Gamification and Language Learning

 

  Gamification is the usage of games in non game-like settings or contexts in order to engage students (in this case) in learning. According to "Technology - 'Just' Playing Games? A Look at the Use of Digital Games for Language Learning" there are five main components that make up a successful game. These include: goals, interaction, feedback, context, and motivation. As mentioned in the article, goals are best described as "goal orientation" due to the dynamic, ongoing, and continually negotiated process of task completion. Interaction is a component that can take place in numerous ways. It depends on the type of game, how other game is being used, and the players. Feedback is important so that learners is always aware of his or her abilities. Context according to the article is created and authenticated by both the game narrative and context of play. Motivation is usually considered one of the biggest reasons that digital games are used in the classroom.

     Another way of explaining what makes a game successful is discussed in the article "Sculpting Flow and Fiero" written by Zac Hill. Hill believes that solid game design includes two main factors: flow and fiero. Flow is the concept of "being in the zone." This is when the player is having fun. Fiero on the other hand is described as the feeling one gets when they have conquered or overcome something like a quest or a difficult level.

I think that it is a great idea to use digital language games in the classroom. Not only does it help students to learn, they are able to do so in a fun and motivational way. There are also benefits to using digital games that one may not be able to receive with traditional classroom instruction. According to "Games and Learning"  Games can be highly motivational  and engaging for students. They also have the ability to how that learning can be measured by more than just grades. Using games in the classroom is also an excellent way to build collaborative skills.

In the future, I will definitely use games in my ESL classroom as a way to promote motivational and engaging learning in a fun environment.

My First Twitter Experience #ELLChat

  

   So I just finished my first live Twitter session. That was...interesting. I was completely lost for the first 5 minutes or so, but once I got the hang of it every seemed to flow well. Although it was a bit hard to follow all of the conversations going on at once. I am starting to think it is best to enter the chat with a general topic and then branch off into separate conversations with various people rather than trying to follow every conversation from the main feed. 

     I have never used Twitter a day in my life before and always thought it was stupid until about 45 minutes ago. I still have no intentions of using it in my personal life but in regards to educational experiences and networking I am all for it! It is a great way to hold discussions with people across your own field from so many different places without needing to meet face to face. I almost could not believe how quickly the conversations were flowing. I had expected maybe 5 - 10 people to be online chatting a little at a time. 

     While the conversations were interesting and I actually had a few things to say here and there (I felt a little intimidated at first) the layout was a bit confusing. It seemed to me like using a group discussion forum would be easier to follow. Then again thinking about it, it is sort of set up in a way that allows conversation to flow naturally among several people at once as if everyone were standing in a room having conversations with one another. 

     All in all, it was a little confusing to maneuver at first, but I found the Twitter chat to be fun and engaging! I would do it again and I would definitely find ways to use it with my students. 

A Learner is Like a Flash Drive

A learner is like a flash drive.

     Why? With today's technology it would be hard to say that a learner is like a sponge; someone who soaks up knowledge and keeps it with them forever. Flash drives are far more realistic because for the most part, we now rely heavily on computers and various other networks to access knowledge. We don't have remember everything we are taught; rather we are taught how to access knowledge and how to store it for later use. Flash drives are a small device with memory that allow us to do just that. We simple store information and resources on the flash drive in able to access it at any point later on. 

     At the beginning of "Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age" written by George Siemens he discusses new trends in learning. The last bullet on his list states, "Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where (the understanding of where to find knowledge needed). This goes back to my earlier statements of how it is no longer important to remember everything you are taught; rather you need to know where to find the information you need and how to store it for later retrieval. 

     In George Siemen's video "The Changing Nature of Knowledge" he says, "[t]oday because of the complex environments we're in, learning isn't something that's exclusively limited or occurs exclusively within an individual's mind." Learning is no longer done solely in a classroom with a teacher and textbooks, it now consists of networks formed between people and information that can be retrieved from computers at any time of the day. With those capabilities and the rate of speed that knowledge is being created these days, it is impossible to remember everything. That is why it is important to know how to store and retrieve data and why a learner is more like a flash drive than a sponge that is able to soak everything up and remember it.

The Future of Education

     The current education system is not working. It has been obvious for some time now. Drop out rates are increasing, people aren't doing their homework; they are bored, unmotivated, and disengaged. As mentioned by Sugata Mitra in "The Future of Learning, Networked Society." education was first developed by the Victorians with a goal that education will create cookie cutter beings; they will all be taught in the same manner and will know the same things. While that may have worked for them at the time, the world is a constantly changing place and with that comes ever evolving systems; including education. 

     Students are bored and unmotivated. Why? For the most part, they sit for six to eight hours per day and are talked at. Of course that is not always the case, but it is the majority. For some, that's okay. They take notes, are able to remember everything, and then perform well on exams. But that is only one part of the student body and our current educational system fails to account for the rest of the students. So much for "no child left behind" right?

     Students needs to be engaged. They need to be able to explore; find their own answers. Learning should be in a fun interactive environment; not a chore Monday through Friday with a dread for homework after school hours. Give a student the resources that he/she needs, teach them how to use it and watch what they can do. In the same video mentioned above, Sugata Mitra placed a computer in a slum area in India; a place where kids have never heard of a computer let alone internet. Within just hours, a group of children working together were browsing the internet. 

This brings me to the future of classroom curriculum. In "Future Learning" Sugata Mitra discusses the evolution of curriculum. He states that 200-300 years ago one was taught how to shoot a gun and ride a horse. If you told anyone during that time period students would not be taught how to do either of those things in the future, they would be astonished. Nowadays, shooting and horseback riding are sports. Will mathematics someday no longer be taught in schools because it too will be a sport? Sugata Mitra closes with what he believes should be the future of our curriculum: 

      "[R]eading comprehension is the most critical skill at this point in time for a      
       generation that is going to read off screens for the rest of their lives. Information              search and retrieval skills; if people know what are key words, follow a link or not,            it's a key skill. If arithmetic is an outdated skill, this is the skill that will replace it.            Finally, if a child knows how to read, if a child knows how to search for information,          how do we teach them how to believe...if we can do it really really early, we would          have armed that child against doctrine; not just religious doctrine but doctrine in all        forms." 

Giving a student the knowledge of how to search for information, read it, and believe will be some of the most powerful educational tools in the future if it is not the most important. With a virtually unlimited source of information the learning capabilities a student has with the abilities to search,read, and believe are endless.