#thefutureofeducation

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Instructional Technology: Gamifying Learning (Student Panel) Gamifying learning is the way forward to create a more engaging and productive learning experience, in an era where students are used to instant gratifications from their phones and the internet, which has greatly affected their attention span. Therefore, teachers and instructors must be proactive to adopt new methods to sustain their learners attention and engagement. Gamification of the learning process is the way forward, which includes breaking down lessons into modular levels and introducing hierarchical levels of rewards. This and more are some of the concepts I exchanged with the participants at the 5 day training on the use of instructional technology for distance learning at the University of Buea, organized by Open Dreams in collaboration with the Cameroon Fulbright TEA Alumni Association and sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Yaounde - Cameroon. - Bill Njoh Agha, Program Moderator Photos: Bill moderating a student panel (Open Dreams Scholars), sharing experiences, opportunities, challenges from their experiences taking lessons online. #distanceeducation #thefutureofeducation https://www.instagram.com/p/Cay8NsZNfRo/?utm_medium=tumblr

[djangopiano]

Needless to say, it doesn’t actually exist NOW. #hypoteticalstructures #letsdothetimewarpagain #paradox #future #thefutureofeducation #carlkissin #kissinimprov #theoreticalarchitecture https://www.instagram.com/carlkissin/p/BwqxIrIhyZE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1iu9kh3r715hr

[tsotebeer28-blog]

Blog #5

After watching my first video I was instantly hooked and decided I would watch them all! After doing this I decided to pick four and write about my observations and what I learned about technology integration from them. The four I picked are the videos that I found most interesting as well as intriguing.

I'll start by discussing the first one, Case 1: Differentiating Instruction Through Interactive Games (https://www.edutopia.org/video/differentiating-instruction-through-interactive-games-tech2learn-series ). I played a lot of online games in computer lab growing up, so I love the idea of implementing them in the classroom! I like how Robert Pronovost explained that because the games give automatic feedback the children are able to do it individually and he is able to focus on the students I need of extra help. The students seemed extremely engaged in what they were doing and were excited to "level up". Pronovost explained that students aren't yet realizing that "leveling up" truly means they mastered one concept and are now able to move on to the next. The teacher's role in this video was basically just to explain the games and procedures to the students on when and how you can change software, after that he then took those in need of extra help to a small group table in the back and let the others do their thing. I loved how throughout the video you could tell how excited Pronovost was to talk about his student's success and improvement. I also enjoyed learning about how hard he worked applying for different grants to get the laptops, MacBook's, and IPods for his students. You could tell he was very dedicated to their success. I like that he used the Planet Turtle website, used for reinforcement of class practices, for independent practice and said they needed to get 80% or higher before moving to Dream Box where they were able to play games at their own individualized level. These are two good websites that I could use one day in my own classroom.

Now I'll move on to Case 2: Learning STEM Skills By Designing A Video Game (https://www.edutopia.org/video/learning-stem-skills-designing-video-games ). I found this one extremely fascinating because I was amazed such a young student was able to not only create video games, but to accept others negative comments and edit his game to add in their suggestions. I was extremely impressed when he discussed how when someone makes a comment like "dumb" or "not good" he said, "what am I supposed to do with that". He explained how those comments had little value because the person who wrote it did not give him any suggestion son what to fix and then he went on to compare it to a similar situation on the baseball field. AMAZING! This student is making connections, this is something that always gets me excited when I am out in the field or subbing. Rhys seemed very engaged in what he was doing and was clearly motivated to make it the best he could because, like I mentioned, he took the time to go back and read the comments and would add in some people suggestions in order to make his game better. I would love to implement the Gamestar Mechanic software in my own classroom one day. I know I will have students that will find creating games fascinating and I would love to provide them with a tool that allows them to do what they love. I also think a lesson could be designed where students have to create their own game and I could create a rubric of things it must contain based on what the software provides. A very cool video about s very cool kid!

On to Case 3: How the Maker Movement Connects Students to Engineering and Technology (https://www.edutopia.org/video/how-maker-movement-connects-students-engineering-and-tech-0 ). This was by far my favorite video to watch because Quin, and eight grade boy, took on the role of not only a student but being a teacher. As an educator, this is one of the things that excites me the most. Seeing a student so fascinated in a topic they take it upon themselves to teach themselves how it works and then want to share that knowledge with others. Quin was clearly very engaged in what he was learning and motivated to do so because he did it all on his own. He was very motivated to share his knowledge and how his school district need to be more engaging. After all, how many 13-year olds come to a school board meeting to share what they think their district need to do? Not many. The superintendent of his district referred to Quin as a "gem", which he truly is. Quin was not only his own teacher but the teacher of his friends as well. After Quin spent his time learning to use 3D printing, Arduinos, and other hand on STEM skills he took the time to each his peers with hopes they would continue teaching their friends. Something I learned from this video is that if a district has a student like Quin who's willing to teach others these amazing skills, they need to let them. These student's voices need to be heard and they need to know that what they are doing is nothing short of amazing. After watching this video, I pray I will have a gem like Quin in my own classroom someday. A student dedicated to helping himself learn as well as his peers. My middle school and high school had some of these makers spaces and we also used Arduino boards in physics hear at IUSB, so I know these skills Quin performed were no easy tasks, and he deserves to be applauded for that. His hard work and determination lead him to do something amazing. I think Maker Spaces are very cool and very beneficial for students, and in the future if the school I am working at does not have any I will be an advocate for getting them.

In Case 4: Collaborative Digital Presentations Enrich Projects (https://www.edutopia.org/video/collaborative-digital-presentations-enrich-projects-tech2learn-series ) Kate Summers claimed right from the get go, "students are more engaged with technology involved," which I 100% agree with. I related to this video a lot because in high school we used google docs and presentations a lot, we also used a lot of guided notes when we would have presented, often recommended by the teacher. The students seemed to be engaged in what they were doing throughout the video and I believe that when it comes to group projects you will have a divide between your students, some will be more motivated than usual because they are part of the group and others will be less motivated because there will be someone there to pull their weight. I would like to teach these so called "slacker" group members that this is not acceptable, so they do not carry that kind of mind-set on into middle school and high school. The teachers job in this case was to facilitate the project and make sure students were on task. I like that she let her students use things such as Twitter if it contributed to what the students were teaching, it was allowing students to use something that is part of their everyday life for an educational purpose. Because this is something I did in my own high school I did not learn any new technology integration ideas, but I think Summers did a great job implementing technology inside her classroom.

[lovethemoodroom]

Current Read

The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America from a Small School in Harlem by Deborah Meier

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Rant

Picture it: no letter grading.

Students are evaluated as either “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory”. GPA’s are gone. Hoop-jumping for grades without any actual learning is gone. Teachers would be held to higher standards because WORKSHEETS ARE GONE. Students would apply to colleges based on letters of recommendation rather than a numerical representation of their ability. Standardization is gone. Robotic instruction is gone. Teachers are finally paid what they deserve. What a beautiful sentiment, right?

[cdlwkf]

The Future of Education

by Sarah Miles

October 16, 2014

In a society where weakened labor markets can’t provide jobs for university graduates and rapidly advancing technology threatens to make traditional classrooms obsolete, questions about the future of education must be addressed. On the final day of the 15th Annual World Knowledge Forum, a politician, an economics professor, and a technology innovator came together to share their perspectives on the need to revitalize the global education system.

Carl Bildt, the former Prime Minister of Sweden, identified the growing importance of education for governments around the world.

“Education has always been an important topic,” he said, “but it has moved up the ranks of policy priority in the last few decades. It now probably ranks number two, right behind economy at number one.”

The panelists opened the discussion with their thoughts on problems with the current education system. According to professor of George Mason University and world-renowned economist Tyler Cowen, one of the key issues stems from the lack of available jobs for college graduates.

“The fundamental problem is that the product universities are selling is worth less than it used to be,” he said.

For Charles Leadbeater, strategic innovation consultant and former advisor to Tony Blair, the ultimate problem is content, what schools are teaching their students, because the current system doesn’t properly prepare children for an environment valuing creativity and entrepreneurship.

“The future of education is not to push people into systems that don’t deliver good results for them and which are training them for jobs that don’t exist anymore or habits that don’t work anymore. The basic problem is that the current system teaches children to put aside what fires them up and instead teaches them to learn how to comply, perform, deliver, and get through,” he said.

Mr. Bildt also pointed to challenges arising from transformations in recent society, namely globalization and the prevalence of technology.

“In recent centuries, education was a national endeavor. Now it is to some extent global, but certainly it has become a trans-border thing, so now we have to deal with the issues of education in a multicultural environment,” he said.

He continued, “We now also have the issue of the digital gaming generation. It’s not easy to get students to sit down and write an essay, it’s difficult. But we also have the question, is that good or bad?”

After detailing the issues faced by the current education system, the panelists took turns explaining how the system might be improved. Mr. Leadbeater again emphasized the importance of changing educational content.

“What students are looking for is math education and also language that gives them access to the global economy. Then they want the skills to acquire entry level jobs, primarily technology skills. So I see a new core curriculum based on math, language, IT, and skills that increase employability,” he said.

Dr. Cowen believes the ability to retrain will allow people to have greater access to jobs and give them the flexibility to react to changes in the job market.

“More and more of the people working in Starbucks have PhDs and higher levels of education. We need to re-gear the system to teach these people how to retrain themselves,” he said.

Additionally, Dr. Cowen posited a new line of thinking to focus more on what students actually get out of their education and what they need to succeed in the future. One of the important benefits of education, he said, is mentoring.

“Education brings us to mentors and exposes us to role models, and we need to reengineer the system to make this more explicit,” he said.

Along the same lines, Mr. Leadbeater was adamant on the role of education in building character and providing valuable life skills to students.

“Education, in a rather old fashioned sense, should be teaching students how to self-govern and how to work together to find better solutions with other people. We need to take seriously the idea that education is about character, not just skills, but building character to be able to persist in the face of setbacks and respond in creative ways,” he said.

In response to the rise of education technology, the panelists expressed a more subdued opinion, explaining the real impact of technology will likely not be felt for another ten years or so. For Dr. Cowen, “the problem of education technology is getting students to give a damn.”

Mr. Bildt echoed these thoughts, pointing to the job market as where the impact of technology will truly be felt.

The jobs with the most demand are not for people who can write essays, but those who can write code,” he said.

Mr. Leadbeater concluded the session with a strong appeal for change: “The point is that education is in danger of becoming a system unto itself, in which it sets its own standards and leaves both employers and students disappointed.”

[mariacip]

My nerd crush goes live!

http://chronicle.com/article/Live-Chat-on-How-Brain-Science/128793/#disqus_thread