Current Trends

Last week I covered current and future trends in gaming and technology with my students.  We watched YouTube videos and read articles that made promises of virtual reality, holograms, and 3D audio.  The project was a success with student work that included: blogs, PowerPoints, Kahoot quizzes, posters, and sketches with captions.  The students of course got their choice of any project so those previously mentioned were their own ideas and creations.  The perimeters were that they included 10 current trends and 5 possible future trends.

We ended the project on a positive note with a sharing session where students could show their work if they wanted.  We had students present their PowerPoints and give their Kahoot quizzes to their classmates for prizes.  That final day we also played the Wii as students shared their projects and we did our final discussion of what we covered that week.  The purpose of the Wii was for students to try out motion sensor technology that we had talked about that week in current trends.  It ended up being a "Just Dance" battle between students that had them energized and entertained.  I had a lot of fun seeing so many participate in it as well.  It was a great Friday activity that involved the current project, team building, and our sharing discussion we've been doing every Friday.

I remember how hard it got towards the end of the week when I was a student. I'd have too much energy and was cooped up in boring classes all week where we weren't even allowed to get up and walk around without permission.  My classroom will never be that way.  If a student needs to stretch their legs they can get up and walk around without asking, I leave snacks in the back of the room away from the computers so students can take a break from staring at the screen.  I encourage students to take a 5 min break during class to get up and walk around.  I've found that students like the respect I give them and don't take advantage of it. I also like to do active activities on Friday if at all possible to mix with our discussions and get the students moving.  It may not always be possible but even if it is just a walk outside to have our discussion elsewhere I think it helps.

The current trends in education in the United States seem to be hindering our students progress instead of pushing them forward.  Encouraging students to have identical looking projects with the exact same specifications makes it easier for copying and plagiarism.  It also requires little to no critical thinking or problem solving.  As educators we need to do a better job, step outside the box, and challenge to norms.

Everybody is a genius

As I sit in my classroom preparing for back to school night I thought I would take a minute to post about how the course is going. I am thankful to be in this profession; even if I am sitting in my classroom preparing for an after school event on my birthday (yep, HPD to me).

My students have shown me so many unique projects the first few weeks.  All of the projects have  shown me what they are learning and most of them in ways I would have never thought of myself. Allowing the students to choose ANY way to show me what they learn each week has been amazing.  It is a little more difficult to grade but the students have taken the parameters each week and made it their own.  I included a link to PowerPoints I put together that show screen shots of students work. The PowerPoints do not even begin to do their work justice but you get the idea.  I've seen video clip projects, PowerPoints, sketches, posters, blogs, C# coding, and more. I can't help to think if I would have limited them to only a PowerPoint or research paper; how different would the quality be?  I personally think the students have put a lot of effort in because they have more choice and can do what they are interested in and good at. 

They have to use problem solving to answer the question "How will I show the teacher I've learned" each week.  They are not handed a list that includes every step of what they need to do. They are given basic parameters of what they need to show me and then it is up to them to turn it into a viable project. 

It makes me think of one of my favorite quotes:  
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Yes, all my students are geniuses in their own way and they show me what makes them one each week.