Is technology producing a decline in critical thinking and analysis? (link to article)
This article discusses a metaanalysis of 50 studies on learning technology published in the journal Science.
Image Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/mrsmcgowan/
Video Games Help Music and Math Education (link to article)
This article discusses how the Wii gaming system might be useful in education.
I would love to see more more games incorporate math skills as a natural part of the game. For example, the Madden NFL game could have an option where users are occasionally asked to make player substitutions based on individual statistics. Users would quickly have to estimate a stat such as average yards per carry to determine which player to put in the game. The game would reward a correct choice by giving the chosen player a little more power. Also, the announcers could praise the coach (user) for making a great decision or question the decision if the wrong player is selected.
I would love to see a modified version of Wii Fit made available to physical education teachers at an affordable price. The current version of Wii Fit works well for individual adults but is not able to give feedback to more than one individual in any activity. For example, a friend can run with you but only your results are recorded. It would be great if five kids, all with Wiimotes could exercise together, and all have their scores recorded. I’d also like to see an option for allowing students to download workout data and then import the data into a spreadsheet for further analysis. Older students could learn how the Wii calculates BMI and Wii Fit Age and discuss the validity of those measures.
Free Rice (link to site)
This free-to-use website can help children study topics such as vocabulary and multiplication tables by answering multiple choice questions. While there are many sites like this, Free Rice provides students with extra motivation to get correct answers. For each correct answer, a small amount of rice is donated to help feed people in developing countries. The project partners with the United Nations World Food Programs.
creative commons image (click to see credits)
Listening to Themselves: Podcasting Takes Lessons Beyond the Classroom | Edutopia
Here’s an article describing one teacher’s experience with having students create podcasts. The teacher found that when students podcast they increase their knowledge of the subject they are covering. He also said creating podcasts improved students’ ability to communicate ideas about a topic.
Good article that explains Creative Commons
National Science Foundation funded project by the University of Indiana that uses a multi-user game-like environment to engage 9-15 year-old students in educational tasks.
Don’t drink and drive, then post on Facebook
Here’s a reminder to think twice before posting something on a social networking site. It doesn’t appear as if the people mentioned in this article were thinking at all.
New Systems Keep a Close Eye on Online Students at Home
You have to be kidding me. Congress wants proof that online students are who they say they are. Has any of them ever taken an online course from an accredited institution? It would cost a lot of money to hire someone to take one of our online courses. There is so much student-student and student-instructor interaction that it would be very difficult and costly to have someone else do all of your work. We have successfully used proctors for online exams for ten years. How does congress plan to address this issue with the growing number of online K-12 students?
