Group items tagged

This article discusses how digital games like Minecraft can enhance reading and writing skills. Children enhance reading skills through reading manuals on how to play and create in the game. Games also contribute to writing skills when students post to gaming sites. Students are more motivated when they care about the task like playing the game.

This study from Pew Research Center offers a good look at just who in American culture plays digital games regularly. The statistics here might be surprising.

This fun, problem-solving app can be played in several different languages. Users must provide the word that four given photos have in common.

Apps for Android smartphones

Being safe in our community means being safe on the playground. This website offers an abundance of information related to safe play in the community (school, home, playground).

This article is not based on educational games in particular, but is based on video games. There are benefits of playing video games and the author does a nice job summarizing these benefits.

Learn about QuickTime Player's media sharing, flexible recording capabilities, and simple media trimming and combining features. How to use QuickTime Player to play media files on your Mac QuickTime Player is a great application for playing media content, including HD (high definition) video in OS X.

"Studies have concluded that social engagement can benefit retention efforts, and schools and teachers are successfully pursuing this tactic with the help of social media applications." This is an article that points to studies indicating that just as social interaction can help with student retention, both in the field of study and at the school, so to can social media fill this need. 

Free flashcard app for iphone and anroid.

Basic Computer Skills, Word, Excel, PPT, Publisher, and Internet Safety Lessons

Basic Computer Skills, Word, Excel, PPT, Publisher, and Internet Safety Lessons

Set up quiz games that students can play using clickers or by texting their answer from a cell phone

This is an example of an instructional game type of software. This is a fun and entertaining educational game that students can play on their mobile device or tablet. Teachers can search for pre-made Kahoot games (in math) or make their own. Students are engaged and points add up to show a leader board and the score of each student to introduce some competition.

Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform that makes it fun to learn - any subject, in any language, on any device, for all ages!

Explains the role creation plays as a component of connecting. Creating artifacts and participating in activities forms knowledge connections, that are most desirable in an open space with open content. The formation of new connections can lead to the redistribution of power in society.

The visuals of networks (among people and space) were powerful. I agree that one of the most impressive features of a MOOC is the creation of peer networks.

I really liked how the author began with demonstrating networks and then showed how learning is also a network. Shelly was right in that it is very powerful to see as a visual.

This article describes how the connectivism of social and technological networks has changed the role of the teacher. The author maintains that the connectedness students have with information at any given time or place means the teacher does not need to serve the role of the only expert in the students' lives. Several roles that the author believes teachers should play in such connected learning situations are described.

This blog post focuses on the role of the teacher in a connectivist driven teaching paradigm. The author suggests that the role of the teacher must shift from "controlling" learning to "influencing" learning. He suggests seven roles teachers must play in networked learning environments: amplifying, curating, wayfinding and socially-driven sensemaking, aggregating, filtering, modelling, and persistent presence.

I really like that it defines the role of the instructor. It is moving away from some of the earlier educational theories were the instructor was simply a subject matter expert. As an instructor we are moving more to not just telling but showing the information and where to get the information to enhance the learning.

Livebinder from Classroom 2.0 Session on Inquiry Learning

Another successful Skype application in the classroom! These students are learning about different states and playing games like Family Feud!

This research was published by the U.S. Department of Education on the role on Online Communities. Essentially, the research found that online learning Communities of Practice produce a wide range of values for educators, including immediate and potential value. The primary focus of this research was the role of Community Designers and the questions, concerns, and topics that must be addressed when creating a successful learning community involving educators. While member participation is the key to a successful community, there are other factors that play a major contribution in a group's success as a learning community that are addressed in this research.

A tour of Web 2.0 resources for the classroom. Great Bookmarking source for teachers to organize Websites. Have you used LiveBinder in the classroom with your students or colleagues? This is a great bookmarking tool.