Games Based Learning!

This week have focused mainly on Games Based Learning and looked at how valuable some of the resources were. We focused on Guitar Hero, Wii, and intendo DS.

Games Based Learning is a new concept to the classroom, it involves using new technology and games to enhance children's learning. There has been a huge boom in the research done on games based learning over the past few years with many people looking at the advantages and disadvantage to using computer games to aid learning schools. As Puttnam and Heppell (2006) suggests "Engaging in computer games and adhering to their rules means that users have a framework in which to explore, probe, hypothesise and test. This active discovery places the learner as co-producer of knowledge, an important aspect in the personalised learning paradigm."

I must say I was skeptical at the beginning of the week. I don't have much experience with games based learning in the classroom and I wasn't sure how as a teacher I would manage and organise the topic.

As I have explained in the earlier post, this week has helped show me how you could manage guitar hero as a learning context. We focused on some of the curricular areas that the topic could cover and the Curriculum for Excellence outcomes that would accompany the lessons.

We also looked at intendo DS and some games that LTS consider good for school. I evaluated three; imagine teacher, word acadamy and maths training.

Imagine teacher- I don't feel this is the best games for schools because the reading involved in the introduction is clearly for first level and above however, the activities involved in the game are simple enough to be used with early level. I feel ealry level children would not be able to navigate themselves around the game without being able to read the information while the games are not challenging enough for the first level children. Also the introduction is very long and involves a lot of reading. the game would however be very useful in developing children's reading skills.

Word Acadamy-After evaluating this game I think that I would recommend it for the classroom. I feel that this game would be best played by the middle and upper stage of the primary school. The words used both in the introduction and activities are clearly second level words that younger children would struggle to understand. This game is very good for testing children's reading and writing skills. it includes a game for testing spelling and a game involving definitions. I also liked that the children were being timed because I felt it added a little excitment to the game and allows the children to compete against themselves to beat their time. Overall I think this is could be very benefical to helping develop children's language skills. The game would cover a number of the Curriculum for Excellence outcomes, in particular these;

I enjoy exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language and can use what I learn. LIT0-01a/LIT0-11a/LIT0-20a

I can spell the most commonly-used words, using my knowledge of letter patterns and spelling rules and use resources to help me spell tricky or unfamiliar words. LIT1-21a.

So after focusing on games based learning for the week, I feel that it can be hugely valuable in engaging children, motivating them and developing their learning in all areas of the curriculum. This is clearly the future for schools and I believe that all research points to the advantages out weighting the disadvantages. I feel far more prepare to use this technology to help aid my lessons in the future.

Puttnam, D; Heppell, S (2006) Unlimited learning- computer and video games in the learning landscape.London: Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (page 14)

SMART v Promethean!

Throughout the elective we have looked at interactive whiteboards and how they help enhance learning in the classroom. There are huge advantages to using interactive whiteboards such as a variety of resources at your fingertips, allows for collaboration, caters for types of learners and engages many disengaged children. As Brown (not dated) explains " They allow teachers to create easily and rapidly customised learning objects from a range of existing content and to adapt it tothe needs of the class in real time".

This week we had training from Promethean. I had been to the previous training session they had done during the year however, it was still hugely valuable for her to recap all of the skills. We looked at different things you could do on flip charts and ways of creating them.

The training packed a lot of information into three hours however, I now feel that after a little practise I could quite easily work my way around a promethean board. In an earlier post I had stated that I had started to prefer SMART boards because I thought it was simpler to find all of the equipment. However, during Promethean training we were shown a way of switching the board from studio to primary. The studio layout looks far more like the SMART one. I like the idea that you can choose which layout suits best, meaning that the board caters for both adults and children.

Also "Promethean Planet", promethean's website is full of useful resources, other peoples flip charts, tutorials on using the software and online courses. I feel far more supported by Promethean.

So overall, I feel these two lecture were hugely valuable for me teaching because interactive whiteboards are very common nowadays. I also feel that I have the basic knowlegde to quite happily work with either in schools, however after looking at the benefits of both. I persoanlly prefer Promethian because of it's ablity to cater for all needs, it's child-friendly layout, it's huge variety of resources and the support you can get online.

Brown, S (not dated) Interactive Whiteboards in Education available: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Interactivewhiteboards.pdf [22/3/11]

Guitar hero, a valuable source?

We began looking at games based learning. This concept is becoming ever more common in Primary Schools and authorities are spending millions buying the newest technology including Guitar Hero, wii's, itouchs, voting systems, etc.

Guitar Hero is becoming an increasingly common topic in primary schools, especially with the upper stages. LTScotland has researched the idea of Guitar Hero being used for educational purposes. In class, we attempted to create a small topic plan based around the game to see how cross-curricular we thought it was. We looked at some of the curricular areas easily covered. I feel it could be a valuable context, However, you would need to know your class and how engaging they would find it. This topic is also very popular with boys because many have or know someone who has the game at home. Many teachers are skeptical about using a computer game as a context however, it seems that when this context is attempted by teachers all of the children are engaged, enthusiastic and motivated throughout the topic. In our small topic plan for guitar hero and we found that very little of the topic involves playing guitar hero itself. The game really only has one educational use and that is developing motor skills. Games based learning is just a small part of the topic as a whole and there to enhance the learning already taking place. As Puttnam and Heppell (2006) explain "Although barriers to learning can be broken down through interactive experiences, game technology works best when combined with teaching and group activities."

Every other lesson we thought of was based around the idea of the class being rock stars. In bands of about 5 we would get them to (for example);

-create their own costumes, I can use exploration and imagination to solve design problems related to real-life situations. EXA 1-06a

-manage their tours e.g sell tickets,

-create music videos I can create, adapt and sustain different roles, experimenting with movement, expression and voice and using theatre arts technology. EXA 2-12a

-making animation. By experiencing the setting up and running of a business, I can collaborate in making choices relating to the different roles and responsibilities and have evaluated its success. SOC 2-22a.
At the start of the lecture I was skeptical (like many others) about using guitar hero however,the more I discuss the idea I can see just how beneficial it could be to children. They are given personalization and choice in their bands, the names, the costumes etc. It is extremely relevant because as i've said many play the game at home. Also the topic based mainly on collaboration, co-operation and problem solving.

I can see a variety of ways in which Guitar Hero fits in to the curriculum and can see how engaging it would be for many children. As Heppell (2006) states "People love to learn, people love to play. It should not have taken quite so long to make progress towards putting those two together seamlessly."

Puttnam, D; Heppell, S (2006) Unlimited Learning- computer and video games in the learning landscape. London: Entertainment and leisure Software Publishers association. (Introduction by Heppell, S-page 3) (Page 19)

Are wiki's a valuable resource?

We have been creating our collaborative wiki. The wiki is based on the idea of "healthy living" and aimed at early years.
The wiki ties in work we have produced through the elective including our animation and movie. It also covers all areas of the Health and Wellbeing outcomes in curriculum for Excellence for example;

Healthy mind section- I know that friendship, caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love are important in building

positive relationships. As I develop and value relationships, I care and show respect for myself and others.

(HWB 0-05a / HWB 1-05a / HWB 2-05a / HWB 3-05a / HWB 4-05)

Healthy eating section- I am developing my understanding of the human body and can use this knowledge to maintain and improve my wellbeing and health.

(HWB 0-15a / HWB 1-15a / HWB 2-15a / HWB 3-15a / HWB 4-15a)

Healthy Body- I am enjoying daily opportunities to participate in different knids of energetic play, both outdoors and indoors. (HWB 0-25)

Lyndsay and I decided to use a character called bertie to take the children through the wiki. Bertie is a voki that explains all of the activities and ideas explained on the page. We felt he was the best way to make the wiki accessible to early years considering many have not yet fully developed their literacy skills. We have used him plus other characters and buttons to help make the wiki more child friendly and age/stage appropriate.
However, for some of the activities, we felt that the teachers/parents would need more instructions so we created the "teacher's notes" section at the bottom of each page. This way it is as suitable for both children and adults. I think a wiki like this is a great way to share the topic with the parents, show them what thrill child has been doing and making the link between learning in the classroom and learning at home better.by having a wiki for the class topic that they can access at home, you can add homework, extension activities and develop their learning further.
Initially I thought the idea of a class wiki would be valuable for involving parents, giving homework and strengthening the link between home and school. However, after focusing on a topic based wiki, I feel that this is just as valuable to use because it can be a tool to help the class share ideas, information and their work. As Richardson (2009) explains "a coconstruction of this type could make for a much more personalized text, one specific to your particular class."
I personally I would be happy to create a wiki for the class topic and can see the benefits.

After evaluating the wikis I feel that ours works well to meet the needs of children in nursery, It mainly has voki's or crazy talk to help explain activities for the children and is full of activities for the children to try out. I would be quite happy to use this wiki in the future with my nursery class to explain healthy living. If I had one thing to change I think I would want more activities and information on the wiki, just so it explains everything the children would want to know about the topic.

Tamar and Lyndsay's Healthy Living Wiki

Richardson, W (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other powerful Web Tools for Classrooms California: Corwin Press (page 61)

SMART or Promethean?

Interactive whiteboards are very common in primary schools today. Two main type of boards are used in Scottish schools. They are SMART or Promethean boards. However, interactive white boards are fairly new to the classroom and many teachers are unsure bout how to use it. This results in teachers using the boards as normal whiteboards and using them to their full potential. However, when SMART and Promethean boards are used properly they can greatly enhance children's learning. As McNeil (2007) reports "...the benefits for the pupils are quite remarkable. Interactive SMART Boards allow pupils instant access to information, allowing them to learn dynamically and engage them in an entirely new manner."

After a training session about SMART boards, I feel far more confident about using them in class. Personally I have not much experience of using them however, I always thought I preferred promethian boards to SMART boards. I really liked some of the flip charts you could use with the children for all different aspects of the curriculum. However, after having smart board training I think I prefer using SMART. It seems to have all of the same flip charts, the same tools such as hiding the answer and the tools seem far clearer and easier to understand. The tools are clearly labelled and also positioned around the board, While promethean has different tool boxes that are often hidden away. I think that even though promethian seems more child friendly because of the bring colours etc, smart board is clearer and simpler. I think that if I had the children using the board, then I would prefer to be using a SMART board. I think that the children would find the SMART board easier to use because all of the tools are displayed clearly around the page.
I know that many teachers use the interactive boards in the same way as a white board however, the boards can be used in a far more productive way. By having 'flip charts' prepared you can have interactive games, activities and questions on the board.

McNeil, C (2007) Connected- Dunbarney Primary School has gone to great lengths to embrace the use of ICT within Curriculum for Excellence. available: http://wayback.archive-it.org/1961/20100801151302/http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/articles/i/inourexperience18.asp?id=SMART%20boards&strReferringChannel=connected [19/3/11]

How useful is the iPad?

I was given an iPad to explore for a week. Hand held learning (HHL) is becoming a lot more common in Primary Schools around Scotland. HHL can involve many devices e,g idevices, intendo DS, flip cameras and voting systems. The idea that these devices can improve children's education is still controversal with many teachers new to the concept. However, it has been proven that they can improve education in a variety of ways, as Faux; McFarlane; Roche; Facer (2006) states "Handheld technologies have yet to be embedded within the wider school system but results from projects so far indicate that student concentration and confidence blossom, and it seems the use of handheld devices can result in improved ICT skills, increased home/school links and better social interactions."

During the week I was given the chance to explore some of the different apps on the iPad. Alot of the apps available have a very educational aspect even though some of them Were not initially designed for it. One of the apps, that I felt was useful was the "bump" app. The app allows you to share information across different devices. This app is very useful for collaboration. It makes sharing information and different ideas across the group very easy.This type of activity in the classroom is very common, it is a great way for children to help each other, develop their own skills and practise collaborating and co-operating which many will have to do in later life. CfE shows just how vital learning to collaborate is;

"While working and learning with others, I improve my range of skills, demonstrate tactics and achieve identified goals." HWB 2-23a

The app "sticky" works well along side this because it means children can write ideas on a post it note and then, literally, slide their post it notes of to the main device in the middle. This activity can be done in many curricular areas to share ideas, opinions or work they have completed. it can be used to share research on the Vikings for example or to come up with arguments for a debate in class. This is a very versatile app and these two apps were the ones that I felt I could use most often in the primary school.

However, other apps that can be useful are things like "angry birds" which will also help them develop their math skills, for example; angles and helps them begin to understand the concept of speed. A Curriculum for Excellence outcome that fits well with the app is;

Through practical activities which include the use of technology, I have developed my understanding of the link between compass points and angles and can describe, follow and record directions, routes and journeys using appropriate vocabulary. MTH 2-17c

Even though there are a huge variety of educational apps, these three are apps that I feel I would use in primary school now. These apps are enjoyable and that many of the children will play just for home, however, they also have clear educational value as well.

Faux,F; McFarlane,A; Roche,N; Facer,K (2006) Handhelds learning with handheld technologies Bristol: Future Lab (page 3)

This week we finally edited our movie for healthy living. We had completed the filming and voice overs, and just had to edit it all together. Sounds simply enough but thanks to a number of factors we had to edit our movie three times before it eventually worked. We had a lot of trouble with the sound and how to make sure it matched the right section of the movie. On reflection, i feel that we may have made our movie slightly to complex. Every piece of audio had to be a seperate file and we then wanted backing music to accompany it. I think that if I ever attempt this in a classroom, the children would need to be very clear that they must keep it simple.

However, the filming was enjoyable and i feel we worked well as a group by working together, sharing the tasks, and using each others strengths, e.g Ruth's knowledge of french. I am also very pleased with the final product. I feel that we have created a movie that could be shown in any year of primary school to help them make a smoothie. I think it is simple, clear and easy for the children to follow.

Even though the process was challenging at certain points and I may think twice before getting the children to create a movie themselves. I would definitely use it to demonstrate a process or even create a whole class movie maybe to show the work we had been doing for our topic. I think it could be a very useful tool to use with the pupils and the parents as well. it will help involve the parents even more in the childrens lives at school. A movie could also be used for help demonstrate almost any area of the curriculum so is a very broad resource in that it can help you demonstrate anything, e.g WW1, HWB, a play, their stories...

Here, is our movie on "How to make a smoothie!"

I think that creating a movie could be a great resource for children to tell stories they have created. As the learning Discovery (2006) says, "ICT-powered story-telling lets everyone have a go at being creative." It goes on to explain that ICT can help children tell their stories in new and inventive ways. I think that using a movie to enhance their stories will help children who work best with visual aids will be able to express their ideas that they might not be able to express through writing.

The learning discovery (2006) Creative ICT in the classroom:Using new tools for learning Stafford: Network Continuum Education