Exemplifying the possibilities of the cross-fertilisation of ideas
In the teaching of Science and Technology, one of the important teaching strategies we employ is that of utilising communities of practice. By sharing ideas with our colleagues and the wider community we can encourage cross-fertilisation and create a community of teachers better equipped to teach with digital technology. The following excerpts are comments I have made on other blogs which have also explored and evaluated the use and effectiveness of digital technologies in classroom settings. The links to their blogs have also been provided if you are interested in gaining the context of the comment or continuing the conversation yourself! Please also feel free to join in on the conversation via the comments section on my own blogs.
To jump to comments on specific topics of interest, use the links below.
Comments on Learning Technology Critiques
Virtual Field Trips by nathalierabz
MY COMMENT
Hi Nathalie,
I found your post very interesting simply because Virtual Reality is enabling the previous Virtual Tours to become Virtual Field Trips. I’m imagining the Virtual Tours I did in school ten years ago visiting websites for locations such as museums. In comparison to those, the development into the Virtual Field Trips you explored in your post hugely increases the level of involvement and enthusiasm for students. I think it is because of this that Virtual Field Tours are receiving more attention for their potential place in schools in comparison to how under-utilised Virtual Tours once were, despite having similar benefits to those you listed (financial costs, accessibility, removal of time constraints).
On that point, I feel that the points you raised about financial costs, accessibility, and time constraints in schools were very relatable and practical; I find that the practicalities of a school setting are often forgotten when visualising applications of technology in schools. On top of that, think about the benefits of minimising organisational responsibilities too! However, it seems to me that the initial financial outlay would still be extensive, especially, for example, if you require class sets of VR headsets. How do you imagine you would tackle lesson sequences that would require VR headsets if your school (assuming in an ideal world that your sole class has been given exclusive access to them for a certain time period) has only provided, for example, 3? This is something I have seen with digital technology resources like BeeBots too, and they are even cheaper!
Thank you for the read, it gave me a lot to think about.
Miss Wilkes.
THEIR REPLY
Thank you for your comment! The initial start up cost and maintenance would be probably be quite substantial, especially considering that it is not as popular or currently used in the classroom. If my class was lucky enough to experience this sort of technology and we only had a limited amount I imagine the students would be split into groups, each with an individual role. The lessons leading up to the excursion would be based on the elements of project based learning in which the students assign themselves roles or areas of the excursion to research. The students might work in pairs using the VR glasses to investigate areas of the excursion that they previously chose themselves.
If it sounds a bit confusing please let me know so I can clarify! I would love to hear your thoughts.
MY REPLY
Hi there,
Group work, brilliant! Extending on this, I’ve also heard about rotational activities being an option too, and in this case the “excursion” could be one of the set activities, which could be pretty cool!
I’ve just done a blog post on VR myself and in returning to this comment that I made months ago it now occurs to me that options like Google Cardboard would be a way to navigate the issue of financial strain too. I had a look into Google Expeditions and the whole idea of Virtual Field Trips is very exciting to me now. Extremely insightful of you to have had this idea back in March!
Regards,
Miss Wilkes.
https://educ3620nathalie.wordpress.com/2020/03/08/virtual-field-trips/
Blog 1: Critique of Emerging Technology by Joshua Lazarus EDUC3620 Blog
MY COMMENT
Hi Josh,
I also enjoy the simple usability of Bee-Bots along with their wide-ranging applications, in schools it is a wonderful resource that can achieve both. I have worked with them before and they make it wonderfully easy to integrate across KLA’s as well, as you mention. I’ve seen them used to play out a story where students have to direct the Bee-Bot to different locations upon which point they receive the next part of the story. Meanwhile they are picking up important foundational knowledge and skills required in computational thinking. This is a truly wonderful selection for your critique.
You are right in saying that they become overly simplistic for older students, Stage 3 particularly. Even if the students in Stage 3 that you are working with don’t have foundational knowledge and skills in computational thinking, the aesthetics alone would be unlikely to inspire motivation and thus creativity. I was not familiar with Sphero and Dash so I thank you for contributing that to our community here! It is important to have physical representations for computational thinking rather than solely relying on software that displays directions and step-by-step instructions on a screen, moving a character around on the screen rather than a real-life object.
I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on how you could design a lesson using Bee-Bots if you only have one. My last Supervising Teacher was only supplied with one and was apprehensive about how to use that to ensure all students were included in the process. Do you have any ideas? I proposed rotation groups but she felt that the students would be too distracted by the one new and novel (exciting!) activity in the room, distracting them and pulling away from other necessary learning experiences.
Thank you for your post.
Miss Wilkes
https://joshualazarusblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/08/blog-1-critique-of-emerging-technology/
Task 1: Digital Technology Critique by sophiluc99
MY COMMENT
Hi Sophie,
Thank you for introducing me to ThinkLink, I’d never heard of it before and it has so many useful features. Having a look around on their website I got especially excited about the possible opportunities that interactive 360 degree images present! My only concern, however, is that the majority of the resource is not free. Looking at the pricing page, it appears that only one (unsaveable) project can be created at a given time. It is only when you begin to pay (starting price) $35 per year that you can involve your class, assign projects, return to them, etc. As cheap as $35 is, it is always a process asking for funding, making it less immediately accessible. Have you worked with this technology before? Is this the case? I hope I have interpreted that incorrectly because it looks amazing. I’d love to use it in a classroom! Good find.
Miss Wilkes.
THEIR REPLY
Hi Miss Wilkes!
Great pick up about the pricing, I completely skipped over ease of use classwide. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! I got so excited thinking about the applications; no use if it’s so pricey!
I similarly would have loved to use it in the classroom.
Great critical thinking!!
Sophie
MY REPLY
Thanks Sophie.
That said, at $35, I’m the sort of teacher who would probably just pay it out of my own pocket if my school couldn’t afford it. But then there is the issue of some students getting opportunities that other aren’t…. it’s a tricky thing to navigate isn’t it! Either way, I can certainly still see great opportunities for this technology even if you could only work on one project at one time; there is still opportunity for all students to get involved in a smaller project, for sure.
Again, great find.
Miss Wilkes
https://sophiedragodigital.tech.blog/2020/03/10/__trashed/
Comments on Design Based Thinking in Education
Week 3: Design Thinking and 3D Printing by nathalierabz
MY COMMENT
Hi there, I loved your post. Your succinct breakdown of the different online programs to use when incorporating 3D printing is so succinct and a very insightful and helpful read for any teacher to gain an understanding of how to use them in the classroom. I also liked your suggestion that they can be used to integrate multiple KLAs as I agree. I have imagined designing a unit on suitable housing for flood prone areas which links well with Geography and the Earth and Solar strand of Science. My summation is that SketchUp would actually be the more advanced choice over the seemingly simple in comparison TinkerCad for primary school students. Your post has me rethinking this now. Given that you’ve commented that aspects of TinkerCad are bit challenging, do you agree that SketchUp (if you’re familiar with this program) would be even more difficult? If so, do you think that perhaps SketchUp may be a bit difficult for some students even in Year 6?
THEIR REPLY
I love the ideas of for Geography and Science! There are really so many opportunities for students to use the 3D printing to extend learning. I am not that familiar with SketchUp unfortunately. I am aware though that students are highly enthusiastic about extending their technical literacy and I believe that most students would welcome the challenges from both websites.
Thanks!
MY REPLY
Hi there,
What a shame, I would have loved your opinions. You are right though, if we can scaffold the challenges of learning new technology, I’m sure they would welcome them!
https://educ3620nathalie.wordpress.com/2020/03/11/week-3-design-thinking-and-3d-printing/
3D Modelling and Printing by nathanlange8
MY COMMENT
Hi there,
Your finished 3D print is impressive! I am curious, for time framing for students, how much time did you put into your design?
Also, I found it interesting that more than once you referred to the aesthetics of your design. Have a read of my blog post to contextualise the following comment, but this is one of Donald Norman’s levels of design! And, though you didn’t comment on it, your design is also functional. But because you did comment on aesthetics I image that his theory about third level, reflective, would reveal to us that aesthetics is more the image you’d like to align with. What a fascinating journey that would be to go through with the students too!
My blog – https://digitaltechnologyintheclassroom.home.blog/2020/03/14/design-based-thinking-via-3d-printing/
Donald Norman talking about his 3 levels of design – https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=RlQEoJaLQRA
Miss Wilkes
https://nathanlange.school.blog/2020/03/16/3d-modelling-and-printing/
Comments on Computational Thinking
Computational Thinking – Microbit and Code Combat by joshmoore1995
MY COMMENT
Hi Josh,
Code combat looks cool! That’s a new one for me. It looks like something our current generation (especially young boys, from what I’ve seen) would get really invested in. I’m nervous about the “request a quote” reference for pricing on the website. I curious as to how much it costs. I hope it’s affordable because I can see this being applied across many stages in Primary Education. Your author bio notes that you are Secondary which is exciting because that must mean you think it is appropriate for that age group too. Thank you for sharing your find!
Miss Wilkes.
https://joshuamooreeduc3620.school.blog/2020/03/21/computational-thinking-microbit-and-code-combat/
Blog 3: Scratch and Developing Computational Thinking in our Students by ben45222827
MY COMMENT
Hi Ben,
I found two of your references in this blog to be really thought provoking, even more so as I didn’t come across these references in my own research.
Firstly, the notion by Carlborg et al. (2019) that technology is an opportunity to apply the skills they are learning is so pivotal to me. What is the point of walking a child through what a skill is, the theory of it, it’s definitions (and so on) if we don’t give them a chance to apply them. It would be similar to teaching someone the mechanics of how to throw a ball without ever giving them a ball. It is so crucial that they get an opportunity to actually embed these skills into their own creative outlets.
Secondly, the finding by Nienke and NieJeuring (2017), that Scratch didn’t have an effect if it was Scratch teaching them! How fascinating! You see programs like that and part of you assumes that it is so well put together that they could just run through it on their own, and yet, no! Proving how important it is for the teachers to have familiar and practiced knowledge of how to interact with the digital technologies they are employing in lessons. It definitely seems like Professional Learning courses need to accompany the purchasing of these types of software, programs, technologies so that teachers can step in as needed, enabling students to reap the rewards!
Thanks Ben,
Miss Wilkes.
Comments on Robotics and Computational Thinking
Robotics in Education by karimhajama
MY COMMENT
Hi there,
I chose to focus on Bee-Bots too! I know that you don’t do any artefact construction with the actual robot, but I still see them as a highly beneficial robot for young students to gain a foundational understanding of robotics. I’m glad you seem to agree. On Bee-Bots, what do you think of the emulator feature in which once you direct Bee-Bot to a location and stop him there, that when you begin his next direction it starts from the beginning of your first? For example, move Bee-Bot forward one space (up arrow), now move him left one space (left turn, up arrow)… and then he actually moves as though beginning again (up arrow, left turn, up arrow). I’m wondering if that’s an annoying glitch that doesn’t happen with the physical Bee-Bots, or if a Computational Scientist could explain to me why it does that.
Anyway, I also enjoyed your reference to Zaweiska & Duffy (2015) in which they comment that robotics actually rises their creativity. I know it’s something a lot of us have said in many different words, but I found this to be nicely succinct. Not to mention, it made me realise how I’ve seen this happen with students creating a robot with Lego Mindstorms EV3. Something comes over the students when they get to construct something of their own and I found this reference of yours to put that into words perfectly.
Kind regards,
Miss Wilkes.
THEIR REPLY
Hi
I am not sure if it occurs with the physical Bee-Bot, as i haven’t had sufficient experience in using them but i am assuming that it does occur with the physical one, as it’s the only logical explanation as to why the creator of the emulator made it that way, but it would definitely be easier to detect and look out for with the emulator, as the directions are displayed at the bottom, but with the physical one, it would definitely be more of an issue.
MY REPLY
Hi Karim,
Such a good point. That’s definitely a benefit of the online emulator. Which is interesting, as with robotics you would assume that the only real benefit to online emulators is to make robotics more widely available and accessible. But the fact that it actually offers a useful feature that the real robot does not is kind of special.
Regards,
Miss Wilkes
https://educ362digitalcreativityeportfolio.wordpress.com/2020/04/12/robotics-in-education/
Blog 4: Robotics and WeDo 2.0 by Joshua Lazarus EDUC3620 Blog
MY COMMENT
Hi Josh,
I’m glad I got the chance to read a blog on WeDo 2.0 as my experience lies with Lego Mindstorms EV3, so thank you! Though I did find one point you made have a lot of crossover with my experience with the EV3: lost components. These kits are extremely expensive and it is incredibly easy to lose parts. Not only are the majority of them very small but I’ve noticed that as students get intently focused on their creation they tend not to notice the bits and pieces getting kicked accidentally across the room… or slipping between the cracks of a bookshelf… or ending up pushed into a pencil case! The kits I’ve worked with have always ended up depleted, making it difficult to maintain because restocking is so expensive. I feel that this is a really important point you’ve raised. Any ideas on solutions?
On another note, I wanted to ask you, have you experienced student distraction as a result of technology with Lego Education robots? I can completely envision it happening but I’ve never experienced it. I’m wondering if I’ve just always had extremely scientifically minded students intent on getting the most out of the opportunity!
Kind regards,
Miss Wilkes.
https://joshualazarusblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/blog-4-robotics-and-wedo-2-0/
Blog 4: Robotics and WeDo 2.0 by Joshua Lazarus EDUC3620 Blog
INITIAL COMMENT BY shaotingzhangsays
Hi Joshua. I enjoyed reading your post on robotics and the Lego WeDo 2.0. You implicitly mentioned this, but the Lego WeDo 2.0 can be built with any other existing Lego blocks that have the standard sized studs. Students who have access to their own Lego pieces could bring them in to aid the construction of their robots, although that presents another set of logistical challenges and considerations.
MY REPLY
Hi there,
Wow that would be difficult I imagine. I love giving students the opportunity to bring things in from home to add to Project-Based Learning expriences… but in this case I wonder if it would become impossible to distinguish between school parts and student parts upon deconstruction. However…. if it’s one overtly different looking piece… that might work?! Such as helicopter blades, maybe?
Regards,
Miss Wilkes.
https://joshualazarusblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/blog-4-robotics-and-wedo-2-0/
Week 4 (post-COVID) – Robotics by cw44637586
MY COMMENT
Hi Casper,
Nice reading your blog. I’m curious on your opinion of the projects that Lego provides as I am in two minds. Sometimes I think they are a great starting point for students to gain inspiration for how things can be assembled… and then sometimes I feel like the fact that they are predesigned to achieve one outcome is limiting student creativity. Thoughts?
Miss Wilkes.
THEIR REPLY
My thoughts is that since Lego already provides predesigns, it does not stop the users from designing something different. Like any other Lego sets, there is always instructions in building something given, yet doesn’t limit anyone from building something completely different. As you stated, it is a great starting point for students to gain inspiration for how things can be assembled. There are countless 3rd party components can be purchased and used within the Lego mindstorm set to build something else. However, that’s extra costs and may not be cheap. I believe that student creativity is what limits their design, predesigns should act as a catalyst which promotes creativity and not limit creativity.
MY REPLY
Hi Casper,
That’s really interesting, thank you for your perspective. It sounds like you are quite familiar with Lego robotics! From what I’ve seen, students are able to get straight into creating their own robotics with the Lego Mindstorms kits. I always assumed they’d need the kits to get started, but I’m yet to find evidence of this. Have you? Would you start out with a kit or just immediately let them begin on their own?
Regards,
Miss Wilkes
https://notabludger.school.blog/2020/04/09/week-4-post-covid-robotics/
Robotics – LEGO Mindstorms EV3 by nathanlange8
MY COMMENT
Hi Nathan,
I found your reference to the programming language being used for Lego Mindstorms EV3 very interesting. Remembering what my tutor at university said, many people find their programming language as developing bad habits for coding, not to mention the pictures being similar and thus confusing. However, I’ve also witnessed the app using this programming language to be extremely user friendly for many students in upper primary school. I know you’ve presented two arguments but I’m curious as to your own opinion. Do you think it’s a good thing that they’ve now introduced multiple programming languages to overcome these negative user comments?
Regards,
Miss Wilkes.
https://nathanlange.school.blog/2020/04/10/robotics-lego-mindstorms-ev3/
Comments on Augmented Reality in Education
Augmented Reality in Education: How AR can be used in classrooms by courtneyborrett
MY COMMENT
Hi Courtney,
I found many things about your post interesting.
Firstly, your reference to the AR games that most people are familiar with got me thinking as you commented that they aren’t specifically made for educational purposes. I’ve actually heard of people incorporating Pokemon Go into their programmes and I’ve always wondered at their success for the precise reason you gave: they aren’t designed for education! However, I know game-based learning has it’s benefits so I have to wonder how easy it would be to successfully incorporate popularised AR games and still achieve valuable learning experiences. Do you think it would be possible?
Secondly, I completely agree that a challenge with AR could be teacher competence. Without the necessary training to use a completely foreign tool it could be easy to get overwhelmed. Furthermore, if teachers aren’t able to problem-solve navigating tools like ZapWorks then it will inevitably lead to student frustrations that go unaided. I am very grateful that I have attended university at a time when a Digital Technology unit was available to get my foot in the door and familiarise with these emerging technologies in a supported capacity.
Oh and lastly, for me, I never needed a back button, I was just able to click “Done” in the top left of my iPhone screen when I wanted to go back to the homepage. Are you on an iPhone too?
Kind regards,
Miss Wilkes.
https://courtneydigital.school.blog/2020/04/07/augmented-reality-in-education/
Augmented Reality by nathanlange8
MY COMMENT
Hi Nathan,
So I have a question for you! I didn’t have time to continue investigating it for myself, but I found the scene transitions confusing and so just abandoned them, but I can see you’ve chosen to use two scenes. Firstly I wanted to let you know that when I viewed your creation, once I entered Scene 2, I couldn’t get back to Scene 1. Secondly, do you know how to fix this? And, did using the “scenes” make sense to you? Because, other than this, I too found the whole process very intuitive and, like you said, very well supported through trialling my editions with Zappar.
I look forward to any insights you may be able to offer me,
Miss Wilkes.
https://nathanlange.school.blog/2020/04/10/augmented-reality/
Augmented Reality in Education by marksblogmacquarie
MY COMMENT
Hi Mark,
Interesting collection of platforms you’ve collected here! I’m curious about Expeditions, I’ve never heard of it before. Could you tell me a little more about how it works? I’m from a primary school background and I noticed you are secondary so I was wondering if you feel it would also be appropriate in younger Stages?
Regards,
Miss Wilkes.
THEIR REPLY
Hi Shellie,
It is quite simple to use. Once the app is downloaded you can use the expeditions search bar to find whatever AR tour you are looking for. For example, you can search “animals” and a range of animal AR tours can be downloaded. Each tour generally has 5 or more as they call it “objects” within it. So I might download a ‘large mammal’ tour which has 5 objects (5 different animals) within it. Once downloaded you open up the AR tour and the animal will appear in the space you are looking at on your device (the space must be appropriate E.g. a 1x1m floor space). You can then scroll through each object in AR as seen in the video in my blog.
I think expeditions would be appropriate for stages 2 and above as younger students may lack the capability to use it expeditions effectively. I also think it has a good range of AR tours which could be used for stages 2 and above primary school students.
MY REPLY
Hi Mark,
That sounds very straight forward, a lot like some of the others I’ve come across. Similar to BBC’s Civilisations, perhaps? And how about creating with it? Is that simple too?
That’s a shame, I was hoping it might be accessible for younger students, I’ve struggled to find any that would be (in my opinion) appropriate for K-2, for example. It does still sound worth exploring though. I looked into Google expeditions when making a Google Cardboard viewer and was so interested in its applications for VR education opportunities that I didn’t venture any further, hence why I thought you may have been talking about a different app altogether!
It is useful how many of the AR/VR apps overlap though, especially from a financial and administrative stand point for schools.
Regards,
Miss Wilkes.
THEIR REPLY
I’m not sure if Google Expeditions is similar to BBC’s Civilisations as I have never used it before.
Creating your own AR is currently available which is unfortunate. However, creating your own VR in Google expeditions is available and it is quite easy to use as can be seen in these videos.
I agree it may be hard to find an interactive AR for that age range. However, I also think it is worth testing out whether Google Expeditions is effective for that age range.
I agree the overlap is great and it can also decrease the learning curve when switching from AR over to VR (or vice versa) when using the same App or technology.
MY REPLY
Hi Mark,
I think if you like Google Expeditions for AR (I’ve had a look now) then you would like BBC Civilisations, ( here’s the app link if you’d like to have a play around with it –> https://apps.apple.com/us/app/civilisations-ar/id1350792208 ).
Wow it really does look easy, enough so even for upper primary, very cool option too. Could be an awesome home work task! I did one of my Professional Experiences at a school that incorporated a “research task” which became a literature stimulus activity. Students would research things like “coolest modes of transport”, demonstrate their research in whatever form they conducted it, then write a text about it. This could easily be a similar sort of task if you knew your students had access to digital devices at home. Love it.
Agreed. I think there are some platforms that would be practical for K-4 to view AR, but perhaps none to create, none that I’ve come across anyway.
Thanks Mark,
Miss Wilkes
https://marksdigitalblog353.wordpress.com/augmented-reality/
Comments on Virtual Reality in Education
Virtual Reality and CoSpaces Edu by hbrown3620
MY COMMENT
Hi there,
I enjoyed reading your post and a few of your ideas I wanted to expand on. For example, I agree that “CoSpaces within the classroom creates a unique and fresh learning experience to help students actively explore and engage their curiosity”. I’d certainly never seen anything quite like it, especially in a classroom; VR is such a unique experience! Though novel, at least at first, this unique quality is sure to be engaging. I was also thinking about one of the more practical concerns that comes with “novelty technology” in the classroom being that it is expensive which is impractical if it isn’t going to be used over time. I’m glad we were introduced to options like Google Cardboard because I’m not sure how heavily I would’ve considered pushing for it in whatever school I end up in if I couldn’t propose a way to make it practical. Which would be such a shame, because then, as you said, the students would miss out on all of those unique and fresh learning experiences!
I also agree this CoSpaces was confusing to learn at first, I even commented that there is a steep learning curve with VR technology in my own VR blog. You added to this in a way that I did not though, commenting that this led you to become disengaged in the activity. It made me realise that I too felt this way at times, which made me realise that this could happen to students as well. I wouldn’t want it to deter me from using it though, would you? It seems like the unique learning experiences you mentioned would be a shame to throw away. Therefore, to navigate this, the way I see it, would be to be well-versed yourself and give the students ample time and practise with the technology. This way, when students do have to do a project or use it for a specific task (especially if it’s part of an integrated unit), they would be able to focus on the task rather than mastering the technology, reducing the cognitive load that Makransky (2019) identified as a problem.
Just a few of my thoughts. I’d love to hear what you think!
Regards,
Miss Wilkes.
https://emergingtechnologyhb.wordpress.com/2020/05/19/virtual-reality-and-cospaces-edu/
MY COMMENT
Hi there,
Thank you for your post. I was wanting to comment on one point in particular because I think it is such a good one, that teachers need to set learning outcomes when using VR. In my own research I read about the concerns that the novelty of the technology could distract from pedagogy (Bower & Sturman, 2015) and I think your suggestion could be a really neat way to navigate this potential problem. Not to mention, as teachers we should generally only be designing activities that enhance the learning experience for the students. Thus, it seems to me that by gearing any use of VR towards a set of outcomes is more likely to result in valuable learning experiences and circumvent the issue of the distracting nature of novel technology.
What do you think?
Regards,
Miss Wilkes
https://gb45229309.school.blog/2020/05/03/virtual-reality/
Reality or Virtuality? by Change
MY COMMENT
Hello Change,
I enjoyed reading your post very much, I found it extremely unique.
I’d like to begin my comment by saying how much your first paragraph resonated (stuck), with me! Whilst studying to become a teacher at university I also completed a specialisation in English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) so I am always considering how my studies relate to EAL/D students in my classroom. I have been following your blog and I deeply respect your reasons for seeking to develop your understanding of digital technologies. I also appreciated your comment that the struggles you have had with VR will likely be struggles that your students will have. I imagine the cognitive load one experiences when trying to understand the highly academic language used in digital technologies is very heightened for second language learners.
However, I also see the benefits of technology such as VR for EAL/D students. One example that springs to mind is when an EAL/D student is struggling to verbally explain their understanding of a certain topic, especially one that involves spatial aspects (geometry, for instance). Once students are able to functionally operate platforms like CoSpaces they would be able to express their understandings visually, better than ever before. Do you agree? Do you see benefits for VR in a classroom like yours?
I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.
Regards,
Miss Wilkes.
THEIR REPLY
Hi, Miss Wilkes,
Really appreciate your understanding! Sometimes it is really hard to find someone who can understand my struggles.
Now I can see why some of my students often don’t do their work properly:) I think language barrier is one of reasons. Now I am trying to use simple Chinese or a mixture of Chinese and English for heritage learners. Being a student really helps me to view things from students’ perspectives.
Yes! absolutely! the benefits of digital technology in education is profound! The way we are doing our unit now is a good example of it. Actually I had negative disposition towards digital technology before studying this unit. I did not understand that why my daughter liked spending so much time on her IPad and that when it came to study she was not willing to do it. Why can’t we make something fun to play and at the same time make kids to learn? I enrolled in this unit with this question. Now I know the power of digital technology. I am trying them out at my Saturday Chinese class after learning something new at our tutorials, for instance, Zapworks, e-portfolio. It really works.
Very happy to have you as my peer, so inspirational!
Change
MY REPLY
Hi Change,
Perhaps I have an empathetic nature! But mostly I think I am able to understand struggles such as yours because I have travelled to many countries where English is not commonly spoken, giving me direct experience in trying to communicate in a foreign language. Those experiences alone have made me realise how difficult it must be for students in my classroom, and for university students like yourself, trying to learn highly complex concepts in a language where you are constantly having to decode! I’d like to think I’ll be able to use some of the technologies we have learnt about in this unit to help my students better express themselves.
I feel the same! I currently run a private tutoring business and I feel like I can understand their perspective much better simply because I am still a student myself. I hope I can hold onto being a lifetime learner as a teacher so that I do not lose that as I think it makes for far better teaching.
“Why can’t we make something fun to play and at the same time make kids to learn?”. Brilliant. I think that summarised this entire unit! And how wonderful that you are already about to try it out, finding it is working! Very exciting!
I feel that same way about you Change: putting yourself into a situation that you profess to know nothing about, perhaps even judge, but remain open to learning about – I feel this is what all teachers should aspire to do, no matter the stage in their career.
Respectfully,
Miss Wilkes
https://cding.school.blog/2020/05/02/reality-or-virtuality/
Using VR in the classroom by ct45424985
MY COMMENT
Hi Corey,
I noticed you made your own VR goggles too! How did you find them? I personally felt the quality was nothing compared to that I’ve experienced with a friend’s Oculus Rift, but certainly enough to still be engaging for students in a classroom environment. What do you think? Useful solution to the expensive alternatives or waste of time?
Also, how did you find the experience of making your goggles? I’m ashamed to say I found it quite confusing until I found a useful instructional video on YouTube. It took me over an hour and a half, start to finish! Not to mention I went to four different stores to find the appropriate cardboard. Plus, I genuinely don’t think primary aged students could do it, or at least not well enough that it would work well. I think the DIY kits you can buy online, like on eBay, could potentially be fast enough though, even for students. Thoughts?
Regards,
Miss Wilkes
THEIR REPLY
Hi Miss Wilkes,
Yes, I made my own VR goggles which helped me immensely when conducting research on the topic of VR. I agree that the ones I made are nowhere close to the experience of an Oculus or dedicated VR headset. But I do believe it does provide a useable alternative for the VR experience in the classroom.
In regards to the making of the goggles, I will admit I took about the same time as you did without the YouTube video as it had slipped my mind when I was cutting out the cardboard. I used scissors and another blade to deal with some of the harder to cut areas. As for cardboard, I used some that I had around the house such as manila folders which were thick enough to support the weight of a phone.
For primary aged students, I think the DIY kits off eBay would be more efficient for them as it would take less time to make I assume, but as I was basing my example on secondary students I believe the experience of making then using self-made VR goggles would be great for their learning.
Kind Regards,
Corey Tran
MY REPLY
Hi Corey,
So glad you replied, I found it very helpful.
I think so too. Especially if you made them in Term 1, then you could incorporate a variety of VR experiences throughout the year, where appropriate, really getting use out of them.
Oh good, I’m glad it’s not just me! Absolutely, a fine cutter was crucial, wasn’t it! I genuinely don’t think you could cut half of it without one. All of the slots, the eyes, etc. And wow, I’m genuinely shocked manilla folders were strong enough! It doesn’t look like manilla folders in your photo (the yellow ones?), so maybe a slightly stronger version of manilla folders that are less common thus less familiar to me?
Mmmm that makes sense. Definitely upper high would get a lot of the experience, I agree. Younger too if you felt they were capable of staying on task. Cost wise, some of the DIY kits were honestly just as cheap as me assembling all the materials myself. Maybe the materials would be lower quality though.. I’d be interested to try them out at some point.
Regards,
Miss Wilkes.
https://eport45424985.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/using-vr-in-the-classroom/
Comments on Digital Games and Design
Week 8: Games-Based Learning by ms.peachey
MY COMMENT
Hi Kirsty,
I enjoyed our conversation the stemmed from your comment on one of my own posts so much that I hunted you down!
First off, I love that you mention that playing games can still promote creative thinking despite limited opportunities to actually be creative. I think this is a really important point because, as Gee (2005) points out, good video games encourage behaviours like risk-taking, something that is clearly inherent in creative thinking.
Secondly, I have also come across research that suggests that not all game-design tasks will be creative. Your comment that not only did you feel like your own game was not creative but also that you came up against problems you could not solve is certainly a potential explanation for this. I also found that in my attempt to design a game that, whilst I knew what I wanted to do, I could not figure out how to do it. I’ve commented myself that there is only so far you can go if you do not have the time to further develop your skills at using platforms like Scratch. I will say though, as you’ve commented, the process of designing a game still provides access for creative opportunities. For example, I found myself utilising creative thinking in my storyboarding and brainstorming phase as much as when I was actually creating the project on Scratch. Thus, my feeling is even if your computational thinking skills reach their end point whilst working on a project, many opportunities for creativity have occurred already.
All in all, great read.
Thanks Kirsty,
Miss Wilkes.
https://44685963educ3620.wordpress.com/2020/05/08/week-8-games-based-learning/
Students are playing what in the classroom?! by RROCHELLE1
MY COMMENT
Hi Rochelle,
I loved this post! Such a unique take on game-based learning and gamification compared to other blogs I have read!
And I have to say, I was particularly drawn in by your reference to several game creation platforms that I hadn’t heard of before. Regarding Sploder, I have two questions: did you make the game you have embedded and if so how would you compare creating with Sploder to Scratch? I myself have made a game on Scratch (feel free to check it out, though I can’t say I’m proud of how incomplete it is! https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/402564187 ). Essentially, I got to a stage where I just couldn’t progress further without knowing it would take me several hours of completing/listening to tutorials, googling specific questions, etc. Unless I had the opportunity to do Professional Development on how to use it effectively, with all of the juggling that I’ve already witnessed teachers doing, it doesn’t seem likely I would have enough time as a full-time teacher to learn the program more fully. Would you agree? Is Sploder similar/different in this sense? I’d love to hear your opinions.
Thank you for sharing such useful information,
Miss Wilkes
P.S. I really enjoy the formatting and layout of your blog, it’s very aesthetically pleasing 🙂
Learning through Video Games by marksblogmacquarie
MY COMMENT
Hi Mark,
‘Flow’, hey? Fascinating! I’d never heard this term used in this setting before. It makes sense though, I’ve also experienced what you referred to as “losing a sense of time”. I feel as though this relates to something I read in a journal article by Prensky (2008) that the rigid timetabling in schools is actually one of the big things that gets in the way of effective game design in schools. I suppose this comes down to a combination of your noted ‘flow’ occurring alongside the many facets of game-design being timely to get through. Either way, though ‘flow’ certainly demonstrated engagement, time is certainly a factor in a school setting. Would you agree?
Sincerely,
Miss Wilkes.
https://marksdigitalblog353.wordpress.com/video-games-as-learning/
Comments on Constructionism and the Maker Movement
Constructionism and the Maker Movement by gbatten99
MY COMMENT
Hi there,
I’ve had a read of your post and I found it helpful that you mentioned the potential limitations of Maker Spaces (cost, physical space). My own digital technologies blog focuses on the practicalities of integrating digital technologies into the classroom and I didn’t even think to mention cost! It’s certainly a potential challenge, however I feel that, depending on the resources you select to equip your Maker Space with, it could still be possible. For example, if you had a Maker Space that predominantly stocked craft materials but had one main piece of digital technology, like a 3D printer for instance (which can be relatively affordable these days), students would still have a creative space in which to embark on open-ended projects. What do you think?
In my own blog I also mentioned the ‘form’ a Maker Space can take on. I think mobile Maker Spaces really provide options for schools/educational settings that do not have ample physical space. I feel these types of Maker Spaces could be more limited than dedicated spaces, but I am of the belief that something is better than nothing. 3D pens, for instance, are a great example of a digital tool that could easily be added to a mobile Maker Space. Small, doesn’t require a large workspace to use, easily transportable, etc. I know that many of the digital technologies commonly found in Maker Spaces are larger than this though… can you think of any other examples appropriate for a mobile space?
Regards,
Miss Wilkes
https://gb45229309.school.blog/2020/05/18/constructionism-and-the-maker-movement/
Constructionism in the language classroom by Change
MY COMMENT
Hi Change,
Wow. Your reference to Confucius pins constructionism exactly! How fascinating that we feel we are being so modern when we come up with philosophies like constructionism and yet the general concept has existed for thousands of years!
I also noted your point about using Maker Spaces beyond the STEM setting. Whilst I agree that STEM subjects are the most obvious use for Maker Spaces, I definitely think there are opportunities for integration with other Key Learning Areas. I’ve listed an example on my page that uses Maker Spaces to finish a science unit on natural disasters, but if this were to be integrated with (for example) a time in history where a flood caused destruction, this could be an appropriate way to help them visualise what they were learning about. As you said, involving them to help them understand.
In the language classroom Maker Spaces may be trickier, I agree. One idea: perhaps students could use 3D printers and pens to create artefacts that could then be used as vocabulary exercises, writing stimuli, and so forth. What do you think? Could you see this working in your classroom?
Kind regards,
Miss Wilkes.
THEIR REPLY
Yes, 3D printing is a good way to practice speaking and writing by designing and printing out a character of stop-motion narrative.
https://cding.school.blog/2020/06/03/constructionism-in-the-language-classroom/
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM 