Skip to main content

3.4.4 Engaging learners through educational software.

It is long since I last blogged and I am happy to finally get back to this rather enjoyable activity; especially about what I am learning on the CCTI online course. Today I encountered applications in a way I had never done before. The evaluation of a particular application to gauge its suitability for the task at hand seems to really make one appreciate how much effort developers put into their projects to meet our needs as teachers. It is surprising that one app when evaluated almost seemed to meet all the requirements of not only my lesson but many other lessons I envisaged could be conducted to facilitate learning using this particular app (I am not surprised that it is not a free app).

Today, the favorite pass time of most of our learners (and even, surprisingly, some of their parents) is video gaming -- online video gaming to be specific. The sensation to win, discover, create, compare, anticipate, design, remain in suspense etc. lures these gamers to always want to go back to these video games and spend a great deal of their time reaching the next level of achievement. The fan is taken to the next level with the Sand box games which offer an infinite span of a world to discover without necessarily having to qualify for the 'next level' in the game. The gamer in the sand box game has full access to any part of the game and can create his own virtual world; fully bringing his imagination and intuition to an almost tangible but virtual world -- the pictures created in mind translating to the computer screen.


It therefore come by no surprise that a group of developers have made it possible to utilise the popular online game -- minecraft -- to bring about learning in the classroom. A modified version of the game, mnecraftedu, is now available on the link https://minecraftedu.com/. The game, which has a number of functionalities, can be hosted on their servers or even on a server at a local school. This rather intuitive game can further be customised to teach concepts in math, science, geography, English language, arts etc. In one of the modes of the game students are in a farm and use mathematical methodologies to find solutions to the challenges they have in the farm. In yet another scenario, students get to learn about geographical features as they find their way out of a volcanic island they are stranded on.

I think the minecraftedu guys have just paved the way for a new era of learning. I have interacted with many instructional games but, with all due respect, they do not measure to what this one can achieve if used appropriately.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My links for 4.6.3

Hello Group! I have tried to comb through the internet for websites that will provide support in determining the best digital literacies education strategy for a school. Kindly look through and share with me your opinions. http://www.teachthought.com/technology/63-things-every-student-should-know-in-a-digital-world/ http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/digital-literacy-skills/ http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/digital-literacy-across-curriculum-handbook http://classroom-aid.com/educational-resources/digital-literacy/ http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/10/29/ctq_crowley_digitalliteracy.html http://rpsconnected.rbe.sk.ca/2013/04/no-lights-no-camera-but-lots-of-action.html https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum http://swgfl.org.uk/magazine/Waving-Silently-Technology-and-Self-Harm http://www.digital-literacy.org.uk/Home.aspx https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002144/214485e.pdf

Bring Your Own Device 7.5.4

I was not so familiar with BYOD until after this lesson. It was something that I associated with the corporate world (and not the classroom) - with big organisations allowing their employees to bring their own devices to work as a measure of motivating them with the feeling of greater contribution to the company. BYOD assumes many models in classroom learning which generally allow learners to bring their own devices to school. The devices brought may or may not be dictated upon by the school but, ideally, must be those that support the teaching and learning process. Looking at BYOD now in the classroom context,it is to me more of a challenge than an idea to implement. I see it as something that is long over due and I consider myself little bit behind schedule with a lot to get done. I have particularly taken interest in the cell phone as a device I feel would bring more success in meeting teaching and learning objectives in my classroom. Why you may ask? Well, it is a device that I ...