INSITE and 99chats

We are involved with a research project run by Purdue University in Indiana.  The project aims to create a resource bank of web based applications and the application that we have been assigned to work on is 99chats. 

At first look I am not sure about the use of this application as the main page is unmoderated which using my teacher point of view would not be suitable for using in a classroom, however I have created an account that will not be shown on their chat directory and I am posting a chat room here to try.  Please try it out below, you do not need an account to use just type in a nickname for yourself.

EM(+R) = L

"Blah Blah Learning" 

The above is a quote from Brian McLaren.  As part of our elective we were able to visit the LTS Consolarium today to extend our experience of games based learning.  Out of context the above quote may mean very little, but for me it says so much.  Brian was talking about games based learning and the point he was making was that it is not about the games that are being used it is about the learning that is taking place.  

In many, many schools throughout Scotland the Consolarium team are working with teachers and their classes on a wide variety of learning activities.  They are using various games consoles in order to do this including as the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 and handheld devices such as the PSP and the Nintendo DS.

These are the projects that excite me as a future teacher.  I have mentioned in my other blog that I was extremely lucky to have been given a great opportunity on a previous placement to try something new.  The project that I had developed followed the concept of games based learning with a class that had no previous experience in this area.  Prior to this I had known GBL was an area that I found interesting but the actual experience put it into a much clearer perspective.  Watching pupils take control of their own learning, showing motivation that I had not witnessed from some of them previously and extending their learning far beyond what was planned really put games based learning and motivation into context for me personally.   The nature of Curriculum for Excellence is a fantastic spring board for what can be done across all curricular areas given the right medium.

None of this is to say that any game would be suitable for education and another fantastic thing to see today was the Consolarium team talking about planning topics using a game.  The process of linking to areas of the curriculum while looking at a resource is something that occurs in my mind most of the time.  The ideas come, the excitement bubbles and you know that this is what pupils will experience if given the opportunity.

As with any planning the learning that will take place must always be relevant to the pupils needs at a particular age and stage.  We need to address progression, no matter how much potential a resource has if the pupils will not progress then we must  leave that resource and find a different one.

The next phase of excitement today was hearing about the potential for Mario Kart Wii in the classroom.  For one of our last assignments we had to create a context for learning addressing the principles of Curriculum for Excellence in a cross curricular nature.  The context that I used was Mario Kart Wii!  The planning that I submitted followed practically the same ideas that Brian discussed.

Sometimes I forget that not everyone is aware of the potential of games for learning and that not everyone is aware of the developments in this field.  Yet in Scotland the momentum is gaining speed and (here comes the biased statement)  Scotland is definitely among the leaders in the development of this wonderful source of motivation and engagement.

Recently I heard someone comment that engagement and motivation do not equal learning and while this is true I would argue that they do make the process of learning both more realistic and more appealing for all involved.  As a teacher it is much easier to spark an interest in your pupils when you yourself have an enthusiasm and passion for what you are doing.

Currently, in our course, we are between two blocks of our nursery placement.  The school where I am placed has a morning only nursery which means I spend the afternoon placed in a P3 class.  I had been planning to use the Nintendo Wii in both areas and had thought that Wii Music would be great to use in the nursery and Endless Ocean would be a perfect introduction to GBL to use with the P3 class.  I have Wii Music but not Endless Ocean so while at the Consolarium today I was very cheeky and asked to borrow a copy of Endless Ocean 2.  Luckily for me Brian agreed to loan me a copy which means you will be hearing much more from me about it come May.



*I apologise for the distinct lack of theory to support this post.  Theory should underpin everything we do yet sometimes I like to post directly from my thoughts and experiences and there is also the fact that I am extremely distracted by the planning for Endless Ocean 2.  Just incase you haven't guessed EM(+R)= L - Engagement x Motivation (+Relevance) = Learning*

cooperative working

The end of our cooperative project has arrived.  The presentation of work takes place on Monday which means we are at the rounding up and finishing off stage. 


Normally I am very guilty of leaving things until the last minute but when working on group projects something strange happens and I become obsessed with completing everything promptly, being super organised and everyone having a clearly defined role.


Previous posts on this subject haved looked at our group dynamics and an article by Johnson and Johnson based on the benefits of cooperative learning.


With the end always comes the contemplation aspect; the reflection on how you have worked both personally and within your group.  This can go in a variety of ways; if the project went well then reflection will be very positive and can perhaps be minimal.  If there were a few hiccups along the way this provides opportunity for identifing improvements in both practice and strengths and weaknesses in all areas.  If there are multiple problems with group dynamics or processes it can be extremely difficult to step back and evaluate in a balanced point of view.  In the latter case it can be most beneficial to privately reflect then critically evaluate these reflections.  Without first doing this it would be easy to steamtrain and not be objective.


The above introduction was written prior to my reading the following quote:


"Studies report that peer learning promotes greater conceptual and procedural gains for students, accommodates a broad range of learning styles, results in greater enjoyment of the learning task, and encourages a stronger persistence in learning (Johnson & Johnson, 1999)." (cited in Cooper and Marie, 2002)




I freely admit that there were times that I struggled to work collaboratively during the course of this project.  There are a number of reasons for this and frustration has been a regular visitor to my emotional repertoire over recent weeks.  I have complained my way though many conversations, moaned to generally anyone who showed the slightest sign of listening (and even some who did not) and yet I failed to pin down what was bothering me the most.  I thought it was based on impressions that some of the group were not participating as fully as they could have or that I was feeling the burden of taking on more than my share of the work.  

Within groups there is often a person who takes a lead role, my intention had been to step back and avoid becoming this person.  I often find that I take on this role and appreciate that this is due to my personality but I tried to make a conscious decision not to do so in this project.  I thought it was important to let others experience this role.  Yet, perhaps by trying to stand back I caused myself more frustration than if I hadn't.  Linking to my earlier observation on the effect of group work to my personal working strategy and to the above quote from the Theory into Practice Journal I can see a link; my working strategy is transformed due to the demands of cooperative working.  It is not just the end result that is motivating me but the concept that others are reliant on me pulling my weight and fulfilling my allocated work to the best I can.  With this drive I begin to mentally put pressure on others that I work with, expecting the same process to be occurring within their minds.  This is when I become the uber complainer.  


I cannot expect people to hit early (and unmentioned) deadlines: in the same way we all learn differently we all work differently.  If I have an assignment due I mull it over, think about it and eventually write it, often quite near to the deadline.  This is my individual working style, I have accepted that this is how I work and no longer worry that I haven't completed assignments a fortnight early.  Despite this a seemingly irrational part of my brain begins to rage when a group member hasn't done exactly that; complete a task two weeks early.  


Having acknowledged my personal demons with cooperative working I have a greater understanding of why I have found myself struggle so much with this project.  This is not to say that there have not been other shortfalls in work ethic but this is a self assessment not a peer assessment and sometimes a public blog is not the place to carry out this kind of activity. 


Without going through this process I would not have realised any of this therefore my personal development has gained alongside my professional development.  I have enhanced my communication and organisational skills, I have gained experience of filming and editing for an educational purpose, I have extended my presentation skills through our wikispace (link to follow) but most importantly I have learned more about myself and this is inarguably the steepest learning curve.

Let's get animated!

This week we started looking at animation and it's potential use within the classroom.  Possibilities for incorporating animation across the curriculum are endless and the examples that I have chosen to include in this blog entry are perhaps a little predictable.  It is not very often I share real examples of lesson ideas within my blog, I think this is something that I should do more of.


I know that animation is widely used in schools and is very successful.  The equipment that we used during our input was digiblue cameras and software.  These are very easy to use and many schools have this equipment.  For us the process sounded very lengthy to begin with; 15 clicks for one second!  Yet we found that time passed very quickly and the process of recording was not tiresome at all.  


Before we could begin the process of filming the animation we had to brainstorm in our group to plan the subject for our animation.  This technique, if used in a classroom, would let the children have ownership of their subject and a creative license to go in any direction that they wish.  This would fit well if the outcome was focusing on teamwork: 


I value the opportunities I am given to make friends and be part of a group in a range of situations. (CfE, HWB all levels)





The use of cooperative learning packs would ensure team work was balanced and everyone had a set role to play in the process.   Due to the time consuming nature of animation the inclusion of a role record within the pack would enable group members to experience various roles over the course of the project.  This would ensure that pupils are developing skills and experiences.  Like Lauren I would group pupils in mixed ability groups as this should diversify skills within each group therefore enhancing opportunities for each member to feel valued.  Depending on the class this may not always be the case as strengths may be weighted in certain areas although teacher knowledge will allow for the best grouping possibilities.


The Technologies outcome link, that I have chosen as an example, applies to both first and second level of CfE:


I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways. (CfE, technologies 1st and 2nd level)


This outcome reflects the process of creating the animation, editing it, publishing it and reflecting on the process of working.  Depending on the previous experience of the pupils the reflection process may be more important than the creating process.  This reflection could take many forms including a blog format, creating a presentation to share with others in the class, school or wider community, a video log of the working process or a photo story of the working process.

By investigating the range of foods available I can discuss how they contribute to a healthy diet.

HWB 1-30a (CfE)

This outcome reflects the broad topic that the animations must be based upon.  This is not necessary as it is possible to let pupils choose freely a topic, however in this case I would like to link to work on nutrition.  Many schools hold a 'Health Week' therefore this is an idea platform for this particular topic.  Pupils could be split into opposing teams and the animations based on positives of healthy eating versus the positives of unhealthy eating.  By creating scripts pupils would also be able to link to their language outcomes and the animations provide an alternative medium for a debate.


I can convey information, describe events or processes, share my opinions or persuade my reader in different ways.

*Responsibility of all

LIT 1-28a/LIT 1-29a

The final outcome relates to both the group working concept and the need to respect the opinions and beliefs of others.

I recognise that each individual has a unique blend of abilities and needs. I contribute to making my school community one which values individuals equally and is a welcoming place for all.

*Responsibility of all

HWB 2-10a(CfE)

I believe that cooperative working opportunities are an essential element of education.  Working with a range of different peers can develop understanding of both others ideas and views as well as developing understanding of your own personal ideas and views.  An animation project allows pupils to swap roles depending on their strengths and the stage of the project.  It is also an ideal activity to explore issues that may be inaccessible in other activities.  Pupils can use animation to express themselves more freely and in a more relaxed manner with less fear of repercussions.  They are not directly exposed and for some this will provide increased confidence to participate.

Editation

TecnoTeach: Do We Still Need Editors?

Reading this post got me thinking about my personal blogging journey, over the last few months I have developed immensely in this area.  Previously I kept a personal blog which although published on the internet did not link back to me.  I never shared the address of my personal blog with anybody and even now I have not shared the link.  The development, and indeed progression, came when we were set a blogging task as part of our university ICT coursework.  Not wanting to share my other blog I set up this blogger account.
Initially I experimented with a style similar to my other blog as this is the style of writing that I enjoy most.  As time went on and I started my ICT elective we were again asked to keep a blog but this time it was to form part of our portfolio of work for assessment.  The more I posted the more confidence I developed to the point that I will easily share links to my blog through Twitter.  The reflective element has also been beneficial in developing my placement reflections which are a required element of the course.

In relation to the question of editors for children blogging I completely agree that this is a necessity.  The notion of comparison between parents can get extremely competitive and this may dent confidence in children which in turn contradicts the purpose of keeping a blog for educational reasons.
The freedom of using your voice, with or without a great reader following, can only promote creative thinking in children.  As for needing editors I would like to think that eventually, as children become more experienced with blogging and net etiquette, they will have the skills to maintain suitable content in these areas.  Perhaps the editing and moderating responsibility could be handed over to the pupils on a peer level.