Teaching With Grand Theft Auto?

Last night my son tried to convince me of the educational value of World of Warcraft (WOW) and some Xbox car smash-up game when, during a fit of rage, I banned him from playing these games during the week due to homework neglect.

Once the homework was finally completed and he was “bored” I informed him that he could:

1. Read a book!
2. Use the computer and do educational games, go to educational sites, current events, issue sites… (who was I to interfere with productive “messing around”….and http://www.freerice.com/ IS a lot of fun!)
3. Watch something on the History channel or other “educational channel”

It was during the second choice that he creatively outlined the “educational” merits of the two games he really wished to play… (Unfortunately, he rejected the free rice vocabulary game… even after my demonstration…)

So imagine my surprise, later that night, when I found this same conversation taking place on Facebook among some of my teacher friends:

• Teacher 1: I just read that, apparently, video games are the solution for world peace. just so's you know....
• Teacher 2: I'm pretty sure that they aren't talking about "Grand Theft Auto," though.
• Teacher 1: come by my classroom tomorrow. i will show you the book that says specifically that grand theft auto can teach literacy and promote good learning skills..... then again, the same guy said that the games about role playing palestinians throwing grenades and rocks at israelis can teach about and promote tolerance. apparently, by giving a video gamed voice to palestine, children will learn about the viewpoint of the palestinians and will then be encouraged to seek solutions for peace. right......(in graduate school) we actually debated tonight, "would you let your students play a first-person shooter game in class where they were a nazi in WW2, and how would this promote learning?" wait, WHAT?
  

So what do you think? Educational value in Grand Theft Auto? World of Warcraft? Nazi shooter games?...

Adopt and Adapt?

I was eager to read Mark Prensky’s article “Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom” after reading so many “interesting” and varied comments on an assortment of blogs.

While I agree with other bloggers that he does make some outlandish statements, fails to cite sources for his statistics, and shows his inexperience in an actual classroom/educational setting, he does raise some interesting points. And if you consider that his piece was written in December 2005, then some of his blanket statements deriding our (teachers) use of technology are almost forgivable.

(In 2005 I had just left a LARGE high school in Texas, where they had TWO LCD projectors in the ENTIRE school. AND I had to check it out in advance and haul it and the attached laptop (we didn’t even have teacher laptops) on the cart up three flights of stairs – no elevator). So one can see why overhead machines were the norm and why some areas are still technological “black holes”.)

Basically, things change…some people ignore it, some embrace it and some reject it. It has always been that way and history is full of plenty of examples. However, I think more teachers embrace technology than he credits, especially in international teaching.

In addition to resistance to new technology, Prensky discusses access to technology as another barrier to technological advancement. Even with the falling cost of laptops, one-to-one computing still remains a dream for many US school districts that lack wireless networks and other hardware. Last year I taught at a US public high school that did not have wireless capabilities. What good are $100 laptops when you are don’t have wireless?

According to Prensky access includes being able to use existing technology. While some safeguards should exist to protect students from inappropriate sites, this should be done with a view towards the curriculum. In Georgia, it was tough to teach Georgia history when the internet would not allow us to find sites the discussed things like the Klu Klux Klan. Of course we discovered “creative” ways to circumvent the filter, a great lesson on internet searches.

Until some of these issues are realistically addressed, the divide between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” will continue to grow.

The Reluctant Blogger

I don’t really understand blogging....why create extra information, thoughts and musings on the already overcrowded Internet pathways.

I’m not opposed to technology…I just think we’re heading towards information overload…and I really don’t want to contribute…

I grew up when you kept your thoughts and feelings to yourself or you shared them with a few of your best friends. You diary was kept locked and your best friends knew when to keep their mouths shut. If they didn’t then the gossip never lasted very long and it never traveled far. No one’s personal information was ever floating around the globe…

So, now times have changed but I just don’t know about this blogging stuff…

Project Sketch..

Inspired by many things we have learned in this class, our grade 7 humanities team got together and began to develop a new project encompassing technology. One of the articles which motivated us to create this project was “Reinventing Project-Based Learning.” Personally, I really enjoyed this article in part due to its content, (it’s about curriculum development – one of my favorite areas) and also because of its clear examples.

At the meeting we divided the tasks and we each have been working on different project aspects. Thanks to Google documents we are able to all read and edit the project as it evolves.

During this Connected World project (thanks to Robin for the creative name idea) students will utilize technology on a regular basis as they are assigned to a particular world region and follow one of eight global issues. They will work together to create an online “hyper Text” book assembled on a wikiblog about their experiences, create a video about their issue and come up with an action plan where they are part of the solution. Throughout this process the students will write regular blog entries detailing their thoughts, feelings, reflections about the process and their experiences.

Robin did an excellent job taking the ideas from our day of planning and putting them in a project description and David did a nice job adding some personal ideas as well as comments made during our second meeting about this project.

In addition to our four main phases of focus, here are some additional ideas we are discussing or will discuss:

• During the beginning of the project, students will work with their topic groups (rich-poor gap, health, climate change, energy & natural resources, food crisis, conflict & peace, economy, and human rights) to research, discuss and better understand their topic. This might be a Google document so all topic group members can work on it at once, regardless of which class they are in. The finished document will become a page in the online textbook.
• Like the topic groups, the region groups will also complete an overview page about their regions. This may be a Google document as well and once finished, it will become a page in the online textbook.
• Current event discussions will occur from time to time. As a group we are still developing this idea. Some formats might include blog entries and/or wiki “discussions”. During the project students will regularly monitor one or two websites for current events.
  
  These three additional ideas focus the most on Standard #2: Communication and Collaboration, Standard # 3: Research and Information Fluency and Standard #5 Digital Citizenship
  
  Overall, like the other teachers, I am very excited about our project! I think the students will benefit from exploring these topics or themes regionally and then examining them globally. For social studies, I think the thematic approach is a valuable way to focus the course material. The current events aspects delights me as well, I see it as a very meaningful and practical use of current events. In addition, I hope that it instills good habits and hooks many students, making them regular readers and followers of world happenings.
  

How my thoughts are changing...continued

Reading these articles as well as examining the life of a typical 12 year old resulted in a few thoughts about teaching the youth of today:

• It is important to incorporate technology into the classroom. Not just “layering” it, but to really incorporate it.


• Technology is an important focus, but it should not be the sole focus in the classroom. Many different types of activities can be engaging for students. One day I had my students work on giant pieces of paper and when I held up the giant paper to show them…the room was filled with gasps of amazement, excitement and anticipation. Furthermore, simulations and problem-based learning activities that involve critical thinking and group interaction can be engaging and valuable for students.


• This generation has a “different” type of attention span and they seem to excel at multi-tasking (simultaneously engaging in multiple IMing sessions while searching the Internet and watching video clips etc. is relatively “normal” behavior) and these skills need to be taken into account while developing curriculum. (““Their short attention spans,” as one professor put it, “are [only] for the old ways of learning.” They certainly don’t have short attention spans for their games, movies, music, or Internet surfing.”” Engage Me or Enrage Me)


• Visuals are important to today’s students and video clips, photos, pictures and other multi-media files should be incorporated into the classroom.


• Students are becoming self-directed learners.


• While Blooms taxonomy has long been functional, the updated, digital version provides a new framework for the digital age.


• Students using technology need to be monitored to make sure they are actually working…Messing Around but not messing around. All too often their Facebook status will be written from class or they are IMing friends about social topics. To observe this tendency to get off topic on the computer, one only needs to look at a roomful of teachers at a school sponsored in-service…how many are really hard at work on their laptops doing in-service related stuff? (Many are checking their own Facebook accounts, answering e-mail, writing lesson plans, looking at vacation photos…)


• While the virtual world provides rich opportunities, let’s not forget the real world and the experiences it offers as well.
  

How My Thoughts Are Changing...

…about my daughter’s behavior…and today's youth...

Evidently, my daughter is a pro at “Messing Around”!

As I read this article, I couldn’t help but think about the “strange” habits of my 12 year old daughter and how quickly the times have changed since I was her age (exactly 30 years ago).

The article describes “messing around” as “the beginning of a more intense, media-centric form of engagement. When messing around, young people begin to take an interest in and focus on the workings and content of the technology and media themselves…”In addition, activities that are included in messing around are “looking around, searching for information online, and experimentation and play with gaming and digital media production”.

These above quotes, as well as the rest of the article, describe her daily activities. For example, she is constantly on the computer searching for information for school projects or pictures and media clips for fun. For years she has been a big fan of “Charlie the Unicorn” and other strange media productions she and her friends uncover on the Internet (like clay figures bungee jumping and losing parts of their bodies). She would rather watch selections from U-Tube then watch a TV show. I can’t even remember when she last watched regular TV.

Like many of her generation, the thought of turning in a well-written essay without some sort of Wordart or graphic enhancement is very foreign. On one school essay, she insisted on

downloading the actual Chick-fil-A logo, before the assignment could be considered complete (by her, I’m not sure if the teacher really wanted or appreciated the decoration). Like the authors of this study state “visual media become more deeply embedded in the everyday communication of young people”, and she exemplifies how important visuals and graphics are to this generation.

The article mentions that “messing around with new media generally involves social exchanges centered on new media and technology.” Once again, this is exactly what she does. She takes pictures, enhances them, takes video clips, exchanges these with friends as well as posting them on Facebook. She does this with one or two friends over (face2face) or while online in her virtual world. Like the children interviewed for this study, she is constantly changing her Facebook profile picture as well as continuously updating her status.

This article really reminds me that times have really changed. For example, while my 12 year old social life involved in-person contact with friends as well as telephone calls, she rarely uses the phone and never the landline. Her cell phone is used mostly for text messages or for keeping in touch with me. When she is not with her friends, she prefers to be on the computer where she is engaged in three to five different IM conversations while surfing the Internet, uploading pictures on Facebook, and playing on-line games. When she wants to watch a movie, she’d rather use the computer so she can watch and IM at the same time. This type of social contact I find difficult to understand, I’d rather talk to someone then write a message to them or chat on-line with them.

However, unlike Tony, one study subject, she hasn’t started her own small computer-based business…

Blame it on...

The other day, I noticed that I was behind on my graduate class assignments (nothing new & still am) but, thanks to a school holiday, I had a whole entire day to catch up! I started by using my newly established RSS reader, which was overflowing with new blog entries just waiting to be read. As I worked my way through the pile I came upon a wonderfully written and thoughtful blog entry by Margherite: “Connectivism the new constructivism?”

Well… her entry had me thinking… she mentioned Soylent Green…great movie … I haven’t seen it in a very long time… wonder if I can find the film online… hmmm…Google search ….wow…the entire film on Video Google …. Only 97 minutes ….I have the entire day….

So I watched the entire movie …which took longer than 97 minutes …it has to download… then that had me thinking … about the Twilight Zone… that episode … “To Serve Man”… similar to Soylent Green in some ways…very different in others….I wonder if I can find that…sure enough…Video Google again… only 25 minutes this time!

So bad news…the whole entire day was squandered (movies and kids) and blogs were not produced! Good news…I successfully used Video Google…not once but twice! (first time…I’ve only U-Tubed before).

I do recommend you read Margherite’s blog entry…however…do not do as I have done…

Comments on Chris

When utilizing any type of information, on the internet, print, video or any source for that matter, truth and bias are important considerations. Know your source and how it might influence the validity and reliability of the information.

Chris Betcher’s presentation focused on this issue and asserted the importance of teaching this to our students and that it should be part of the curriculum. I completely agree with this concept. I enjoyed the “Spaghetti” video and the Bonsi kittens are awesome! These “fun” sites plus his useful PowerPoint “5 Factors for Evaluating a Website” provides some great tools to make these concepts fun and memorable for students.

In addition, he stressed the importance of internet searching, how to conduct a search and to teach students to be aware of different types of web sites. We did some work with this in grade 7, starting at the beginning of the year. Robin put together a wonderful lesson about searching the internet which we all used with our students. Throughout the year, we continue to build on what they learned about internet searches.

Furthermore, Chris led an interesting discussion about Wikipedi and defended the reliability of information at that site. He took us to parts of Wikipedi and showed us how you can see the updates for each site. Very interesting!

My Thoughts on Personal Learning Networks and Clarence

Clarence’s presentation explaining personal learning networks and their application in the classroom was very interesting…I really like many of his ideas and admire how he incorporates technology into his classroom in a natural and beneficial way. I am amazed at the variety of tools that exist as part of personal learning networks…like voice threads and I-tune pod-casts from university professors. Here are some specific details that I like:

• Personal learning networks are a great way to connect kids with content and people in other parts of the world. This idea of a global audience.
• I-Google tabs are a useful tool to utilize in the classroom to organize and share information sources.
• Using themes then providing pre-screened sources which students follow over time. They must be ready to discuss this information as well as use it in class as required.
• Writing assignments that are posted on a blog/wiki which other students/people can read and respond to.
• Notify parents in advance and once the blogs are set, students are required to share the url with their parents.
• Using “experts” within the class to teach technology to others.

One are of concern was raised during the presentation involved the safety of children on the Internet. As a parent myself, this is a huge concern that I address with my own children by monitoring their use of the computer, the sites they visit as well as discussing the dangers of “strangers” on the internet. Also, I teach my own children (and students) to know their internet source and not to believe everything they read on the internet (any more than TV).

Why I'm Taking This Class...

I want to learn more about current technology and how to use it in my classroom.
I want incorporate some of these newer ideas into my lesson plans to benefit my students and engage them more in the classroom.
While I’m not a technophobe who can’t use the basics of technology, I feel like technology is developing and changing so quickly that it is easy to get left behind and I feel like I’ve been left behind regarding blogs, wikis and other forms of technology that have practical application in the classroom.