Callie+H

Day 1 Morning: What are your feelings about video games in general? What are your feelings about video games as learning tools?

1. I love playing video games, and my kids (my personal kids) love them also. I have to be careful about what I let them play, because there are a LOT of inappropriate games out there, and it's not always easy to tell which ones are ok and which ones aren't. Every so often my 9-year-old (who is more into video games than my 10-year-old) will get onto some game that I thought was okay, but it actually has killing or other violence. I spend more time than I should on the computer playing online games because they can be so addictive.

2. Most of the educational video games I've seen are either good video games OR are good educationally, but not both. The ones that seems to really interest the students usually don't do a very good job of teaching concepts. They can be okay for rote memory types of things -- enter the correct answer to the math problem -- but if they try to do anything beyond that they either become too lecture-y for the kids to enjoy or they do a bad job with the information. The best types of educational games I've seen are more teaching broad ideas, like problem solving skills, than particular concepts.

Day 1 Lunch:

1. What brings you here? The concept of creating my own educational games is very intriguing. I would love to create something that both interests and teaches my students. And the stipend and the laptop didn't hurt.

2. What are you excited about? Learning a new skill which I can actually use with my students.

3. What are you concerned about? The logistics of this whole thing are making me very nervous: having to write a check and get one back, using my own credit card, the technology not being ready and useful, all the glitches. I really did check out the Dr. Annetta on the NC State web page because I started being concerned that maybe this whole thing was a scam to steal our identities (although, who would want the identities of a bunch of teachers?).

Day 1: Shut Down/Power Off

Today has pretty much seemed like a waste of our time. It seems like a lot of these technology issues could have been dealt with before you had 20 people sitting around with nothing to do. I was very bored most of the time, and confused a lot of the rest of the time because I couldn't actually do anything so I could see what was being talked about.

This does sound like it could be a lot of fun and very interested; I just wish it had gotten off to a better start.

Day 2: Morning

How do you use technology in your classroom?

Well, the novaNet classroom is ONLY technology. Students take their courses online, and do all of their work on the computers. I do all their grading off of their computer work. In my regular classroom, we use StudyIsland and ClassScape for students to prepare for the EOCs. Students have a project every quarter which includes a research component, for which they use the Internet; a written componenet, for which they may use word processing if they choose; and a creative component, for which they may use any of a variety of softwares, including word processing, Movie Maker, Hollywood Video, and various others. Additionally, students do a parts of speech project, for which some choose to do PowerPoint presentations. We used ELMO this year to read and evaluate each other's written work (I LOVED Elmo, and really want to get one for my classroom -- this one was borrowed). We used wikis for a writing project where students added on to each other's stories Students create databases of the works that they've read before the exam, in order to help them with the various literary components. They are allowed to use the word processor for any written work, and they may use NovaNet to work on particular concepts if they wish.

Day 2: Lunch

How does the technology you currently use enhance your students' learning and your teaching? How do you know?

The students use novaNet to pass courses which they have already taken before and failed. It is obvious by the number of students that pass, and the number who are proficient on the EOCs (or who at least make passing grades on EOCs) that this particular technology is extremely helpful for certain students. The students enjoy using the computers, and often are able to produce more and better work with their use. A student who is unwilling to write 1/2 a page by hand will often turn in a full page typed. They enjoy using a variety of methods to learn and show their knowledge, and the technology is one piece of that. Students who are uncomfortable speaking in class are less shy when they have a PowerPoint or movie to show. Those who were unwilling to share their papers with the class were begging for the chance once we were using ELMO. We are often able to use the Internet to find answers to questions that the students have right then, such as finding pictures of actual locations mentioned in stories. And, on the most basic level, students with poor handwriting can turn in work which can actually be read by using the computer.

Day 2: Shut Down/Power Off

This was a lot better for me, although there were still a lot of people who couldn't get on or do what they needed to do. I can see where this is going to be a lot of fun and a lot of work. I would really like an edit/undo button.

Day 3: Morning

Describe your teaching.

In the NovaNet lab, I am a facilitator. The students each have their own lessons in various subjects, and I help them with questions and problems. In my regular classroom, I can have up to six different courses going on in one classroom: English I, II, III, IV, Reading Comp, and Creative Writing. We always start the class with a journal entry that everyone writes, and then we discuss. Sometimes these journals are related to something that one group is doing in the class; other times they come from what's going on in the world. Then the students break into groups depending on what course they are taking. Sometimes I work with more than one group at a time, such as a writing lesson for all the English students. Other times everyone has their own assignments. I have all the assignments for the day written on the board at the start of class, so everyone knows what he/she is supposed to do. There is a lot of small group work, and students have to be fairly independent as I move around. Most of the reading assignments I have taped onto cassettes, so the students can read along with the tape if they want to. I try to integrate the lessons the different groups are doing. So, for instance, everyone will be working on a poetry unit, just reading different poems (English and reading) or writing a poetry project (creative writing). Generally, students may work on 2 or 3 different assignments in a period, and they may work on whichever assignment they want at a given time, as long as they finish everything. On occasion I will do a lesson for the entire class, such as my introduction to Shakespeare, or writing critiques. Once a week (or more if I can get it) we all go to the computer lab and do some type of assignment. The students might be working on projects or doing particular lessons. I also have two computers in my classroom, which are in use most of the time by someone.

Day 3: Lunch

Describe how your students learn best.

My students are all over the place in their learning styles. Most of my students are kinesthetic, and many of them are musical, but the breakdown between auditory and visual is about 50/50. Unfortunately, I have a lot of students who think they can't learn at all, and the key is to show them that they can learn if the information is presented in a way that makes sense to them.

Day 3: Shut Down/Power Off

I'm really starting to get into this now. Of course, I have a computer that works (at least relative to the others). It's still disconcerting to have it crash every ten minutes. But, I have ideas for my story; I just have to find a way to make them work.

Day 4: Morning

1. What do you do well when connecting with your students? 2. Do you have any concerns about connecting with your students?

Generally, I have a great connection with most of my students. Daily journals give us the opportunity to have classroom discussions about a wide variety of topics. The students know that I am open and honest with them, and they are usually open and honest with me. I'm one of the teachers that the students choose to come to when they have problems or questions, even about other classes.

My biggest concern is that the world of some of my students is so far removed from my own. Sometimes I ask questions in class that I think have an obvious answer (Is it okay to kill someone?), and their automatic responses are not what I expect. The gang mentality is not something I understand, and I'm not at all sure how to break through it.

Day 4: Lunch

What interests you in video games as a form of teaching?

I am interested in anything that might pique a student's interest. I try to use a wide variety of teaching styles in order to reach as many students as possible. Since I teach at the alternative school, many of my students have not been successful with traditional teaching methods, so I try to be as creative as possible. Some of them will hate the game concept, but some of them will love it, and it may help those students learn something they otherwise would never know.

Day 4: Shut down/Power Off

I am cooking with grease now. This is SO cool, when it doesn't crash. I am having a blast! Whoohooo!!!

Day 5: Morning

How can you connect with your students using this game?

Well, in 10 years or so, when it's actually a game, I can see my students really enjoying exploring the different areas and trying to solve to puzzles. I think (I hope) that they'll be more willing to read passages and answer questions when there is the immediate feedback of a game involved.

Day 5: Lunch

Who supports and who benefits from your participation in this project?

What other technology do you wish you could use or have support for?

I guess Lee County Schools supports it, since they are providing the space and the technical support. Danita certainly supports it. Beyond that, I'm sure my principal will be supportive inasmuch as she cares that I'm doing it -- she didn't ask us to do it or anything, but she didn't tell us not to, either. Who benefits is myself, my students, and other students and teachers in my school.

Other technology: I would like to have a microphone of my own, and my own wireless Internet connection either at home or at school. It would be REALLY nice if we could get to websites at school without constantly being blocked, such as sound downloads.