Games in the classroom, a reality, but which ones are good for my students?

By Gustavo Sarmiento
Spring Branch Elementary

Having the chance to give my students technology devices gave me a great opportunity to see the students in action with their equipment. The opportunity to identify what they like and what they don’t. At the same time the struggle as teacher to select correctly the apps and games that I believed were the best to help students practice new concepts learned.

New technologies give new ways to teach content to the students. Gamification, one of those strategies, for some might be a trend, to others, a great way to engage students to experiment or to practice rigorously their newly acquired content.

Effective instruction includes rigorous activities for the students, what we always look for when selecting activities for them. Barbara Blackburn defined rigor as creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so that he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels (Blackburn, 2008)

When students engage in meaningful rigorous activities, they get the opportunity to practice their newly acquired content. Students can complete the process to internalize those concepts that might become more permanent. Games, properly developed, can help a teacher reach this goal.

In the past years different companies have started to implement games in their professional development programs in order to help employees increase their abilities and be better at their job. This type of professional development could be the way employees (our current students most likely) will learn specific skills needed for the company they will work for. Games are starting to permeate from the entertainment arena into the education arena.

Students come to the classrooms already knowing how to work with technology, some with a better degree of understanding than others. In the end, outside school life they have been interacting with technology for most of the activities they are truly interested and engaged in. What happens when they come to the classroom? Are teachers providing them with tools to interact, to learn, and to work the same way they will find once they finish their school life?

The real challenge for teachers is to find the games or if you are up to the challenge, to develop them effectively to help students reach that goal. What should a game have in order to be effective? Researchers agree that the following should be included:

- Role playing. When students have the opportunity to have a role in a game their creative sense will spark. “Critical learning in any domain should lead to learners becoming, in a sense, designers” (Gee 2003/2006, p. 96)

- Stages. The students get to acquire knowledge by going through different stages of learning as Bruner suggested for the Intellectual Development in Children (Acts of Teaching, p.258). Stages in a game help support the learning process, however the outcome or outcomes from one stage should be used in the upper stages helping the students to make connections.

- Rewards. Students are often driven by this. Our lives have become more and more the search for rewards whether intrinsic or extrinsic. This kind of system keeps people going to certain stores to get points that will translate later into discounts. Students are driven by this system too. They keep engaged and looking for more.

- Collaboration, opportunities to interact with others. We have the need to interact, to be social. “Gamers are extremely productive and collaborative within the realm of a game.” [Friedman, Stan. “Finding the Future: Inside NYPL’s All-Night Scavenger Hunt.” Library Journal. July 13, 2011.]

- Sandboxes. The place within the game where the player has the opportunity to practice skills not having the risk to fail or loose points if the activity is not done correctly. As suggested by Gee in his book Good video games + good learning: Collected essays on video games, learning and literacy. New York: Peter Lang., J. P. (2007)

I don’t believe that gamification should take the place of actual instruction, but can become a great medium for our students to get a virtual exposure to possible real life experiences. The opportunity to face the challenges they might encounter outside school life. Why not give them the chance of a head start?

Other sources:
Gamification in Education by Akesha - Purdue University, Instructional Development Center blog.
The Principles Behind Game-Based Learning, Bowling Green State University.

Major Google Apps Changes for Students!

As a Google Apps district we want both our students and teachers to get the most out of Google Apps. There are functions and features within Google Apps that were previously unavailable but are now accessible and usable. In order for this to happen we had to make a change to all student Google accounts over the summer. Below you will find a list of the features now available within Google Apps followed by the major change made to student accounts and what they will need to do.

Google Apps CHANGES effective start of school 2014:

·         Students no longer have to migrate their work after 5th grade.

·         High School students will have access to additional Google tools such as Google+ Hangouts and Communities.

·         Teachers can now collect student login information on Google Forms so teachers will know the email of the person completing the Form/Quiz.

·         Google Classroom will function properly – coming soon!

All students are affected.

The new student domain is: mysbisd.org
(ex: dwarfhap000@mysbisd.org)

·         The old domains (e.mysbisd.com and mysbisd.com) will remain up and running for at least the fall semester 2014-15

·         Students will need to migrate the earlier documents and projects they want to save to their new accounts.  (Video how-to to come by September 2014)

·         Student Google passwords remain: sb+lunch number

Summer Opportunities and More from Ed Tech

Teachers, Set Up your Lync!

If you need help with Eduphoria, Camtasia, Windows 8, etc., Educational Technology will want to “remote” in to your desktop using a new program called Lync. Issues are quickly resolved without several exchanges of email. Not only can we reach you quickly, you can Lync anyone in the Ed Tech department whenever you need help. We are always online. To set up your Lync to launch everyday, follow these instructions:

• Click the Win8 Start button
• In the Search box, key in “Lync” and hit Enter
• Right-click on the program Lync 2013
• Pin to either Start or Taskbar
• Launch Lync
• Sign in with your full Spring Branch email (no password)
• You’re done and ready to chat, video call, present, share, collaborate!
• Watch these tutorial videos or join the Teacher Laptop Mission at mysbisd.com/edtech for more training and tips!

Summer Learning Opportunities with Ed Tech!  

Click here to see a list of courses being offered in June at the Technology Training Center.  Sign up today and jump start your summer the Ed Tech way!

Online PD Opportunities this Summer!

There are lots of online opportunities to learn this summer (and beyond)! Take a look at the free courses that are being offered from a variety of providers! Read more...

Gradebook End of School Year Reminder: Grade Change Requests

If you need to change a grade from a closed grading period, the following will demonstrate how to do this. The steps are listed below.


Once a grading period has closed, you cannot change an assignment grade or term grade without going through the following process. Please remember that you will have a maximum two hours to complete the process. If you do not finish the process in two hours you will have to start over again.

1. Hover your mouse over the Options button in the column heading of the grading period and choose Grade Posting Status for Term.

 

2. Click Request Grade Changes.

3. In the Reason for Requesting Grade Changes box, type the reason you are requesting a grade change, then click Yes.

4. The grading period is now open for grade changes for the next two hours. You are able to make changes in the gradebook for the grading period. When finished, hover your mouse over the Options button in the column heading of the grading period and choose Grade Posting Status for Term.

 

5. Click Complete Grade Changes.

6. Click Yes.

7. Your administrator, or designee, will then receive your request for grade changes. They will either approve or deny your request.

End of Year Procedures - All Other Campuses

All Other Campuses:
1.    For campuses that are shutting down completely for the summer, teachers are urged to take their laptops home with them. If you use your laptop at home, be careful that you do not install any upgrades. This may cause your job-related applications to stop working.   
2.    Leave your keyboard, docking station and monitor in place.
3.    Networked printers should stay plugged in but turned off.
4.    Desktop computers (both PC and Apple) need to be plugged in but turned off.
5.    Leave all Classroom Based Technology devices plugged and stored in the charging cabinets.
6.    All other technology items such as document cameras should be stored and locked.
7.    All classroom based devices remain in the room as devices are assigned to the room, not the teacher.
8.    For damaged devices, submit work tickets on these devices and they will be repaired if the damage is repairable.
9.    Macbooks should be stored in their charging carts and the carts plugged into an electrical outlet. 
10.    Leave Macbooks and iMacs turned off but plugged into an electrical outlet
11.    Computers in COWs need to be connected and the COW itself should be plugged into an electrical outlet. Make sure that keys to the cabinets are available to allow summer work.
12.  ActivBoard Procedures:

• Put your pens and wands inside of your ActiVote/ActivExpression case for safe storage over the summer.
• Take the batteries out of your ActiVotes/ActivExpressions while stored. This keeps the batteries from exploding and corroding in the warm temperatures.
• Wipe your boards with a clean, soft towel that is lightly damp to get smudges off. For any stubborn smudges, you can lightly spray your towel with whiteboard cleaner and wipe away those marks.
• Lock up all ActiVotes, hubs, remotes, ActivPens, document cameras and webcams.
• Disconnect the ActivBoard cables from the docking station and coil the cables behind the ActivBoard.

13.  If your campus has large scale floor cleaning during the summer, your campus principal can coordinate with the Customer Service Department on how to facilitate this process.  

Please email the Help Desk at 251Tech@springbranchisd.com or call 713-251-TECH (8324) with any questions concerning these procedures.

End of Year Procedures - Construction/Renovation Campuses

Construction/Renovation Campuses:

RCE

If your campus is under renovation or new construction, your campus principal will give you instructions for end of school year technology procedures.

End of Year Procedures - Summer School/Program Campuses

Summer School/Program Campuses: 

MHS, SWH, SOE, TCE, PSE, BCE, SBE, FWE, EWE, HME, HBE, KIPP, YES Prep, SSE, WWE, WVE, RGE, NMS, SWM, TCE

1.   Outgoing teachers assigned to campuses being utilized for Summer School or Summer Programs are urged to take their laptops home with them. If you use your laptop at home, be careful that you do not install any upgrades. This may cause your job-related applications to stop working.  
2.    Leave your keyboard, mouse, docking station and monitor in place.
3.    Leave your phone plugged in.
4.    Networked printers should stay connected and turned on so it can be used during the summer.  
5.    Leave all Classroom Based Technology devices plugged and stored in the charging cabinets. Be sure to lock your charging cabinets.
6.    ActivBoards, ActivPens, Projector Remotes and Keys: 

• Do not disconnect the ActivBoard cables. Please leave all ActivBoard cables in place.
• Place the following items into a baggie:
  • ActivPen
  • Projector Remote
  • Key to the cabinet/closet where your ActivClassroom Equipment will be stored.
  • Key to the charging cabinet for your Classroom Based Technology devices.
• Label the baggie with your name and Room #.
• Check the items in to your principal for checkout by summer school teachers.
  

7.    All other ActivClassroom equipment remains in place, including ActiVotes. These will be used during the summer. 
8.    All classroom based devices remain in the room as devices are assigned to the room, not the teacher.
9.    The computers in the COWs need to be connected and the COW itself should be plugged into a power outlet, even if they will not be used for Summer School. Keys to the COW must be checked in to your Principal.
10.  Your campus principal will contact Custodial Services or the Campus CSE to address any special situation. 

Please email the Help Desk at 251Tech@springbranchisd.com or call 713-251-TECH (8324) with any questions concerning these procedures.