Week 6 Assignment

Assignment #1:

     After creating a Gamestar Mechanic account and exploring the website I have seen that many teachers are using games in many different ways in the classroom.  First of all teachers are not only having students play games but they are also having students design games in the classroom.  Through designing these games students gain motivation to succeed and learn in the STEAM areas, which are science, technology, engineering, art, and math.  The website is designed to be used for students in 4th through 9th grade however I think that gaming and game design can take place at any grade level.  In dealing with ELA in the classroom Gamestar, along with the other gaming sites we have discovered do a great job in having students use ELA skills to work through the gaming.  Many of the games on these sites, along with the designing games on Gamestar, utilize prompts and written directions that students must follow in order to complete the tasks listed.  In this sense the students are reinforcing their ELA skills by doing tons of reading for analysis and direction.  Teachers often take this a step further by having students assess the work they are doing on the computers with writing activities and other types of ELA reinforcement.  Another ELA aspect that Gamestar specifically has is the fact that when students create games they are given feedback from other players on how they feel the game was made and what problems or strengths the game may have.  This gets students writing and responding to one anther and is a great way to motivate students to want to write!

Assignment #2:

     After reading and experience gaming websites and philosophies of other teachers I have been able to really think out my opinion on the issue.  I can see why some teachers may either like or dislike using video games for schooling purposes however I feel that the advantages vastly outweigh the disadvantages.  

     From a teachers perspective, I think that games are an amazing way to teach as long as the games are used appropriately, with good support and debriefing.  Through trying out many of these games and working my way through the Gamestar website I have found that gaming is something that my students are very accustomed to, which is all the more reason why we should adapt it to our curriculum's as content area teachers.  As an ELA teacher I could see a huge benefit in using gaming in the classroom as a way to empower students to learn by giving them assignments that they may truly love to complete.  The best learning takes place when students are motivated and empowered to complete and compose their own individual works.  What better way to do this than through gaming.   

     As a technology specialist I would also push the use of gaming in the classroom.  I have read and seen first hand how many students (97%) play video games outside of the classroom.  As a specialist I would encourage all different content areas to explore that gaming possibilities within their subject areas.  Every subject form Math to Science can benefit from using gaming in the classroom.  Furthermore I feel that we would be doing our students a disservice if we didn't include game creation into engineering and technology classrooms.  I think if teachers were told about these advantages and all the different ways to implement gaming into their curriculum they would see the advantages it could have.  With that being said, it would be my responsibility as a technology specialist to inform the various teachers of these advantages and how they may be reaped.

Assignment #3:

      For my game script/scenario I choose the topic of the Age of Exploration.  I think this could be a fun game and could also incorporate ELA and Social Studies skills and standards.

 http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22816861/Age%20of%20Conquest%20Game%20Scenario.pptx

Assignment #4:

   After having an Edmodo account for over a week now I can see many different advantages of it that I did not know about from the outside looking in.  When it comes to using Edmodo for ELA purposes, the possibilities for classroom and homework use are practically endless.  One of the best things about this program is how easy it use to use and manipulate due to the fact that it looks and works so much like Facebook.  Many students who are middle to high school aged are very familiar with Facebook's functionality which makes Edmodo a great way to seamlessly integrate technology into education.  This fact does not make it a great ELA tool, but it does make it become a great tools through its ease and usability.  Since students know how to use the site it allows teachers to create assignments knowing the students should have no issues completing them.  The assignment feature allows teachers to create writing assignments, essay topics, book questions or anything else an ELA teacher could want to assign.  Along with this feature, the ability for students to post on each others work and comment on different things can help to foster an environment deep in collaboration and technology, two things which are necessary in helping to improve ELA skills.  Unfortunately at this time I am not able to use Edmodo in my teaching due to correctional internet restrictions, however if I was able to use it I would definitely try to implement the website as a classroom staple.  There are so many ELA and content area possibilities to Edmodo and I would love the opportunity to try out the website with a class of my own!