Here’s a really neat game just begging to find its way into a classroom. Citizen Science, from Games Learning Society, takes the player through environmental issues, simple simulated science experiments, and most interestingly, through the process of building an argument that relies on the evidence the character collects.
Microbiology/Immunology Game
After the first couple levels, the learning starts!
Games Learning Society
“We design games for learning & we study
game-centered learning systems.”
http://www.gameslearningsociety.org/games.php
Trends in Education
Interesting article from Mindshift:
Five Research-Driven Education Trends At Work in Classrooms
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/10/five-research-driven-education-trends-at-work-in-classrooms/
Scratch Resources
Resources:
Scratch Homepage (MIT)
Scratch Ed (MIT)
Scratch Lesson Plans (Learnscratch.org)
Scratch Lesson Plan (Classroom 2.0)
Scratch.IE (requires registration)
“How I Use Scratch” posts:
Is Minecraft the Ultimate Teaching Tool?
Open Ed
Just discovered this large collection of moderated education videos. http://www.opened.io/# It makes a good jumping-off point, I think!
The Bill of Rights in 30 Seconds
This is so doable by students! A 30 second to 2 minute video to explain a subject, using props. The act of distillation to get their knowledge presented in such a short time ensures their grasp of the subject, while the short presentation keeps classmates’ interest and allows the teacher to get through them in a reasonable amount of classtime. On the other hand, the students have to be familiar with video editing, and have the equipment to do it.
The Radix Endeavor
One idea I find fascinating is the use of computerized games in education. I’ve been particularly impressed with Khan Academy’s approach, which has had me hooked on math more than once. Here is a very different approach to gamifying learning, from MIT’s Education Arcade (other news: MIT has an Education Arcade!).
First Post
So, I created this blog to post links to sites I find interesting, and occasionally my thoughts about them. I’ve recently started working in educational technology again, after many years on hiatus from the field. In the meantime, I’ve tried to keep up with the trends and the Big Ideas in education, many of which focus on the use of technology as a teaching tool. This blog is an attempt to find interesting applications of these ideas. We’ll see how long it lasts!