Learning with Technology - Communication & Collaboration - Post 2

Hypothetically, and assuming I actually had technological resources to do this with… my triggering question would be:

“How can I integrate technology into a project, with students who are living at or below the poverty line and have limited or no technology access?”

I work in a school with limited technology access, and what we do have doesn’t work half the time. When it does work, the kids are unfamiliar with it, can’t log in, or have other issues navigating the technology. They struggle to find a specific Youtube video, or the class web page. So for me, this is a regular struggle – the kids practically psych themselves out every time they have to use a computer.

I’d love to introduce them to technology on a more complex level than they currently interact with it. I think a good way of doing that might be to book a computer lab, and have them start blogging about their learning. Partly because the computer labs are one of the few technology resources available that reliably work in my building. I got the idea from an assigned reading from my Learning with Technology class, an article titled “Blogging in the 21^st-century classroom” (Lampinen, 2013).

But because my students interact with technology in such a limited sense, I worry that they may become overwhelmed – so I went looking for ways to prevent that panicky overwhelmed feeling. What I came up with was an article from The Technology Source archives at UNC titled “Combining Technology and Group Learning” (Kapinus, 2001) It suggested the simple, elegant solution that had escaped me – have the kids work together in groups on the project. There’s no reason a blog can have only one author. Why not allow them to collaborate? That way they can tackle the technology with the support of a peer or three. Perhaps their next quiz will be in the form of a partner-blog entry about what they have learned…

Outside Resource I used: http://www.technologysource.org/article/combining_technology_and_group_learning/

Learning With Technology Course: Module 1 - ISTE Standard 1: Creativity and innovation

Relevant aspect of ISTE Standard 1: Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

Question: Does the use of models and simulations in a game help students engage more to explore complex systems and issues?

Since I teach history, most of my fellow professionals are by nature somewhat technophobic, and therefore don't realize the enormous benefit we could reap from including technology, especially video games, in our teaching. One reading from this week's material opened my eyes to the potential of using games to help students "buy in" to learning, and explore more readily. The article referenced the use of Minecraft as an educational tool (Tromba 2013). The author manages to convince administrators to let him create an entire class based around Minecraft, and he then uses it to teach important skills like persuasive writing. He also worked with other teachers to include subject matter from various classes. He cites an instance where Minecraft was used to allow students to explore the concept of pyramids, for history class (Tromba 2013).


Minecraft Pyramid Example Image

Clearly there are a multitude of educational applications for this game alone. And there are other games in existence that use historical bases as well, which could be leveraged for learning. Europa Universalis, for example, is a historically accurate (to a point) turn-based combat game which students could play through and learn geography, the progression of Empires, etc. The ever-popular Assassin's Creed is loosely based around historical events, and could at least be used to help keep student attention.
Tromba also notes that the use of something kids find fun on their own time - video games - leads to higher engagement levels, and therefore more academically successful students (2013). I think that this is most applicable in a graphics design course, but that it clearly has uses in all classes. I feel that the use of digital gaming should be embraced in education, because it has so much potential to teach and to pull in students who might otherwise disengage.