After you complete the required reading and look at the resources I have listed in Black Board this week you should sign up for 1 or 2 new social networking sites I have suggested (or something similar) and try it out. After you spend some time trying out the new tools write a blog reflection. When you try out the new social network(s) I want you to specifically look for resources that would be helpful when working with diverse students. For example, maybe you run across a Pinterest board with lots of resources for working with gifted or ESOL students.
The two different sites that I have signed up for are edchat and edWeb. Edchat started out as a Twitter conversation but has now evolved into a PBworks wiki. I like being able to simply use my Twitter account #edchat and follow/join conversations. It is also nice being able to visit the success stories page and learn what others are doing in their classrooms that was beneficial. EdWeb.net is a social network that allows teachers to connect with colleagues, collaborate on goals and projects, form our own professional learning communities, mentor one another, or just practice using new technologies. I am really interested in the specific agenda that includes a game based learning forum that is supposed to bring teachers together with game developers to explore best practices and further the discussion of possibilities within the field. I have always believed that if there was a way to incorporate gaming into my classroom then I would use it whenever the opportunity presented itself. I think it is an untapped digital tool that would bridge the gap between so many classes,students, and subjects. Being able to tap into gaming would be crucial in working with diverse learners. So many students from various backgrounds, as well as students with different skill sets, all enjoy digital gaming. Therefore, I would love to find a way to incorporate games like "Call of Duty" with real World War history. It would be great to have differentiated instruction with a diverse group of learners all being able to report on different battles of world wars as they fight their way through them (with or against each other).
On Twitter I now follow two Game Based Learning accounts, both of which came from my social network on EdWeb.net. With these accounts I have come across this site (http://www.connectededucation.com/2012/02/ten-reasons-why-game-based-learning-works-in-education/)
which discusses the truth of why game based learning works with all kinds of diverse students. I am still looking for some great lessons that incorporate some of the most popular gaming systems/games on the market with the curriculum I teach , however I will not give up my goal of making "war history" relevant and fun through gaming. If it is out there, I know I have a better chance of finding it through my own digital PLN than I ever would through the traditional PD services that I have endured over the last 18 years. I am already looking forward to a webinar that will be co-hosted by edWeb.net in cooperation with Game Based Learning in April that is about using Minecraft as a game design engine for students.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI would like to incorporate gaming-type activities in my classroom as well! I did add a food chain game on Edmodo and one of my students told me that I should include more games like such on Edmodo. The problem I was finding about the games was that I could not find any educational games related to curriculum that were both free and not cluttered with advertisements. I found that even googling the games did not produce anything that I felt was quality. I did find that I discovered quality resources through paging through educational networking sites. I hope you find other sites that include games on it as well!
Kristen
I really like your ideas about gaming in education. I think you are absolutely right about it and I think if more people felt the same, there would be a lot more quality resources out there. I think gaming seems a little more obvious for younger students such as the preschoolers I work with who we use games with regularly, but I think it is the older students who can benefit from it the most. Those are the students who need things to get them excited about learning. I think gaming is a great way to give them meaningful learning experiences. Teachers have to do something to get the attention of these students who have tons of other things they would rather be doing than learning about history.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you think EdWeb is beneficial. This statement really stuck out to me:
ReplyDelete"I know I have a better chance of finding it through my own digital PLN than I ever would through the traditional PD services that I have endured over the last 18 years."
This is why I love my PLN. I have control over my learning and I can choose the direction I want. How can we get our traditional PD transformed to this in district?