Week 12

Group Code: nxg8hr

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Edmodo is a really neat program that allows communication between student, teacher, and even parents to extend beyond the classroom. Edmodo provides the user with an easy to navigate, very similar to facebook, web program that can be accessed using any internet connection. The teacher can post notes, assignments, alerts/reminders, quizzes, and even polls.

Edmodo can enhance instruction in numerous ways. I really like the option of posting quizzes to Edmodo. They can count towards the students grades or just be a review quiz so the students can practice and gauge their understanding. The polls can give the teacher immediate feedback on how a lesson went and can be used as a form of assessment. This allows the teacher to reflect on the instruction of their lesson and modify it as necessary. Some students may even be shy as to asking the teacher a question or telling them that they do not understand the material. Edmodo can allow the student to type up a message, word it so that it pleases them, and send it to the teacher without any of that awkward in person situations that my arise from a shy student.

I would use Edmodo in my class in a variety of ways. I would post tons of review quizzes so that my students can practice their math and improve. I would post assignment due dates and reminders because sixth graders are not quite mature and responsible enough to handle a due date, from my experience. This can help students remember when something is due so they do not receive a late penalty. You can even reward students who use Edmodo frequently by posting an alert saying that there will be a pop quiz the next day. There are truly tons of different functions Edmodo provides in the educational setting.

Week 11 - Google Earth

Your name: Daniel Graham

Grade Level: 6^th Grade Geometry

Title of the lesson: Google Earth: Finding areas of your neighborhood

Length of the lesson: Two Class Periods

Central focus and central technology of the lesson Students will be able to use Google Earth to find geometric shapes, measure distances, and calculate areas of their shapes.

Knowledge and skills of students to inform teaching Students will be required to know basic skills using Google Earth.

Standards 6.G.1 Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes; apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems. 6.G.3 Draw polygons in the coordinate plane given coordinates for the vertices; use coordinates to find the length of a side joining points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.

Support literacy Identify one language function: Categorize, compare/contrast. question, retell, summarize or another one appropriate for your learning segment) Identify a key learning task from your plans that provide students opportunities to practice using the language function. The students will compare/contrast different shapes made from their town to determine areas of those shapes. Describe language demands: The students will need to give written representations of their findings. Vocabulary General academic terms: analyze, categorize, compare/contrast, describe, explain Content specific vocabulary: Area, legs, sides, bases, heights, lengths, widths Discourse Text structure

Learning objectives The students will be able to measure distances using Google Earth. The students will be able to apply these distances to create polygons. The students will be able to apply their understanding of areas to find the areas of the polygons that they created.

Formal and informal assessment Formal assessment will be done by the students handing in their findings. The teacher will check measurements and formulas as well as correct answers. Informal assessment will be done by teacher observation. Students with IEP’s will be given guided examples, asked to find the distance of set points, then the formulas to plug in their work. ELL Students will have access to google translate to assist their understanding of the lesson.

Instructional procedure: First, the students will go onto google earth and find their house. Next, the students will find the distance from their house to the school. Then, the students will find a third location to create a triangle. They will be able to apply knowledge of bases and heights to find the area of the three vertices. Finally, the students will come up with their own “destinations” to create different polygons to find the area of.

Instructional resources and materials used to engage students in learning. Google Earth

Reflection Did your instruction support learning for the whole class and the students who need great support or challenge? Yes, instruction was designed to guide the students and then give them control. ELL students and IEP students were accounted for in the design of the lesson. What changes would you make to support better student learning of the central focus? Continued practice with finding areas of wholes and parts. Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your explanation from evidence of research and/or theory. Students always need continued practice, at the sixth grade level, with multiplying wholes and parts.

Week 10 - Gaming

Roller Coaster Tycoon

1.      1. What gaming elements provide users the learning content and how? (Refer to the journal article page 4)

Roller Coaster tycoon gives entire control to the person playing the game. They get to choose what they want to do and how they want to do it. There are some fantasy aspects to RCT because, even though it’s modeling a real theme park, some of the rides would not be possible and even safe to make in real life. The game itself is very challenging. It has many different levels with objectives that are new and challenging.

2.     2.  What is the goal of the game?

The rules to the game allow the user to spend money made on advertisement for the park to attract more guests. The user can build their own rollercoaster or choose from default rollercoasters. The user has a lot of freedom but is limited by money earned. Basically, it costs money to build rides, to advertise, and to expand. In order to have that money, you need to attract guests at a fair price. You can also decide costs of rides and even build food stands and kiosks.

3.     3.  What are rules of playing this game?

The rules to the game allow the user to spend money made on advertisement for the park to attract more guests. The user can build their own rollercoaster or choose from default rollercoasters. The user has a lot of freedom but is limited by money earned. Basically, it costs money to build rides, to advertise, and to expand. In order to have that money, you need to attract guests at a fair price. You can also decide costs of rides and even build food stands and kiosks.

4.      4. Does this game have any scenario design? (Refer to the journal article page 5.) If yes, is this a fabricated or embedded in curriculum-related content?

Roller Coaster Tycoon has fabricated scenario design that revolves around the players approach and goals. A player can decide to strive for one goal to have 10,000 people visit their park to earn an award or they can create the safest park and win a different award. Regardless of complexity, the player will be able to play the game with the strategy that they choose.

My Slideshow of my game:

http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/33623355

Week 9 - Technology Integrated Lessons

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_-4hOEIyBuiBiBvecko4HTaZIxbMf3Ftgz1_ASx5nzY/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_-4hOEIyBuiBiBvecko4HTaZIxbMf3Ftgz1_ASx5nzY/edit?usp=sharing