Day5 Shutdown Power Off

This week has been great fun. I have learned SOOOOOOOOO much! My game has made progress. Oliver's changes have made the creation element move much faster!! This has been a terrific learning experience! I can't wait to work on it further.

6/29/07 PM

pports and benefits ro your participation in this project?
Lee County Schools and West Lee Middle School administrative team support our participation in this project. The students at West Lee will benefit directly from the sotware we develop as well as the students of other teachers involved in the project.
What other technology do you wish you could use or have support for?
I wish for a computer available for each student in the class.

Day 5 AM 6/29/07

How do you see this game as a tool for connecting with your students. This game, once created, will provide a link to student interest and engagement and offer another point of mutual interest from which to connect.

Shutdown-PowerOFF! 6/28

Today... I learned the critical importance of frequent savs as I watched my world disappear in a resounding crash. Progress is ephemeral without the save feature!
I also learned to effectively manipulate objects in 3 dimensions after placing them and then to teleport objects and players in a created world today. Hoping to have something to actually "show" by tomorrow afternoon.

Day4 PM

Question --

6/28/07 AM

What do you do well when connecting with your students?
I connect with my students through providing a safe and caring environment where they can be successful with skills they need to learn.I learn about their interests and aspirations and encourage them to set goals for themselves. I offer "lunchbunch" for those who would like extra help during lunch and I give out my phone numbers and email address to students and parents to provide resource connections. I also find occasion to make home visits throughout the year.
Do you have any concerns about connecting with your students?
Connecting with students through the caring teacher role engenders a mutual respect that is necessary for genuine connection.

6/27/07 Shut Down Power Off

Today was an eye-opener! I am speechless. I have crossed the threshold, though. Explored the whys of educational game design as a part of a societal paradigm shift...it makes sense. The difference in level of enggement when technology is included in the classroom is like switching on a light vs. the dark room. Today I have explored lots of sound files and positioning objects and am filling my design "closet" with tools. What will tomorrow bring?

6/27/07 PM

My students learn best by actually doing something that they can see and interact with. Reading is not their preferred method of learning. Many read with reduced fluency and comprehension, which decreases their desire as well as their skill in engaging in reading for either pleasure or learning. They do get very excited when technology activities are offered to enhance learning opportunities.

6/27/07AM

My teaching....I use the Language! 3rd Edition for teaching reading and language/linguistics skills and I provide academic support for 7th grade Mathematics and other content areas through a combination of inclusion services in my students' regular classrooms and an "Enrichment" pull-out class.

6/26/07 Shut down -Power Off

Lots of time spent learning to manipulate objects within environments today. Created several interesting spots.

6/26/07PM

The technology I use enhances the learning of my students in varied ways. Firstly, it increases their engagement in learning activities by its very nature.The most withdrawn students perk up when the SmartBoard lesson begins. They enjoy the large screen, colorful images and sound, as well as its interactive features. The students enjoy the opportunity to go to the SmartBoard and demonstrate their skills, select answers, and interact with the computer environment. Withdrawn students actively engage in the beat the "game" activities related to the curriculum at individual computers, as well. How do I know this enhances their learning? From observing them during technology activities their active engagement is evident. EOG scores have been higher since introducing more technology this year as well.

6/26/07 AM

I currently use technoogy in my classroom in a number of ways. I utilize the Smartboard in lesson presentation daily. It integrates well with the research-based reading instruction program & Holt math series we are utilizing. We also use the Smartboard in class to play several curriculum-generated games, work math problems, display powerpoint preentations, visually display E-Reader to read aloud displayed text selections, as well as to explore curriculum related websites and conduct searches on the internet. In addition, I use the computer to generate my lesson plans, track attendance, and student progress and grades, research background information for lessons. Students in my class use the computer to do curriculum-driven practice excercises, and see their progress, research information on the internet, and compose and edit their writing.

Shutdown-PowerOFF! 6/25

An interesting experience, beginning to create objects within a landscape environment...I kept losing the objects as I learned to position them. Experiential learning at its best!

6/25/07 PM

I am here because I enjoy learning how to do new things, and I see internet gaming is an underutilized resource for teaching. I am most excited about the possibilities for creating interactive learning tasks for students who typically disengage from traditional classroom learning opportunities. I am concerned about my learning curve in becoming familiar with the software, as I have little personal experience with video gaming and don't have a clear framework for approaching the design activity.

6/25/07 AM
How do I feel about video games in general?
Most video games, in the pursuit of attracting buyers, reinforce through high excitement graphics. Content? Buyer beware! Many reinforce skills, attitudes, behaviors which educators would not espouse. However, that said, video games posess vast potential as learning tools when created with learning in mind.