Digital Students@Analog Schools, 2004. Do the sentiments still ring true?

Digital Students@Analog Schools, 2004. Do the sentiments still ring true?

The above link is to a post about on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog about technology integration, need for multimedia learning activities, and resources for supporting technology and Universal Design for Learning.

Mind Habits update: Post on Interactive Multimedia Blog

MindHabits is a company that offers games to help with anxiety, stress, and build confidence. The games are evidence-based and fun to play. The games would be appropriate for teens, and of course, adults.

I've posted more information on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.

Related Links:

MindHabit's website
Online Demo of MindHabits Games

Link to post: Chill in an on-line tropical paradise from Unity3d

Take a moment to read my post on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog about a free on-line virtual tropical paradise. If you work with young people who have stress and anxiety, or need tools for calming down when agitated, this application might be worth a try. I'm planning on using it with some of the students I work with who have autism spectrum disorders.

This application would be great on an interactive whiteboard or display to teach a few lessons about landforms and tropical climates!

Adaptive music tools for people with disabilities; link to assistive technology blog

From eSchool News:

"A program developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) allows students with severe physical disabilities to create music just by moving their heads. A digital video camera tracks the students’ movements on a computer screen and translates them into piano scales or drum beats. The program’s developers hope it will open a whole new world of creativity for physically challenged individuals."

Deep Listening Institute

Brian Friedlander's Assistive Technology blog has a wealth of resources on topics such as assistive technology, mind mapping, project management, visual learning, collaborative tools, and educational technology. Brian is a school psychologist and assistive technology consultant.

Games and Learning

Someone recently asked me this question:

"If you look at Sim type games, for example Roller Coaster Tycoon, these are without question games that are filled with lessons and real-world applicable knowledge. Do you think kids go into a game like this knowing they're learning useful skills?"

My response, slightly edited:

I have two young adult daughters, and I'm an aunt - my nieces and nephews ages range from 12 -19. I've watched kids play games for years. From my perspective, the younger kids DO understand that they are learning.

The missing link? Adults who understand what kids are learning, and who also have the means to help mediate this learning in a meaningful way. We don't have many tools to support parents and educators with this task.

That's why I think adults need some brushing up to do. I think all parents and educators need to read a bit of James Gee, Mark Prensky, Henry Jenkins, etc.

Ideally, all games should come with a parent/educator "friendly" set of directions, so that they can understand what the game is about, and also learn how to play it without having to rely so much on the kids.

(This concept is what I call "Guiding the Guider", a concept that applies to a variety of situations, such as the use of technology in the health care fields, including elder care.)

Personally, I'd love it if games came with a "silly adult" mode, sort of like a training mode, but with more information about the deeper structure of the game and the "lessons" that it can teach.

I also think that schools need to spend some time beefing up the curriculum to address the skills students will need in the future, such as multimedia/visual literacy and technology.

Links:
Mark Prensky
Listen to the Natives

James Gee
What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy

Henry Jenkins
Eight Myths about Video Games Debunked

Educational Games Research

Cross post: Nobelprize.org

Nobelprize.org's Educational Outreach Program: Multimedia Games, Experiments, and Simulated Environments

From the website:

"Nobelprize.org has a unique way of introducing the Nobel Prize that goes beyond the mere presentation of facts. These introductions, aptly called 'educational', are made in the form of games, experiments, and simulated environments ready to be explored and discovered. The productions are aimed at the young, particularly the 14-18 age groups, who may know about the Nobel Prizes and the Nobel Laureates, but often lack a deeper understanding about the Nobel Prize-awarded works."

"These educational productions do not require previous knowledge. A central thought or issue is explored during 10-20 minutes of activity, using a specific Nobel Prize-awarded work as a springboard for the whole exercise."

"The productions offer an excellent way of using the Internet for homework, or just plain, wholesome entertainment. The high level of interactivity and the sophisticated illustrations ensure an enriching time spent in front of the computer."

Note:

I recently came across the Nobelprize.org website when I was searching for interactive learning games suitable for use on interactive whiteboards or large touch-screen displays.

For those of you who follow my blog, you'll know that I periodically look for engaging visual and multimedia activities that have potential for use in classrooms where Universal Design for Learning is practiced. Visual and multimedia forms of knowledge representation can help to reach a wide range of people, including those who have reading difficulties, language-based learning disabilities, auditory attention and memory deficits, or have autism spectrum disorders (Asperger syndrome, autism, etc.).

If you are an educator who is interested in using games in your classroom, the resources from Nobelprize.org are a good start, since background information is provided for each game.

MegaPost: Resources for All

Since I started blogging, new technologies have made their way into an increasing number of classrooms, and many educators are aware of efforts such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Response to Intervention or Instruction (RTI), as well as innovative technologies that provide engaged, interactive learning experiences for students.

I've consolidated information and updated links and resources from some previous posts from my TechPsych and Interactive Multimedia Technology blogs. Although many of the resources cited in this post relate to K-12 education, some of the information is useful for instructional designers, school administrators, researchers, college/university educators, parents, and technologists who are interested in developing interactive multimedia applications for children and teens.

Take the time to review the "MegaPost" on the Interactive Multimedia Technology Blog!

Boston Children's Hospital, The Big Tree: Innovative use of digital media technology to support communication skills

In the Autism Language Program at Boston's Children's hospital, therapists are using visual and multimedia methods of instruction, supported by technology. The program uses observational and two-way observational learning strategies to teach more complex concepts and skills.

Information from the Children's Hospital research and development web page describes research that supports the use of technology with children who have autism spectrum disorders:

"Our clinical observations have revealed that children on the spectrum are interested in all forms of electronic media. We conducted an extensive survey to quantify this observation. We surveyed 90 families of children (age 3-15) with autism from the Midwest and the east coast.

Partial results of the survey:

Children had extensive computer, television and video interest.
Animated characters were more interesting than human figures.
Majority of the children spend more time with media than they do with all other forms of play combined.

These findings are helping us discover ways to use animated characters as therapeutic tools to help children learn language."

The Big Tree is a website that includes information about "Multimedia Advocacy", the "use of multimedia to have a voice". This is especially important for young people who have communication disorders or other disabilities as they transition to adult life.

"Multimedia advocacy is process driven using a camera, video and computer in work with people who have learning disabilities has value as a process of assisted communication in its own right. Taking a person-centred approach so that service users are involved takes time. Multimedia advocacy provides valuable tools that allow those with communication difficulties ownership of their plans and records, rather like having ´an accessible filing cabinet´ that helps to shift the power relationships entailed in supporting people around and getting the focus onto the individual and placing them at the centre."

e-School News Online: Current site of the week features the Microscope Imaging Station from the Exploratorium

One of my favorite sites is eSchool News Online. The Site of the Week is the Microscope Imaging Station, from the Exploratorium science museum's website. This is a site that I'd recommend viewing on a large-screen display or interactive whiteboard.

According to the Exploratorium website, the "Microcope Imaging Station produces high-resolution images and movies using research-grade microscopes. This gallery contains a range of images and movies that illustrate the diversity of what can be seen with light microscopes"



The link to eSchool News has links to past sites of the week.

Bill MacKenty's Words of Wisdom: Getting Started with Games and Learning

School will be starting in a few weeks, and many educators have been hearing more about the use of interactive video games for learning. As I've mentioned on previous posts, Bill MacKenty is a pioneer in this area. He's an instructional designer at the Hunter College Campus school and is an advocate of the effective use of technology in learning settings. He's been blogging since 2004, if not before.

It is well worth the time to visit Bill's blog on a regular basis or sign up for his blog feed. Here are some quotes from Bill's Games in Education page:

"Technology strengthens, deepens, and broadens our learning...
Are you a classroom teacher? So am I. I'm using games to teach, it works!

YES. Computer games are an incredible learning tool
YES. We can prove kids are learning
YES. We can see kids become excited and engaged about learning
YES. You can do it! "

Bill has some good information on how NOT to go about integrating video games in the classroom in his recent blog post, "10 easy ways to miss the boat".

With the push towards measuring student responsiveness to intervention and utilizing data for educational decision-making, those of use who work with K-12 learners might consider exploring this avenue. Computer/video games are excellent masters of keeping track of all sorts of data. This power can be harnessed to support education in a variety of engaging ways.

If you are new to my blog, take the time to do a search about games, education, and interactive multimedia applications. My Interactive Multimedia Technology blog also has a few treasures that you might find useful.