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Week 14: Using games for Teaching and Learning

During the week of Thanksgiving our class did not meet physically. However, our professor posted many articles for us to learn the given material. Media portrays video games as a negative for children. In the article, What Kids Learn Thats Positive from Playing Video Games, it defends proper use of video gaming. For instance, most games are not violent, less creative restrictiveness, and more positive messages exist. Video games can be a fundamental part of learning if used correctly. Video games allow children to learn about life and the children don't even know they are learning. Online games allows children to compare the level of fairness to what they've experienced prior. Also, the person playing the game learns strategies for winning and working with other players during multiplayer games. The video game world teaches real life thinking.

Games, whether on the computer or a game system, are essential learning systems. Games on Funbrain.com all correlate to subjects that are taught in school. This reinforces subject material through a fun experience. Games that challenge children academically while their having fun makes it a lot easier for children to enjoy the material. When teaching, computer class often has fun learning games for the students to play. Being able to have computer games that help with learning available in class for free moments lets the children have a fun recess while learning.

This image is from amamasrant.com. I chose this particular image because it displays an example of a game that is also a learning tool. I use to sell this game through an educational company and truly believe that parents can spark their children's interest in learning by simply making it fun. JumpStart World is just one example of a learning based game, but it is extremely popular amongst schools and parents.

Week 13: Distance Education and Virtual Schooling

During week 13 in EME2040, we discussed Distance Education and Virtual Schooling. Distance education is a field of education thats key focus is on the pedagogy and andragogy, as well as technology to deliver education to students who are not actually on site. The University of London was the first university to offer distance education. In 2006, Sloan Consortium reported that 96% of the largest colleges in the United States offered online courses. Some advantages of distance learning are: flexibility, work at your own pace, and further adult education; some disadvantages are: costly, rapid change, must be highly motivated, and the lack of personal impact instructors can make. Virtual schooling is an online based public distance school that links administrators, teachers, and students. There is up to 200 students per class. Students and their teachers communicate over the phone through a monthly required parent phone call. There are many of the same advantages and disadvantages for virtual school as there is for distance education. Overall, the online education system works well for some and not so well for others.

Distance education and virtual schooling relate directly to my chosen career field, education. These are both great opportunities not only for the students, but for teaching as well. Many teachers go from physically being in the classroom to teaching a virtual school course. This allows for teachers to do things through the internet which allows them to work at home. This could be beneficial when having children. It is also a great opportunity to extend advancement to students who are seeking more than what their high schools offer.

This article was taken from www.eschoolnews.com. It is an article on "Why some students prefer virtual schooling." I chose this because I think that virtual schooling receives a lot of negative feedback from both sides, but this article explains students point of view on specific online education courses.

Week 11: Open Source Software

Open source software is common softwares found for free to download, legally, on the internet. Open source initiative, the open source website, tells us that open source software has free distribution, maintains the integrity of the author, and doesn't discriminate. One good example of an open source software is "OpenOffice", which is the downloadable version of Office. Gimp and Audacity are also examples of open source software. Professor Wayer showed the class how to find and evaluate the reliability of open source products. Our class posted their individual opinions of open source software on a forum. Many views were mixed feelings. Open source software carries its obvious benefit, cost efficiency, and its main downfall, the fear of viruses. Either way, technology and the world wide web are changing how software is used and obtained today.

Open source software, although I'm not 100% sure that I am comfortable with it, is a great resource for the field of education. In lower income school districts and even low-budget schools, the ability for teachers to obtain advanced software for free to share with students is a plus. This allows these students to stay up to date on technology even when their schools cannot afford the products. Office, for instance, can be expensive to put on every computer. However, this capability makes learning more versatile and computer education possible.

This video is from youtube.com. This glimpse from Inside Secrets does a great describing different software programs available for free on the web. I found it very interesting the "Firefox" is open source software. I feel that a lot of people may not have known that. Executive editor, Tom Merritt, shows how open source software works and gives a few more examples of the programs.

Week 10: Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

During Week 10 in class, we were introduced to online mind-mapping applications. These are great for any field of study and put traditional brainstorming or concept mapping into the 21st century. Some sites that can be used to make these mind maps are: Webspiration, Bubbl.us, and Gliffy.

We also learned about learning theories. Learning theories describe how people and animals learn and help us to understand how learning happens. There are three learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism is when the internal process of learning can be observed through ones behavior. The cause and effect method is the focus of this theory. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are two ways to change and control behavior. Cognitivism is the idea of "the brain as a computer" and focuses on the internal processes rather than behavior. Constructivism is based on three principles: people gain knowledge through experiences, people have unique versions of knowledge, and meaningful activities help facilitate one-of-a-kind learning experiences. Although I gave descriptions of each learning theory, they were described more in depth.

As an elementary education major, both ideas can be used in my field. Mind mapping has always been a favorite for teachers to get their students mind rolling and organized. By having applications free and available online for concept-maps, this can be used in classrooms to get students not online thinking, but improving their computer skills as well. Children's minds need to be challenged and lessons taught need to be able to be interchangeable for all learning styles. As far as the information on learning theories, they too, were helpful. This information lets me see positive and negative ways to change children's behavior and how to create one-of-a-kind learning experiences.

This video is from youtube.com. I chose this video because it explains two learning theories, constructivism and operant conditioning. This helps the visual learners understand the ideas that are explained above.

Week 9: Social Tools & Cloud Computing

In class this week we discussed Social Tools and Cloud Computing. Social tools are internet based networking. Some examples would be Facebook, Youtube, Wikis, Twitter, and Podcasting. Cloud computing is services offered online for more convenience, especially in the business world, but in all fields as well. It includes things like Google Docs and Delicious. The class as a whole discussed our opinions on these technological advances in a forum. Most agree that social tools and networking are beneficial, yet feel that people may or are currently, loosing touch with normal social skills. Cloud computing was a hit with how helpful the sites can be. Not only do they work well for people with busy schedules, but they are easy enough for everyone to understand.

In the field of Education, Cloud Computing and Social tools would be extremely beneficial. Cloud computing, like Google Docs for example, would make teacher planning run smoothly. This would also allow students to become more efficient with computers and allow group projects to use another angle. Social tools, like Youtube, would allow me as the teacher to find specific videos to show to the class that relates to the material the class is working on. Real life views of historical landmarks would give the students a better grasp of what their learning. A fun change in the everyday routine keeps the students interested.

This image is a concept map with all of the many online social tools listed. This is a good way to see a list of available sites out there and potentially go check some out. I feel that this could be really helpful!

This picture was found at www.istrategylabs.com.

Concept Map: Social Tools in Education