Games in the classroom, I thought I knew (1)

        

Being a teacher for over 25 years, I thought I knew about games in the classroom.  But when I came to design and create my own digital games, I realised there was much more to games based learning than I thought I knew.

Games have been around for thousands of years.  Games in teaching and learning, just as long, they go together don't they?  When I look back at my university days and studying to be a teacher, I really cannot recall any topics in our courses about teaching with games, maybe it was too long ago and the old memory just isn't working like it use to.  Everyone knew about games though as we all grew up playing games and much of our interactions with others somehow integrate games.

The basics of games, sometimes known as game mechanics, are competition, rewards or points, engagement and enthusiasm towards an action.  It is amazing how much of these gaming components or mechanics are in everything we do.  Here is a quick question, think about how playing one of your favourites sports like football or basketball or a board game like monopoly and chess, how competitive are you when you play?  These are obvious game examples, but think about when you were younger, and how even at home and being motivated to do something for your parents and receiving a reward for something even as simple as taking out the garbage or cleaning your room.  Your parents knowingly or unknowingly took these game strategies to get you to do something.  Would you have done these jobs without game mechanics involved?  The use of game mechanics is also known as gamification, taking these components and placing them in a non-game environment, like home or in the classroom.

Gamification is not only used in the home and at school though.  Gamification is everywhere, look at advertisements, reward cards and programs, end of season sales in shops and even big business and corporate structures and employee incentives, they all involve gamification.

In the educational setting, classrooms are set up to reward good behaviour and results.  Every school does it slightly differently, but the basics of game mechanics stay the same.  Expectations (rules of the game), rewards and points, competition.  Not all students are motivated by the gamification of the classroom though, this may be due to the type of gamification used or other factors.

Before things get too complicated and discussing the other "factors", I recommend reading some of the articles in Edutopia and by Joseph Shapiro whose research and articles on games give an excellent overall view of the pros and cons of games based learning and gamification in the classroom.

My main focus is on games based learning in the classroom, particularly digital games based learning.  There has been a significant amount of research conducted in this area regarding student engagement and progress made where their teachers integrated digital games based learning.  The research article in the Canadian Journal of Action Research, Vol 13, No.1, 2012,  shows that there is improvement in learning outcomes for students using digital games based learning.

Asia Literacy Conference, 11 August, 2014

The Asia Education Foundation is a government agency that promotes Asian culture, history, education and languages in Australia.  The AEF promotes creating closer ties with Asia and has numerous projects to support those who want to apply for projects and grants. 

Asia Literacy Conference

DEC, Novotel Brighton

Keynote: Jane Hutchens - ABC correspondence (Mandarin and Cantonese speaker, grew up in HK)

Austn economy - regional influence, future growth from Asia, particularly from China, Korea, Indonesia.

-      JH sees this as a bit of a problem, as the govt sees this direction but is it for us?  Don' know where to start.

-      Q on Asian literacy?  What does this mean?   How do you become AL?

-      Perhaps look at the question, engaging with Asia, a 2 way street.

-      In Aust, people are content, maybe complacent. 

-       5 key skills for the future  1. Exploration - know the story 2. Language  3. curiosity, 4. Empathy 5 Failing - learning and being comfortable with failing

-      "Face" is extremely important in Asian culture -  JH personal anecdote re "face"

-      JH discovering own identity, has been a big motivator for her, this is the (1) exploration.  (2) Language - should be introduced in kindergarten, bilingualism is important.  Language is such an important element in engagement (perhaps the top skill).  Younger the better.  (3) Curiosity - discussion on different cultures, opportunities to learn, understand and engage within our own cultures, eg viewing "King and I".  (4) Empathy - multi-cultural society, but racism is always there.  There is always another side to "your" society.   Is there an "empathy" in our society, opportunities for empathy are all around us.  Racism, a thing of the past?  (5)  Failing - 24 percent youth unemployment at the moment, is school playing its part?  Failing in Asia?  Here, should let kids know, it is alright to fail, our kids will be competing with kids from Asia.  Failing could lead to more creativity.  Failure is the best lesson.    

-      Question time - Q: Where does Asia sit now with you since you became ME correspondent?  JH - Middle East felt like Asia a lot of the time, but women are more "invisible" in the ME

END

Kim Proctor - Assistance Director

2nd Keynote - Dr Hassim - Moral Imperative and successful planning for Asia engagement

-      AEF researcher

-       Often, the economic rationale is presented for engagement with Asia, JH brought other reasons

-      Transformation - of thinking, how Austn society thinks about Asia.  Knowledge on its own, does not transform thinking, need to incorporate what JH said eg empathy

-      AL is a transformative thing, to be able to deal.  Not many can have the ability to know about all Asian countries. 

-      Being comfortable with being uncomfortable.  To have the skills to ask the right questions, our students need to be pushed out of their comfort zones, to see the world differently.

-      The Big Picture - Asia engagement as an essential component of quality education. Acknowledge regional and global context, future, find humanistic and instrumentalists reasons for engagement - good neighbour - Australia's national interest, need a balance.  How can schools do this?

                            - Charting a course for Asia engagement into the future. - Towards more mature discourse beyond piecemeal and general cultural awareness  - Intercultural education - reform movement, process and ideas towards: - equity, social justice, transform thinking, Global citizenship one of 33 UN GLobal Education First priorities,

                             - From transactional engagement to transformational engagement - Bridging the psychological distance - how to deal with that??  - A way of engaging that changes ow we see Asian and how we see ourselves - See map for US version of "psychological distance" - simplistic version.

                              - Moral imperative for Asia engagement is one that is personally meaningful and contextually relevant - need to avoid stock/standard reasons - co-created visions statement that guides curriculum and pedagogy (input from leadership, teachers, students, parents) - Individuals within the school community can see themselves in the vision

                               - Successful planning for Asia engagement requires two keyh elelments: 1. operational framework - Asia Literate School, 6 key elements (see AEF resource) ALso see Banks and Banks 2010 Total School Environment, School as a social system - who makes up your class   2. Conceptual framework - intercultural education continuum (AEF) Contributions - incorporate  content, Additive -  adding, Transformation - common themes from diverse cultural perspectives eg sustainability, appreciate ways of seeing and understanding, Social Action - learn and reinforce

                               - Dimensions of intercultural education - Content integration - Knowledge construction, ie how you view and teach is how well students will learn, construct knowledge,  Prejudice reduction, Equity pedagogy - how do you teach students from a diverse background?  Who am I teaching? , An empowering school culture - disproportionate emphasis on subject/content etc, how to address imbalance in school

     

                               - Reflection 1: Connect, Extend, Challenge (fr Harvard Project Zero, Visible Thinking)

3 key questions - How are ideas/information presented CONNECTED to what you already knew?  What new ideas did you get that EXTENDED your thinking in new directions?  What is still CHALLENGING for you to get your mind around?

                             

Australian Curriculum - Two entry points

-      Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia - learn about and recognise, knowledge and understanding

-      Intercultural understanding

The Third Space - about interaction

-      Schools need to be a meeting point for different perspectives.

-      Is multiculturalism about interacting?

-      Intercultural understanding needs to happen with dialogue a "meeting point"

Avoid

-      looking at similarities and differences - too general

-      cultures are interwoven - discrete culture projects reinforce stereotypes and ethnocentric views

-      Piecemeal cultural awareness - of a selection of culture, better to delve deeper in one culture

-      Content integration (contributions and additive approaches only)

Reflection 1.

Asia engagement - everyone's business

1.       Intercultural understanding and competence as the common base

2.       Learning is then extended by more specialised studies of Asia and Asian languages

Focus on process

-      common vision is not a pre-condition

-      is is the result of our views

Reflection 2.

1 thing I shall do for myself (personal and/or professional) - How will you know when you have achieved it?

1 thing I shall do for/with my school - How will you know when you have achieved it?

David Knockles - Headmaster Macarthur Anglican School

A whole school approach to Asia Literacy

800 students, situated in Camden, WASpish

- School needed to develop a multifaceted approach to internationalism.

-      Direct and formalised links with other schools. Links with Tokyo,     Changmai, Jakata and others in America and Europe

-      So many different cultural groupings in Indonesia, China, etc.  So many different cultures, no country in Asia is monocultural but actually monocultural.

-      International study tours, US - Music, Europe - music and history, Language tours to Malaysia and Indonesia

-      Have 25 international students eg China and Thailand, having international students is not a money making venture

-      Also students from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, S Korea, Japan Hungary

-      Have a direct exchange with school in Hungary - 2 students yearly

-      Foreign languages study - Indonesian is compulsory from T - 8, reasons being close vicinity, not a new script -  for pragmatic reasons

-      Languages study cross curriculum eg DT, Digital media movie project, Geography development project

-     Engaging students - Skype, food, clothes, sport, dance, personal interaction - hosing students and teachers from visiting schools or link school, study tours

-     School embraced a wider approach to Asia even the world, FL study was just another subject.  Now it is a cultural experience that fits within the  broad understanding of the school.

Asian Immersion

Bomabderry High School in partnership with;

Kangeroo Valley Public School, Cambewarra Public School, Shoalhaven Heads PS, Bomaderry PS, Berry PS, Wollongong University

-     Program Structure - Planning days Term 4, develop projects, international students from University of Wollongong visit classes to provide authentic cultural experiences, Asia Expo  - student projects and cultural activities

-     Problems - initial interest of staff, funding, timetabling between schools and university, growth - capacity to stage the EXPO

Benefits

-     breaking down cultural barriers and developing respect and understanding

-     Provide authentic cultural exp

-     Enhance staff and student knowledge of other countries and edu systems

-     International students gaining experience in English and knowledge of Austn schools

James  Hudson - Australia - China Business Council, NSW

Towards an Asia Literate NSW

Food security - China will need more demand as time passes,

Australian students would be advised to consider studying agriculture

Why are there not more people learning Asian languages?

-     Excuses - Chinese too hard, Chinese are learning English anyway, I'm too old, I'm not interested in Chinese culture

Only takes a few words so people see you are making an effort.

Pictures (by Chinese artist)

I don'1

\t have time - 2 clocks

Cultural skills are more important than languages

Strong demand for people with a second language - lots of sectors (work) that have

dealings with Asia.

Australia's own community, Asian - Australians are an underutilized resource.  Empower Australians with Asian backgrounds with leadership roles.

Australia must have a conversation "with" Asia, not a

schoolstechOz 2014

                    Day 1 schoolstech Oz 12 September, 2014

Alan November presented a stimulating and provocative talk on the theme "Who owns the learning?"  Where is the future of learning and teaching heading and how will we be teaching in the future, go to Alan's site, linked below, or read my brief on this talk.

Keynote Speaker - Alan November - Who owns the learning?

Alan's presentation began with a funny account of when he was in Japan lately an recounted his encounter with a Japanese smart toilet and how it operates.  Although in Japanese the information on the toilet provided enough diagrams to assist in its usage.  The toilet could be personalized with information for individual use- is this the future?  This example was to illustrate to the audience, how modern technology can even impact on the most simple of daily necessities.

Lots of references to other websites. The internet of things - what experts are saying about IoT (webpage)

The constant message was there is going to be more information coming from everywhere, not less - everything is generating information, new iwatch etc.

The fascinating thing about education is information.

Check out  EdX  - leading US universities providing free course provider for high school, uni etc.

Information flow is going to be massive, this has already started, access to university courses etc will provide everyone who can access it with information.  An example of this are MOOCs.

MOOC - massive open online course - are a free site where anyone can enrol for free and take a course.  Many people enrol, but not that many finish. Students can take the course to learn from it, or some, to keep up their skill set. Alan mentioned an example MOOC, where Battushig from Mongolia took an electronics course.  He was 1 of 350 students to complete the course (150000 who enrolled) and get a perfect score.  Later he was approached by one of the US's top universities to study there.

Another course provider - Cousera (similar to EdX)

A.N. believes we are at the last few generations of the "classroom" ie walls and classrooms.  What does this mean for schools?

If you think you know, ask why, what, how...Students may say they know, but they don't know, they think they know and this is dangerous.

TEACH students to think - what is missing, what is not there?

The problem is, what is the way we can teach that we have never taught before?

Teachers and students need to know how to search on the internet for more accurate information, not just wikipedia. For example, "site: [country code]" in google will give you that country eg site:cn - will give you China

"ac" in a web address ies academic

This shows grammar and punctuation is very important in web searches.

Students need you, the teacher more than they understand. These help you find the quality content for your searches and that of your students.

Build into the assignment, critical thinking on the web. eg get at least 2 sources from Iran. What did the Iranians call the Iranian hostage crisis?

In the scheme of things, its not the technology, its the information. Teach people how to wade through all the information, not just google!

Moving from the paper to digital world of information.  This may mean, going over the types of assignments you give to students.

wolframalpha site - this site can solve any maths and science problem and teaches you how to solve it.

There is too much fear of control, or fear of losing control. Teachers have more to lose...control (re
wolframalpha eg)

November Learning - Alan's site

Social media
Using twitter to teach? - new ways to communicate eg baseball field , the perfect bunt - maths problem sent to students. Where is the best position/angle to place the ball between all the players.

Add ambiguity to assignments, the thinking is in the ambiguity, to solve eg "involve volume
somehow" to the cup and contents. Students as designers of ambiguous problems. Give
students an opportunity to create. Twitter can inspire students. See Mrs Caviness on November learning site.

Also try Clubacademia - site - Stephen Pinker

site:harvard.edu  Students need to see something over again and again, taught by other students ie on their level.  Get students to build content for others to learn. eg flipped lessons

Breakout 1

Google apps - Brett Groves  Melba elearning
Some key ideas;
Samr model
reinvention
Google is updated constantly, be aware!

All resources available for free at Melba elearning

Weebly software

Use Google forms/sheets to do peer assessments - surveys

Kaizena - not a Google app, but can use for audio feedback for student docs 

EXCELLENT Feedback app

John Hady - what works in education, visible learning


Keynote - Simon Breakspear - Leading the future of learning

Simon presented an interesting and lively talk on leading the future of learning.  Many questions were asked with added humour, but a serious message of what the future is for our teachers and students was deeply embedded.  His talk in brief follows.

Is the future of learning PISA? ie test scores

Future of learning will be co-created

OECD talent pool graph and projections, interesting numbers that show some international trends.

Some are calling now, the 2nd machine age (ie technology)

 Which solution to choose? Compare the solution to solve the Polio or Type 2 diabetes

problem - which one are you?

- use 1 strategy to solve a problem, use it everywhere

- allow learners to learn behaviours

"Matthew" principle/effect of learning - those who have will gain more

How can we make learning intrinsically engaging?

ARC learning

AGENCY Example with Fitbit learning - set goals, instructioin and guidance, real-time measurement

embedded in the task, meaningful feedback, socially connected

RELEVANCE - learn to teach relevance, work that happens

CONNECTION - relationships are still the game-changers for deeper learning, deep

connections with others

- learning tribes - people getting together

- Future of learning will be co-created

- get an idea, start small, then develop it

- Learn to fail well, then we can succeed.


schoolstech Oz Day 2

Mark Treadwell starts the day off with a presentation on do we really need BYOD, or any technology?

Keynote Speaker - Mark Treadwell - BYOD - Really?

What is the learning process? Mark's videos of two NZ boys, interview. The boys were talking about the learning
process at their school and how they learn the knowledge, what they do with that knowledge "breakthrough".
These boys knew what they were talking about and very well spoken for primary school boys. Sequencial steps
of inquiry learning, applying understanding and building knowledge.
Differentiate - ideas and concepts. According to Mark - an idea is a relationship between two variables in a single
context. eg what are you going to wear today? Variables - weather, comfort, what clothes you brought
The idea is that you got dressed today
Concept - you got dressed today and many other times. Develop a concept from many ideas.
Concepts allow you to predict. Context across many concepts, with more concepts the better at predicting you
can make.
How does the brain actually learn? If we knew that, we could optimize learning.
Learning system - 1. sensory 2. ROTE 3. Astrosite (??) cells in the brain, with neurons 4. Creativity. Things
that are done non-conscioussessly, Astrosites are looking for patterns, what patterns to map. Astrosite map
patterns, the more excited you are about an idea or concept, the more you learn. Learning ideas and concepts
depends how many hormones are in your head - patterns become habits. These cells allow humans to multitask,
automatic - pilot. Choose to see the world, eg, who saw the moon this morning? Hardly anyone because
the moon is always there, its become a "nothing". When you are young, everything is new, its not automated.
Do not let the astrosites gain control, map patterns and automating them. Boring teachers do not elicite
excitement, that's why those teachers are boring. Students have the capacities to learn, we need to excite them.
Competencies
- identity, collaboration
- ask the right questions, thinking and questioning.
- The language of learning, build you knowledge before you start making meaning. Get more knowledge and
meaning to build concepts.
You peak intellectually when you are 70!!!! Not 22. You keep building concepts.
Kids cannot start building concept till certain ages.
Language learning - difficult for adults because of the less neurons adults have.
The difference between hard and soft subjects - the only difference is one is taught poorly and one taught well.
Need to rethink how we teach, hard subjects are just taught poorly.
Assessment using BYOD. Show and teach someone, students then produce a video to teach somone the
concept or idea, if the person been shown the video has learnt, then the video is successful and shows the
producer understands.
BYOD is a nice idea, but it brings about problems. These issues will be dealt with, maybe into BYOD too early.
Learn through videos - Jason DeSliva - Shots of Awe
See PRezi - what technology can provide is:...
Find connections - epals site
swivl.com - video your own practice

Breakout 1 - Primary School Writing and Parent Involvement - Allan Ribbons
Allan discusses his research.
Larry Cuban -
John Hattie - educationalist, analysis. Influences on achievement? Visible learning.
Moving your child to another school can be really disruptive to the child.
Whole Language - a philosophy of learning from a "book", eg not phonics, grammar etc
According to Hattie, web based learning did not really rank high
Good to ask the question, why are you doing this?
Writing motivators - auidience
Learning einvironment
- students spend 15,000 in class
- reserach the learning environment
Research shows that when parents are involved with their childrens schooling, it has a
positive effect on the childs performance - Western Australia Ed Dept
Survey Monkey -
Interview Data
- teachers - looked to enhance their lerarning environments
- students consistently wanted a more positive learning environment
-Parents - consistently wanted to be more informed
- students like more group activities
- Parent involvement is crucial, in partnership

Breakout 2 - the art of blending educational space and digital learning approaches
Class blogg page - using Edublogs
Mahara site - students upload classwork - for eportfolios
Animoto - make a video to summarize summary of book, present something, making that
takes place in the classroom
Maker Culture/Maker Space
Blended Learning Classroom - students groupwork, individual work
Flipsnack - a digital book

Breakout 3. Flip Learning 
Engagement - Flipped learnings were more engaging
Motivation - students were motivated to watc vodcasts, note taking was an issue
Preformance - issues with out of lesson assistance, students struggled to msater theory,
performance was adversely affected
First experience - it failed
Approach with an open mind
- consider who is in front of you, type of learners etc etc
- Don't show the answer first, give them the outcome and ask, "Why" did it happen?
- Flipped roles - include students
http://goog.gl/SAuqxu
www.ozdls.com
Flipped Classroom is not Flipped Learning
A definition - difference between flipped classroom and flipped learning
See how one model of flipped learning can work.  Northern Beaches Christian School - FL model interview and clip on channel 10 eyewitness
news
Edpuzzle - to embed questions to video

Keynote - Greg Butler - Transformation of teaching and learning

New pedagogies for deep learning
What does a new student bring to school for the first time?
What is success in life, and how does it differ from success in school?
- in life - "you" make the decision, in school - its about numbers
Analogy - buying a new car that starts breaking down and needs fixing, is education like
that?
The Push/Pull - push is school its boring for kids/ the pull is the allure of technology
- Michael Fullan - "Stratosphere" a book on integrating technology, pedegodgy and change
knowledge
A Rich Seam (how new pedagogies find deep learning) - download from Deep Learning.org
Kids can't wait! Motto of Deep Learning
Language leads change - you need to build a language of change
Why Deep Learning? Why now?
- DL advancing all learners' capacity to flourish in a complex world.
- Building capacity - learning partnerships, change leadership, new
pedagogies, new measures
- Why is it important to have a narrative? - This is a journey and the
narrative is critical.
From Learning Alone to Learning Together (from www.learningandteaching_info)
Failing quickly and learning fast
Learning partnerships -
Authentic learning environments
Leveraging Digital technology - changing practice is changing people - need to
accelerate to get feedback to students faster.
-deepening - teaching skills like collaboration, reserach etc is as important
as the content
- putting place the conditions to innovate
- Pedagogy Trumps Technology- is the pedagogy right?
- Challenging our assumptions and orthodoxies is critical
- Simplicity counts
- Finding comfort in ambiguity
Deep learning advancing all learners capacity to flourish is a complex world
www.newpedagogies.org

Teaching and Blending tech @ High School

I have been teaching for 32 years now and love blending my teaching and learning ideas with technology. I've been teaching in state and independent schools and have learnt much during my times in both systems. 


Teaching is such an exciting, innovative and community centered career and we can learn so much from each other. 

This blog is mainly my interest in how tech can be integrated with teaching and learning. Although I am a Chinese language teacher, I have learnt so much from teachers from all subject areas and here I am very happy to share my ideas with other teachers. 

Would you like to connect? You can find me on twitter @Teacher_KenW  or WeChat ID: Narralakes

Just added this global hit map!

                                                                                                                       Tweets by @Narralakes

Narralakes Chinese language resources and  HSC Year 11 - 12 blog spot https://sites.google.com/site/hanyutgs/year-12/home

There are also audio and activities on iTunesU, to obtain the access code contact me at narralakes@gmail.com