Skip to main content

Home/ technology in education PK-20/ Contents contributed and discussions participated by Sean Getchell

Contents contributed and discussions participated by Sean Getchell

Sean Getchell

10 Specific Ideas To Gamify Your Classroom - - 5 views

  • Games are one motivator that almost all kids are responsive to. Many teachers have had the experience of asking students to stop playing games such as Angry Birds during class. However, it can be rationalized that games can be a very strong motivator for students when the same game elements are applied in an educational context.
    • Sean Getchell
       
      As a teacher, have you ever tried to incorporate any gamification techniques? If so, how were they received?
  • Like in video games, students should be allowed second chances. When a challenge is failed in a video game, users are able to learn from their mistakes, try again, and succeed. The same concept can be applied to the classroom, as students should be able to try an assignment, either succeed or fail, and try again. Students who succeed right away have the choice to either move on to a new challenge, or try to raise their score.
    • Sean Getchell
       
      While I understand wanting to teach students responsibility and that they need to get their work done in a timely fashion, I can also see the benefit to giving students multiple opportunities to try certain assignments that they may have difficulty with. Do you think this is something you might try? If not, why not? I can see this from both sides of the coin, so I wanted to get your thoughts on the matter.
  • In games, users usually have levels or progress bars that indicate how well they are doing in the game. Gamified classrooms can implement similar elements which indicate how far along students are, and how close they are to reaching the next level. Instead of issuing grades or percentages, teachers can either issue progress bars to students, or allow them manage their own. With each completed assignment, test, or project, a certain amount of points can be added to their progress bar, bringing them closer to reaching the next level.
    • Sean Getchell
       
      How do you let students know their progress in a course? Is it just a grade? Or is there a creative way you keep them interested in progression through the course? What is a gamification technique you would like to try in your own classroom?
  •  
    How many have you have tried to incorporate gamification techniques in your classroom? Have they been successful? Please describe your experience, and how do you think you could improve your initial attempt?
hillaryparrish

What are Discussion Forums and How do They Enhance Learning? - 21 views

technology education classroom pedagogy
started by hillaryparrish on 05 Jun 14 no follow-up yet
  • Sean Getchell
     
    I have to say that the extent of my participation in discussion boards prior to this graduate program had been minimal. I honestly didn't really see the potential value it could bring at that time. However, I have to say that I was mistaken, and I'm glad I have the opportunity to learn from my misconception.

    A discussion board is an online collaborative tool that allows a variety of users to share ideas, thoughts, tools, and sharing different perspectives on these topics. The best discussions are when each participant is open to other ideas, and not completely opposed to potential change through positive discussion on a subject.

    While I am not currently teaching in the classroom at the moment, I have successfully incorporated the use of discussion forums and blogs into almost every course I've developed in the corporate sector. In fact, I was able to sell my current employer on the benefits of having a discussion forum. Since it is a smaller company, I see it was an opportunity for employees throughout the world (and at all levels of the organization) to share thoughts, ideas, issues, and ideas on how to successfully resolve them. It has worked out nicely thus far, and my experiences in this graduate program have continued to fuel me with greater ideas on how to improve the usage.

    From a classroom perspective, I can see a myriad number of ways it could be invaluable. Were I teaching a course on instruction design at a local university, and students missed class, or needed a quick answer to a question after class (or office) hours, they could add a question in the discussion forums, or better yet, get a response from their classmates. I think it would not only improve the flow of information, but more importantly, improve the concept of teamwork.
1 - 0 of 0
Showing 20 items per page