silly and foolish with the games they produce, simply because they know young kids will find them FUN to play, no matter how foolish the plot or objective may be. I think if educational games can be made in this way, we will be able to appeal to students and can provide them with a new way of learning information, building cities, tweaking simulations, and developing spatial abilities.
I feel as though role-playing games (which emphasize performance) can be vastly important resources in the classroom IF they can be utilized appropriately. Through such games, students can learn how to interact with each other in simulated environments that teach them civic skills, manipulation (in a good way, hopefully), and communication. Although I am pro-gaming in the classroom, I think it will be somewhat difficult to teach students how to appropriately use them for educational purposes. Many students are already addicted to video games at home...and I'm just afraid that they won't necessarily be able to compartmentalize home vs. school and know the difference between the two gaming purposes. The last thing we need is a population of students who can interact with each other on a screen, but lack true interpersonal skills that will carry them through life.
I was hesitant at first to rise to the video/song task because I don’t consider myself to be very creative. Once we began, I felt more excited about it, but it was HARD! I felt that our group did a good job of collaborating and listening to everyone’s ideas. At first we had different ideas about how to get started, but then we were able to agree and get going. Getting the words timed to the music was the hardest part. Though I did help by contributing some lyrics, I learned that I am definitely not a dominant leader in the creative realm, and am glad that a few others took the lead. I think this would be a very fun and engaging activity for students, maybe with a song they were already familiar with because I think coming up with lyrics may be easier that way. I also think that this would be a great way for students to collaborate and find meaning in whatever topic/subject the teacher is using this activity to drive home. I could use it with my older students (4th and 5th grade), to teach a reading comprehension skill or work on fluency, but I feel that they would need a lot of guidance and help in the process, particularly students (like myself) who are hesitant to jump into unfamiliar territory.
I rate all of the videos a 4 because of their creativity, collaboration, and working so well under the time constraint!
I agree with Hiller that “serious games…has potential to transform how we view learning” (p. 1). I think that the fact that “ gamers are able to rapidly analyze new situations, solve problems quickly and independently, think strategically in a chaotic world, and collaborate effectively in teams” (p.7) show how useful serious games are for student learning in a meaningful way.
In Squire and Jenkin’s article, they talk about how “games teach by encouraging competition, experimentation, exploration, and innovation” (p. 4). They also discuss how games are very engaging and can immerse students in whatever the scenario may be, while learning more about themselves in the process. Games also encourage collaboration and learning communities, which I think is a valuable skill for all students to develop.
I am very unfamiliar with gaming, and so these articles really opened my eyes to the educational value in serious learning games. I do not have any experience with these types of games because I have never watched or played any of them myself. As Adam mentioned, teaching teachers how to use games in the classroom is a huge hurdle because many teachers do not have the desire or feel comfortable using them (a.k.a. me). However, I feel that if I were given good training on a serious learning game and how to use it in a meaningful way with my students, I would be willing to implement it in order to see the positive effects on my students' learning.
At 5pm on a Monday night, the pressure to be creative is more daunting than at other times during the day. Seeing Lodge walking by every few minutes added to the pressure! :) However, it is amazing how, collaboratively, we created lyrics that rose to the challenge presented to us. I, too, would rate all of the videos a 4, especially having a first-hand experience creating it. One has to be a risk-taker to participate in an activity like this—especially when it is being broadcast on the Internet.
As a teacher, I know my students would love an activity like this. Many of the songs that we currently sing use the same premise—modifying the words to a familiar tune in order to teach a concept. I would definitely consider it for my next unit of study. I would want to use it experimentally to see how and what type of scaffolding I would have to provide my students.
I felt that the articles reiterated the importance for educators to be open to the possibilities of alternative methods of learning—especially gaming. There is currently a huge debate going on at my school—where games are thought of as simply games—non-educational distractions from learning. However, I do take a pro-gaming stance because like Hiller, I think the learning principles that are embedded in games are often overlooked. Jenkins and Pink both assert that play is an approach to problem-solving. I believe that games are the essence of problem-solving. If games are the most complex form of problem-solving, why aren’t we using them regularly in schools? Education and awareness. I think that if administrators and educators were aware of the possibilities that games bring to learning, then we would be utilizing them more in our classrooms.
I apologize for being late posting.
First, the activity in class definitely challenged me. I think my creativity does not thrive under time pressure. Considering that we had not heard the music or seen the assignment and had to complete it in a short period of time as well as record it, I think all the groups did a great job. Although it took me out of my comfort zone, I still enjoyed it. I can see how I could use it in my classroom and how much kids would enjoy doing it. I do think some kids might struggle and shut down initially because of self-confidence with the activity. I think they would warm up to the idea though.
I am definitely in favor of games in the educational environment - but a balance. I do not think everything should be turned over to teaching through games. I think that hands-on learning is very effective and games get the kids to enjoy what they are doing while taking their learning to a higher level. I can say that in previous years when I was in the classroom I did a lot of games to help with review of concepts as well as teaching the concepts initially. Students always loved and retained the information with the game approach. There is even a new software package that you can buy to program questions into a Jeopardy game and it comes with buzzers so that students feel like it is the real game they have seen on tv.
I have to admit that, like most people, this week's activity was a challenge for me. I always would write cheesy poems for cards for my parents when I was growing up, but writing lyrics and performing them in front of my peers definitely takes me out of my comfort zone. It was a little difficult for our group to get moving at first, but once we really got started, I was truly impressed at some of the ideas and word choices that came out of our collaboration. I love working in larger groups, but the problem that always arises from working with many other people is that there are many ideas and suggestions. Our group of seven, however, worked together very well. No one tried to dominate (even though at times I got demanding... sorry, only-child syndrome!), and we worked to encourage each other. I don't think that I would put my ninth-grade students in a situation where they would have to sing in front of the class due to insecurities at that age. Yet, I frequently have competitions in class where the students work in groups to write products that are read and voted on as "the best" by their classmates. There is always a reward for these competitions, so my students tend to produce high-quality work. I would give all of the groups a 4 based upon the great videos that were produced with the pressures and time constraints.
As a high school teacher, I often feel very driven to teach to the EOC since that affects my students, other teachers, and me. Because of this focus, I tend to forget that the majority of my freshmen are still young at heart and like to play games. Certain teachers that I have observed refuse to play games because it is a "waste of time" and does not help them educationally, but as Tina B. and Andrea quoted from Dr. Spires's article, certain games do "allow students to analyze new situations, interact with characters, solve problems, think strategically, and collaborate in teams." As I have mentioned in a previous blog posting, certain types of games help students recall information better for testing. The difficulty arises when students focus more on the competition itself rather than understanding the purpose of the competition. As long as I justify my reasons for playing a game with my students, they appreciate it and use it for productive reasons. I agree with other classmates that games really reach our 21st-century learners when applied correctly. Even though high school students may be "older", they still like to play and have fun!
I am not very creative; therefore this project was difficult for me. My group made it a very fun learning experience. It was very difficult in the beginning for our group to come up with an idea. But once we got started, ideas just started bouncing off the walls and I think we all contributed. One person came up with the idea for the first verse to be the past and the second verse is today and the literacy’s that we have now. After we got the idea we all started coming up with lines, words that rhymed, and the chorus. However, it was apparent who the creative group members were. I think that this is a very beneficial way for students to learn and work collaboratively with one another. It reaches students learning styles and allows for cooperative learning. It is very hands on, and students not only have to summarize a bit of information, but they have to analyze it and present it in a creative way.
I think everyone did a great job on their videos and everyone should get a 4!
After finishing our assigned readings, I am taking the stand point that games are beneficial for learning. It allows for students to be creative while learning information. Students are able to play with and manipulate ideas through games. Games also require students to use strategies to solve a problem, which require students to synthesize and take the role of a problem solver. Games are also important because they are what children are doing in their spare time at home. Children enjoy them and are good at them. Games also relate to 21st literacy skills and technology. As I was looking for websites to include in the scavenger hunt I found many helpful games for plant growth that my students could play as they learn. Also the games mentioned in class seem very hands on for students; specifically the civilization game.
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