EDIM 516 Through the Eyes of Elaine McConnell

CC from Rose PhotoAmateur In a world where technology rules, video games in education have become a popular trend. If students are interested in gaming, why not add educational twists to games to increase motivation? However, gaming does not have to be strictly limited to video games. Elements of gaming can be added to any classroom through the process of gamification. What is Gamification? Bristow (2015)  explains that gamification “focuses on using game thinking and game mechanics to turn an otherwise mundane task into something engaging and perhaps even competitive.” In regards to education, teachers can add elements of games to daily tasks in order to motivate students to learn. The idea is that if students are engaged in classroom tasks, they will be more likely to try harder and better learn and retain information. How to use Gamification in Your Classroom Bristow (2015) also explains several methods that could be used to gamify classrooms: Add achievements t...

Here is my VoiceThread which would be used to help clarify core concepts in George Orwell’s 1984 . Throughout this Instructional Media program, I’ve read about “flipped classrooms” quite a bit. However, to be, honest, I never considered implementing it in my own classroom (I have outlined some of my concerns below). Since I had to create a video for this program, I figured I’d try to make the best out of this situation and find some resources to help me make this as meaningful as possible. I tried using the flipped classroom hashtag on Twitter, but I didn’t seem to find much that was particularly helpful specifically to high school English teachers. I broadened my search, and found an invaluable resource What it Means to Flip English . I’m so thankful I found this because it saved me from falling into the exact trap I was about to enter, which was assuming that a flipped English classroom would work the same as a flipped math classroom. It just simply doesn’t work in the same w...

I'm always so concerned with what I'm teaching and how I'm teaching that I often overlook where I'm teaching. The truth is, though, that the classroom environment plays a major role in students' learning. The challenge this week was to try to make no-cost changes to improve the classroom learning environment. This week has already been quite crazy at school, so I did not have much time to make extensive changes, but I was able to make a few which I have outlined below. First, although it is a small change, I made some of my spaces more organized. I eliminated the clutter in front of my window, and took down some useless cords from the ancient, no-longer-functional television in the front of my room (the television was supposed to be removed last year, but, as you can see, they obviously haven't gotten around to it yet). These small changes really made a big difference in the overall welcoming presence of the room. BEFORE AFTER   BEFORE ...

One of the many hot topics in education is the debate over whether or not texting has a negative impact on students' spelling and writing. Since I am a high school ELA teacher, this is a topic that really hits home. It’s definitely something worth researching in order to better understand the impact technology use is having on my students’ writing abilities. I found several sources that either highlight the positive effects, negative impacts, or show no correlation at all between texting and writing skills. I have compiled an outline of sources here using the Outliners feature of Diigo. Before I continue, here is a brief tutorial of how to create an Outliner using Diigo for those of you who may have never seen it before: After you have added sources (urls, images, or pdfs) to your Diigo Library, complete the following steps: 1.  To Create an Outline, click “My Outliners” in the top menu of your Diigo homepage, and then click the green + in the top right corner of the scree...

Original image CC0 through Wikimedia Commons The first amendment and its protection of free speech is a pillar of American society. However, in the age of social media, the laws and guidelines regarding free speech for professionals, especially teachers, have become more ambiguous. Should teachers be subject to professional repercussions for posts deemed inappropriate on personal social media accounts? Before delving into the opposing viewpoints, consider the scenario outlined in a KENS 5 report here .  In this particular example, a teacher pinned several controversial e-cards, relating specifically to teaching, to her personal Pinterest page. A parent found the page and is urging  the district to take disciplinary action towards the teacher. This scenario poses several important questions regarding teachers’ personal freedoms. Should teachers be permitted to freely post on social media accounts while “off the clock”? Or, must they be held to higher standards than the ...

"The World Wide Web" originally uploaded by FrankieLeon Teachers rely on remaining up-to-date with the latest research, especially when it comes to technology. Technology in the classroom is no longer just a fad. It’s here to stay, so teachers need to embrace it. However, the question of “where do I even start?” can be a bit daunting. Taking advantage of readily-available resources is a good starting point. Often, teaching resources are a few keyboard strokes and a click of a mouse away, or maybe even closer. When it comes to finding teaching  resources, I have a variety of sources. Being enrolled in the  Instructional Media Masters Program  through Wilkes University has provided countless, pedagogically sound teaching strategies. I’m currently enrolled in my last course of the program, and I can say that the combination of course material, instructor insight, and class discussions have provided me with with more useful resources than anything else I’ve encountered ...