I challenge you to complete this mini-lesson and consider the questions below.
LESSON
- Watch this news special about the crisis in Darfur.
- Play Darfur Is Dying, a quick mini-game that simulates aspects of daily living in this region.
DISCUSSION
- What is your reaction to this information and simulated experience?
- What, if anything, did you learn from this lesson?
- How might this activity be integrated with teaching and learning?
The National Civil Rights Museum is located in the former Lorraine motel in Memphis, TN where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. I’ve visited the museum several times in the past year and I’ve been trying to blog about my experiences. I’ve been working on this post for four days hoping to find the words that would fully describe the impact of these visits as they have been profound and moving. However, I feel like my efforts to describe my experiences in words only diminishes their impact. What I can say is that I strongly encourage you to visit the museum the next time you are in the Memphis area. I assure you it is worth the trip.
Photo by Clif
Photo by Clif
Image from History Cooperative
I encourage you to checkout the discussion that’s underway at The Playground regarding exemplary technology integration resources. I think that you’ll find that it has some excellent suggestions. A few of my suggestions are below. Please add your favorites the list using the Comments section.
As you gear up for a new school year I encourage you to watch this video clip, Pay Attention, at least once and reflect upon its message. You might find it beneficial to review Karl Fisch’s Shift Happens before you watch this video.
Here is a cool story (Read about it here and here) that could be integrated into the curriculum in so many different ways. I’ll give a few examples to start the conversation, and then you can add your ideas in the comments section.
I’m sure you have other thoughts about using this in teaching and learning, or perhaps you’d like to expound on something already mentioned. Either way, please add your thoughts and feedback by clicking on the Comments link below.
Did you realize that today’s date is 7/7/07? I saw in the news that today was an enormously popular wedding day and that many people were trying their luck at gambling today. There are some really cool ways to tie this into the curriculum, but I’m guessing that very few were in school today because it is a Saturday and it’s July. 🙂
The following is in response to the requests several of you have made for more information about games and simulations in education.
The use of games and simulations in education is increasing. There is a lot being researched, written, blogged, and talked about on this topic. There are increasing numbers of presentations and discussions on the topic at conferences. The topic is also becoming part of the curriculum in more and more educational technology courses and programs. While I believe that the use of electronic games and simulations in teaching and learning is in its infancy, there are those that have had an interest in this for quite some time, and have acquired a respectable level of expertise in this area. I suggest the following resources to help you prepare to integrate games and simulations with teaching and learning in your classroom.
What resources would you add to this list? Please leave your suggestions (provide URLs when possible) in the comments below.
I find this story to be interesting for several reasons. First, the mental picture I have of these toys washing overboard and floating around the world for the past 15 years makes me chuckle. Second, our children think this story is hysterical. Third, it’s cool that technology has made it possible to track these floatees as they’ve trekked the oceans of the world.
I know of examples of students tracking the migration patterns of whales, severe weather, earthquakes, sea turtles, sports teams, things in space, etc. but these rubber ducks bring an entirely new element of fun to such an activity.
What are your thoughts about this?
GUEST BLOGGER
Rachel C. Lees
As educational technology stands today, there is a heavy push for the usage of technology in classrooms for both simple and complex functions.
Standpoint 1: Technology is a wonderful tool for expanding students’ grasp outside the classroom and into new worlds. It can make tasks easier and it can take a lot of the manual drudgery out of everyday tasks that can free teachers up for what really matters: the substance of the lesson and the conceptual mastery.
Standpoint 2: If we integrate technology into the “manual drudgery” of classroom tasks, isn’t there a risk that students will lose their most basic skills or, worse yet, not develop them at all? For example, why should students use the dictionary or thesaurus when they can easily find those on websites? Why should they learn spelling and grammar when the “spell check” does it for them?
For Discussion: Wouldn’t it only be dwelling on archaic, outdated lessons if we pushed for the use of “analog/book” technology? Why would teaching these skills be necessary? After all, we had to give up one-room schoolhouses at some point. If we are truly moving into the age when the computer dominates our basic skills, are we doing ourselves a service or a disservice?
About the Author
Rachel Lees recently graduated from Ithaca College with a B.A. in English and minors in Classical Studies and Art History. She’s currently earning a Master’s degree in childhood education and pursuing teaching certification in first through sixth grades. When asked to briefly describe herself Rachel stated, “I’m from a military family in New England, and I live in Ithaca now with a cat and a lot of books on my shelves.”
The U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, is seeking input and feedback on the role of technology in education. According to the USDE’s Office of Educational Technology‘s site…
Secretary Spellings would like to hear your ideas on the integration of technology in education. Please take a moment to provide feedback on the following questions:
- In what ways has technology improved the effectiveness of your classroom, school or district?
- Based on your role (administrator, parent, teacher, student, entrepreneur, business leader), how have you used educational data to make better decisions or be more successful?
- In what ways can technology help us prepare our children for global competition and reach our goals of eliminating achievement gaps and having all students read and do math on grade level by 2014?
- What should be the federal government’s role in supporting the use of technology in our educational system?
I’m not sure that these are the questions that we need to be asking, but at least there’s the possibility of some dialogue emerging from this. I do think we are at an important juncture with regards to education and technology (and I’ll be blogging about this in the very near future) and I encourage you to please provide your feedback via the online survey.
Here are a few interesting conversation about this topic.
