Journal 9

2012 K-12 Online Conference
Speak Up! Transforming Classroom Discussions

This week I explored the K-12 Online Conference and I watched Robert Appino’s presentation on getting students to speak up in the classroom. I chose this topic because throughout my academic career I have often had trouble participating in class discussions despite often wanting to provide some input. I was curious as to how virtual discussions would change the amount of participation in class discussions. Appino’s presentation provided many different studies; including his own, which were aimed at trying to get students to feel more comfortable speaking up. He concluded his presentation stating that through his own research he has found that virtual discussions do in-fact aid shy, introverted students to share their ideas and thoughts, as well as allowing all of the students stay on topic. I strongly believe that students can learn from each other, and often, students can help clarify a topic or lesson simply by explaining it in their own words, because of this I believe it is important for all students to be able to participate in class discussions and for them to share their ideas. I believe there are many benefits to having class discussions that everyone participates in, it allows the teacher to have a better understanding of what students may not be properly understanding the material, it allows students to clarify areas of confusion by explaining ideas in a different way, and it can bring up topics that may have been missed or forgotten that can enhance a lesson. The problem with class discussions is that students that are shy or may feel that they will be mocked for their ideas are reluctant to speak up in class, this is why virtual discussions are a great alternative to in class discussions that will enhance the class room learning.

If I were to teach in a high-school setting I would definitely consider using Todaysmeet. This virtual board is ideal for a classroom in which every student has a computer or tablet so I understand that it may not be possible for every classroom, but in an ideal scenario I would love to use this in my classroom. Todaysmeet allows the students to sign on to a “virtual classroom” where the instructor is teaching and the students are reacting in real time. This way students are not rudely interrupting each other, they are not having their questions ignored, and they are fully focused on the lesson. Also, the instructor can use the feedback to change, modify, or clarify anything in their lesson on the spot.

My main concern with virtual discussions would be how to use this with students in younger grades such as elementary. I am not sure that a virtual discussion would be able to aid younger students because I feel that their access to computers as well as their limited understanding would not allow a virtual discussion to run as smoothly, but I do believe that this is a great idea that I would like to try in my classroom.   

Alternative Post #8

Alternative Post #8

Moving at the speed of Creativity

                For this week’s blog post I chose to explore Wesley A. Fryer’s blog: moving at the speed of creativity. When I first visited his blog I was immediately attracted to his most recent post about playing Minecraft with his son. His most recent post is the second part of an earlier post where he first gives in a after a year finally agrees to play this game with his son, both articles can be found here: First lesson in Minecraft and here: more Minecraft lessons.

                 I was instantly drawn by this post because my son is a big fan of Minecraft and if he’s not playing it, he’s talking about playing it, and for a long time I have begun to worry about the length of time he spent playing this game, as I felt it would not be entirely beneficial to him. As a kid I grew up playing many video games, and I still do spend a good amount of free time playing now, but as a parent I felt that my son should not “waste” so much time playing games, especially if it is not educational, which is the main reason why I chose to read this particular post by Wesley.

The first post explains that Wesley’s main reason for not getting involved with Minecraft in the first place was the lack of available time, he admits that he has not really been interested in playing video games. He does go on to explain that his son Alex really enjoys playing, and has even made his own instructional videos on how to play the game. This really interested me because through his involvement with the game Alex has created instructional videos and posts to share with other even though they were not required for school or for a grade and by doing so Alex is further expanding his knowledge of technology and the internet by practicing it through creating and sharing information. As the post progresses Wesley takes us through his first journey playing the game by adding multiple screen shots to give us a better understanding of the Minecraft world he is experiencing and creating. His son is teaching him the basic information Wesley needs in order to survive in the game such as how to protect yourself, how to eat, and how to create. It is very clear that this game is heavily influenced by the users ability to create different objects by using the resources in the world around them. By the end of his first post, I began to realize that although Minecraft may not seem like an educational game at first glance, it definitely helps fuel creativity and critical thinking for its users.

                Wesley’s excitement for the game becomes very evident in his second post which is published one week later. At this point he has spent some time exploring the world with his son and advancing in the game. He describes how there are multiple ways to obtain materials from the same source, and it is your job to determine which option you think is best. For example in order to get wool from a sheep you can either kill the sheep or using your shears, but you will not receive as much wool if the sheep is killed. This is an example of how the games allows the user to make their own decisions based on what they think would be more beneficial for them. The biggest use of critical thinking in this game was Alex’s explanation on how to mine for a material called obsidian. He explains that under obsidian there is usually lava which would cause you to lose the obsidian you have mined if it falls into the lava, therefore Alex suggests moving a body of water close to where you are mining so that the water will flow into the spaces you have mined and pick up the obsidian. I was shocked by the details to this solution because I in the past I have played games where the objectives are “get from point A to point B, and kill some conveniently placed bad guys” but in this game, the user is faced with different obstacles and they are basically left to figure it out on their own.

                I really enjoyed Wesley’s Minecraft blog posts and I believe that I am going to follow in his footsteps and try to play this game with my son. I believe the quality time spent sharing this experience would be great and I am hoping that my experiences will help me learn more about how this game can be educational and useful despite its initial appearance.