ETEC 533: Technology in the Mathematics and Science Classroom
A Game of Chance
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Unfortunately due to timing, I had to wait to enroll in this course during my last round of courses before diving into ETEC 590’s Graduating Project. ETEC 533: Technology in the Mathematics and Science Classroom was one of my “must” take courses from the MET program. This course offered me an opportunity to learn from my peers and to collect and gather new ideas and tools that I could implement into my mathematics and sciences classes. Since the majority of my classes are mathematics and science ETEC 533 provided a forum in which I was able to discuss contemporary issues in teaching these courses and to bring them in the the 21st century.
As a photographer when something captures my eye I grab my camera and take the shot. I want to share the moment in time I experienced; I want the photograph to evoke the same emotions I felt in that moment without the camera. This is similar to the desire I have to share my passion for mathematics and science. These are two subject areas my students seem to dislike the most. Prior to the MET program it became apparent to me that I needed to edit my photograph in such a way to place the focus on the content of the image that my students would be drawn to and would find passion in. This meant editing the course by cropping out the mundane work, adjusting the colour saturation to improve the vibrancy, and cloning the positive aspects of the course to remove the flaws. |
Educational Tutorial: Gamification in the Classroom
Gamification Resources web page from "Gamification in Education Site"
Throughout the completion of other MET courses I have integrated technology and 21st century learning into my science classes with some great success. With ETEC 533 It was time to focus on my mathematics courses. I wanted to find a way to share my passion for math with my students; furthermore, it was important to me to incorporate tools that my students are drawn to in their everyday lives, GAMES! To adjust the the colour, cropping the textbook and adding some vibrancy and fun into the class.
For this project I partnered with three others, none of whom I had previously worked with. Together we had created a resource for educators to learn more about Gamification in Education. Previous to ETEC 533, only one of us had implemented gamification in our teaching. Once we had determined our focal point for the project, we set off collaborating through the use of Google Docs, using this as a platform to organize ourselves and to draft our website format. While the four of us were only in two time zones, the countless Google Docs were essential in helping with time management and in keeping us organized. It was pleasing to see how quickly four people from various parts of the world, with different teaching experiences, are able to come together to generate a site that has value to other educators. This is exhibited by the value of collaboration and by the efficiency presented in using Google Docs and Google Hangouts.
Even though the four of us continuously collaborated with one another, we each had assigned roles in the completion of the website. I was responsible for the creation of the implementation of Radix Endeavour in lesson plan for the highschool level. Additionally I had the task of uploading the content and of ensuring the layout of the site was consistent across all pages, allowing for visitors to navigate the pages and the site with ease. Towards the end of the project I had also created the Gamification Resources page. A space that highlights supplementary resources for educators that would like to learn more about gamification and to possibly implement it into their classrooms.
It was paramount to the four of us that we emphasis the necessity of evaluating technologies and tools before implementing them into the classroom environment (Marsh, 2015i). The enjoyment many students have in gaming outside of school was recognized; yet, it was imperative that we use games that have a purpose for learning and are not simply used for the sake of using technology. Before bringing in games into the classroom, it was essential that we analyze the value of the individual games and the affordances they would provide the students in learning. In order to accomplish this, we applied the SECTIONS framework by Bates & Poole (2003). We had adopted the framework as a tool to assess the possible benefits Lure of the Labyrinth and Radix Endeavour would have in the mathematics and science classroom.
“My goals of professional development will continue to include developing my lessons to actively engage my students in a blended learning environment” (Marsh, 2015i, p.9). Now that I have taken the theoretical perspectives presented Bates & Poole (2003), among others, and applied them in practice, I will continue to evaluate eLearning technologies using their theories.
For this project I partnered with three others, none of whom I had previously worked with. Together we had created a resource for educators to learn more about Gamification in Education. Previous to ETEC 533, only one of us had implemented gamification in our teaching. Once we had determined our focal point for the project, we set off collaborating through the use of Google Docs, using this as a platform to organize ourselves and to draft our website format. While the four of us were only in two time zones, the countless Google Docs were essential in helping with time management and in keeping us organized. It was pleasing to see how quickly four people from various parts of the world, with different teaching experiences, are able to come together to generate a site that has value to other educators. This is exhibited by the value of collaboration and by the efficiency presented in using Google Docs and Google Hangouts.
Even though the four of us continuously collaborated with one another, we each had assigned roles in the completion of the website. I was responsible for the creation of the implementation of Radix Endeavour in lesson plan for the highschool level. Additionally I had the task of uploading the content and of ensuring the layout of the site was consistent across all pages, allowing for visitors to navigate the pages and the site with ease. Towards the end of the project I had also created the Gamification Resources page. A space that highlights supplementary resources for educators that would like to learn more about gamification and to possibly implement it into their classrooms.
It was paramount to the four of us that we emphasis the necessity of evaluating technologies and tools before implementing them into the classroom environment (Marsh, 2015i). The enjoyment many students have in gaming outside of school was recognized; yet, it was imperative that we use games that have a purpose for learning and are not simply used for the sake of using technology. Before bringing in games into the classroom, it was essential that we analyze the value of the individual games and the affordances they would provide the students in learning. In order to accomplish this, we applied the SECTIONS framework by Bates & Poole (2003). We had adopted the framework as a tool to assess the possible benefits Lure of the Labyrinth and Radix Endeavour would have in the mathematics and science classroom.
“My goals of professional development will continue to include developing my lessons to actively engage my students in a blended learning environment” (Marsh, 2015i, p.9). Now that I have taken the theoretical perspectives presented Bates & Poole (2003), among others, and applied them in practice, I will continue to evaluate eLearning technologies using their theories.
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