Group items tagged

This site is really inspiring, I follow Andrzej since he got this page, I really like how he has analyzed the psychological typology of players. Normally I apply this typology in my courses. recommend follow September, 2014Teaching to early learners means teaching fundamentals in a supportive and engaging way. It is no surprise that many learning tools for young students include some element of gamification. Here are a few that teachers recommend. Matific Want hundreds of FREE math activities for grades K-6? Look here!

Some of readings in module 2 made me thing of this radio report. It gives an interesting look at gamification in education, focusing on highschool and college levels. While they don't directing talk about open knowledge I think gamification is something important to consider and look at when thinking of alternative forms of education.

A good combination of game and education can definitely inspire more children to learn. So if wen can combine game and education, we may also be able to bring social media (i.e. Facebook, twitter) into our classroom, which could inspire university students to study.

Dr Jane McGonigal (a professional game developer) talks about the time spent playing video games (which approximates to the span of human evolution), and that this time has to increase to make any major changes to the world. I have selected this resource partially in relation to week 3's Clarke's lecture (and others), which talks about using our idle time to do something meaningful - participate in citizen science games, for example. Dr McGonigal's talk very much illustrates this point - except that it talks about solving global issues through indirect games, e.g. a World Without Oil online game simulates a world in which you have to survive oil shortage. Creator's research shows, that people maintain the skills and habits they have taken up after playing this intense game, which include making better choices for our changing environment. The only difference here from actual citizen science games is that Dr McGonigal's games are fictional (rather than providing direct data / input for actual scientific research), however, they empower people to influence global change, which is the topic of the other lectures this week, especially Morozov's thoughts about the power of internet and connectiveness to create "revolutions". Although Morozov has taken up a rather critical view, suggesting only those who want it, take the best from the Internet, Dr McGonigal's ideas might be what bridges the two - taking games, which are integral part of many people's lives, especially in the younger generation, and turning them into real "life schools" may help more people get the idea and the essential skills to "fix" their environments. In all honesty, this is a video I would watch again and again, and recommend it to anyone who would listen (and that doesn't happen often for me).

Gamification for learning - using game elements - sounds very promising. Prior to the internet, technology, there were board games or hands on projects - all with the intent to engage and interact with each other. So it is no surprise to me given the appropriate design/project that students can learn and solve real world problems. Letting students choose their persona and role also allows them to make their own future and take ownership for how they want to participate. Just like the original promise of multimedia training that was purported to replace the traditional classroom events and enable getting the "best" teacher recorded for all to have the same experience...I believe it was then thought that the learning experience needs o be "blended". Different techniques - online, face to face, etc.. This is not my field of expertise so these are just personal opinions. If the online game approach can be combined with face to face and tactile/outdoor activities, aka a blended approach - I think that might be very useful. I do also believe that design solutions should be encouraging win win situations to reinforce collaboration and the feeling that all can succeed. One question I might have is how do you measure success in learning?

Gaming promoters unfortunately for me have a commercial agenda and its always difficult to make that balance of pure learning and commercialization aspect

This article is not only about open education or open learningm, but about trends in tech that trainee teachers should be aware of. One of them is the MOOC trend. What is missing is the OER trend and its implications.

This is exactly what I need to learn as I develop our home school. I would be grateful for more insights.