Tuesday, May 24, 2011

blog post #2

Both books talk about Collaborative learning. What are some of the challenges you see in implementing this in your classrooms?

The biggest challenge I see in implementing collaborative learning in the classroom is the initial time that it takes to prepare. It takes time to reinvent your curriculum to meet the requirements of collaboration. It is just easier to do it like it has always been done. I think that the key is to create collaborative lessons in a slow progression, one or two a year and build on them each year.

Collaborative learning also takes time to train the students how to work in a group setting, modeling your expectations so that they know what a well functioning group looks like. This is something that I have witnessed in many classrooms, students are grouped to work on an assignment but they are not really told what the expectations are for the group. In this situation you will usually have one person that takes control, one that argues with everything the leader says, one or two that look totally frustrated by the bickering and one that just sits back and takes a free ride.

I found an excellent article on the ISTE web site about reinventing your classroom. It has stories from teachers that have made the move to project based learning. http://www.iste.org/images/excerpts/REINVT-excerpt.pdf

I also found a web site that has tutorial videos about implementing project based learning into your curriculum. There is a ton of information on this site that I found useful. http://www.bie.org/

Here is one of the videos from the site that I found interesting.


video from The Buck Institute for Education, problem based learning page http://www.bie.org/

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Video Games in the Classroom

Video games in the classroom


I have had a hard time trying to choose a video game that could be used in the classroom. Not because I don’t see any value in them but because there are so many and so many possibilities that it is hard to choose just one.

If you were to use Farmville you could teach geometry concepts. You have to be able to use spatial concepts to figure out how to arrange everything on your farm for the maximum use of land. You have to plan where you are placing items to be able to access them as well. If you have corner plots that are blocked from view they are difficult to plant and harvest which may cost you revenue. Also with the trees you have to think about where they will be placed as to not block access to the land around them.

The game Angry Birds you have to think about angles and trajectories. This is a game that kids will keep working with until they get it figured out. If you gave them a worksheet with the same idea they would give up quickly, but in the video game format they will keep trying until they succeed. You can then take some of these concepts and have them build some of the structures out of blocks and test how stable they are and what they need to change to improve their structural integrity. There are many geometry and physics concepts in most video games. Even in a simple pool game you have to problem solve and use angles and force and motion ideas to be successful.

I have found through Rice University a Crime Scene Investigation simulation game that has some really awesome components. You can compare DNA samples, look at bullet fragments and match them, you can observe a animated autopsy and have each step explained. They give you facts and evidence from a crime and you have to walk through each step of the investigation to solve the crime. http://forensics.rice.edu/ Check it out !! It has the characters from CSI: Nevada. I had a whole summer science program built around this web site. We were going to start with the web adventure and then have speakers from local law enforcement talk to them about crime scene investigation. Then I was going to set up a mock crime scene and have them use all the concepts that they learned from the web adventure and the speakers and short mini lessons to solve the crime. I was going to have them do finger printing, hair sample analysis, foot print casting, fiber analysis and interview suspects. Unfortunately this did not happen because I was denied my grant and the school couldn’t afford to fund the program. I still have all the plans so maybe sometime in the future it still may come to be.


There are so many choices where you can take your students on web adventures or have them learn specific concepts through video games. Even just the problem solving and critical thinking skills that it takes to be successful in these games can be built upon in the classroom. This is something that is being talked about more all the time. We discussed this concept in my Visual Literacy class last semester, Dr. Z was telling me about someone doing their research on this idea and I found several articles on the topic as well. I think it will be a fun addition to the classroom and for some kids will really get them excited about learning. I believe if you really tried you could find many games that would teach a concept that kids can relate to and then take it away with them and apply that concept to a real world situation. It will take thought and planning, not just random games with the claim of educational value, but could be a great addition to your curriculum.

Image from Rice University CSI web site, http://forensics.rice.edu/

Monday, May 2, 2011

Visual Symbols in My Life

There are so many symbols that we see every day that it is hard to isolate a few to add here. But right now is such a busy time for me. All my classwork for the semester is due today, I have many end of the year things going on at school and am trying to get summer school set up and scheduled for the elementary and high school kids at Janesville, I start my new courses next week, I am in my usual spring mode of applying for jobs, planning a trip to Florida in June, helping to plan my daughters wedding in July, and just the everyday things that a person has to do. I am sure my husband is wishing I was doing more of the everyday things this week, we may be getting kind of hungry soon if one of us does not find time to go to the grocery store. I don't mean to sound like I am complaining it is just the time of year, so many things to do and they always all come at once. That is why my first two symbols are a calendar and a clock.
Over the past couple of weeks about the only thing that I have really identified with as a visual symbol is:

I have been fueled with Diet Coke and chocolate, I have my computer on and my phone closeby almost all the time, I visit the IAREAP web site on a daily basis and when not teaching, I am surrounded by text books and articles and have been working on building two web sites. One for my library course and one for the new preschool in Waverly.

I am winding down this semester and getting ready for the next, only a one week break.


I am hoping that my yearly quest for employment will come to an end this year by finding a position that I can stay with for the long haul, one that doesn't end up on the chopping block, one that is an awesome fit for my background and experience.

This course has taught me a great deal about visual literacy and I have enjoyed coming to class and participating in the discussion. Always an enlightening experience. The video clips from our favorite movies last week were a lot of fun and I now have a list of must see movies if I find some free time this summer. I have watched more YouTube videos this semester than I have at any other time in my life and I have had some good laughs from many of them.

I love being in the classroom both as a student as a teacher and this has been a great start on my journy to a masters degree. I look forward to what comes next.