Week 6 - About Me Scratch Project

Phew - I'm tired. I have a serious problem with "tinkering" - I like to explore programs like Scratch a lot, but I need to learn to say enough is enough.  I'm pretty satisfied with it thought :) Here it is:

About Me Scratch Project

My inspiration was springtime.... I did it by tinkering a lot, and continually playing with what the program would let me do.  For the sun I couldn't figure out how to get it to randomly move around the screen, so I looked back at how the shark was done in those scratch cards we did last week and figured it out. I got stuck on figuring out how to make things happen automatically, so I downloaded another About Me and figured out how to use the "broadcast" blocks that way - super helpful! I guess I'm most proud of figuring out how the broadcast blocks worked.

Double Entry Journal #5

Quote 1:

In this study, the teacher made connections between the game and curriculum-based content in U. S. history through combination of planned actions (e.g. Manifest Destiny and Imperialism) and more opportunistic actions (e.g. Pangaea and the concept of embassy). Such teaching requires a mix of foresight and a willingness to adapt. The teacher in this study was willing to look across the curriculum for opportunities to reinforce previous learning. He also took opportunities to make more specific connections to content being studied outside of the game. (Lee & Probert, 2010)

Response:

Because I teach such a broad spectrum of subjects with the same group of students over a 6 hour day, for 10 weeks, I could see how a game like this might be helpful for me. Each student has a lot of individual work, and a 20 minute gameplay break could help group discussion and cross learning. Some of my students are working toward their GED, and I could see how Civilization III could help facilitate discussions and deeper thinking in the areas of Science as well as Social Studies... the finding about the flood plain, for example, could help inform a discussion about the hydrological cycle. The citizens of the city getting sick could include a discussion about water-borne disease.

I liked that there was a reflective element to the gameplay of Civilization III. The students had to write an after game log about their experience. I think this might be a way to diffuse any conflicts the students might have with decisions about the game play that day. They would have an opportunity to explain why they thought something should have happened differently. I could tie this into a computer literacy activity as well, and have the student write there reflections as a blog.

I primarily teach workplace skills, and I could see how diplomacy might be linked to existing customer service and working productively lessons. However, this article made me think of how to use other games to get this across. Diner Dash, might be one such game, its a pretty quick (but addictive) game that could be a fun way to introduce some lessons.

Forgive me, my response has been mostly about how I could use this game in my classroom, but this reading has my head spinning with ideas. I could see how a 20 minute time slot for a game like this could help the goals of individual learners in my classroom.

Additional Resource:
I was looking for simulation games I could use to teach workplace skills, and after some digging I found a few that were offered online free. This is a link to three that I could possibly use in my classroom:
Interactive Job Interview Games

And, this is the one I played so I could get a handle on how it would work. Although its a bit wordy, I could see using it in a group setting because it shows the range of subtle ways one could answer interview questions.
Interview Game


References:

Lee, J. K., & Probert, J. (2010). Civilization iii and whole-class play in high school social studies. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 34(1), 1-28. Retrieved from http://newlitcollaborative.ning.com/page/research-publications

Week 5 - Scratch Ideas

I found Scratch to be an easy to use and fun application! The tutorial was easy to follow and the scratch cards helped me understand what all the program could do.  Here are the projects I did: Tutorial:  

 http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/vclay/3110812

Scratch Cards:

 http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/vclay/3110762


 Ideas for a scratch project: I just don't know yet. I'm looking forward to playing with this program and seeing what it could do before I decide what project to do.

Double Entry Journal #4

 Quote:
 "When we let him choose the specific topic he would read about, however, he selected a grade 12 text and performed at independent level. In other words, when he got to choose what to read, he read four grades above his diagnosed reading level, not three grades below it"(Steinkuehler, 2010)

 Response:
My initial response to this is Wow! Its an argument for allowing more choice and self selection in school based text and projects. However, the article does admit this is an ancedotal example, which immediately raises red flags for me. Although, I agree with the setiments of this article - that english class assignments tend to reflect "our" tastes, I do not believe that ancedotal evidence is the best way to make this point. I question what the larger results of this informal study were, and would like to read more of their findings. This article also did not make clear whether his interests resulted in a higher reading level. Julio chose a 12th grade text that interested him, but it did not make clear whether he was able to understand the complexity of the text. 

Additional Resource:
Dad uses "Call of Duty" to teach son history, military ethics 

This is just a short blog post that talks about how a Dad was a little hesitant to let his 13 year old play a "teen game" that was violent, so he compromised a bit. He and his son looked up the Geneva Convention and discussed the way to treat non-combatants and prisoners of war and his son agreed to play the game using those rules. I thought this was an interesting way for a father to deal with a violent game, and also use it as a learning opportunity. 

References:
Steinkuehler, C. (2010). Video games and digital literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(1), 61-63. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.54.1.7

Scratch Game - Week Four

An example of a game I liked

Learn more about this project


I had a tough time finding games I liked on this website - it was hard to navigate but I think this one was pretty neat, although I would have liked there to be "more" to it. I'm not sure i would create something exactly like this but it gave me a good idea as to what might be possible. I think maybe a game could be created around the hydrological cycle and maybe what happens when something goes awry. I've also been somewhat inspired by my findings/readings in the double entry journal this week, and would maybe like to design something related to social or historical awareness..... 

Double Entry Journal #3- Week 4

Quote:

The evolving mission of QA is to support children in developing their own sense of purpose as individuals, as members of their communities, and as knowledgeable citizens of the

world. Toward realizing this mission, the pro- gram came to embrace seven social commitments and respective, abbreviated slogans that underlie our design decisions:
1. Creative Expression-I Express Myself.
2. Diversity Affirmation-Everyone Matters.
3. Personal Agency-I Have Voice.
4. Social Responsibility-We Can Make a Difference.

5. Environmental Awareness-Think Act Locally.

Globally,

6. Healthy Communities-Live, Love, Grow. 
 7. Compassionate Wisdom-Be Kind. 
(Barab, Thomas, Dodge, Carteaux & Tuzun, 2005)


Response:

I really liked that this  was a drive behind design decision making. I can understand why teachers responded to participating in this game because of these commitments. The article goes on to state "In fact, teachers remark that the most common reason they join QA is to be involved in a project that is connected to standards, that integrates technology, and that has meaningful social commitments" (Barab, Thomas, Dodge, Carteaux & Tuzun, 2005). I was also intrigued that this was an "evolving mission" which seems to imply that initially they weren't an important feature driving the design decisions.... that they must have sprang forth as a response to needing something (other than just academic excellence) to aspire to. I really admire the creators of this game to allow for an evolving mission, and for studying their "audience" before designing. The article states that they spent 2 years researching the trends that appealed to young people. Early in the article it states that it considers QA as an example of socially responsive design - and it addresses and collaborates with the community of learners who constitute its audience. I feel like one problem with educational software (and I am only mostly familiar with that which is available to the mass market) is that it seems to "dictate" what the consumer wants, vs. listening to the consumer.

Additional Resource:

Why Video Games Are Scoring Big for Social Good 

 This is an article that presents several (albeit brief) ways in which games are being developed for social good.  I could see how the some of these games could be used in the classroom. I am particularly interested in the games that help describe and identify real-world problems, and could see this as a great way to study current events. 

References:

Barab, S., Thomas, M., Dodge, T., Carteaux, R., & Tuzun, H. (2005). Making learing fun: Quest atlantis, a game without guns. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(1), 86-107. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30220419
  

Double Entry Journal #2 - Gardens of Times principles

These are the six principles of good games for learning that I believe Gardens of Times reflects:

Interaction: One way a player interacts with this game is by designing, building and improving the garden.  The player, as they move up in the game unlocks new items to add to the garden. They also have to add certain items to the garden in order to meet goals.

Customization: Players have several options to customize this game. For one, a player could choose to focus on creating their garden, with game play (which are seek & find puzzles) kept to a minimum if they choose. Customization is also available in the form of choice in which type of puzzle they want to play. For instance, I did not like the "spot the difference" puzzles, so when given the mission to get 9 stars in chapter one, I choose not to play that puzzle again. Customization could also be gained through playing a more social game if the player wants - they could choose to visit their neighbors gardens, or receive and give gifts.

Agency: This is similiar to the customization, in which choice plays a big part in the gameplay. A player not only had control over the look of their garden, they also had control over which missions to do. Typically there were 3 missions to choose from - one of which moves forward in the game/puzzle play, one of which makes you collect more stars in the previous puzzles, and one of which asked you to add to your garden in one way or another.

Challenge and Consolidation: I think an example of this would be the puzzles themselves... that new items would be introduced to seek as well as old items, and you'd constantly always have to look further but it was satisfying at the same time. Another example of this is in Chapter One, I was getting very good at the seek & find puzzles, and then a "spot the difference" puzzle was given... it was similar because you were still looking for items in a lot of clutter but different because you weren't given the name of the items first.

Just in Time/On Demand: This happened as I progressed through the levels and new elements of the game were introduced... for instance, the "collections" element of the game wasn't introduced until I was in Chapter Two. 

Pleasantly Frustrating: The puzzles worked this way - there was always a new item that you needed to find that you hadn't before - but then there were always items that you found time and again. And, in order to earn more stars you had to play the same puzzle over again, but there were always a nice mixture of old and new items to find. In fact, the only time I found myself frustrated in this game was when there was a definite glitch in the program - once "collections" were introduced, I was not able to move forward because it kept wanting to "update" my time machine and refresh my browser... but then, my game would be abandoned and I couldn't ever earn the star I needed.... not part of the game design though (frustrating because the game wasn't working the way it was designed and I was actually enjoying it - did anyone else find this problem?).

4th blog post - my thoughts....

All I have to say is WOW (and not WOW as in World of Warcraft!). I mean, I have never really studied gaming in any concrete way. I've always loved games and been interested in games, and really could see the potential of games in learning environments, but this week's videos/presentation have really opened my eyes to new possibilities. I never thought about setting up my classroom like it was a game - I had never heard of the term gamification before. I am really interested to see what this man, Ananth Pai did with his classroom (as referred to in the 2nd video), I think I might get that book by Lee Sheldon that I found last week.

I teach adult learners (typical age: 28), most of whom come to my class and don't want to be there. The vast majority of my students are mandated to be there, all in order to gain workplace skills with a goal to get a job and keep one. About half my students need their GED, and a third want to continue their education by going to college or a vocational program. I teach A LOT of different types of things... everything from basic math to computer networking. The first thing I try to do is instill a sense of curiosity in them. I find my hardest challenge is to get them to WANT to learn. I attribute this mental "block" to them never having a good example of learning that is fun. Learning is supposed to be fun. It is fun. Bad systems of learning are bad.... and unfortunately, I think a lot of the students I work with had a bad (outdated?) system of learning which skewed their whole idea of it.  What I'm getting at is that I can see the potential of gaming systems being used in my classroom (and other classrooms) that can make learning fun (and relevant) again!

I was most impressed and inspired by the second video. I wrote down the 5 elements that increased fluid intelligence because, although I had never named them this way before, I have instictually been using them in my work:

1. Seek Novelty
2. Challenge Yourself
3. Think Creatively
4. Do things the hard way
5. Network

I still think of curiosity as the gateway to learning.... and, now, these 5 things as the process of learning. I think I'm going to put these on a poster!

I also wanted to mention that I have had a tough time getting around the idea of violent video games. I am glad for the third presentation because it really challenged my idea of a what video games are. It made me think (remember?) that there are a large range of video games, and I am happy to be reminded of this.

The first video made me think about the possibility of creating games that would help specific problems people/youth might have and that developers are working with researchers to make games like these. I hope that there is a market for those types of games.  It made me think about my son, who has a really hard time adjusting to change and dealing with strong emotions. I could imagine a video game that would slowly (and progressively) expose him to situations that need the player to adjust to change... I wonder if that could help him learn to control his emotions during those times in real life. I read an article (it was one of my fellow student's doubly entry resource last week) about ways to prevent PTSD through gaming - in which soldiers who were about to be deployed would play video games that slowly expose them to situations of intense situations and would help them deal with PTSD in the long run. I'm going to look into age appropriate games for my son that might be able to help him with his issue adjusting to change.

Great videos/presentations this week! Really enjoying this class - it is challenging my preconceived notions of gaming (and making me a believer).

Teens, Games and Civics- Pew Research response

3 things I learned:

• Daily gamers are just as likely to spend time face to face and communicating with friends.
• The majority of most popular games are not violent, and the most popular gaming types are racing and puzzle games.
• Three quarters of teens who see anti-social and uncivil behavior in gaming regularly see others respond.

2 things I agree/disagree with:

• I agree that the industry rating systems do not work. Interesting because 72% of parents say they "always" or "sometimes" check a game rating before letting their children play the game. 55% say they "always" do. I wonder about these numbers because I think sometimes parents want to think they are more diligent about following the ratings system then they are. The survey also found that 32% of teens said that one of their 3 favorite games was rated Mature or Adults Only. As far as I could tell, there was no information about what percentage of teens had played or owned a video game that was rated M or AO.
• I totally agree that teen gaming is social... and not just teen gaming, I rarely play games by myself. 

1 (well, actually 2 :) question(s) I have:

• This research made me question how gender stereotypes play a factor in gaming. I had questions about girls playing online. The research showed that girls were more likely to play almost exclusively online with people they know. I wonder if this is because parents/adults are more concerned about girls being "victimized" online. I also question if this is the case, or if boys and girls are equally as likely to be victimized online (bullied, propositioned etc). I was also taken by the research finding that parents are more likely to monitor boys and young children's gaming behavior rather than girls - again, another stereotype that boys are the only ones who have problems with video games. Also, the research showed that girls were less likely to have civic gaming experiences.... which I thought could  be a case of self-fulfilling stereotype in which teenage girls aren't supposed to be interested in civic engagement at that age because there are few media images that encourage that.

• Another question I had concerning civic engagement - the research stated that frequent civic gaming experiences is related to greater levels of civic engagement... I wonder if that's because the type of teenager who is interested in those types of games also has an interest in civics to begin with. Is this a case of the cart being put in front of the horse?

Are Video Games making kids smarter response

WOW. That video was so inspiring and has my brain a buzzing! I'm going to do my best to answer these questions but I might be all over the place a bit:

3 things I learned:

•  I'm already out of touch but the kids are alright and I need to get into the game with my kids! This class really has me interested in playing more video games.....
• What the Flynn effect is - that human intelligence is rising every year. I need to learn more about this. 
• Gamification is a word and is being used to change the way we are living. Interesting because reward/motivation systems are very powerful, and I can see how this could really be beneficial. I'm still a bit nervous about how this could be used to fuel corporate profits (especially after taking the critical media literacy course last semester). But it also makes me excited about the possibilities.

 

2 things I agree or disagree with:

• The speed lottery is a great idea! 
• I'm not sure if I agree that our world is too slow.... I'm not sure that was the right language to use to get across his point. I am just thinking about the media bombardment that we seem to have as a culture. The constant advertisements, the 24 hour news cycle, the instant access via smart phones to mass amounts of information.

1 question I have:

• I want to do more research on gamification, and on Ananth Pai, who transformed his 3rd grade classroom using games.... how'd he do it? It also seemed interesting to me that he used both games and learning styles to determine the best course for each student. I use a learning styles assessment in my class, and have had a lot of success tailoring lessons to individual needs... I could see the usefulness in combining the two.

Your Brain on Video Games Response

3 things I learned:

• Average age of gamer is 33
• Vision in gamers is better than the average person
• Media multi-taskers are terrible at multi-tasking tests in the lab.

2 things I agree or disagree with.

• I agree (and really like) the analogy between gaming and wine. I thought it was the clearest explanation of how something could be good for you that is also questionable. I'm also taken by the analogy because I am still skeptical of the wine benefits - but I choose to believe it because I'm a strong believer in moderation (and I like wine). Its relaxing, which is the same way I understand video games are for others.
• I am often guilty of media multi-tasking myself, and I am definitely surprised by the results they have found about multi-tasking because it seems so counter intuitive. However, I wouldn't disagree with the results because for one, they replicated an initial study and found the same results, and two, I often feel that I have gotten worse at multi-tasking than I was 10 years ago. I have started to blame my age as the reason for this, but I am now interested in knowing more because I wonder if its due to my media multi-tasking. That gives me some hope that I can do something about this, because I used to be really proud of being able to multi-task!

 

1 question I have:

• What are the studies that show how different video games have different effects on the brain - have they been done yet? I'd be interested in learning more on that front.