Basic Skills QUEST

A typical day in Basic Skills QUEST:

• Navigate to class page on CCAQuest
• Follow the link to 3DGameLab
• Choose quests to complete... for example:
• Spend 10 minutes practicing vocabulary on Membean.com 
• Participate in a group discussion
• Practice grammar by editing sentences
• Jump into an MMO, complete in-game quests, then jump out and report about the experience on the class blog
• Practice literacy skills comparing/contrasting literature with the narrative of a game
• Forget what time it is until the bell rings

Such fun!

CCA Quest

Introducing... my latest project:

CCA Quest

I am taking over the 7-12 Basic Skills English program at my school and completely transforming the classroom experience for these students. Using 3D GameLab and three different MMOs, we will be exploring together literature, writing, vocabulary, and grammar.

Students will be using the games as the backdrop for their literature. We will be comparing/contrasting experiences in-game and in-book, practicing writing through crafting authentic game guides, and learning vocabulary using in an individualized student-paced method.


I will also be challenging myself to regularly blog through this experience, chronically the challenges and successes. Should be fun!

In Defense of Gaming

My three kids and I play a popular, family-friendly MMO together. This summer, I have payed particular attention to the way that they play and what they are learning through gaming. Here are some things that I've observed:

Seamus (8 years old) - Seamus does not need any reason to play a game. Somewhere I have a video of him playing chutes and ladders at age three against his blanky. He would take his turn and then pick up his blanky, wrap it around his hand, and make a move. He always played fairly, which meant that he fought hard for his wins. Blanky was no pushover. Fast-forward 6 years and my almost-9-year-old is a gaming machine. He loves games of all forms: playground pick-up games, board games, and video games. I love to watch Seamus play MMOs, because he is such a benevolent player. Need help defeating a boss? He's the one to call. Really want that new castle? He'll spot you the gold. Seamus will drop everything to help a friend in need. As I am typing this, I just heard him yell out, "Eva, need help?" That's my gaming boy.

Eva (10 years old) - Eva is not a typical gamer. She's a social being, a lover of music and dance. She scoffed at Seamus when he tried to convince her to play an MMO, and then finally gave in and fell in love with it. For my mathematically challenged daughter, I have enjoyed seeing how this game is helping her understand math practically. Yesterday, I overheard her in a deep discussion with her brother talking about probability and percentages when it comes to winning battles with certain attacks. She finally gets it (and doesn't even realize she's doing math).

Jireh (7 years old) - Jireh loves playing MMOs, because he gets to play with his siblings without feeling left behind. He can battle with the best of them. This year, we learned that Jireh is behind in his reading skills. He needs a little extra help as he gets stuck and frusterated, often giving up before he's really started. What I love about playing MMOs with Jireh is that he's reading without the frustration. Many of the quests have voice-over, but I've watched him tracking the words with the audio. He's playing the game and improving his reading skills at the same time.

In conclusion, gaming is a worthwhile summer activity for my family because we get to spend time together enjoying challenges and rewards. The gained life skills are icing on the cake.

World Literature Final Exam

Here's my exam for this year. It's a bit shorter than normal because I had to give my exam during a 42 minute period instead of the regular exam session (due to needing to use the iPads). Shortness didn't seem to make a difference in grades, as the averages were right where they normally fall. I change my exam every year, so I thought it might be interesting to share it.

I like to offer choice in my exams. Show me what you know! I also try to mimic real world situations - students can access the internet freely to check their answers, but they are working within a time limit.

As you can see from the exam, the end of the year was split between two units: Shakespeare and a research paper on a chosen career path. Here's the exam:

Puppet Pals Hamlet - 12th Grade Brit Lit Honors

When teaching Shakespeare, one of my favorite exercises is to have my students condense the text into manageable chunks. I believe this helps students understand the big picture themes. I like to do this at the end of the unit, after we have spent considerable time with the characters and plot lines.

This year, I used Puppet Pals (Director's Pass - $1.50 per device with VPP) on our classroom iPads to accomplish this task and I think it was pretty successful. Some segments are better than others, some make little to no sense at all. But it was a valuable experience and helped my students understand the play better.

The assignment was to take an entire act of Hamlet and cut out non-essential lines to create a 5 minute video. The original language was not supposed to be changed, only edited for time. I started by letting students divide themselves into groups, then groups randomly were chosen to pick the act they wanted to stage. I borrowed a rack of renaissance costumes from the drama department, and we spent much of the first day dressing up and taking pictures for the puppets. The entire project (pictures, filming, editing) took one week of in-class time. A few groups came during study halls to get some extra work done, but the majority were done on time.

The rubric:

One of the reasons I love using Puppet Pals is that it allows students to recite Shakespeare without the fear of standing up in front of an audience. They can hide behind their "puppet", but still learn proper diction. I also wanted my students to think through staging a play - this is why they were given a movement grade. Keep in mind, we did this exercise after reading the play in its entirety as a class, acting out most scenes as we went along. 

*Two students were absent while we created these videos, so I had them do the introduction and conclusion, pretending to be Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

My favorite video is Act V - I love how they created different puppets for different expressions and actions. Well done!

The rest of the videos can be viewed on our class channel (techielitstudents) in the Hamlet Playlist.

Novels in the Classroom. Yay or Nay?

On the English Companion Ning, a forum for English Teachers, there is a thriving discussion on the importance of the novel, especially considering the push towards informational texts in the Common Core era. My thoughts on the issue are a bit jumbled as the school year has just finished and my ears are full of pool water. In English class, we teach so many disciplines: grammar, vocabulary, writing, and reading. I find myself wondering what is the point? Why do we drone on and on about plot development, literary elements, and characterization? If a student enjoys a books, isn't that enough? Are books puzzles that must be solved? Yes and no. Books are a window to the world. Books teach us about ourselves and about others. Through books we explore relationships, career options, and deepest darkest Peru.

My methodology involves guiding students in their reading, with little to no "presentations" about the reading itself. When a student comes back to me a year after reading a book and says something to to effect of: "that book really opened my eyes" I feel a resounding HURRAH! well up within me. Yes. Yes. Yes. That is why we read. We in our own little bubbly worlds need to be challenged and refined to become the best versions of ourselves. Reading can contribute to this.

But does it have to be a novel? I have a student who vehemently hates novels. He would rather read the instruction manual for a toaster than spend time with Mr. Darcy or Okonkwo. This challenged me as a teacher. To this student reading was a pragmatic experience, all else was foolishness. In a way he has a point, given the inane trash that often passes as a respectable novel. But to throw out literature entirely? That's akin to stuffing all the great works of art in a barn and lighting it on fire. What an immeasurable loss. Literature has something to offer this student, and I'm still wracking my brain for ways to communicate and inspire this concept.

Many people have an internal or external list of books that they think every person should read. But all of our lists are different! How can this be? Is it necessary to still maintain a canon to truly produce an educated population? I don't know! Literature is built on literature. To understand and appreciate modern prose, one must have dabbled in ancient mythology and biblical stories. I guess when it comes down to it, being a great reader is akin to being a lifelong learner. It's never fully obtained - always further up and further in. One great read opens Pandora's box to other great reads. And so... we read, and read, and read.

In conclusion, I hope that novels aren't permanently removed from schools. It is good for our students (and for all humanity) to be challenged and inspired.

Attractive Quest Design

When designing a quest for students to complete (whether on 3D GameLab or the LMS of your choice) attractiveness is crucial for success. Will your students choose to complete the quest? How will they make that decision? What are the deciding factors? In my experience at the 3D GameLab Teacher Camp this month, I encountered many different quests. Some were excellent, others were ok. Some were well-written, others needed a spell checker. Some were engaging, others were a slog. But how specifically does the attractiveness of a quest contribute to learning and engagement?

First off, if a quest is not attractive visually, it won't attract the student. Second, a quest needs to have meaningful purpose to contribute to learning. Does the student understand the value of this quest? Is it mere busy work for XP? Or does the completion of the quest demonstrate authentic learning? Let's explore the visual attractiveness. If I have to scroll through paragraph after paragraph of text.... *yawn*... you've lost me, and I suspect you've lost your student. It's crucial to break those types of quests into shorter quests. Also, pictures, videos, even simple things like color & font size - all of these things need to be considered. What about including an embedded voice widget for students who prefer audio learning? Now, let's talk about meaningful purpose. What am I gaining from this quest? As the designer of a quest, this information can be gauged by student reviews. If reviews are low, it's time to look again at the quest. I don't like my time to be wasted, and the same goes for my students. We need to respect our students' time and cut to the chase with relevant, captivating, purposeful quests.

In conclusion, I offer the following graphic for consideration after designing a quest: