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*

Week 2: Part Deux

The first thing we looked at today was gadgets: the Nintendo DS; ipod touch; a handheld projector and [drum roll...] IPHONES!!!

We had a quick run through of an app called Lifecasting that can be used to create slideshows with audio attachment.  This is a great app to use with a class for a range of different activities across different curricular areas.  It is easy to work, although there can be some confusion with the steps and instruction needs to be clear in this area.  The audio attachment is time limited and therefore gives pupils an achievable time-frame to plan a script.  By setting group based tasks you are incorporating collaboration between the pupils and this can branch out to inter-group collaboration.  The benefits of this being that pupils may be able to undertake a task but not fully understand the process.  If they demonstrate this process to others they develop their own understanding.  This is based on constructivist theory and can be developed to establish metacognition in the learner.


Our Lecturer invited us to use text messaging to send her any questions during the input.  The reasoning behind this is that often students do not contribute as they do not want to speak out for various reasons (embarrassment, fear of being wrong, uncertainty).  This is an excellent way of encouraging more active participation and questions can be asked anonymously.  More information about this can be found on our lecturers blog.






Another tool that we explored was Storybird.  Storybird allows you to create your own ebook using a range of graphics provided.  The graphics can stimulate imagination and creative writing.  The other element of using storybird is that users can work together to create storybirds that are personal to them both individually and as a group.  I like the collaborative feature as often you need help with inspiration in storytelling.  You can also never tell where the story will lead to.  Users chose the graphics and these can either compliment their existing idea or stimulate a new idea.  Then text is added and this process can be shared with contributors adding to the story.  Once a storybird has been constructed it can be shared either publicly or privately, through invitation.

Automatic living: who becomes the machine?

Our lecturer is so enthusiastic about what we can and will achieve that it is hard not to get swept up in the whirlwind alongside this amazing lady.  To be an inspiring teacher you need to be inspired and she is clearly inspired, driven and motivated by learning.  Not just learning but maximising learning.  Opening up a whole new world to today's learners of whatever age.  This new world is developing all the time and the most exciting aspect?  We don't know what it will look like tomorrow.  The speed of change is uncontrollable as is the learning potential of anyone who is inspired.

As future teachers we need to be flexible, progressive, open-minded, willing to remember the old and embrace the new.  We need to fine tune the balance of working with and alongside pupils but most of all we need to step out of constraints.  We need to not only step out of the box we need to make a leap into the unknown and utilise what it has to offer.               

We want everyone to be a learner and recognise that that is what they are.  We never stop learning, we just stop recognising or admitting it.  If someone asked you would you rather live life automatically or would you rather live life what would you choose?  I'm guessing if you have read this far you would avoid the auto pilot like the plague.  If this is the case why would we wish to encourage our future to live any differently?

With this in mind shouldn't we use technology to our advantage?  It is a natural progression for learners to follow society in how they wish to learn and the means of engagement most appropriate.  Future technology is not about operating on auto pilot but enhancing and extending what is achievable today and into tomorrow.