Gamification of Education

This video is from a series I taught for school districts. It is now available for free, here on Ask a Tech Teacher:

–summarize with NoteGPT

Summary

Jacqui Murray discusses the integration of technology in K-8 education, focusing on gamification to enhance learning.

Highlights

• 🎮 Gamification enhances learning by incorporating game elements into education.
• 💻 Keyboarding skills are essential for students in a technology-driven world.
• 📚 Vocabulary building is crucial across all subjects for comprehension.
• 🌐 Digital citizenship teaches safe online practices for students.
• 🔍 Research skills promote inquiry and curiosity in students.
• 🏗️ Games like Minecraft and Sim City can teach complex subjects effectively.
• 📈 Engaging students through games can improve retention and understanding.

Key Insights

• 🎓 Gamification is a powerful tool that transforms traditional learning into interactive experiences, making education more appealing to students. This approach fosters engagement and motivation, which are essential for effective learning.
• ⌨️ Mastery of keyboarding is critical, as students will be tested on these skills. Teaching proper keyboarding habits at an early age helps ensure students can focus on content rather than mechanics, supporting their overall academic performance.
• 🔠 A strong vocabulary is foundational for academic success. By encouraging students to decode unfamiliar words in context, educators enhance comprehension and prepare them for standardized assessments.
• 🛡️ Digital citizenship education is essential as students navigate online environments. Teaching them about online safety and responsibility ensures they can engage positively and productively in digital spaces.
• 🔍 Encouraging research and inquiry through dedicated projects like Genius Hour fosters a sense of ownership in learning, allowing students to pursue their interests and develop critical thinking skills.
• ⚙️ Education-focused games must have narrative and character development to be effective. When students engage with games that require problem-solving and critical thinking, they learn necessary academic concepts in a fun way.
• 📊 Statistics show that a significant number of people engage with games regularly. Leveraging this interest in gaming can bridge the gap between entertainment and education, creating a dynamic learning environment that resonates with students.

This video is from a series I taught for school districts. It is now available for free, here on Ask a Tech Teacher. It includes videos on: (more…)

World Kindness Day, celebrated on November 13th each year, promotes kindness across the globe and emphasizes compassion toward others. This day encourages us to look beyond boundaries, religions, and cultures, focusing instead on the simple act of being kind. Founded in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, it is observed in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Promoted by National Geographic, here’s what you should know about Geography Awareness Week:

Too many young Americans are unable to make effective decisions, understand geo-spatial issues, or even recognize their impacts as global citizens. National Geographic created Geography Awareness Week to raise awareness to this dangerous deficiency in American education and excite people about geography as both a discipline and as a part of everyday life.

Each year more than 100,000 Americans actively participate in Geography Awareness Week. Established by presidential proclamation more than 25 years ago, this annual public awareness program encourages citizens young and old to think and learn about the significance of place and how we affect and are affected by it. Geography Awareness Week is supported by access to materials and resources for teachers, parents, community activists, and all geographically minded global citizens.

Here are excellent resources to promote geography lessons:

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As many of you know, I have two wonderful children–one a CDR in the Navy and one a SFC In the Army. I also have a long family history of relatives who fought for America. So today, I salute them and all others who have put their lives and dreams aside to support America’s values and principles. I can’t say it better than these videos:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHGGtSUckaA] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTKmjhJ1__o&fs=1&hl=en_US] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNqUORIFV4I&fs=1&hl=en_US]

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National STEM Day is November 8, 2024, the unofficial holiday that celebrates science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education throughout the United States. Many add ‘art’ to the celebration for the acronym, STEAM. Here are some great ideas that remind your students of the excitement that is these core subjects:

Ten Ways to Celebrate National STEM Day with NASA

National STEM Day focuses on helping students advance in STEM fields, a priority of NASA as we continue to push the boundaries of exploration and soar into the future. In celebration of National STEM Day, we challenge you to engage and inspire the Artemis generation as we go forward to the Moon by 2024 and continue to innovate in the areas of Earth science and aeronautics. To help you join in on the festivities, here are 10 ways you can celebrate National STEM Day with us.

49 STEM Activities for Students 

On November 8^th, we will celebrate National STEM Day to get kids excited about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Together the STEM subjects represent some of the fastest-growing and most in-demand fields in the United States.

While STEM topics seem a natural fit in high schools and post-secondary curriculum, education experts are promoting a focus on STEM subjects for younger and younger children. 

12 Projects for your STEAM program

Twelve favorite STEAM projects where artistic thinking becomes the engine for unpacking solutions. 

Activities from Engineering for Kids

National STEM/STEAM Day is dedicated to all things science, technology, engineering, art, and math. STEM (and STEAM) represents some of the fastest-growing and in-demand fields in the world today and Engineering For Kids is passionate about inspiring the next generation of engineers, artists, and innovators.

Bring Weather into Your Lesson Plan with Earth Networks and WeatherSTEM

One of the hottest topics in schools and an area of greatest need is STEM resources.  Earth Networks has developed creative and compelling STEM curricula on a variety of weather topics. Any school with a weather unit or an onsite weather station will appreciate this site. I asked them to drop in and explain their education programs to the AATT community:

4 Lesson plans

This STEM bundle includes four lesson plans: Engineering and Design, The Human Body, Keyboarding and the Scientific Method, and Robotics. All incorporate technology into authentic class activities such as bridge building, note-taking, and math. Each lesson plan includes an Essential Question and Big Idea, average time required to complete, suggested appropriate grade level, suggested teacher preparation, step-by-step directions (see preview for an example), assessment strategies, pedagogic background, samples, and images (where relevant). 

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169 tech-centric situations—tech topics most important to your teaching as well as practical strategies to address most classroom tech situations

Today’s tip: Evaluate websites

Category: Parents

When students use the internet to research a topic, likely they get hundreds—or thousands—of possible resources. Beyond selecting based on key words and extensions (such as selecting websites that end in  .edu and .gov), how can they make choices that will inform their learning rather than misguide it?

Here’s a poster with seven tips on how to evaluate websites:

• Is the author knowledgeable?
• Is the website publisher credible (one the student knows to be accurate)?
• Is content accurate (based on student knowledge)?
• Does the content include a depth of knowledge on the subject?
• Is the information included on the website up to date? The definition of ‘up to date’ will vary with the topic. History probably doesn’t change much, but science might (such as Pluto is no longer a planet).
• Is the website unbiased? Are they sharing information so readers can draw their own conclusion or trying to get them to agree with an agenda?
• Is the website age-appropriate? Does it use words and concepts that fit the age group that will be using it?

Sign up for a new tip each week or buy the entire 169 Real-world Ways to Put Tech into Your Classroom.

What’s your favorite tech tip in your classroom? Share it in the comments below.

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Here are 26 resources to help you select the right LMS for your school (click for updates to list): (more…)

As you prepare for the holiday break and then a new year, it’s a great time to think about resources available in your classes for students with special needs. Ask a Tech Teacher has a long list of online websites and apps for a variety of special needs, but if you’re looking for a good overview of general tips, check these out:

Tips for Supporting Students With Special Needs Using Technology

You might not realize that over 60% of students with special needs benefit remarkably from technology-integrated learning environments. To effectively support these students, you can start by understanding each student’s unique challenges and strengths. Have you considered how assistive technologies like text-to-speech can be tailored to individual needs? By engaging students in selecting personalized tools, you empower them to take charge of their learning journey. Parental involvement and open communication also play vital roles. But how do you guarantee these strategies lead to meaningful progress? There’s a lot more to explore in optimizing these approaches. (more…)

Here are the most-read posts for the past month:

1. ASVAB or a Service Academy? You Decide.
2. Warm-ups–Watch the video
3. Compare-contrast Digital Tools
4. 70+ Online Resources to Gamified Education
5. Digital Citizenship Week: What to Teach When–a video
6. Digital Citizenship Resources–Lots of Them
7. 12 Projects to Teach Digital Citizenship–by Grade
8. Teach Speaking and Listening Skills with Student Presentations–the video
9. National Bullying Prevention Month
10. 13 Ways to Use Canva in Your Classroom

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up: (more…)

 

Every month, subscribers to our newsletter get a free/discounted resource to help their tech teaching.

November 2-7th:

Coaching or Mentoring

BOGO — Buy one month; get the second free

Do any of these sound like you?

• Your kindergartners don’t know what ‘enter’, ‘spacebar’, ‘click’ or many other techie words mean but you need to teach them to keyboard, internet, and become digital citizens. How do you start?
• You have new students in your class who haven’t had technology training. The rest of the class has. How do you catch them up?
• Your principal wants you to teach the technology class but you’ve never done it before. What do you do on the first day?
• You’ve been teaching for twenty years but now your Principal wants technology integrated into your class. Where do you start?
• You have a wide mix of tech skills among students in your class. How do you differentiate between student geeks and students who wonder what the right mouse button is for?
• You’ve been tasked with organizing a Technology Use Plan for your school. Where do you start?
• You and colleagues are expected to create a Curriculum Map. How does technology fit into that?
• You love being an edtech professional but what’s your career path?

More and more teachers–both new and experienced–are looking for coaching or mentoring to fill gaps in their learning, keep up to date on the latest teaching strategies, and solve problems they didn’t expect. Many turn to the personalized approach we offer in a collaboration between Ask a Tech Teacher, Jacqui Murray, and Structured Learning. Coaching is completed via Google Hangout with email available for quick questions. After only a short time, teachers find they are better prepared with tech-infused lesson plans, able to teach to standards more fluently, can integrate tech into core classroom time, easily differentiate for student needs with tech, and more.

“Twice a month, pick my brain. I’ll share what I’ve learned and what works from 25 years of teaching.” –Jacqui Murray

Normally, we charge a $300 per month with a two month minimum (for a total of $600). This month, November 2-7th, get both months of coaching or mentoring for only $150.

Click PayPal Me here. Add $300.00 to the line and your order. Reference this special (#1127B)

Because it’s PayPal, you can enter as a guest with any credit card–no PayPal account required.

We wrote the books. We’ll help you deliver on keyboarding, integrating tech into your curriculum, digital citizenship, Common Core, and more. Questions? Ask Jacqui Murray at askatechteacher at gmail dot com.

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