A Guide to Gamification: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Gamification

Gaming Can Change the World

You may be hearing a new word in education and technology a lot these days: Gamification. Gamification applies elements associated with video games (game mechanics and dynamics) in non-game activities. In a nutshell, gamification is a means of increasing learner engagement and promoting good classroom behaviour. In 2011, Deterding defined gamification as using game design elements and characteristics in non-game contexts. Think of the key elements of a game: achievement, goals, rewards, quests, and the ability to level up your character. Generally, each of these drives a player’s promotion or levelling up within a game. Gamification takes that reward and levelling structure and applies it to participants, that is, your learners.

Tweet, “Gamification is a means of increasing learner engagement and promoting good classroom behaviour.”

As a classroom management tool and motivator, gamification has great potential in pushing learner achievement and making school more attractive (Lee & Hammer, 2011). The idea here is that using a gamified tool can introduce what really matters from the world of video games – increasing learner engagement – without using a specific game. The levelling and reward system borrows what makes good games fun to play. Learning can be fun if learners learn as if they were playing a game.

The Good

The gamification framework will help guide the educator.

  • Create challenges tailored to the learner’s level of knowledge, and increase the difficulty of these challenges as the learner acquires new skills.
  • Set up multiple ways to successfully achieve an objective, allowing learners to overcome roadblocks in learning.
  • Consider failures part of the learning process. A learning objective can be met successfully after several failed attempts without penalizing learners.
  • Enable learners to assume different identities and roles, allowing them to explore the interaction with other parts of who they are.
  • Enable peers and parents to recognize a learner’s progress.
  • Maintain a standard of behaviour and expectation in the classroom while rewarding learners who meet the challenges set before them.

Here are some examples of systems that show gamification at its best and examine gamification research.

The Education Arcade

The Education Arcade is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology initiative and has material for educators to produce more effective teaching methods. The site also has news and commentary on contemporary education developments. Content on the site is designed for grade 5-12 educators.

GameSalad

GameSalad is a game design education program that is simple enough to master quickly but complex enough to create highly customizable materials and games. Once educators use it, it’s easy to teach learners to create their own games. They’re on Twitter @gamesalad

Games and Learning Alliance

GALA, the Games and Learning Alliance, blogs on serious developments in gamification and the intersection of games and education. They invite many people to submit papers commenting on gamification’s impact on behaviour. They’re on Twitter @gameandlearning

Educators can turn to several games and tools when looking to implement gamification in their classrooms. These are two of the most effective curriculum and classroom management tools we recommend.

ClassDojo

GoalBook

The Bad

As is the case with most trends, some teachers and administrators want to use gamification just for the sake of using it. The name is catchy, it sounds fun, and many educators and researchers in technology have praised its results in other fields. But maybe gamification isn’t right for your classroom, certain learners, or the demographic of learners. Before implementing a gamified system, think about why gamification can work for your classroom. Think of the end pedagogical goals of teaching using gamification.

1) How will you teach using it?

2) What parts of your classroom will be gamified?

3) What could go wrong?

If it’s difficult to come up with solid answers to why you would use it in the classroom, it may be best to go in a different direction.

The Ugly

Knowing what can go wrong in your classroom with gamification is important. As with any changes to your pedagogy, you need to consider how learners could be negatively affected.

Choices

Offering too many quests or goals in a small timeframe could overwhelm learners. They might log in, see 25 quests, and not know where to begin. Limit the expectations in your use of quests or assignments.

Leaderboards

Instead of motivating learners, reaching the top of an “academic” leaderboard might be considered “uncool.” Worse, this might alienate learners who are already struggling. Consider making this optional for learners or highlight winners of various tasks and quests beyond academics.

Neglecting Player Types

Gamers play games for many reasons. Some play to win, others play for the fun of it, and many of your learners play to make friends or engage with their friends outside of school. This makes for many types of players/learners. Most gamified systems cater heavily to the competitive type. If your game/quests/goals ignore players’ cooperative or explorative types, your learners could disengage. Diversify your quests to consider all types of learners or players.

Not Celebrating Failure

Games celebrate success, but they also celebrate failure. Navigating a game always involves several “redos” or failures as you progress. If you are not celebrating failure in your gamification model in the classroom, you are not celebrating learning. By only celebrating success, you place value on winning rather than growth and persistence. Do you have badges for “Sticking With It,” “Big Improvement,” or “Asking for Help”? You should!

Gamification can be a helpful process for engaging and motivating your learners. However, doing it right requires thoughtfulness and an awareness of how your learners learn best.

The Mobile Mathematician: Math Apps to Multiply Success

mobile math

How can math apps help learners multiply success?

It is not new knowledge that math is a hot topic in the 21st century. School boards have put forth great effort through professional development and curriculum resources to shift the direction and purpose of math education. When designing any lesson based on the curriculum, educators need to consider content knowledge, building, thinking, communicating, and applying knowledge. Over the past century, mathematics education has focused heavily on content knowledge building through rote learning practice. Learners then apply this knowledge through worksheets or standardized tests. Educators have exposed learners to math manipulatives for a long time, but these learning tools only supported learners’ success with standardized tests.

Mathematical Thinking and Communication Skills

Of course, math content knowledge and application have their place in learning and are important for learners to be successful. You can consider this knowledge as a building block towards high-order thinking. However, in the 21st century, the education system is seeing a dynamic shift from rote learning practices and tests to recognizing, encouraging, valuing, and assessing learners’ mathematical thinking and communication skills. With an importance placed on thinking and communicating, math in the 21st-century classroom looks a lot different. Educators are now encouraged to focus on learners’ development of new knowledge in math. This knowledge is not necessarily new to everyone. However, it is specifically a new understanding of math for the learner that developed it.

Tweet, “We should focus on learners’ construction of knowledge instead of just the consumption of knowledge.”

Problem-Based Learning

Educators are now implementing more inquiry-, project-, and problem-based instructional methods to support learners’ knowledge instead of just focusing on the consumption of knowledge. Problem-based learning seems to be one of the more prominent choices for collaborative mathematics instruction. It begins with educators posing a question or problem that learners then work in pairs or small groups to solve. Problem-based mathematics aims for learners to construct their own methods and strategies for solving problems. It leads to new knowledge within the group. After learners develop strategies to solve the problem, educators usually hold a whole class congress. Learners share and compare their different strategies and discuss ways to improve each other’s strategies.

As you can probably see, mathematics education focuses more on the learning process than the product. Educators assess learners throughout their math strategy development and large group explanations. While this type of mathematics learning is progressing, learning resources need to fit the 21st-century learner. Learners today respond and are motivated differently than their predecessors, and educators need to consider this when developing their mathematics lessons. The current generations of learners have developed skills to manipulate technology to support their learning. Today’s learners are more motivated by and prefer to learn through interactivity and multimodality within digital technologies.

Tweet, “Today’s learners are motivated by interactivity and multi-modality within digital technologies.”

Digital Touch-Based Technologies

Research has also demonstrated the unique affordances of digital touch-based technologies like tablets to enhance 21st-century learning like problem-based learning. Apple iPads are specifically unique in their lightweight portability, the wide array of apps, unique touch-screen interface, simplicity, intuitive design, speed, and affordability compared to other tablets brands. With these features, tablets can enhance a blended learning approach by making learning accessible anytime, anywhere. Moreover, digital touch-based mobile technologies, like tablets, can support multimodality and learners’ development of 21st-century literacies and skills.

The following provides an overview of mobile technology apps that enhance mathematics instruction in the 21st century with this context in mind. It is time to produce Mobile Mathematicians!

Math Apps for Problem-Based Learning

It is common practice for educators to give out chart paper as a platform for learners to work out problems and record their strategies. However, since most classrooms have 20 to 30 learners and one educator, it can be difficult to go around the room and record learners’ thinking and communications. The educator may miss important conversations between learners and does not always capture the full process of how learners work through problems collaboratively. It can also be difficult to capture how learners are testing different strategies and finally settling on a strategy to solve the math problem.

Screencasting Apps

Different apps have been developed with mobile technologies like tablets to capture learners’ thinking and communications. These apps are commonly referred to as screencasting apps. Screencasting apps resemble mini interactive whiteboards within the tablet. Learners can use multiple modes within the screencasting app, such as drawing tools, picture uploading options, typing tools, and an audio recording tool. Now, this does not sound much better than what you could capture by just viewing learners’ work on chart paper. However, screencasting apps capture these modes throughout the process as learners use them.

Educators can have learners press the audio record option right away. The app captures learners’ conversations and screen interactions simultaneously. The screencasts playback to educators like videos as learners progress towards their final product. Educators can play the combined audio and video file with screencasting tools to see learners’ whole progression towards their final product. That can be extremely helpful when assessing learners’ thinking and communicating.

Furthermore, since learners usually share their work in a whole class congress, learners can play the screencasting videos for other groups to watch. With this type of technology, learners do not need to try and recount everything they did to form a math strategy and solve the problem. Rather, other learners can see the whole process in action. For shy learners, screencasting videos provide an additional opportunity to share their voices without the intimidation of speaking in front of a large group.

Here are some examples of great screencasting apps:

Educreations

ShowMe

Explain Everything

Snagit

Apps as Math Manipulatives

Hands-on learning is imperative throughout learners’ learning process. However, hands-on learning does not always mean manipulating concrete objects in the digital era. Many educators use concrete manipulatives to demonstrate concepts and further have learners practise these concepts. However, keeping in mind that learners today have a natural and intuitive ability to manipulate and respond to technology, it seems more appropriate to have learners practicing and working through problems with digitally enhanced manipulatives. Digital manipulatives provide learners with the opportunity to touch, slide, and tap in a hands-on manner. However, this process happens in a digital environment potentially better suited for digital natives.

With mobile technologies such as tablets, learners can move more fluidly between screencasting apps and readily accessible math manipulatives while solving math problems. The portability of the tablet also enhances the use of these digital manipulatives. Learners can easily rotate the tablet to show what they have done with manipulatives. They can easily carry the tablet to the educator or another peer to inquire and ask for feedback on what they have done. This process would be much more difficult with regular concrete manipulatives.

Here are some fantastic math manipulative apps:

Number Frames

Geoboard

 Number Line,

Pattern Shapes

Number Rack

Number Pieces

Connecting Cubes

Manipulatives have gone digital! Furthermore, many math manipulative apps have built-in lessons to enhance self-directed learning through a blended learning model (i.e., Brainingcamp math apps). Learners can use these apps to support strategy development and problem-solving within groups during problem-based learning activities.

Apps to Support Math Content Knowledge Building

Educators mustn’t eliminate the components of math content knowledge building. Learners need to be equipped with general knowledge and understanding of math content to have the tools to tackle different math problems. Math content knowledge building is a prerequisite for math knowledge construction. Tablet app developers have developed a slew of rote learning apps to support general math content knowledge.

However, educators need to take a step back and not be too eager to download these different math apps. Educators need to look for certain features to support a blended learning model for math education. Math apps for content knowledge building need to ensure self-directed learning through scaffolding and immediate feedback features. Furthermore, personalization features like setting up separate student accounts enhance the educator’s ability to modify math instruction for varying levels. Built-in reward systems will further encourage student motivation and self-directed learning.

Educators need to ensure that the features mentioned above are built into math content-knowledge building apps so that effective 21st-century instruction can happen. Educators can spend less time teaching content through traditional teacher-directed methods with more self-directed and personalized apps. Rather, educators can spend more time encouraging student knowledge construction, strategy development, and problem-solving skills. In junior, intermediate, and senior grades, learners can access and use content knowledge building apps at home so that even less teacher-directed instruction happens in the classroom. Math content-knowledge building apps include games, instructional videos, or instructional videos with built-in math manipulatives and interactive activities.

Here are some examples of math content-knowledge building apps:

Prodigy

Prodigy app is an interactive math game that resembles Pokémon for primary, junior, and intermediate learners. The app learns learners’ math skill levels and provides appropriate math questions based on learners’ math abilities. It also has personalized student accounts, built-in manipulatives for learners to access when answering questions, reward systems, and immediate feedback to scaffold learners’, correcting their answers and learning from their mistakes.

Check out this blog post on Prodigy: Are YOU Ready to Make Math Magical?

MyBlee

MyBlee is an interactive app for learning math content within instructional videos. The instructional videos, however, go beyond traditional videos. Learners learn through a gradual release of responsibility by watching demonstrations, practicing with digital math manipulatives, and applying knowledge through rote learning activities. MyBlee also provides immediate feedback to scaffold and correct student learning. It has multiple reward systems, personalized student accounts to support differentiated levels, and extra manipulatives for learners to access when needed.

Check out this blog post on MyBlee: Self-Directed Math with MyBlee

Math Planet by Playpower

Math Planet is a math game app where primary and junior learners can learn through different levels based on different math strand concepts. Each level comprises fractions, number operations, geometry, and other number sense and numeration activities. As learners work through the activities, they move on to different levels or ‘planets.’ This app has a great reward system and motivating features. However, there are limited scaffold features and no readily accessible manipulatives for learners to support learning.

Check out this blog post on Math Planet: 1, 2, 3…BLAST OFF to the Math Planet App by Playpower

Learning Bird

Learning Bird is a mobile-friendly web app offering a wide variety of instructional videos on all curriculum strands for learners in grades 6 – 12. There is an abundance of math instructional videos that you can connect to the curriculum directly. Educators can group math videos on specific concepts into playlists for learners to watch anytime, anywhere. Learning Bird provides each student with their own account, and the variety of videos you could choose for a playlist can support differentiated instruction. Furthermore, educators can assign learners working at different math levels resources geared towards their math abilities.

Conclusions

Learners need to understand the why and how of mathematics and its real-world application to become 21st-century mathematicians. Therefore, 21st-century math classrooms must utilize tools that encourage learners’ engagement in problem-based learning activities, scaffold student learning and provide the math content knowledge needed to build new knowledge. Mobile technologies like tablets will equip learners to build 21st-century skills like critical thinking, collaboration, communication, computer and digital technology skills, and creativity. Essentially, learners will become 21st-century Mobile Mathematicians!

Resources For Remembrance Day

Poppies are a common Remembrance Day symbol.

November 11th marks Remembrance Day, an opportunity to honour those who have served in the nation’s defence. Originally referred to as Armistice Day and known as Veterans Day in the United States, this date represents the end of hostilities in the First World War. We pay tribute to veterans by wearing poppies, participating in two minutes of silence, and reciting the poem, “In Flanders Fields.”

Teaching Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is an important occasion and a meaningful learning opportunity for learners. History classes teach learners about November 11th, but what about other subjects? How can we implement a cross-curricular approach to integrate Remembrance Day into our other classes?

I have taken several key concepts as inspiration for lessons in the following subjects.

Visual arts

Keep Calm and Carry On has an unexpected connection to Remembrance Day.
(Source: Wiki Commons)

“Keep Calm and Carry On” has become a popular saying, remixed meme, and image that your learners are sure to recognize. I bet they didn’t know that the British government made the original poster version to boost morale during the Second World War. By engaging your learners in a discussion about morale, you could ask for examples of how the poster has been altered but still contains similar sentiments. A simple Google image search will retrieve thousands of versions, like “Keep Calm and Stay Strong” or “Keep Calm and Sparkle On.” You could then ask learners to create a version for themselves, using their best morale-boosting prose that reflects their own mantra. They could also write a one-paragraph reflection on their poster, explaining its meaning and how it relates to the original British concept.

 

 

 

English language arts

The Peace Sign
The peace sign. (Source: Pixabay)

While most learners use the peace sign in their selfies or think of it as a symbol of the 1960s flower-power era, Winston Churchill used it first. It used to be an obscene gesture, but Churchill transformed it into one of peace and positivity. Have learners conduct further research into the topic and write about how the peace sign has evolved. How is it most commonly used now? How has the meaning changed?

 

 

Drama

The poem "In Flanders Fields" is often recited on Remembrance Day.
In Flanders Fields poem. (Source: Wiki Commons)

Using the poem “In Flanders Fields,” have learners create a tableau. A tableau is when learners create still images with their bodies to depict a particular scene. Divide your learners into small groups, and give each group two to three consecutive lines of the poem. Learners should discuss what their lines mean and then work together to create the still images that symbolize them. Have a learner narrate the poem aloud (or play it from a recording) while learners form their silent scenes. Together it will depict the entire poem. Afterward, they should be able to explain the meaning behind their lines.

 

 

History

Example timeline from Tiki Toki.
Example timeline from Tiki Toki. (Source: Tiki Toki)

Guide learners to create a timeline that captures the ten most important events from the First World War. One easy-to-use online tool is Tiki-Toki, which allows learners to create events and add images, videos, and URL links. Learners can colour-code events into different categories, allowing them to analyze the event’s significance further and determine its category. Other online timeline tools are Sutori, Timetoast, and Preceden.

 

 

How will you be teaching Remembrance Day in your classroom?

 

Additional Remembrance Day Resources

Canadian Veterans Day Teacher Guides

#remembrance #november11 #lestweforget

Integrating Tech: How We Do It Right

Tech in education

Technology—it’s all around us. When we say we want to integrate technology into the classroom, what do we mean? Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer to that question. We will discuss simple and transformative ways to start integrating tech into your classroom. The role of educational technology is to promote, assist, and support you as an educator and engage your learners. Keep these ideas in mind, and you can make technology work for you and your learners.

Think beyond the computer.

Computers are great technology tools, but does every learner have access to one? Most aren’t lucky enough to be in a school with a 1-to-1 program, so how do you ensure that all learners benefit from tech integration? Other options are economical to purchase or already exist at your school, such as mobile devices, student-polling devices (clickers), digital/flip cameras, interactive whiteboards, projectors, document cameras, or televisions with DVDs video-streaming capabilities.

Take stock.

The latest tech toy displayed at last year’s conference wowed us all, but what tech is right for you and your learners? First, take a look at what you already have. Are you using it to its full advantage? If you have a Learning Management System, capabilities such as journaling, blogging, or flipping the classroom may already be available to you. Do you have computers, interactive whiteboards, tablets, or video-conferencing equipment collecting dust? Start by integrating these tools into your teaching plans. Start small. Even little changes can make a big difference.

Do your research.

Once you’ve taken stock, ask yourself if you’re comfortable using these tools. Will you need to help your learners learn to use them? If you’re not comfortable using the technology, don’t use it in the classroom. A lack of confidence often means that the tech may be little more than a distraction. The reality in most schools is that you will have to train yourself to use the technology. But don’t be afraid to reach out to colleagues or search for support on the internet. Many products have useful websites that can help.

Use tech to your advantage.

Collaborate with others using the internet. Utilize websites, conferences, workshops, and your peers to exchange ideas and share stories about what has and has not worked. Resources include:

Involve the learners.

Don’t be afraid to involve your learners. Have them research different technology-based projects or present a topic using tech tools such as SchoolTube, Prezi, or VoiceThread. You may be surprised at how creative your learners are. Some may have less experience or access to technology—be prepared to spend time with these learners. You may be able to group them with more tech-savvy learners. However you support these learners, they mustn’t become anxious about using technology.

Recognize when tech is not the best solution.

Say what? Isn’t this post about how to integrate tech? Yes, but tech has the greatest impact when used appropriately, not simply because it exists. Take the desired learning outcomes into account and recognize which technology will work best for each situation. Sometimes simpler is better. You are still the educator. If using sticky notes for brainstorming is better for your learners than an online tool, then use sticky notes.

Do not stop teaching.

Technology does not make you irrelevant. Technology does not replace the educator; it simply gives you more options (email, web conferencing, blogs, etc.) to facilitate learning. Be specific when you give tasks, and include detailed instructions and timelines.

So now what?

To integrate tech in the classroom effectively, you must be an active facilitator, give explicit expectations, and foster interaction and communication. If technology is to have a positive impact on learning, it can’t be an afterthought—you must integrate with the understanding that it’s a part of your teaching plan, not an add-on. Over the next few weeks, think of ways to use technology in your classroom. Start with a single project. You may be surprised how easy it is once you’ve done a little planning.  

Special thanks for contributions provided by Jo Kenney of A Pass Educational Group.

New School Year Resolutions for Teachers

The first day of a new school year is almost as magical as the moment the ball drops at midnight on December 31 in that there’s so much to look forward to—new learners, a new classroom, and new Pinterest decorations covering the walls of your space. Take advantage of this time by setting a few goals or resolutions for yourself.

Write them down, tell your educator friends, whatever it takes to make sure you stick with each one. Whether you’re learning how to use a new classroom tool or giving yourself an hour of “me-time” every day, you’ll be glad you did.

Start a Teacher Blog

You can use a classroom or teacher blog to display student work, communicate with parents, or share classroom tips and stories with fellow educators. However, if creating and implementing a blog in your classroom seems daunting, focus on taking the first step: Sign up on WordPress or Edublogs and write your first post—you might get hooked!

Make Time for YOU

As an educator, it’s so hard to make time for yourself. It seems like a never-ending loop of work and more work between grading papers and prepping for lessons. Resolve to make more time for yourself this year, even if it’s just one hour after you get home to have a relaxing dinner before diving back into work.

Try a New Classroom Tool

Challenge yourself to try at least one new classroom tool this year. With so many budget-friendly options to choose from, it’s easier than ever to find one you love without breaking the bank. Try one of these new tools that will help you to engage learners better while broadening your skillset:

Try Blended Teaching

If you’re not ready to dive headfirst into technology, try a blended approach, where you combine traditional and modern techniques to engage your learners better. Start your lesson with a traditional lecture method, followed by blogging, watching a YouTube video, or something more fitting for the lesson.

For example, take learners to Ancient Rome with Google Maps after a lesson about the history of this once prosperous society—you can literally walk the cobbled streets of modern-day Rome, giving learners a cultural and geographical lesson that is exciting and engaging.

Get More Organized With Technology

Something is satisfying about writing your to-do list and crossing each item off by hand. However, this isn’t always practical, especially when you’re trying to remember what you need to do tomorrow while driving from school to the grocery store, your lone sticky note sitting on your desk at work.

Use tools like Evernote, TeuxDeux, or Vitalist to keep everything in one easy-to-access place while still having the satisfaction of crossing off or removing an item from the ever-expanding list.

The new school year is a chance to improve yourself and your teaching. Use it as an opportunity to try something new, make time to focus on yourself, try a blended learning approach, and more. You never know what you can accomplish with so much ahead of you.

Why Pop Culture has a Place in the Classroom

Comic books can bring pop culture into the classroom.

Incorporating pop culture and media into the classroom is a divisive issue amongst educators, and not without reason. While pop culture has its benefits, it could be distracting if integrated inappropriately. It can also be intimidating for an educator to relate to learners of a different generation without feeling out of touch.

However, the benefits of teaching using popular media are substantial. It helps engage learners, brings lessons off the page, and addresses controversial topics. Furthermore, it could be a fun lesson for the end of the semester or a light distraction during tense academic periods.

Why should educators include pop culture in the classroom?

“We cannot sit back and let our students passively digest the material. No, instead, teachers should actively engage students in discussions about the controversial material bombarding them,” Mark Hauser wrote in EducationWeek, rallying educators to stare down music with inappropriate themes rather than shy away from it.

Hauser notes, correctly, that “clean” versions of popular songs mask the profanity but don’t modify the inappropriate themes that come with the chosen language.

The net result is that learners believe the moral shortfall is in specific profane terms. However, the overarching theme of the content is more damaging to a student’s life view.

Pop culture provides a great jumping-off point for discussions on ethics, morals, and current world events regarding controversial themes.

Music, movies, and entertainment inspire richer discussion than news articles. Articles require a reader to see a rolling coverage to understand and engage on the topic.

The educational consultant’s other resounding point is that pop culture lessons help educators meet learners in the middle. They relate to each other in ways learners understand. Educator Clay Morgan endorses this point.

“Lucky I know about zombies,” he petitions before detailing how he used the 2009 film Zombieland to explain the Morgenthau Plan. This strategy made a bored class come alive.

The Morgenthau Plan sounds like something dry in a heavy textbook, perfect for closing and taking a nap. Introducing the topic through the Zombieland rules of zombie apocalypse survival, in this case, Rule #4, “The Double Tap,” as Morgan does, can draw more interest from the outset.

How should educators include pop culture in the classroom?

Would Benjamin Franklin be a Facebook user? How would Abraham Lincoln’s presidential campaigns look on social media? What would the Great Fire of London or the toppling of the Roman Empire look like on Twitter?

Teach learners a lesson about digital media while deeply exploring historical figures and events. Have learners create social media accounts for important figures and events.

The task calls upon digital literacy and storytelling elements that they feel comfortable with while challenging them to think critically about history and social media.

It can be daunting to incorporate music lyrics and movie references for an educator from a different generation than their learners. Educator Tim Weedon, however, provides a three-step framework for educators using pop culture in their classrooms.

Stage 1: Prep

Weedon begins by casually asking learners about their tastes in music (his pet area of interest). He then analyzes the responses from his learners for relevance to topic areas covered in the curriculum course. Weedon pays close attention to lyrical content and themes, ensuring they fit the class’s age.

Stage 2: Development

Using pop culture in group activities is a great way to break the ice in a new class. Weedon suggests assigning learners reading and developing song lyrics/poems in groups. You can read a full breakdown of his lesson plan on Development Education.

Stage 3: Practice

Primarily useful in teaching literature analysis, Weedon asks learners to analyze their favourite song lyrics and how they would be relevant to the course.

The educator subscribes to the same view as Hauser on any inappropriate subject matter. He says, “It is better to discuss the text rather than avoid the subject matter without offering any educational choices or advice.” He does, however, state that he looks closely at the chosen songs and doesn’t guarantee their use.

Once they have decided on their topics and songs, they break down the song structure through vocabulary, spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and linguistics.

A popular and effective format for lessons is song. Educators use the melodies of well-known songs or match a popular style to teach a lesson. It takes confidence, but it is fun for educators and makes content incredibly catchy and memorable for learners when done well. I’ve been singing math lessons in my head all day on more than one occasion!

There are many resources to guide you through using pop culture in your teaching. It’s an element of pedagogy that can give an edge to your teaching and provide a deeper reference to content. Join one of the many communities online, connect with educators on social media, or dive into music, movies and tv. It isn’t as intimidating as it seems.

These are some great resources for you to explore incorporating pop culture in the classroom:

Browse Tim Weedon’s full series here: https://developmenteducation.ie/feature/exploring-popular-culture-in-education/

Visit the Popular Culture Pedagogy Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/popculturepedagaogy

Digital Writing: Tips, Tricks and Techniques

digital writing tips and tricks

“I started incorporating digital storytelling, and I saw changes in my students. I saw that they were thinking in new ways and writing in new ways and enjoying it. That is when it really started to blossom for me.” Seth Mitchell – Lisbon High, Lisbon, Maine

Teachers Are the Center of Education: A Profile of Eight Teachers – National Writing Project

“Schools are in catch up mode” for digital writing, argues Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, co-author of the book Because Digital Writing Matters. She believes school practices are outdated because “so much of school writing is consciously in the other direction” compared to professional and social trends.

The notion of writing has fundamentally changed. Outside the classroom, the writing that learners encounter is overwhelmingly digital. That’s a direction that all levels of society are moving toward at an increasingly rapid speed.

The Importance of Teaching Digital Literacy

There are obvious barriers to implementing digital writing in the classroom. As with EdTech in general, that includes a lack of resources, a lack of training, and the pressure of standardized testing. However, the ever-increasing march of digital writing in our society makes it more important to teach learners, so they have the skills to match the world they will be entering post-grade 12.

A National Commission on Writing report described writing as a “threshold skill” in the workforce. In their report “Writing: A Ticket to Work,” they implore “the nation” to invest in “new and emerging technologies” to advance their writing and for assessment to go beyond multiple-choice, machine scoreable items. “Assessment should require students to actually create a piece of prose.”

Twitter Language Games

The Atlantic asked, “How much can you say in 140 characters?” In 2011, they quoted Chinese artist Ai Weiwei saying, “In the Chinese language, 140 characters is a novella.” In English, however, it is far from a novella, necessitating new, truncated word forms such as “2” for too.

Drawing on the need for concise writing and the spirit of Ernest Hemmingway’s famous six-word story (“For sale: Baby shoes, never used”), the New York Times Learning Network created a learning activity designed to develop learners’ comprehension and ability to convey more with less.

Instructions

  1. Start by writing or printing out a batch of short stories you like from www.sixwordstories.net.
  2. Distribute them to the class and give everyone a few minutes to analyze them individually.
  3. Lead a discussion on what they have just read with questions like:
    1. How did it feel to read stories six words long?
    2. Which one caught your attention?
    3. What do these stories have in common?
    4. Do you think it is easier to write a short or long story?
  4. Have learners pair up and re-write a familiar story – a classic novel, fairytale, or nursery rhyme.
  5. After 10 minutes, have learners read their stories to the class. Wrap up with a discussion based on the following questions:
    1. What skills do you practice by writing so concisely?
    2. What do we lose and gain by adhering to a strict word count?
    3. Is this easier or harder than long-form writing?

Remember, digital means more than just the same words on a different canvas. As famed academic Marshall McLuhan wrote, “The medium is the message” – the format in which a message is written implicitly influences how it is produced and perceived.

A pen and paper activity is not necessarily nostalgic if it puts digital media principles into practice, as the need to be concise.

A Case for Spellcheck

LanguageTool is an online program that detects spelling, grammar, and syntax errors. Users can tailor it to over 20 languages and specific English variants like UK, Australian, and New Zealand. Using a processor-like LanguageTool helps learners develop style and grammar skills. When learners run their writing through a robust filter, it picks up the mistakes that a standard spelling and grammar check might miss.

It is often argued that spelling and grammar checkers are reducing literacy. However, studies found that we are producing new words faster. According to a Stanford study, we’re using new words in writing more than ever. Spelling errors are becoming increasingly fatal in job applications. We are arguably more literate and less tolerant of errors than ever.

“[A spelling error] says that an individual cannot produce work to a given standard no matter how qualified they might be,” says Mencap CEO Mark Goldring.

As Seth Mitchell observed, incorporating digital skills into writing classes is a great way to build a learner’s enthusiasm for writing and engage in school content in new ways. There are many tools available to add a digital component to your writing classes and just as many approaches you could take. We’ve listed just a few techniques and practices to get you started.

If you have any tools and techniques you use or are trying out some of the ones we’ve listed in class, let us know on Twitter @learningbird.

Pair what you’ve learned in this article with our blog posts on:

Blogging as a Cross-Curricular Teaching Tool

Telling Stories with Technology

Storytelling With Technology

Storytelling with technology can increase digital literacy.

Storytelling is an important skill for kids to develop while at school. It’s a soft skill that will help them think more creatively, give more compelling presentations, and develop greater confidence. There are many engaging digital platforms that you can use in the classroom to stimulate your learners’ creativity in innovative ways. We have compiled our top five tools for telling stories with technology.

iMovie

iMovie, Apple’s free editing software, takes the intimidation out of video-making and editing. Learners can import videos filmed on their phones or camera devices and begin editing straight away with the program’s simple interface.

Learners can make creative movies and presentations and turn assignments into documentaries. It is easy to edit the clips by adding titles, transitions, music, effects and performing basic colour correction and quality enhancements.

Being such a widely used product means a robust community also provides tips, tricks, and advice on making videos. Check out Apple’s manual, iOS guides, and the O’Reilly iMovie manual.

Storybird

Storybird is a web-based application that allows learners to write a story to picture books. They have subverted the storytelling process and developed a tool to get learners thinking creatively. Storybird hosts batches of images featuring characters interacting and doing various things – like making a mess when eating – for learners to put words to.

Storybird is a great way to teach writing skills to younger learners and challenge older learners’ creative and storytelling skills. The platform is highly visual, easy to use, and has specific account types for educators.

Pages

Pages is a great example of how the traditional barriers to publishing are being broken down and handed to people in intuitive platforms that promote the production of high-quality content. Apple believes in the quality of Pages enough to enable people to publish the books they have created in the Apple Books store and generate a profit from their work.

However, let’s slow down for a second. What can learners do with it? Well, it’s as easy as putting together a PowerPoint presentation. With its simple click-and-drag style functionality, learners can turn their reports and assignments into books, create stories, and even create a class textbook to use as a study tool. They can insert pictures, videos, graphics and embed web widgets to make their books interactive and engaging. They can then share the final product online to create a timeless resource for their peers.

Action Movie FX

Action Movie FX is a little more fun. Still, the iOS app also serves as a case study for how easy making engaging videos has become over the last few years.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most grown-up, responsible men went through a period in their childhood when they dreamed they were the stars in their own action movie, which is exactly what Action Movie FX does. The app uses the iPhone camera to shoot video. You can easily add effects like missiles, tornadoes, lightning strikes, falling rocks and machine gunfire.

So this is one for the older kids. Still, it is nonetheless an excellent way for learners to get comfortable with making videos and have fun with this app.

Podcasting

A standard laptop computer comes with all required to make a podcast, barring downloading a new piece of software. Once you have your microphone and recording program, you’re ready to join the audio platform that acts as the radio of the 21st Century. Learners can turn assignments into documentaries and presentations into talk shows on this versatile medium. They can even record musical performances or recreate radio dramas and comedies of days gone by. To create podcasts in the classroom, simply:

  • Record audio with a cheap microphone (or your computers) into Garageband, which comes with a Mac, or Audacity (an open-source audio recording program) if you are using another operating system.
  • Edit audio in the program you have used. You don’t have to be a sound engineer and can possess a tin ear for this step. The important thing is using the scissor tool to trim parts of the recording you don’t want to feature.
  • If your learners are comfortable with these programs, they can get creative with music and sound effects which they can search for and download from places like freesound.org.
  • Compress the file to an mp3.
  • Upload the podcast to a class portal – a blog, podcast hosting site, or social media channel like SoundCloud.
  • Share their creations amongst the class, other classes, or the world!

 

So, it’s time to get creating in the classroom! Making movies, podcasts, magazines, and books are substantially easier than ever. It’s an excellent way to teach storytelling and vital digital literacy skills. You may even inspire a learner on the way.

Easter Lesson Ideas for Educators

These Easter lesson ideas are egg-cellent.

Easter is just around the corner, and many educators are most likely preparing lessons for this upcoming holiday. Look no further! Here are four engaging and eggcellent lesson ideas that you can use with your learners.

1. Science

The Egg-Drop

This hands-on lesson involves a lot of critical thinking! It includes a very delicate object and a multi-level building. Here is how it works: Learners must find a way to protect an egg from cracking, but here is the catch: they will be dropping their egg outside a window and onto the ground. Learners can use any materials they choose, as long as it protects the dropped egg. Learners have come up with all kinds of interesting solutions in the past, from using bubble wrap contraptions to placing the egg in a tinfoil ball – there is no one right answer.

We know that eggs are very delicate, and finding the perfect mechanism is challenging. This forces learners to think critically and master divergent thinking by experimenting with trial and error. You can even have them use the scientific method to hypothesize their results. Tips for educators: Place a tarp or plastic covering on the ground before the experiment to avoid a dreadful clean-up. Happy dropping, kids!

2. English language arts

The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs

This classic tale has a very important moral: Don’t be greedy. Read this story to your learners (you can find an electronic copy at www.storyjumper.com if you don’t have a copy in your library) and have them come up with an alternate ending that conveys a different moral than the original story. Learners will have the opportunity to think creatively and use their imaginations to create an alternate ending to a classic story. Have learners read their stories aloud in pairs, and they will have to guess what the moral is that their partner is trying to convey. It is a fun activity for younger kids, as they will love trying to guess the moral of a classmate’s story!

3. Science

Properties of an Egg

Use eggs in your science class to teach the properties of matter. Have learners determine the characteristics of an egg by handing out an assortment of eggs to the class. The assignment is to determine the egg’s colour, size, texture, smell, and sound. Since eggs come in various colours and sizes, it is a great activity for comparing the properties of the different types. You can also use other food items associated with Easter, such as jellybeans, marshmallows, and bunny chocolates, to compare the properties of the different food items. In addition, you can place learners in pairs and have one partner describe their item by using specific characteristics while the other is blindfolded. They will have to guess the food item based on their description. Learners love this activity!

4. Math

Jellybean Statistics

Use jellybeans to teach learners how to graph. Place learners into groups of four, and give each group a bag of jellybeans. Have each student pick their favourite colour jellybean and count the quantity of that colour in the bag. Learners must then graph the various colours’ quantities using a bar graph. The materials you need to carry out this lesson are jellybeans, graph paper, rulers, and coloured pencils. Learners can colour each bar to match the colour of the jellybean they are graphing. It is a great way to introduce children to the concept of graphing.

Happy Easter from the Learning Bird team!