Which Technologies are Changing the Way People Learn? When I reflect on my career, it amazes me how much technology has evolved, and how it has completely changed the way I look at the work we do. I first took on the role of “Training Director” for an organization about 15 years ago. At that time, most of what the training department did took place face-to-face, in a classroom. It’s amazing how much has changed in only 15 years. The evolution of technology has forever changed the way we interact with each other, and with the world around us. Here are a few of the ways technology has changed the way learning professionals develop solutions to performance problems, and the technologies that continue to change the way people learn. The Learner is in the Driver’s Seat The era of “push” is ending. The technologies to facilitate this are already here. Organizational Learning Networks Personal Learning Networks (or PLNs) have been a resource to individuals for quite some time, and have garnered growing attention by their expanded reach fu
Games to Teach Financial Literacy Financial Literacy Month is April -- just around the corner -- and it's never too early to prepare. Personally, I believe this is a great opportunity to use games in an intentional way to teach students financial literacy skills. Games can be used as a "hook" or anchor activity, as well an instructional activity that is revisited throughout a unit of instruction. A game can help scaffold the learning of important content as well as providing context for application of content. If you really trust the design of the game, it can also be an excellent assessment tool! Fellow Edutopia member Brian Page (on Twitter @FinEdChat) has long been an advocate for financial literacy education and innovative ways for students to engage in it. Bite Club In Bite Club, players manage a "day club" for vampires. Save for retirementPay down debtManage current consumption Brian says, "I prefer Bite Club as a game-based learning day alternative, and as an anchor activity. Gen i Revolution Financial Football
Toolkit: eLearning Tools Year in Review (Oh, Goodness!) by Joe Ganci “I’m always astonished when I see a tool vendor being interviewed on the subject of authoring tools. Do the interviewers expect them to be unbiased? That’s too much to ask of anyone who’s put their heart and soul and oodles of cash into building an eLearning tool. I haven’t built such a tool, I just use a lot of them, so it’s easier for me to be impartial.” 2013 will be seen as the turning point in … well, not really a turning point, more like a harbinger of … well, gosh golly, just what was 2013 in eLearning tools? This year there were lots of new tool versions but few new breakthrough tools that have garnered much attention (yet). Based on the classes I teach and the clients I have, most of you are interested in knowing about what’s happening with the big-name tools, so I’ll cover those first, but keep reading because you owe it to yourself to know about other tools that may … just … save ... your … life (or at least help your career). The big names More valuable tools Oh, definitely!
Ideas for Using Minecraft in the Classroom As is the nature of sandbox games, players can roam free, choosing objectives as they go. Because Minecraft has such open possibilities and potential, the teacher can choose how he or she wants to use it. Just as the student has the ability to be creative, the teacher has the same. That can be overwhelming, but luckily, there is a tool for using Minecraft created by teachers for teachers. MinecraftEdu provides a custom mod, basically a customized modification of the game, that helps facilitate organization and focus for teachers to use Minecraft effectively. For those noobs out there that need a push in the right direction, here are some introductory project or lesson ideas. 1) Explore Real Life Buildings There are many already-created structures that you can import into the game and have students explore. 2) Practice Ratio and Proportion 3) Learn About Survival 4) Visualization and Reading Comprehension
Storyline Variables: What They Are, How to Use Them by Shawn Scivally “With your variables created, you can use triggers and conditions to make your content awesome!” One thing that I have learned is that if you are using Storyline and want to build eLearning games or interactions, you need to use variables and conditions within Storyline. But most developers starting out with Storyline don’t even know what a variable or a condition is. What is a variable? Simply asking, “What exactly is a variable?” For me, asking this question led to doing a little Google search. I quickly found a wiki article with a definition that offers tremendous insight. This fits perfectly for working with variables in Storyline games. Three types of variables in Storyline With the understanding of what a variable is, what types of variables can we use? To access your Storyline variables, click on the “X” icon in the triggers section. Figure 1: Click the “X” icon to get to your variables Figure 2: This is the screen where you will see the variables for your current project
Game-Based Learning to Teach and Assess 21st Century Skills Game-Based Learning, and particularly serious games that teach content, are fast becoming utilized in the classroom. Frequent success stories are appearing, from Minecraft in the elementary classroom to games that teach civics. There is curriculum that pairs World of Warcraft with language arts standards, and many other variations where the gaming focus is on content. What about 21st-century skills? Yes, games can be used to teach and assess 21st-century skills! As the conversation in education reform moves forward, and educators are increasingly leveraging 21st-century skills, we need to consider how to couple games with reform. Collaboration MMOs are hugely popular. Communication All of the games above, which require collaboration, also require communication. Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving We must find time for students to play these games in and out of the class to teach content and 21st-century skills.
Censoring Cell Phones in School or Using them for Learning? 8 Flares Twitter 1 Facebook 2 Google+ 5 LinkedIn 0 inShare0 8 Flares × Students Love Learning with Cell Phones Do learning resources such as cell phones, iPads, tablets, androids, laptops and other mobile devices belong in the classroom? Guidelines for Schools According to the American National Council of Teachers of English (NCET), non-print and mulimedia should not be censored by the schools because students have a right to know (2004). Cell Phones in an English Class I’m an English teacher to students of other languages which means that non-native speakers of English practice language skills in and out of the classroom. The Freedom to Learn Students in most parts of the world share a common passion for learning and for using their cell phones so why not combine the two. Teachers Learn & Learners Teach Facilitate Learning Discuss learning with your colleagues and friends in an international learning environment.
Serious Tips for Using Serious Games in Class Experts on issue-oriented computer simulations offer advice on how to do it right. We asked some serious-game experts about how teachers can get the most out of them in the classroom. Here's their advice: Do a Dry Run First, give yourself some gaming homework. Let the Kids Go Nuts Make sure the students get enough time with the game to thoroughly explore different scenarios and make their own mistakes. Have a Postgame Plan "No matter what the game or the subject, the important thing to do is to use the game as a catalyst for something else," says Ian Bogost, associate professor of computational and digital media at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who is also an adviser for the Serious Games Summit at the annual Game Developers Conference. Help students link the game's content to events in the real world with classroom talks and writing assignments or by providing other media, such as documentaries and news clips. Encourage Open Conversation
Seamless Learning: Forget MOOCs, Mobile Learning, and Ubiquitous Access by Inge de Waard “Seamless learning is still a new area, and the challenges are multiple. As this discipline merges the technological and human challenges faced by the emerging new technologies of the last decade (mobile learning, social media, MOOCs, etc.), it is becoming clear that the ultimate learning environment will have to provide a smooth learner experience, with options to both consume and create content. It is a bit of unexplored territory.” Many of us are at or near the leading edge of online teaching and training today, yet we also struggle with optimizing the overall learning experience. But with all these training technologies coming together, we face one major challenge: ensuring a smooth, easy training environment for all our learners. Background of seamless learning Wong and Looi (see the References at the end of this article) provide a useful framework for seamless learning. Adding lifelong learning to encompass formal and informal learning Learning with a vengeance across time and space
Top Issue-Oriented Computer Simulations Check out these serious games to see what the buzz is all about. Interested in trying out serious games? Here's more information about those mentioned in the article "Computer Games Explore Social Issues," as well as others that are generating gamer buzz. Real Lives This game, from Educational Simulations, randomly assigns players the identities of people from different parts of the world, and players must guide their characters' decisions -- from birth to death -- about work, health, education, and love based on the opportunities and disadvantages encountered in that society. Karma Tycoon Earn good karma and learn the financial logistics (applying for grants, juggling credit) of running a nonprofit organization such as an animal shelter or a senior center while striking a balance between quality of service and the number of people you can help. Democracy2 In this complex and detailed political simulation from Positech Games, you head an imaginary country. Homeland Guantanamos Food Force
The Growthink Dashboard Research from Aberdeen Group shows the average company that uses operational dashboards enjoys triple the revenue growth and double the profit growth of companies that don’t. Why? Because with the right dashboard: You’ll make more intelligent business decisionsYou’ll have complete, real-time visibility into your organizationYou’ll manage your business more effectively Custom Business Intelligence Dashboards Hi, I’m Dave Lavinsky, co-founder and President of Growthink, Inc. I originally created the Growthink Dashboard because I wanted real-time insights into my own business, so I could make better business decisions. And now I’ve made this powerful technology accessible and affordable for any business – including yours. Every Growthink Dashboard is With the Growthink Dashboard, you will: How The Growthink Dashboard Works No more logging into multiple applications to see how your business is performing. A Brief Tour of The Growthink Dashboard And please note: Sample Revenue Dashboard Chart