I understand more and more the importance of writing down initial thoughts, or items such as ‘My Philosophy of Education’ as we did in our VIU Ed program. I say this because looking back at those pieces forces us to realize that we are still capable of being naive, or that we do not, at any point, know as much as we think we know. It reminds us that we have much to learn in the world.
Coming into this course I had visions of creating our own apps, of finding a multitude of games suitable for my classroom, and of creating marvelous, intricate structures in Minecraft. As with many of the courses we have taken here at VIU, what sticks with me in the end are not the games or the software or the hands-on components of the course, but the understanding and the principles behind those items.
In regards to BYOD, I have spoken in depth over the past two courses about my feelings, experiences and expectations regarding BYOD. A couple of highlights for me, things that have resonated with me after a few weeks of simmering, include instantly updated software and ‘slow release’.
With the software, I am referring to students’ devices coming with the most recent upgrades whichever the platforms or device. As I may have mentioned previously, my tech support at NIDES spent many hours researching, purchasing and installing a server for Minecraft only to find out that our graphics cards cannot handle the program and we therefore need to wait for our turn in the district upgrade program. I found this quite ironic as I thought Minecraft was designed for slower, outdated computers.
In terms of ‘slow release’ I am referring to the gradual integration of devices into our everyday lives. Even someone as ambitious and determined as myself may bite off more that they can chew by saying, “Everyone bring their device tomorrow” we are going to start our assignment on Minecraft. There are so many factors including disparity, bandwidth, and background knowledge that could make this a very challenging undertaking. I am not saying that I will not at some point do just that, and perhaps suffer some growing pains along the way, I am just saying that I would like a few more bugs worked out before I attempt a full out assault in the world of BYOD.
In terms of Game Based Learning (GBL) I have a much greater appreciation for its place in the classroom. For several years I have been teaching and preaching ‘flow’ and how ‘we gotta get some of that’. My train of thought however, was more along the lines of how can I design a lesson in Socials that challenges a student, allows for mastery, then challenges some more. I have come to realize that it is next to impossible to mimic the ‘construct’ of a video game in any other format other than a video game. It was therefore to my great relief to be introduced to a multitude of games that have been created with curriculum content in mind.
However, it goes deeper than just having a list of games at my fingertips. After reading and viewing articles such as Gee’s Principles on Gaming, as well as designing rubrics to assess these games I am in a much better position to determine if these games will be suitable for learning in my classroom. I keep coming back to “Lure of the Labyrinth” as my example, but of all the games that I sampled it seemed to be the best at providing a certain amount of guidance without ‘giving away the farm’. It forces the player to deduce from their failures the proper way to proceed. It does not however let the player ‘suffer’ long enough to get overly frustrated. This game will be my new benchmark when shopping for other resources for my class.
Minecraft, Minecraft, Minecraft, oh where to begin? For some reason the quote, “Oh the tangled zombie webs we weave” (Ferneyhough,2014) comes to mind. What an amazing world of possibilities this program opens up to us. As I say that, part of me wonders if it is just a quick fad that will be gone in two years time. However, I do think that if the education world can grab onto it now it could become an important staple in our curricular diet.
In my recent screencast regarding my experiences with Minecraft and Hungercraft, I was able to talk about my frustrations in learning the program as well as my thoughts on one particular world. What I was not able to cover were my thoughts on the use of ‘creative mode’ in the classroom as well as other Minecrafted programs.
Currently, a colleague of mine is covering Homesteading in his FAE 3-5 class. Before we even began this course he mentioned to me the idea of students creating ‘Homesteads’ in Minecraft. This to me is an amazing way to combine the knowledge that some students have of Minecraft and the new curricular knowledge all into one place. Using the creative mode students will be able to use whatever resources they and their teacher agree upon based on what the homesteaders may or may not have available. Whether it is Homesteading or Building a version of Mount Olympus, I am very excited about giving my students another option to display their creative talents. The fact that it is a program so many of them know, and will be excited about teaching to those who do not is a fabulous bonus.
There are several aspects that “creative mode” leaves out however that I feel are vital to the ‘success’ of this program. One of the biggest thrills for me in learning this program was the need to learn quickly because I knew that I had a limited timeframe before the zombies got me. This pressure forced me to work smartly and diligently if I wanted to succeed. Without this component, Minecraft just might become another drawing/building tool such as Google Sketchup that many students lose interest in.
The other major component of survival mode is the process of figuring how to find and build all of the materials that ‘creative mode’ gives to you. The process of asking questions in the multiplayer chat and the finding of Youtube videos to tell you what to do next are a critical part of this program in terms of problem solving and teamwork. My goal as I continue to search for educational uses of this program will be to find mods that might blend the challenge component with the creative component, otherwise we will lose what students like best about the program.
Finally, I would like to comment quickly on the verbal feedback given by our instructor Greg Lewis. Though I firmly believe and dish-out as much verbal feedback as possible, I have never thought, nor been provided with, short recorded versions of feedback. The first time that I listened to one I had this slight notion that I was somewhat proud of myself when complemented and then somewhat more disappointed in myself when given some constructive feedback. As other assignment critiques rolled in I continued to notice these heightened feelings of pride and disappointment and began to find out that others in the class were feeling the same types of emotions. Ultimately, this led me to realizing the power that this may have on students. If I, a grown man of 43 years of age am feeling this way, then imagine how students may feel when receiving this type of feedback from their teachers.
Conclusion - See, or listen to, audio clip in blog or attached to dropbox
Coming into this course I had visions of creating our own apps, of finding a multitude of games suitable for my classroom, and of creating marvelous, intricate structures in Minecraft. As with many of the courses we have taken here at VIU, what sticks with me in the end are not the games or the software or the hands-on components of the course, but the understanding and the principles behind those items.
In regards to BYOD, I have spoken in depth over the past two courses about my feelings, experiences and expectations regarding BYOD. A couple of highlights for me, things that have resonated with me after a few weeks of simmering, include instantly updated software and ‘slow release’.
With the software, I am referring to students’ devices coming with the most recent upgrades whichever the platforms or device. As I may have mentioned previously, my tech support at NIDES spent many hours researching, purchasing and installing a server for Minecraft only to find out that our graphics cards cannot handle the program and we therefore need to wait for our turn in the district upgrade program. I found this quite ironic as I thought Minecraft was designed for slower, outdated computers.
In terms of ‘slow release’ I am referring to the gradual integration of devices into our everyday lives. Even someone as ambitious and determined as myself may bite off more that they can chew by saying, “Everyone bring their device tomorrow” we are going to start our assignment on Minecraft. There are so many factors including disparity, bandwidth, and background knowledge that could make this a very challenging undertaking. I am not saying that I will not at some point do just that, and perhaps suffer some growing pains along the way, I am just saying that I would like a few more bugs worked out before I attempt a full out assault in the world of BYOD.
In terms of Game Based Learning (GBL) I have a much greater appreciation for its place in the classroom. For several years I have been teaching and preaching ‘flow’ and how ‘we gotta get some of that’. My train of thought however, was more along the lines of how can I design a lesson in Socials that challenges a student, allows for mastery, then challenges some more. I have come to realize that it is next to impossible to mimic the ‘construct’ of a video game in any other format other than a video game. It was therefore to my great relief to be introduced to a multitude of games that have been created with curriculum content in mind.
However, it goes deeper than just having a list of games at my fingertips. After reading and viewing articles such as Gee’s Principles on Gaming, as well as designing rubrics to assess these games I am in a much better position to determine if these games will be suitable for learning in my classroom. I keep coming back to “Lure of the Labyrinth” as my example, but of all the games that I sampled it seemed to be the best at providing a certain amount of guidance without ‘giving away the farm’. It forces the player to deduce from their failures the proper way to proceed. It does not however let the player ‘suffer’ long enough to get overly frustrated. This game will be my new benchmark when shopping for other resources for my class.
Minecraft, Minecraft, Minecraft, oh where to begin? For some reason the quote, “Oh the tangled zombie webs we weave” (Ferneyhough,2014) comes to mind. What an amazing world of possibilities this program opens up to us. As I say that, part of me wonders if it is just a quick fad that will be gone in two years time. However, I do think that if the education world can grab onto it now it could become an important staple in our curricular diet.
In my recent screencast regarding my experiences with Minecraft and Hungercraft, I was able to talk about my frustrations in learning the program as well as my thoughts on one particular world. What I was not able to cover were my thoughts on the use of ‘creative mode’ in the classroom as well as other Minecrafted programs.
Currently, a colleague of mine is covering Homesteading in his FAE 3-5 class. Before we even began this course he mentioned to me the idea of students creating ‘Homesteads’ in Minecraft. This to me is an amazing way to combine the knowledge that some students have of Minecraft and the new curricular knowledge all into one place. Using the creative mode students will be able to use whatever resources they and their teacher agree upon based on what the homesteaders may or may not have available. Whether it is Homesteading or Building a version of Mount Olympus, I am very excited about giving my students another option to display their creative talents. The fact that it is a program so many of them know, and will be excited about teaching to those who do not is a fabulous bonus.
There are several aspects that “creative mode” leaves out however that I feel are vital to the ‘success’ of this program. One of the biggest thrills for me in learning this program was the need to learn quickly because I knew that I had a limited timeframe before the zombies got me. This pressure forced me to work smartly and diligently if I wanted to succeed. Without this component, Minecraft just might become another drawing/building tool such as Google Sketchup that many students lose interest in.
The other major component of survival mode is the process of figuring how to find and build all of the materials that ‘creative mode’ gives to you. The process of asking questions in the multiplayer chat and the finding of Youtube videos to tell you what to do next are a critical part of this program in terms of problem solving and teamwork. My goal as I continue to search for educational uses of this program will be to find mods that might blend the challenge component with the creative component, otherwise we will lose what students like best about the program.
Finally, I would like to comment quickly on the verbal feedback given by our instructor Greg Lewis. Though I firmly believe and dish-out as much verbal feedback as possible, I have never thought, nor been provided with, short recorded versions of feedback. The first time that I listened to one I had this slight notion that I was somewhat proud of myself when complemented and then somewhat more disappointed in myself when given some constructive feedback. As other assignment critiques rolled in I continued to notice these heightened feelings of pride and disappointment and began to find out that others in the class were feeling the same types of emotions. Ultimately, this led me to realizing the power that this may have on students. If I, a grown man of 43 years of age am feeling this way, then imagine how students may feel when receiving this type of feedback from their teachers.
Conclusion - See, or listen to, audio clip in blog or attached to dropbox