Second Life Take Two

Ok, so when I saw I had to do another SL quest I wanted to cry.  Not really, but I definitely didn't want to do it.  I put my game face on and gave it a go.  To my surprise, this quest was much better.  Had I have started with this quest, I might not have had such an adverse reaction to SL.  This quest was designed to teach you how to navigate in SL.  I started out with a kiss from a bird...

Then I learned how to fly...

I hope you didn't miss the butterfly in the picture because that was the coolest part of flying.  I was then asked if I wanted to play a game.  Do I want to play a game?  What else would I do with my time?  Absolutely!  (Some sarcasm intended.  There really should be a sarcasm font)  I stepped through the portal, and seriously (no sarcasm this time) I was hooked.  Are you kidding me?  I was looking for crystals in a mythical world, but somehow it kept my attention.  I was chased by a bolder looking thing?  Really I have no clue what it was, but it made me mad, and I was going to beat that sucker. And I fell into a pool of toxic water.  Of course that teleported me back to some random spot.  To say I got lost a few times is an understatement. 

I finally figured out there was a map and what the trails looked like.  I made my way to the caverns, then Whisper Hollow...

I wanted to go ahead and finish my blog post, but I plan on returning to my fictional world to help Tryah figure out what is going on with her kingdom.

Evernote Where Have You Been All Of My Life?

Seriously, I downloaded this app for my Blackberry about three years ago and never used it.  I guess I didn't understand it's full potential.  My husband, not two weeks ago, downloaded the EN app on my iPhone.  Still up until yesterday, I had not used it.  After reading the blog post about using EN to create a portfolio, I was curious.  I began playing around with it on my phone and on my computer.  To my surprise, I love it!  I created a notebook and began "clipping" useful websites.  I find websites all the time of ideas I want to implement in my classroom.  I just add them to my bookmarks, and they get lost in the crowd.  With EN, I can create a notebook that is accessible from my phone, computer, and iPad.  This notebook is organized by tags, and I can search text.  How cool is that?  I am a dork...I know. 

In my English classroom I think I could use EN in a number of ways.  Specifically for students to organize their online research.  They could begin researching a topic and "clip" the websites they use.  Within their notebooks, they can take notes over the topic and write directly on the webpage.  They can highlight important text and attach files.  These notebooks can be used for individuals or they can be shared and edited by a group.  This is just another alternative to using Google Docs.  When they have finished their paper/project, they can add it to the notebook as well.  This is then easily accessible from any mobile device or computer.

In my Spanish Classroom I am always looking for ways for students to showcase or portfolio their work.  Many times the students make videos to go along with their projects.  They do a vocabulary slideshow each chapter as well.  EN is an easy way to compile all of their digital sources into place.  My students have to turn their computers in each semester.  Having their notes on EN will allow them to study and have access to their materials over the summer and on into college. 

Professionally I will use EN as a method of keeping up with digital resources for my English and Spanish classes.  Should my hard drive crash, I would have a back up of all my important documents.  I can also share the information with my pair teachers.

On a personal level, this is just another way to back up and document things I would like to remember.  I take a million pictures using my iPhone, so this is a way to keep up with all of them.  I could keep a wish list of items for our new house, or keep up with the houses we are looking at.  Overall, this is a great way to organize all sources of digital media.

Can Games Really Save The World?

I have two questions after watching the video Gaming Can Make The World Better.

A) What are we saving the world from?  Are we saving the world from the oil crisis, pollution, global warming, etc., or is there something bigger.  Does the world need saving from hatred, oppression, war?  I would say those are the bigger issues, but how can gaming teach that?  Call me crazy, but I believe the key to all of those things is love; a love that can only be learned by human interaction.  As a Christian educator, one of my daily goals is showing my students the love of Christ, and how to love others.  Will I be able to teach that through gaming?  I would say probably not.

B) Are the games being created as “exciting” and “appealing” as WoWC? I have never actually played the game so I have no idea.  If the game can attract grannies, then I am guessing there is something pretty special about it.  Can that excitement be replicated in the classroom?

I can appreciate the fact that people are more engaged in games.  I get it.  I understand that people don’t have the fear of failure in games like they do in real life.  Could it be because they know the game is not real?  In real life there is a fear of failure because it can bring about death, pain, and suffering.  In a game, you can just hit restart if worse comes to worse. 

I think creating games that inspire people to save the world is a very noble cause.  I just don’t know how these games will stack up to WoWC.  If kids and adults know they are doing something noble, will that not defeat the purpose to some extent.  The kids in my classroom only want to do something because it is fun.  If they figure out they might learn something, it kind of looses it’s luster.  I guess everyone has an intrinsic desire to save the world, to do something purposeful with our lives.  If the game creators can appeal on that level then maybe some good can come. 

How does this apply educators of young adults though?  Today’s students cannot unplug.  When they are forced to in the classroom, they struggle to stay focused.  Our learners are changing, but we as educators are not. 

Gamification would cause the breeding of a whole new type of learner.  In the other class I am taking this semester we just learned about the difference between an adult leaner and younger leaners.  The adult leaners are more proactive and understand the need for what they are learning.  Will gaming cause students to be more proactive in their education?  Will the classroom change from teacher centered to learner centered?  As much as we would all like to think that that shift is already taking place the number of traditional classrooms (teacher centered) still outnumber those of student-centered classrooms.  I believe the overall issue is what we are trying to teach.  We have such a broad span of what “has to be covered” that we only reach the surface of the topics.  If we limited what was being taught, and really dug deep into the wealth of information available, I believe our learners would be happier in the classroom.  Would gaming help this change be possible?  I think so.  So many times we are asking our students questions that they can find the answer to on Google.  If we are doing that, we are failing them.  There are so many tools available online that would allow the students to do more than merely scratch the surface of a subject.  I am still wrapping my head around gaming.  I am still trying to figure out how this will change my classroom and those classrooms around me.  As for now, I am trying to keep an open mind.  If we can find solutions to the world problems through gaming, then that is awesome.  Through the gaming though, will we be loosing anything?  I would say yes.  We are loosing valuable face-to-face interaction time with our young people.  As humans, we need to have those relationships.  Will kids be too busy saving the world to have dinner with their family, or focus on problems within their own homes?  How will they learn to have healthy relationships if more and more of their communicating is done online? 

Second Life...Yeah Not So Much

Second Life, as it is so inappropriately named, is supposed to be just that.  A second life.  To me however, it was a colossal waste of time.  People are able to sign on and create an avatar.  This avatar can look like you, but in most cases, people are walking around as vampires or German Shepherds.  Seriously, I talked to a German Shepherd.  The people are able to interact with one another via chat.  They also teleport to various worlds.  In theory, this can be used in the educational world to expand the classroom.  I thought I would give this a try by going to "Mexico."  Wow pretty cool right?  Wrong.  The point of this place is to practice your Spanish.  Well, if there had been people on the island, that would be great.  I was there at the specified time and no one was around.  Well the German Shepherd was, but he didn't speak Spanish.  I thought I would use the time to try out the dance floor.  Well, it took me another five minutes after I was done dancing to figure out how to stop.  Obviously there is a learning curve, but I just don't have the time nor desire to figure it out.  Call me crazy, but I think there are better ways to expand the classroom (I just don't know what they are yet).  I thought I would give
Second Life another shot by checking out the ancient ruins at Machu Picchu.  Sorry, but again Second Life failed... miserably.  There is no a way a computer generated image can compete with that of the ancient ruins.  I think having my students use Google Earth would be a much better way to discover the location.

Maybe some will want to use this in their classrooms.  I obviously will not be using Second Life anytime in the near future.   After teleporting to numerous locations looking for something that might be educational.  I even checked out Eagle Island.  Apparently that is a pretty cool place because all of my classmates enjoyed lounging on a hammock.  I don't know, I saw their screen shots, so I checked it out.  Give me a real hammock any day but laying on a hammock in a digital world?  I just don't get it.  I am a live in the moment kind of gal.  I can enjoy a good video game because there is a point, but you will never catch me living a second life in a computer generated world.  Facebook is the closest I will come to that.

This Doesn't Surprise Me

Helicopter Parents Hover In The Workplace

Matthew was on his way home from work the other day and heard this story on NPR.  Being that we work in a private school, we definitely come into contact with "helicopter parents."  These are the parents that are overly involved in their child's academic career.  When I was a kid, my parents might ask me if I had homework.  The keyword... you guessed it, might.  Most nights, I just took care of it.  If I didn't, I was the one to fail in the long run.  In no way did my performance in school affect them.  I went to a public school.  They were not paying $15,000 a year for their child's education.

"Helicopter parents" are so involved where I teach, that they want to know what homework their child has, tests must be posted two weeks in advance, and grades must be kept up to date.  After all, a parent can check a child's grades minute by minute via Net Classroom (an online parent portal).  This puts so much pressure on the students as well as the teachers.  Well, helicopter parents are not limiting themselves to elementary, middle, and high schools anymore.  Oh no, they are taking their kids to college and then into the workforce.  Literally.  Parents are writing resumes for their students as well as calling employers to give them the skinny on their child.  When I told my dad about this he said, "I would never hire some whose mommy called me to help them get a job."  My sentiments exactly.  I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree here.  The author of this article says maybe colleges and organizations should embrace these helicopter parents.  Give me a break!  Are these parents going to continue cutting up little Johnny's steak and tucking him in until he is 30?  What are these parents teaching their children?  I can tell you what they are not teaching them.  It is a little something I like to call responsibility!

7 Ways To Reward The Brain Analysis

Super Mario Brothers

Super Mario Brothers was by far my favorite video game growing up as a kid in the 90s.  There was something about jumping over tubes, stomping on mushroom men (I never picked up the lingo obviously), and beating King Koopa, that made my life seemingly complete.  My sister and I would sit for hours as long as our parents would let us, playing the game.  We tried every trick in the book to earn extra lives, and tried our hardest to beat that game without skipping levels.  Skipping levels was cheating.  I think I beat it once that way.  I think...  Now present day, my husband and I have a Wii.  I have Just Dance 3, but let's face it, as a pregnant momma Just Dance is not my game of choice right now.  What game do we play most often?  You guessed it, the updated version of Super Mario Brothers.  The updated version give you continuation of life no matter what (seriously, we have tested this many times).  We will sit and play as long as we can keep our eyelids open, which at best is 9:30.  Hey, we are both old and teachers.  We are up every morning at the crack of dawn.  I digress...We laugh every time we die, because one of us did something stupid.  Usually we make the same mistake a few times, then learn from it.  Wait, did I say learn from it?  You mean LEARN from a video game?  Keith Stuart writes in his article The Seduction Secrets of Video Game Designers, that people can actually learn from video games.  If that is the case, why then did my mom limit the amount of time I could play my Nintendo.  I want a do over!  Stuart claims our brains learn best by learning from "systems and puzzles."  I believe almost all video games would fall into these categories.  We as humans like playing games because there is a natural progression.  You see your successes and failures, and are not judged for either of them.  In fact, in video games failure is ok and sometimes celebrated.  He gave an example of their being a reward for the best car crash in a racing game.  I can't tell you how many times I have been in competition over failures while playing a video game (I hope that made sense to you because it made total sense to me.  If not, check out the article).  I think we like learning from video games because the games are always progressing.  There are games in which you "beat" the game, then get to go back through it with even tougher challenges.  Take any NCAA Football game.  There are multiple levels.  You win on All-American, then work up to Heisman level.  A football game is a great segway to Stuart's next point, control.  My husband's favorite games are the games in which he gets to coach a football or baseball team.  In real life, the man has probably never played a whole game of football or baseball.  He will never coach a "real" team unless you would consider little league coaches as "real" coaches.  Obviously I do not think little league coaches compare to collegiate and pro-level coaches.  Again, I digress.  My husband sure can coach an award winning team though on his PS3.  Stuart believes we all need control in some way.  Video games are the perfect way to gain this control.  They allow us to live in a fantasy world for a time.  We are rewarded for our successes as we go.  Each game gives a sense of stress in the form of a problem that needs to be worked out.  We master the problem, and boom, we are rewarding in an amazing way!  Stuart states, "games always notice success."  How often do our good deeds go unnoticed?  The article supports the thought that video games fulfill our intrinsic needs of control, success, and experimentation.  I am not going to lie by saying I didn't get a little excited to earn an extra badge in our class game.  I also like having the control to complete tasks at my choosing, and I also like seeing my points tick up.  There is something about me that likes competition.