Gamming

I really enjoyed this quest and the opportunity to learn about how gaming can be incorporated into our modern and futuristic classrooms. The Ted talk about how gaming could be a tool to help solve the world's seemingly unsolvable problems was well supported research and data, as was the readings on student learning in virtual world.The reading expounded well upon how real life problems can be approached and solved through gaming. The reading also highlighted the effectiveness of simulation creating an environment suitable for discovery learning. Both the reading in the videos were very persuasive so I went on a indenture of my own and started gaining. The game that I played was one that I had been introduced to in high school called tanks.

In this game you have to take into account the when angle and velocity in order to hit your target. My cousin Jeremy and I have played for hours being motivated by the ability to upgrade our tanks all the while getting a more in depth knowledge of angles and velocity. It wasn't long before 158° meant something to you in the context was all provided through the game.
All in all I thought this was a great quest but I did have concerns. The most prevalent concern was how one could expect to find gangs that taught their content on consistent basis. However with great research from the teacher and mixing another Pedagogical  strategies and confident that this could be implemented well in the classroom.

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First answer:
I think the first photo is fake. First of all my prior knowledge tells that jet plains do not fly around buildings. Secondly The plain stands alone with nothing else in the background. to me that is a red flag. Lastly there looks to be a mouse pointer in the photo. which also made me a little suspicious.
Response:
After reading the blog my suspicions were confirmed. The blog went on to speak about how the light differentiation made it obvious that the picture had been Photoshop. It also pointed out the very same cursor that I pointed out. This makes me confident in my ability to analyze and detect when faulty information is being presented.
Second answer:
I thought the second hotel post was real because it was less like an advertisement. the first one was a little to descriptive for the average person leaving a review. The second post was a little shorter and to the point.
Response:
Here I made the classic mistake of assuming something was wrong because of the way the question was presented. In my answer I say that the second post was a little too descriptive. In hindsight I see that I reached a bit in order to come to a conclusion. The blog site assessing the authenticity of the hotel post went to great depth to find the truth. Their searching other blog posts that have been posted by those individuals was the smartest and most efficient way to authenticate the post.
Third answer:
I thought the second quote was the real quote as it used the more proper langue for the time period. the second quote also had less of an agenda.
Response:
The second quote was obviously the only real quote both before and after my reading of the blog. It was the only quote to use proper vernacular for the suggested time period, as well as the only quote without an obvious agenda. 

When I was in eighth grade I was asked to do a collaborative project with my peers. The classroom was broken up into six groups, each group was asked to prepare an argument for or against exploration.My group received Aztecs versus Cortez, and our task was to argue that exploration was nothing more than exploitation. Each of us were assigned a role there were researchers lawyers whose roles were to examine our witnesses and lawyers whose roles were to cross-examine the witnesses. After all the research and witness preparation had concluded the classes were all brought together and court began.

This is one of the great projects that I had been a part of in my entire schooling. Whenever I reflect back to US history I reflect back to that project. With that being said technology could have greatly enhance the collaborative process. For example I distinctly remember struggling to find time to meet with my classmates. This problem was foreseen by the teacher and the distinct roles helped are groups to compartmentalize the work. Unfortunately this took away from the collaborative effort in groups at best checked in on each other. If I were assigning this project I would do away with the roles and allow our students to truly collaborate on a wiki page.http://www.wiki.com/contact.htm. This way as a teacher I can assess the contributions of each group member and the students would be able to work together and add on to each other's work without being in their physical presence.

Something else that I thought would be an excellent addition to this project would be allowing the students to bring in one piece of video evidence using http://wistia.com/. This would allow them to present their side of the story in any way they wanted.

I really appreciate this quest as it has really helped me develop my idea on implementing this already well put together collaborative project. This project was one that I will never forget, and I hope it to be as impactful in the lives of my future students. The technology that I have implemented will give students an opportunity to grow in their collaborative skills as well as an opportunity to showcase their creativity. Once again bloggers I hope you enjoy another entry from Breaking My Tech.

For the cooking with TPACK challenge I was asked to have someone pick a plate a bowl and a utensil of some sort. After this I was asked to cut vegetables in order to prepare a vegetable tray. As you can see in the video above I was fortunate to get a knife for this task. My good fortune, however, seemed to stop here.. The knife I was provided with was a plastic knife which was ineffective in cutting the vegetables I was seeking to prepare.This task demonstrated the TPACK model well as we were asked to complete a goal using three objects. In my example I had to pretty good objects. The plate was effective for me to both cut the vegetables on as well as serve them. The bowl allowed for a place to store the vegetables after they had been cut. However because my knife is dull and very ineffective I was forced to put my hands all over the food. The vegetables I was seeking to prepare were smashed instead of cut ruining the appearance and texture of the vegetables. So how does this tie into TPACK? I believe it showed that even if a professor is proficient in two of the three essential components of technological learning their lessons and still come out miserable and learning goals will not be accomplished. If a professor is not competent in content pedagogy and technological implementation the lesson will fail. Professors must seek to be proficient in all three or they will end up with smooshed distextured vegetables.

 
 


Instead of choosing to take one avenue to expand my personal learning network I choose to pick two. They were both just so intriguing to me. The two avenues I choose were, Feedly and Google Plus. I choose these avenues because both give extensive background before giving suggestions and that just fit my learning style. I will also admit that the Twitter Chat was a little too in cohesive for my liking. All the differing opinions were just a little overwhelming.

The first avenue that I choose to grow my personal learning network was Feedly. I particularly enjoyed the Feedly app because it could be interconnected to all of my other Google tools. This was extremely convenient and allowed me to dive into the multiple and diverse blogs posted on Feedly. On Feedly I read articles on diverse topics from plans by GE to install devices that will give free technology for teaching, to the inefficiency of testing in today's modern classroom. Most of my experience on Feedly has been dedicated to reading at this point, but in the future I plan on creating a blog site myself and allowing others to learn from my research and experience.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 The next tool I experimented with was the Google Plus tool. I had heard of Google Plus in the past but honestly had no idea how it worked  or why anyone would use it. After googling Google Plus, ironic I know, I became very intrigued with its structure and it's comprehensiveness. Again, I was able to simply connect with my preexisting goggle email. I both joined and created a circle and was immediately granted access to countless articles on various subjects. The circle that I created had a topical foundation sports as a learning tool. Amusingly one of the first articles that I read was about how sports are no longer a good teacher for children. I completely disagree with this premise, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. In the future I plan on growing my circle and engaging members of my circle in open and unrestricted conversation on the subject. I also intend on making other circles as I learn and experience new things.

 

After reading over some of my other classmates blogs and seeing how they have extensively elaborated on the two methods SAMR and TPACK, I have decided to go in a slightly different direction. Instead of comparing and contrasting the two methods, instead, I wanted to illuminate how the two methods could be corroborated.

In the TPACK model, there are three major segments of teaching that affect student achievement. The three, in no particular order, are technology, content knowledge, and pedagogy. Technology in the classroom are the tools which allow for enhanced learning and teaching such as video chats and word forms. Content knowledge is the information needed to be well versed in a subject such as math, science, or social studies. Pedagogy is how to convey the intended information, or how to teach. The idea of the TPACK model is that at a point all three of these essential concepts converge and dramatically enhances the learning experience for students.

 

The SAMR model speaks to the depth of technological implementation. SAMR is an acronym which stands for Substitution, Augmentation,  Modification, and Redefinition. Substitution is the simplest form of technological utilization. In Substitution, technology acts as a tool with little to no functional enhancement. During the Augmentation process, technology acts as a tool with improved functionality.  Modification begins the transformative process of technology in the classroom. When tasks are modified through technology, there is significant task redesign. In the last stage of the SAMR model - Redefinition - technology is transformative; students are able to accomplish tasks never before imagined.

 

 So now that we have a basic understanding of the two models, we need to explore how they integrate in the classroom. When examining the TPACK model I realized that traditional good teaching comes when content and pedagogy meet. I also realized that the implementation of technology at its lowest level often occurs when teachers try to combine either content knowledge with technology or pedagogy with technology. This technological implementation often manifests itself in the form of Substitution and/or Augmentation. However it is not until all three components of the TPACK model converge that technology can become transformational in the classroom. When teachers balance content, pedagogy, and technology, they are able to create a previously inconceivable learning experience. When this occurs, technology becomes modifying and even redefining.

After an hour and a half of trying to figure out a way to upload this diagram I created to further explain this I have decided its not happening tonight. I hope you enjoy my blog.
Stay safe out there and try not to break your TECH!!!

Sources

"A Guide for Bringing the SAMR Model to IPads (EdSurge News)." EdSurge. N.p., 06 Feb. 2015. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.                        

 

TPACK Explained." TPACKorg. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.