Nicole Hamilton's Library of Learning

Monday, 10 November 2014

Game Based Learning

At ECOO I went to a workshop on game based learning by @adeletweets and

@Derek_S_Walker

My purpose for attending this workshop was to gather resources that have been tested in the classroom and our beneficial for critical thinking, increased engagement and connection to the curriculum. A huge shout out to the presenters for sharing some great resources. The following resources shared at the conference fit into five categories on why and how you would use games in the classroom:

-provocation for inquiry

-assessment tool

-skill builder

-schema builder

-learning tool

1. Prodigy

Makes math fun. You can differentiate for each student in the class by grade level, math strand, number of questions by creating an assignment for the student you can target a specific outcome for example multiplication 3 times table or 2D shapes

2. Electrocity

Online game that lets students mange their own virtual towns and cities. Students learn about energy, sustainability and environmental management

3. Dragon Box

Ipad App that reinforces algebraic rule. Looks good for all ages and has two levels the unfortunate part is the cost.

4. New World Colony (IPad)

Can be used to build schema for social studies unit on early settlers

5. Sumdog (IPad or Online)

On sumdog you can set up a live class with a leaderboard and assign differentiated questions. Students can compete with each other at their own level.

6. Tinybob (Ipad) human body

Use as a provocation tool! Let the students play human body sandbox app as they play curiosity is piqued, students record wonderings and questions, students find answers to their wonderings - record wonderings in a google doc

Further Research:

Jane McGonigal

Jane McGonigal is a game designer with Avant Game, and a senior researcher at the Institute for the Future. Read her full biography.

The Interview with Steve Paikin: Jane McGonigal: How Video Games will Save the World Author Jane McGonigal on how reality is broken and video games can fix it.

The Happiness Engine

Blog: www.gamification.commons.hwdsb.on.ca

@gamficationQV

Sunday, 9 November 2014

Learning Fair 2014

The topic for this years learning fair was mental health.

The key speakers were David Daniel and Pinball Clemens

I wanted to take the time to reflect on my notes and highlight the key learning that came out of this conference.

4 Books were highlighted:

1. Mindset by Carol Dweck
2. I wonder
3. A Whole new Mind by Daniel Pink
4. Our Rights by Janet Wilson

David Daniel reminded me that it is important to question and evaluate best practices. Just because the practice is based from scientific research does not mean that it will work for all students or that it is scientifically true. Daniel states, "If you see the term brain based run." This statement was very controversial especially as I looked at the topics for the breakout sessions at the conference and many of the presentation stated the word "brain" in the description. But what Daniel wanted us to do is question our learning! There is a place for science in the classroom but it is not the be all and end all. Science can help us understand the average learner, identify extreme outliers and classify differences so we can put students into groups. What science doesn't do is understand the individual. Scientists look at one aspect of the brain at a time in a controlled setting but we know that the brain does not work in isolation and the classroom is full of variables. What does this mean for teachers and administrators:

It is important to question best practices
When a new policy is released ask yourself: Does the practice work better than what we are already doing?
We need to be cognitive of when we are being marketed to because when we come back to school the strategy will not working.
Instead of using the word best practices we should be saying promising principles
What works for one group of students or one teacher may not work for everyone
Learning Styles and Multiple intelligences are not the same thing
There is no scientific evidence that proves that learning styles is factual individuals may have a learning style preference
We are called 'teach'ers not 'assess'ers so our job is to teach if a student fails an assessment it is not their fault we have not taught them what they needed to know to pass the assessment
When we are asked to try a new practice we need to be skeptical
Proof in education is seeing something work!
Our beliefs influence our teaching
Teachers want the cookbook to teaching a script to follow but in reality a good teacher is a chef they can create a masterpiece from a variety of ingredients in the cupboard they are not restricted to the ingredients in the recipe

And then there was Pinball Clemons. All I have to say is wow! I felt that I could follow along with his presentation better than anyone else I heard at the conference and I was able to pinpoint three critical reasons why. First he used pauses very effectively which gave me enough time to process what he was saying and reflect on the information. Second he used repetition which solidified the key points he was addressing in his speech. Finally he used emotions to create empathy and energy amongst the audience.

The key points I took from Pinball:

In today's society we have disengaged parents that only become engaged when there is a conflict with their child because their child is always right
Champions run towards the challenge good teachers raise to the challenge
After you embrace the challenge value the team
I'm going to be grateful even when things aren't great
I have high expectations because I believe in my students
When you value someone you believe in them
Success is not final and failure is not fatal
The child that we think has checked out of school has actually stopped to check us out
When a teacher says "I'm not a babysitter" they have check out!
You don't have to put in your resignation to quit
You need to be humble enough to always put your best foot forward
Teach don't tell We are not tellers
The greatest challenge in my life is me!
When you get angry you are thinking about yourself first
The good samaritan stops to help because they ask themselves what will happen to the other person not what will happen to themselves
Ask yourself "How fortunate are your students that you are their teacher"
Don't feel sorry, Don't complain and Don't quit

Keyboarding Sites

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

Dance Mat typing. Very fun and goes over home row and has levels you work through. Great for younger kids.

http://www.nimblefingers.com/

Lesson that you follow and work through. Kind of boring for kids but does track words per minutes and mistakes.

http://www.freetypinggame.net/

Super fun games. This could be a nice reward or go back and forth between lesson sites and this one.

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games.html

Loads of fun keyboarding games. Also many other educational games.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/typingclub/obdbgibnhfcjmmpfijkpcihjieedpfah?hl=en

Typing Club. You have to have the chromebrowser and a gmail account. So worth it though. Great lessons in levels and looks a bit like a game so kids think it looks cool.

http://www.typingkaraoke.com/

More just for fun. For your super fast typer. Have your favourite song and type it as quickly as possible karaoke style!

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/type-scout/fedokkaolmkkoeedicihicdeppjjeamj?hl=en-US&utm_source=chrome-ntp-launcher

Type Scout. Extremely colourful and visual. Colour coates the home row. Great for a visual learning student.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nitro-type/efjibpecmniclffkmjlmboheacepckmf?hl=en-US&utm_source=chrome-ntp-launcher

Nitro Type, awesome car typing racing game