As you read all the articles and blogs, view the videos, and sort through what everybody is saying about the change so badly needed in education you find this concept has so many parts it's hard to nail it all down. But then I read the article called: 30 Strategies for Education Reform by Prakash Nair located at http://fieldingnair.com/edreformnair1.pdf . Prakash is not an educationalist. He's an architect who's part of a global award winning company that designs and builds schools. As he worked on schools he realized that he needed to focus on how students learn in coming up with how to build a school building. As he looked at all the research, he brought together these 30 strategies for today's learning.
He begins this online guidebook with this thought and I quote: "In education, there is widespread support for the idea that every student is important and yet, in practice, systems are set up to favor a few at the expense of the many." After giving supports for why reform is needed he gives individual guidance for superintendents and board members, principals, parents, teachers, and students on how to use the guidebook. He then lists the 30 strategies while linking them to three categories (pedagogy, organization, and non-academic). After that he gives an overview of each of the strategies. He concludes the guidebook with a survey to get you to put into action what you have just read.
I highly recommend this as a great read. It brings together what everyone is saying and puts wheels on how to get going with 21st century learning and being a world class classroom and school.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Week 1 - Blog Posting #2 - Learning 2.0
When I think about Learning 2.0, I think initially about what learning is in the first place. I believe that learning has happened when a person can take the knowledge or skill they have learned and apply it elsewhere when needed. I’m reminded of what’s called the Cone of Learning, first developed by Edgar Dale in 1946. This has been a controversial idea due to the fact that some things have appeared on the cone that are not credited to him, and know one knows where the additional facts came from. But when I look at what the cone says, from my observations in the classroom, it makes sense. Notice how the doing (application) is at the highest level of remembering.
Now when you apply what this shows to learning 2.0 and what is happening on the web it meshes. This is exactly how learning is taking place on the web at the highest level (doing). You can find this cone at http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/sae/ppt1/sld012.htm.
A research paper dealing with Learning 2.0 published in
EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. 1 (January/February 2008) by John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler called Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail,
and Learning 2.0 makes some great points. They talk about the Cartesian view of knowledge and learning that has been around in education for the last 100 years. I quote: “The Cartesian perspective assumes that knowledge is a kind of substance and that pedagogy concerns the best way to transfer this substance from teachers to students. By contrast, instead of starting from the Cartesian premise of “I think, therefore I am,” and from the assumption that knowledge is something that is transferred to the student via various pedagogical strategies, the social view of learning says, “We participate, therefore we are.” This is certainly what we are seeing when it comes to Learning 2.0 and how people are operating. Another idea they put forth is that fact that and again I quote: “We now need a new approach to learning—one characterized by a demand-pull rather than the traditional supply-push mode of building up an inventory of knowledge in students’ heads.”
My goal in my classroom is to continue to use web 2.0 more and more. I already use Google Docs, Voice Thread, blogmeister, and epals. I plan on using wikis and xtranormal. I’m also going to continue to work with my new principal to get my school up to speed.
I really like the video Learning to Change-Changing to Learn located at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tahTKdEUAPk. This was a call for change by people who are out in the real world. These are CEO’s and leaders of education that know what’s going on and why we need to change our model of learning.
We have the tools, now it’s time for the administration, teachers, and government leaders to get a clue as to why No Child Left Behind doesn’t work and make the changes, no matter how uncomfortable they are. Let’s all step out of our comfort zone, the web is waiting, but the students aren’t.
Now when you apply what this shows to learning 2.0 and what is happening on the web it meshes. This is exactly how learning is taking place on the web at the highest level (doing). You can find this cone at http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/sae/ppt1/sld012.htm.
A research paper dealing with Learning 2.0 published in
EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. 1 (January/February 2008) by John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler called Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail,
and Learning 2.0 makes some great points. They talk about the Cartesian view of knowledge and learning that has been around in education for the last 100 years. I quote: “The Cartesian perspective assumes that knowledge is a kind of substance and that pedagogy concerns the best way to transfer this substance from teachers to students. By contrast, instead of starting from the Cartesian premise of “I think, therefore I am,” and from the assumption that knowledge is something that is transferred to the student via various pedagogical strategies, the social view of learning says, “We participate, therefore we are.” This is certainly what we are seeing when it comes to Learning 2.0 and how people are operating. Another idea they put forth is that fact that and again I quote: “We now need a new approach to learning—one characterized by a demand-pull rather than the traditional supply-push mode of building up an inventory of knowledge in students’ heads.”
My goal in my classroom is to continue to use web 2.0 more and more. I already use Google Docs, Voice Thread, blogmeister, and epals. I plan on using wikis and xtranormal. I’m also going to continue to work with my new principal to get my school up to speed.
I really like the video Learning to Change-Changing to Learn located at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tahTKdEUAPk. This was a call for change by people who are out in the real world. These are CEO’s and leaders of education that know what’s going on and why we need to change our model of learning.
We have the tools, now it’s time for the administration, teachers, and government leaders to get a clue as to why No Child Left Behind doesn’t work and make the changes, no matter how uncomfortable they are. Let’s all step out of our comfort zone, the web is waiting, but the students aren’t.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Week 1 - Blog Posting #1 - Web 2.0
Web 2.0 to me is fantastic, exciting, creative, connecting, and finally frustrating. You may wonder why I started with all those great things and then ended with a negative. The reason why I think it is frustrating is because there are so many things you can do with web 2.0 with a multitude of great sites and great applications that it can get overwhelming trying to decide what to use. About the time I find one (a website) that I think will work really well for the content I’m having the students work on, I find another one that looks equally great or even better. I’m learning to look for specific tools that do specific things and keep focused on that so I don’t get overwhelmed.
As a fifth grade teacher with students that are pre-Facebook and Twitter is blocked I’ve had to look for alternatives. My students have enjoyed blogging at http://www.classblogmeister.com. This blog site has been designed for education where nothing is posted or commented on till it goes through the teacher. It’s been great to see parents post comments to their own children’s blogs. Another site my students have enjoyed is http://voicethread.com/#home. I’ve had students tell stories through a storyboard format with audio. Voice Thread has been described as Power Point on steroids. One of the Web 2.0 tools I want to use more of this year is a Wiki. I’ve had an account with www.wikispaces.com for at least two years, but haven’t used it. Last month in our team project we used Google Docs so much it got me excited about Wiki’s so that has become a goal for my classroom.
As you’ll find in this Ted talk Web 2.0 is here to stay, but is going to move forward. Kevin Kelly talks about the next 5000 days on the web. This is a Ted talk from Dec. 2007 on what the web is and what it will become as Web 2.0 moves on to Web 3.0. He concludes with the idea that “We are the Web”. You can see this at: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html. When you look at all the social connecting tools being used today you can certainly see why “We are the Web”. The users of the web are the molders of what the web is becoming.
The link: http://oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=1, (Sept. 30, 2005) is another great resource explaining what and where Web 2.0 came from. It goes through the history of Web 1.0 using the example of Netscape and moving into Web 2.0 with Google as its example. It follows many of the leading Web 2.0 tools and what they represent.
I look forward to working more and more with Web 2.0 tools as I immerse my students in using the Internet for their learning.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Are the Students Truly Understanding It? Are We? Part 3
This is the last of a three part look at what teaching is all about.
In this third part I will be focusing on formative and summative assessment and some of the tools available to help you get to know where each of your students is at any given time. Quoting from the first article: "What is this formative and summative assessment about? Giving final tests have been around forever (summative assessment). Asking questions of the students isn’t new either (formative assessment). But what have you done with the answers the students gave? Did they help in guiding where you were going with the material? Did it help you assess the success of your teaching strategies?"
Let's first start with questioning strategies. When a teacher asks a class a question, does it engage everyone? I would say it engages only those who know the answer or are interested in the question. What about the rest of the class? What about the shy ones, or those who don't or aren't sure of the answer? Our job is to engage all the students, or at least most of them. During most question and answer sessions you'll find many students checking out. Also, in asking the question, you ask one student for their answer. This only tells you that one student understands. What do you know about the rest of the class?
Formative assessment is a very important tool for the teacher. It should be done frequently (meaning daily) to help you assess where the students are in their learning and whether you, as a teacher, needs to make an adjustment in your approach. But it is very important that formative assessment is done correctly. All students should be engaged in the assessment. The assessment should be designed to give you instant feedback as to where each individual is. Realize right away that this is not for a grade. It's to give you feedback to where everyone is so that you can respond to it..
One easy way to do this is to use small white boards. When you ask a question each student writes down their answer on the board, and when given a cue, they show their boards to you. The reason for the cue is so the students don't just copy someone else's answer because that person had gotten it done early. If you don't have boards, or can't afford them, use blank white paper. This works great in giving you instant feedback and the students enjoy it because they find out right away whether they are understanding it and everyone is involved. The drawback to this method is that you don't have a good record of what each individual student understands. You could keep a tally with a class list to highlight students that need extra help as you scan their answers.
You may be thinking: Why go through all this hassle? Let me ask you this: Are we there for the learning, or just to present the curriculum? That is what all teachers need to decide.
Another way to assess students in a formative way is by using a Student Response System. There are several systems available. The system I use is available through einstruction. They are located at www.einstruction.com. Quoting from their website:
"You can engage every child in class material by creating an interactive learning environment in your classroom. Students who normally remain silent in class can now answer every question without fear of embarrassment. And since you see instant feedback from the entire class, you know whether to move on or continue teaching a concept. CPS also streamlines administrative tasks. Now you can spend less time grading and more time teaching."
The system uses a projector, computer with CPS software, response pad, and receiver. Your questions are displayed on the screen and every student then responds by using the response pads to input their answer. Depending on the type of system you use, the questions can be of varied types from multiple choice to short answer. The system then keeps track of the students' responses so you can see how each individual student responds. This also gives the students immediate feedback on whether they are understanding the lesson and engages every student. It also allows you, due to the instant feedback, to adjust your teaching to help them achieve greater understanding immediately.
Hopefully, I've peaked your interest. What you'll begin to see is better understanding and higher results in your summative tests. You'll also see more students engaged and becoming a part of their learning. I've had students say to me, "I'd take a test any day if I could use these", referring to the response systems. Have I seen an improvement? Yes, because I have a much better idea of where my students are at and can make the immediate adjustments to help those who are struggling.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Are the Students Truly Understanding It? Are We? Part 2
This is part two of a three part look at what teaching is all about.
I think we live in one of the most exciting times when it comes to education. The students are changing in ways that challenge us to look at what we are doing in the classroom and make changes when needed. From outside the classroom we are being held accountable for what we are doing. Basically, we are being called to be a professional. Never before have we had so much learning available for us outside a classroom. In the past we had to take classes and read textbooks written by people that hadn’t been in the classroom for awhile. True, we’re still called to take classes. But now, as teachers, we can interact with professional learning communities online, take classes online, and share with other colleagues from around the globe our successes and failures so that we can improve what we do.
And what do we do? We educate kids. Our whole focus should be on the student. Without them we’re out of a job. In Part 1 of this article written last month I challenged you to think about whether your motivation was to just get through the curriculum, or educate the student. It’s an easy trap to fall into with all the pressures being brought to bear on the teaching profession today.
Another problem is that the way we were taught in school doesn’t work well with today’s digital students. Dave Warlick, a nationally renowned educational speaker, made some interesting statements in his Oct. 16th blog I’d like to quote: “I think that it’s part of the job. It is my job, as a teacher, to be able to teach today — to be skilled at using today’s information technologies within today’s information environments and apply pedagogies that reflect today’s information environments. We suffer from the myths of old world education, that you go to school so that you will be prepared for the next 30 or 35 years. But the teacher we are at graduation from college, is not necessarily the teacher we need to be five years later. Those days are long behind us — and I think that the job has become a whole lot more exciting as a result.”
He ended his blog with another statement that sums up what I’m talking about. And again I quote: “It’s part of the job of the teacher to continue to grow,” then we can get on with the far more interesting question, “What does the school and classroom look like where learning is what you see happening, not teaching — where learning stops being a job, and, instead, becomes a lifestyle.”
To help students learn, I need to focus on my learning. If I expect to be told what to do all the time, that is what I will expect out of my students. If I work on becoming a self-directed learner, I will help my students to do the same. These are the skills of the 21st century. Focusing on the learning, and not on the teaching, has helped me focus more on the individual student. With student centered learning it’s great to hear from the students and guide them like a coach in the learning process. It’s exciting to walk by each group of students and hear them discussing the focus question and helping each other to understand the material. They are now engaged in the learning process, not just checking out as I stand up there lecturing. Students today are interactive. Is their learning interactive or one sided? Do you follow the textbook, or do you look for a way that meets the needs of your students and how they learn? That is where we, as teachers, become the professional. We need to always be looking for the strategies that help our students learn.
The educational term being used today is differentiated instruction. This isn’t a bad thing. When you begin to operate this way you will get to know your students better. Have you ever asked them what they liked when it comes to teaching strategies? I work with fifth graders and they have no problem telling me. When I reflect on what they have said and use their feedback, I find a more motivated student. All of us understand the importance of motivation.
My goal as a teacher is to engage every student anytime there is learning taking place. What I have found is the more engaged they are the less I have to deal with discipline issues. My students work in pairs and groups most of the time. I will ask a question and then move around the room as they work on it. Sitting at my desk is rarely an option. There are times where they work on something by themselves, but I allow them to ask questions of their fellow classmates or myself when needed.
This hasn’t always been the way I’ve taught. I was a lecture type teacher for many years. I was never satisfied though, but didn’t know any other way. After all, that was how I was taught. I then took an on-line class on helping students to become self-directed learners. Then, as I read more about the expectations of the work world and 21st century skills it all began to come together. I will tell you it is a work in progress, and I haven’t arrived yet, but it is exciting. I’ve shared with other teachers and we are learning together. More teachers are joining us, one teacher at a time.
So now it’s time to make your choice. Jump in and begin the change. It’s a process that doesn’t happen overnight, but will happen. Get involved in some of the online educational forums. There’s plenty of support and help out there online.
In the next article I will be talking about formative and summative assessment and some of the tools available to help you get to know where each of your students is at any given time.
I think we live in one of the most exciting times when it comes to education. The students are changing in ways that challenge us to look at what we are doing in the classroom and make changes when needed. From outside the classroom we are being held accountable for what we are doing. Basically, we are being called to be a professional. Never before have we had so much learning available for us outside a classroom. In the past we had to take classes and read textbooks written by people that hadn’t been in the classroom for awhile. True, we’re still called to take classes. But now, as teachers, we can interact with professional learning communities online, take classes online, and share with other colleagues from around the globe our successes and failures so that we can improve what we do.
And what do we do? We educate kids. Our whole focus should be on the student. Without them we’re out of a job. In Part 1 of this article written last month I challenged you to think about whether your motivation was to just get through the curriculum, or educate the student. It’s an easy trap to fall into with all the pressures being brought to bear on the teaching profession today.
Another problem is that the way we were taught in school doesn’t work well with today’s digital students. Dave Warlick, a nationally renowned educational speaker, made some interesting statements in his Oct. 16th blog I’d like to quote: “I think that it’s part of the job. It is my job, as a teacher, to be able to teach today — to be skilled at using today’s information technologies within today’s information environments and apply pedagogies that reflect today’s information environments. We suffer from the myths of old world education, that you go to school so that you will be prepared for the next 30 or 35 years. But the teacher we are at graduation from college, is not necessarily the teacher we need to be five years later. Those days are long behind us — and I think that the job has become a whole lot more exciting as a result.”
He ended his blog with another statement that sums up what I’m talking about. And again I quote: “It’s part of the job of the teacher to continue to grow,” then we can get on with the far more interesting question, “What does the school and classroom look like where learning is what you see happening, not teaching — where learning stops being a job, and, instead, becomes a lifestyle.”
To help students learn, I need to focus on my learning. If I expect to be told what to do all the time, that is what I will expect out of my students. If I work on becoming a self-directed learner, I will help my students to do the same. These are the skills of the 21st century. Focusing on the learning, and not on the teaching, has helped me focus more on the individual student. With student centered learning it’s great to hear from the students and guide them like a coach in the learning process. It’s exciting to walk by each group of students and hear them discussing the focus question and helping each other to understand the material. They are now engaged in the learning process, not just checking out as I stand up there lecturing. Students today are interactive. Is their learning interactive or one sided? Do you follow the textbook, or do you look for a way that meets the needs of your students and how they learn? That is where we, as teachers, become the professional. We need to always be looking for the strategies that help our students learn.
The educational term being used today is differentiated instruction. This isn’t a bad thing. When you begin to operate this way you will get to know your students better. Have you ever asked them what they liked when it comes to teaching strategies? I work with fifth graders and they have no problem telling me. When I reflect on what they have said and use their feedback, I find a more motivated student. All of us understand the importance of motivation.
My goal as a teacher is to engage every student anytime there is learning taking place. What I have found is the more engaged they are the less I have to deal with discipline issues. My students work in pairs and groups most of the time. I will ask a question and then move around the room as they work on it. Sitting at my desk is rarely an option. There are times where they work on something by themselves, but I allow them to ask questions of their fellow classmates or myself when needed.
This hasn’t always been the way I’ve taught. I was a lecture type teacher for many years. I was never satisfied though, but didn’t know any other way. After all, that was how I was taught. I then took an on-line class on helping students to become self-directed learners. Then, as I read more about the expectations of the work world and 21st century skills it all began to come together. I will tell you it is a work in progress, and I haven’t arrived yet, but it is exciting. I’ve shared with other teachers and we are learning together. More teachers are joining us, one teacher at a time.
So now it’s time to make your choice. Jump in and begin the change. It’s a process that doesn’t happen overnight, but will happen. Get involved in some of the online educational forums. There’s plenty of support and help out there online.
In the next article I will be talking about formative and summative assessment and some of the tools available to help you get to know where each of your students is at any given time.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Are the Students Truly Understanding It? Are We?
This is part one of a three part look at what teaching is all about.
Everyday, as teachers, we work hard to have students learn material and acquire skills they will need in the future. Along the way, we attempt to see if they understand the material by asking questions of individual students, or giving them a quiz. This is called formative assessment. From this type of assessment we make decisions how to proceed with the material. In the end we may give a final test to measure their final understanding of the material. This final form of measurement is called summative assessment.
What is this formative and summative assessment about, you may ask? Giving final tests have been around forever (summative assessment). Asking questions of the students isn’t new either (formative assessment). But what have you done with the answers the students gave? Did they help in guiding where you were going with the material? Did it help you assess the success of your teaching strategies? Let’s look a little deeper at this.
What is your motivation in teaching the curriculum, or skills, that you, as a teacher, are expected to present within your subject matter or grade level? Is your motivation to get through the material and hopefully the students will get it, or is it to teach for mastery? If I’m feeling overwhelmed by the amount of material I have to teach in a year, I’m going to teach in a way that gets me through the material. Is this what we are called to do? Do you know, at any point in time, where each individual student is in their comprehension of the subject matter or skills? What is your motivation for giving worksheets or answering questions on paper? Is it to just get a grade or practice the skill? Or should there be more? I know these are heavy questions, but we, as professionals, should be asking them each time we teach. Today’s 21st century teacher is being called upon to raise the bar, but do we know how?
If you notice, I haven’t mentioned No Child Left Behind, until now. As frustrated as we get with the way this concept is being carried out, the idea isn’t bad. How many students have been dropped through the cracks over the years because of how we approached teaching? How many times have we been frustrated because students act like they have never seen the material, even though we know the previous teacher had taught it? It is time we start looking at out teaching strategies and ask ourselves if this is working. We need to be willing to talk with other teachers about what we are doing in the classroom and sharing among ourselves what has worked and what hasn’t. From this dialogue we can make adjustments to our strategies so that all students can be successful in some way.
Now, I know I haven’t addressed formative and summative assessment. I haven’t dealt with the many questions I brought up and the motivation behind our teaching. This first part was to get you thinking. In the next part I will address these questions. So think about it.
Everyday, as teachers, we work hard to have students learn material and acquire skills they will need in the future. Along the way, we attempt to see if they understand the material by asking questions of individual students, or giving them a quiz. This is called formative assessment. From this type of assessment we make decisions how to proceed with the material. In the end we may give a final test to measure their final understanding of the material. This final form of measurement is called summative assessment.
What is this formative and summative assessment about, you may ask? Giving final tests have been around forever (summative assessment). Asking questions of the students isn’t new either (formative assessment). But what have you done with the answers the students gave? Did they help in guiding where you were going with the material? Did it help you assess the success of your teaching strategies? Let’s look a little deeper at this.
What is your motivation in teaching the curriculum, or skills, that you, as a teacher, are expected to present within your subject matter or grade level? Is your motivation to get through the material and hopefully the students will get it, or is it to teach for mastery? If I’m feeling overwhelmed by the amount of material I have to teach in a year, I’m going to teach in a way that gets me through the material. Is this what we are called to do? Do you know, at any point in time, where each individual student is in their comprehension of the subject matter or skills? What is your motivation for giving worksheets or answering questions on paper? Is it to just get a grade or practice the skill? Or should there be more? I know these are heavy questions, but we, as professionals, should be asking them each time we teach. Today’s 21st century teacher is being called upon to raise the bar, but do we know how?
If you notice, I haven’t mentioned No Child Left Behind, until now. As frustrated as we get with the way this concept is being carried out, the idea isn’t bad. How many students have been dropped through the cracks over the years because of how we approached teaching? How many times have we been frustrated because students act like they have never seen the material, even though we know the previous teacher had taught it? It is time we start looking at out teaching strategies and ask ourselves if this is working. We need to be willing to talk with other teachers about what we are doing in the classroom and sharing among ourselves what has worked and what hasn’t. From this dialogue we can make adjustments to our strategies so that all students can be successful in some way.
Now, I know I haven’t addressed formative and summative assessment. I haven’t dealt with the many questions I brought up and the motivation behind our teaching. This first part was to get you thinking. In the next part I will address these questions. So think about it.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Are Games for the Classroom?
There’s no question about it, kids today are into digital games. You have the Xbox, Wii, and Playstation 3. In mobile gaming there’s the PSP, Gameboy, iPod, and DS. Online there are many strategy games available. Also online are virtual reality games such as Runescape, Active Worlds, Club Penguin, Whyville, Piratesonline, and more. In the virtual reality games kids interact with others from around the world on a daily basis. If you think this is for a few, check out the numbers. At any time of the day there are 150,000-200,000 on Runescape. In Whyville, a virtual world for the tweens, similar numbers and higher exist. With this much popularity, how can we as educators tap into it?
Let’s remind ourselves that the expectations of the 21st century call for skills such as collaboration and problem solving. Isn’t that what they are doing on these virtual reality games?
Now how about just plain old every day gaming. Do the Xboxes and Gameboys hold the kids attention. They sure do, as we all know by watching them. Again, how can we tap into this?
Our own personal experience teaches us that when our interest level goes up, so does our learning curve and retention of what we learned. Last school year, I began to look for online games that students could use to practice different skills. What I found was overwhelming. There are far more educational games online that are free then there used to be. Because there were so many, it was easier to go shopping. Choose what skill you want them to practice or learn and then go looking for a game that meets that skill. I was no longer overwhelmed. Next, make sure you play the game to see if it meets your expectations. Another idea would be to have a group of students try it and give you feedback. Students would much rather play these games than do a worksheet. I know this because they’ve told me so.
Has this been successful? Let me ask you this? How many times have you had a student ask you for another worksheet because it was so much fun? I have students go to the computer on their own to play these games. I’ve had several parents tell me that their kids come home and go online to my website to play these games. I didn’t even assign them, what have I done! What’s happened is I hit upon their interest level. Today, students would much rather do anything on the computer than with pencil and paper. That even includes taking a test, but we’ll talk about that another time.
So how do you get started? First, you need a website. It can be as simple as a site made by iWeb (a Mac application). There are many simple web applications out there. See your school IT person to help you. Have it set up on your school website so student’s can find it easily. This is where you are going to setup your links to your games. It’s much easier for students to click on a link, than to type in a web address. Make sure to keep it organized. Divide it up by subject such as Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, or Science. Then, within those sections divide it into smaller categories like for math: multiplication, geometry, or measurement. The reason for the organization is that as you get into games you will find that your links will multiply and become very confusing. It’s much easier to start organized than to go back and reorganize.
You may ask, where do I find these games? Google in advanced search the words: free educational games. Other good places to go are www.gamequarium.com>, or http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/interactive.htm>. From there you will find many more sites.
In math there are two great interactive sites where students can challenge each other and they are located at: www.enlvm.usu.edu/ma/nav/index.jsp> or www.illuminations.nctm.org/Activities.aspx>.
Now you are ready to begin. To integrate this into your classroom you need to decide the frequency of use. To begin, you need to introduce all the students to the game or games you want them to practice skills on. Don’t leave it wide open for them at the beginning. So schedule a time in the lab, or if you have 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 use the computers in your room. Walk around and see how they are doing, just like you would do if they had worksheets. The difference will be the excitement. Remember, this is about student centered learning which is 21st century teaching.
I know that if you take the time to do this you will find it very rewarding and once again, your students will thank you.
Let’s remind ourselves that the expectations of the 21st century call for skills such as collaboration and problem solving. Isn’t that what they are doing on these virtual reality games?
Now how about just plain old every day gaming. Do the Xboxes and Gameboys hold the kids attention. They sure do, as we all know by watching them. Again, how can we tap into this?
Our own personal experience teaches us that when our interest level goes up, so does our learning curve and retention of what we learned. Last school year, I began to look for online games that students could use to practice different skills. What I found was overwhelming. There are far more educational games online that are free then there used to be. Because there were so many, it was easier to go shopping. Choose what skill you want them to practice or learn and then go looking for a game that meets that skill. I was no longer overwhelmed. Next, make sure you play the game to see if it meets your expectations. Another idea would be to have a group of students try it and give you feedback. Students would much rather play these games than do a worksheet. I know this because they’ve told me so.
Has this been successful? Let me ask you this? How many times have you had a student ask you for another worksheet because it was so much fun? I have students go to the computer on their own to play these games. I’ve had several parents tell me that their kids come home and go online to my website to play these games. I didn’t even assign them, what have I done! What’s happened is I hit upon their interest level. Today, students would much rather do anything on the computer than with pencil and paper. That even includes taking a test, but we’ll talk about that another time.
So how do you get started? First, you need a website. It can be as simple as a site made by iWeb (a Mac application). There are many simple web applications out there. See your school IT person to help you. Have it set up on your school website so student’s can find it easily. This is where you are going to setup your links to your games. It’s much easier for students to click on a link, than to type in a web address. Make sure to keep it organized. Divide it up by subject such as Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, or Science. Then, within those sections divide it into smaller categories like for math: multiplication, geometry, or measurement. The reason for the organization is that as you get into games you will find that your links will multiply and become very confusing. It’s much easier to start organized than to go back and reorganize.
You may ask, where do I find these games? Google in advanced search the words: free educational games. Other good places to go are www.gamequarium.com>, or http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/interactive.htm>. From there you will find many more sites.
In math there are two great interactive sites where students can challenge each other and they are located at: www.enlvm.usu.edu/ma/nav/index.jsp> or www.illuminations.nctm.org/Activities.aspx>.
Now you are ready to begin. To integrate this into your classroom you need to decide the frequency of use. To begin, you need to introduce all the students to the game or games you want them to practice skills on. Don’t leave it wide open for them at the beginning. So schedule a time in the lab, or if you have 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 use the computers in your room. Walk around and see how they are doing, just like you would do if they had worksheets. The difference will be the excitement. Remember, this is about student centered learning which is 21st century teaching.
I know that if you take the time to do this you will find it very rewarding and once again, your students will thank you.
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