HGSET545

A look at how the iPad--and some specific apps--can help students with learning disabilities stay organized and focused.

An article from the popular press that I think is worth reading. It mentions the increasing importance of virtual worlds and simulations, a topic we will be covering next week !

Everything in moderation, but this article helps people see how well-developed, age-appropriate video games are a positive.

this article reminded me how unengaged I was/am by the idea of diagramming sentences in spite of some people I know who thrill in the memories. It seems to me that the ipad offers some ap capability to reinvent this idea and make it even more visual.

This webinar from the MIT arcade is on April 11th. 4:30

Here's an interesting venture!

If computers can score writing, of course the first use will be for assessment. No surprise there. But how might we use this more creatively?

I tried to bring an scoring software program into my school. Nobody liked it except for myself. I thought the objective measure would be more motivating to students. But the other teachers thought that the students should have more practice with rubrics themselves. My school focused heavily on peer editing and scoring. Also, when teachers see such a large number of average scores they tend to disbelieve the results. For example, when I score the essays, there may be a lot of 'B's but I've sees the difference in between Betty's 'B' and Joe's 'B'. The grade is more of a reminder of my experience scoring Betty's writing. When the software scores it, I haven't necessarily seen the essay therefore the score doesn't mean as much. Of course the scoring makes much more sense for official assessments. Open Ended Responses are a much better measure of a student's understanding than multiple choice, if the software is able to distinguish the nuance of language. Some programs are scoring grammatical patterns, sentence length, and paragraph length; therefore, a student can be totally off topic and get a high score. I'm curious if this latest software corrected for this.

This wiki collects numerous resources regarding gamification: videos, books, examples of gamified websites, and explanations of specific game mechanics.

This is a fairly old paper (1980), but is a comprehensive look at a lot of ideas we covered in class.

A conference devoted to play (relevant to creative professionals in industries targeted at children). The key note speaker is Jesse Schell of Schell games. There's a link to a set of cards titled " The art of game design" that you can find using the search term "Schell"

Also as a follow-up to our conversation on Monday. Although more women are in STEM careers, there is still a lag in those considered "hard sciences." Most people look at mathematics as the core difference, these authors look at creativity. "For instance, three factors that are widely accepted as being positively correlated with creativity are playfulness, curiosity, and willingness to take risks. Studies have found that boys and men are generally more playful than girls and women, and are more curious and more willing to take risks, which could help explain why men are more creatively productive than women in general, and in particular, in the hard sciences."

The new "open university" collaboration between Princeton, Stanford, UMich and Penn.

They have some interesting offerings with some impressive people!

I tried taking a course on there, and noticed that 1) offerings are very limited and 2) you have to wait until the course officially "starts", just like an in-person class. I think there are 3 starting April 23rd and all the rest are either this summer, next fall, or "TBA"...I thought the whole idea is that you could take them anytime!

'DU The Math' (http://www.duthemath.com/) is an educational game and this competition touts prizes and pop stars. Interestingly, the reporter asks important questions, such as : But is competition between students the best way for educational gaming to increase its penetration into formal K-12 education? Or would game makers be better served to focus gaming on competition between the student and him or herself, especially for players who are struggling to keep pace with class and feel left behind?

story of a third grade class in Chicago using a computer-based memory game to improve their "fluid intelligence." article focuses on the work of Susanne Jaeggi and Martin Buschkuehl of the University of Maryland

Computer-led math learning at Virginia Tech.

Interesting article and very ambitious to address an academic need, but I wonder if the instruction/test environment addresses UDL principles to appeal to a variety of learners or if the multiple choice tests target a narrow definition of math success. I added a blog post above that highlights some of technology's short comings as a platform.

Great point. My feeling is that a lot of higher ed institutions use technology as a way to cut costs, so not much attention is paid to accommodating diverse learners. If I may think back to my own undergrad experience, the prevalent assumption is that you're old enough to seek out additional support on your own when you're stuck or want to learn more. I definitely think though that more attention should be paid to applying UDL principles to educational software (yes, even for adults), so that learning can move beyond passing multiple-choice tests!

How can we make learning easier and more likable with the help of technology? Speakers at Skillshare's first ever Penny Conference discuss ways we can redefine education, from the way we think about learning to distributing and accessing education.

This article examines some of what we've been talking about in class, in terms of student motivation (or the lack thereof).

Brookings report on games and learning

It's interesting that so many products have a teacher focused data output model but if the software isn't making recommendations, the student must wait for the teacher to analyze the data to make changes. I wonder when software will empower students to make their own curricular choices based on their data. I don't believe I've seen this.

advice on how to spread great ideas

MIT students are creating and sharing short videos about STEM subjects for K-12 learners.  

Thank you for sharing. I've signed up.