Integrating video games into your classroom!

Recently I have found a very interesting blog. It is about several video games which can be integrated into the classroom instruction. I found it on the Website of Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day, and you can find the links as follows: Video Games in Classroom Instruction.

I find it interesting and useful. I have played a lot of video games before, and I am pretty sure that most of my students will be interested in those games. However, I never thought of integrating those games into my classroom instruction. Inspired by the author of the blog, I suddenly realize that we can use those games to make the teaching more interesting and funnier. Like in the escape game series, we can use it to teach prepositions or vocabularies or whatever you can find in this game. This game will definitely motivate the students to learn, and as teachers, you can make the students engage more in the class (As in the games there are always options for you to choose).

I will absolutely try it in my future classroom, and I believe that it will be great! I hope you guys can check it out, and maybe also try it sometimes. Trust me, it is going to be amazing!

A social networking group

Recently I found a social networking group: Technology Integration in Education


This group, as the name indicates, is about all kinds of technology which can be implemented in a classroom. I like the forum part and the blogs part so much because they provides all of the educators a place of exchanging information and ideas in the educational technology field. What is more, the group is not only about the language education, it includes the teaching of every other subjects. And it is always so exciting to get some ideas from a brand new perspective. For me, the website is really useful and I recommend it to all of you guys! Check it out!

Connectivism

In my opinion, the learners of today is like the beacon towers. The beacon tower is designed as a signaling or guiding device. The main function is to connect with other beacons to form a large "network". The learning environment today is like a big network. It is amazing because we can exchange a large amount of information with the help of technological tools like blogs, wikis, etc. It is possible now that we can acquire the information or knowledge we need in a very short time, no matter how abstruse the information is. To realize this, every learners will perform as a beacon tower, trying to link with each other to form a huge "information network", and provide useful information to other people.

In George Siemens's article, he holds a very similar view toward the learners of today. He contends that "The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe" (Siemens, 2005). From this, I think Siemens is trying to convey a notion that in this information age, it is more important for you get the ability of acquiring the information through the network, and serving as part of the information network, than the ability of simply having some knowledge. Also in the video - The Impact of Social Software on Learning, Siemens said that "I think in the learning today is one of forming networks with each other". Again he emphasizes the importance of networking, and that learners have to play the role of information exchangers.

I used to hear a saying that you can be connected to anyone in the world though six people around you. I believe in this, and I suppose that we are all connected with each other in this "network". On the basis, I guess if all of us can fully serve as the "light beacons", the amount of information we can access to will be unbelievable, and that should be a great thing for all of us, especially the learners.

Reference:

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age
The Impact of Social Software on Learning

A review of A Vision of K-12 Students Today

I recently watched this video: A Vision of K-12 Students Today

It is really an interesting video. It describes a vision of the students today in the clip that students will use engaging technologies in collaborative, inquiry-based learning environments with teachers who are willing and able to use technology's power to assist them in transforming knowledge and skills into produces, solutions, and new information. From the video we can learn that what 21st century learners usually do: they spend a lot time engaging with all kinds of technologies. They watch TV, use computer, listen to iPod, text messages, write blogs, and play games. It is apparently that the learners will spend a large amount of time in using all these technologies. And it is the learners' expectation that they want to share information with each other, and learn through using podcasts, blogs, wikis, etc. These kids in the video raise good question: why don't we apply those technologies in classroom when they really work, and the learner want them so badly?


BTW, the video itself is inspiring to me. No one says anything in this video, but definitely it is a good way of showing the students something. Surely I will try these kinds of technologies in my future teaching because I believe that learning by doing is a good way for the students to acquire knowledge.