Blog 6 (Chapters 10 and 11)

One of the things that stuck out to me the most in these two chapters, is the idea of "clickers" or a student response system.  I think this idea is one that would really bring classrooms together as a community and give both teachers and students immediate feedback.  This technology for smartboard, I would imagine is very expensive, but my group and I came across an application called Kahoot that is almost identical in what it has to offer in terms of data collection as well as in the engagement factor.  It also allows teachers to add pictures and videos to make it even more interesting.  If there is a lack of technology, students are able to log in on any device available including their phone.

Another important thing the chapter touched on is presenting information to students in a variety of mediums (Universal Design for Learning), as well as allowing students to express their knowledge through different mediums.  I think this is so important in reaching all students and allowing all students to feel successful.  The other important factor that is mentioned is allowing students choice.  We all produce and learn better when we feel a sense of agency and ownership over what we are doing.

Chapters 7 & 8

The biggest takeaway from chapters 7 and 8 are that online games can be great learning tools for our students.  Chapter 7 gave some informative tips on how educators can make virtual games, in particular, more worthwhile for our students.  These games should consist of not one, but multiple learning outcomes for students to achieve.  The problems that students encounter should be "messy" like the problems that they will encounter in real life.  There may not always be one, simple solution, but a variety of options and possibilities that students must work through.  Another important goal when creating lessons, including virtual games, is to be sure to allow students to use their higher order thinking skills.  It is okay for students to show memorization, but it is far more valuable if they can apply their knowledge, analyze it, and even create with what they have learned.

I was fascinated to hear the term "gamification," which to my understanding is taking standards or learning objectives and turning them into an online game in order to increase student interest and engagement.  The chapter also talked about how students many times are not even aware that they are actually learning and gaining knowledge and skills for learning standards and student outcomes.