Exploring all aspects of education and technology
by Keenan Kibrick
I decided to change the format and instead of writing headings “why
I clicked it” and “why I wrote it”. I
wanted to replace it with the actual terms that I mean. Instead it will begin with why I read it for
myself, and the second part is why I wrote about it and wanted to tell others
about it. The writing and reasons will
be similar then they were before, but the section choices will better reflect
what I actually write about in those sections.
I hope you all enjoy the change.
Today’s wrap up is a mashup of educational material. It covers a lot of topics from inquiry based
learning, the role of a teacher, and gamification motivation. While it is a mashup of material I hope the
techniques will be beneficial to faculty in their pursuit of improving
classroom achievement.
Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom
Note you have to sign in to read the article, but it is just for
verification.
Why I read it: The separations
into the rule, the example of the rule, and the technology Dos/Don’ts were easy
to navigate. I liked reading the Dos and
Don’ts and felt they provided good tips for technology in the classroom.
Why I wrote about it: The content embedded
in the format is wonderful to read. It covers so many vast important topics of
the 21st century classroom that are applicable to all classes. It covers data driven culture, high
expectations of students, relevant and engaging learning, positive feedback in
classes and many more. For each topic
the separation of sections is wonderful.
The rule is simple to follow and the explanation of how each rule works
are just one page. After, they give a
detailed example of a school that enforces the rule and exemplifies its
success. Finally it ends with a few
quick tip dos and don’ts for the rule. These
tips are powerful and can help guide someone to success in exploring the topic.
This is a long paper compared to my brief entries, but it is
valuable information about 21st century learning best
practices. I encourage all faculty to
read this, and if need be (because of length) not all at once. Try working on one tip at a time, and using
the information to improve the classroom.
Use as much or as little of this as you want, but please read it because
each topic is succinct and valuable to transforming education.
It’s perfect for: Understanding 21st century learning,
creating a toolkit of best practices, wanting examples of support to justify
teaching techniques.
Can University Professors Benefit from K-12 Progressive Teaching
Tactics
Why I read it: I enjoyed the narrative
of a college educator in a k-12 education conference. It is interesting to see how different
college and K-12 think they are, yet when they are put side by side how similar
they really are. The perspective kept me
interested and the more I read the more I got hooked on the epiphanies that
this College Professor had.
Why I kept reading it: One paragraph in
particular hooked me into this paper.
The assignment about apples paragraph in the middle of the paper is a
must read. It shows a perfect example of
education in the future using the inquiry model, and it’s flawless in its
design. It succinctly explains how the
classroom should be a place of inquiry where students should be encouraged to
explore multiple topics while learning the main topic of a class. If students can be motivated to learn through
tangential exploration into side topics that lead to the main topic it’s
perfectly acceptable and should be encouraged in a class. It focused on the purpose of what students are
learning and highlighting the importance of emphasizing that purpose inside a
class. This is just one example of the
great ideas form this article. The
article focuses on how College faculty can benefit from High School Principles
of learning. I believe the ideas in this
article are inspiring and should be lessons for all educators regardless of
classroom level.
It’s perfect for: Learning the basics of the inquiry based model,
rethinking the college classroom, venturing outside the comfort zone of
academia to find innovation.
Rewards of Glory and Other Ways to Keep Gamification Interesting
Why I read it: I am always fascinated
with gamification reward structures. I
know many, but they always feel stale sometimes. The idea of rewards for glory and multiple
reward systems is a great idea. From the
first bold words of rewards of glory I was hooked and wanted to implement these
reward systems in classes.
Why I kept reading it: While
this article isn’t about gamification in education. These same concepts can apply to almost any
gamification experience. Each of them is a great way to help engage
students in very simple practices the drive achiever learning style students.
Rewards of Glory are a great idea. People need to repeat actions in classes
sometimes and motivating repetition is great for classes where repetition is a
necessary practice. Rewards of access
are great for students who want to explore a class, and who want to feel
rewarded for exploring outside the general class. Further, by rewarding students with access it
lets students realize there are alternative paths to success. Each of the rewards is a great way to inspire
student motivation in class and can be used in class to motivate students to
perform tasks they are not usually willing to perform in a class. I recommend faculty playing around with these
different rewards and seeing how students respond to each in class.
It’s perfect for: learning how to reward students in a class,
motivating student achievement, designing a gamification based class
