The Connected Teacher

A student teacher recently asked me how I stay informed about trends in educational technology. It seemed overwhelming to this student to keep up with the latest apps and edtech news.

Here's what I check almost daily. It doesn't have to take a long time - ten minutes a day is a good place to start.

Feedly still feels a bit strange to me. I was an avid Google Reader user before that service was axed. However,  Feedly is clean, modern, and user-friendly. I can check in on all the blogs I subscribe to, save interesting articles, and quickly share things I like with my colleagues. I strongly suggest following a variety of blogs, not just edtech blogs.

Google+ is in many ways an extension of Twitter for me. I follow many of the same people on both apps, but with Google+, there's opportunity for richer engagement. Google+ is excellent for conversations about technology and questions about its usage. Google+ houses many of the communities that I belong to, from STEAM initiatives to using MMOs in schools. Every time I check in on Google+, I'm reminded how much I like it and wish more educators used it to its greatest potential.

If you only have five or ten minutes a day to keep up with your personal learning network, head to Twitter. Need a resource for that math class you're teaching in an hour? Ask on Twitter. Want to follow what's happening at a conference you can't attend? Follow the conference hashtag on Twitter. Twitter can feel hectic, but I love how quick and easy it is to chat and build relationships. This is where today's connected teachers network.

Zite is a magazine app that pulls together interesting articles from all over the web. After you set up your interests, Zite mines the recesses of the Internet for current articles that you might enjoy reading. I love browsing through Zite because I encounter new blogs to follow. Zite is also where I get a lot of my tech news, because I don't limit myself to "educational" topics on Zite. The articles I share on Twitter and Google+ often come from browsing Zite. Check it out!

Problem Solving through Gaming

This morning, two of my students jumped into Pirate101 to complete a quest for class. I overheard them working together while trying to solve a problem. One student would brainstorm a possible solution, they would try it together, evaluate the outcome, and then adjust and try again. Over. And. Over. Until... success! Epic win!

THIS is why we game in class. THIS is what I want my students to understand - because this is how we learn.

The Mulitiplayer Classroom

What if school was like a video game? What if instead of earning grades, you collected XP and leveled up? What if badges replaced report cards?

3DGameLab makes these ideas reality. Students progress through the class by choosing engaging quests. Teachers reward mastery with experience points.

I have been using 3DGameLab for two months with four English classes. The most time-consuming part is the set-up. I spend about five hours every other week building new quests, using a combination of tools to plan out each module.

I start by brainstorming all the quests I want to include in a given module. For this particular module, I wanted students to balance time spent in Grammar, Vocab, Literature, and in-game. Students in my 7-8th grade class play Pirate101 alongside reading Treasure Island. The literacy value of gaming is not to be discounted!

After determining the point value for each quest, I then plan out the progression using an iPad app called PureFlow. It is crucial to map before building quests in 3DGameLab, because when the quests are built, you need to set the prerequisites to unlock new quests.

 

The final step is to build the actual quests in 3DGameLab. 

 

A fully designed quest looks like this:

Once students have turned in all of their quests, different badges are awarded, which in turn unlock the new set of quests. Every module (2 weeks) students are graded on their progress in Grammar, Vocabulary, and Reading & Writing. The grades are based on the badges students earn (which show mastery) and effort. 

Most of my literature-based quests involve using some type of digital tool. On any given day students can be found updating their blogs, creating comics, recording Tellagamis, annotating literature on an iPad, or making character maps.  Students regularly hop into the game world to compare the world of the game with the world of their book.

I find that using 3DGameLab keeps my students motivated and engaged. In the words of my students 3DGameLab is: "Interesting!" "Fun!" and "Amazing!"

Module 1 Update

Tomorrow my basic skills students end the first module of the year. Together we have tackled setting up class blogs, editing sentences on iPads, writing personal code of conducts, and diving into the game worlds designated for each class. So far, I'm cautiously optimistic - the students enjoy what we are doing, and I'm seeing quality work without frustration.

One of the programs I am most excited about using is Membean. Membean teaches vocabulary using a multimodal approach. Students study a word on a page with context clues, images, videos, word maps, and root explanations. Then, they review words they have learned through fun mini-quizzes. An incorrect answer is not penalized - students are sent back to the learning page to review the word and try again.

 Membean very graciously offered to set up a classroom account for me to test with my students. After two weeks of usage, I'm a fan. Take for instance Rachel (name changed), who thinks visually and immediately connects the words to the background pictures. Or Tim, who watches the vocab videos and picks up the words quickly. These are students who would not excel with typical vocabulary workbook setups. I've observed student after student adopting new words with ease and coming to an understanding that "failure" leads to mastery of the words. If a review question is answered incorrectly, students are taken back to the vocab word page to restudy. I can see how over more time, these words will truly become ingrained in the students' everyday vocabulary. Bravo, Membean.

I am not a huge fan of the quizzes. I don't fully count the quizzes, but instead use them as a way to gauge student progress. I wish that the quizzes were more accommodating or at least modifiable. They involve 15 or so questions on one page, small print. I wish that the quizzes were given in the same format as the study questions - one per page, bright and bold. It was overwhelming for some of my students to process that much small text on one page.

Next module, we tackle pairing reading with the chosen MMOs. I know all of my students are eager to dive into the games and experience literacy in a fresh new way. 

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.