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Five Culturally-Responsive Instructional Strategies

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

We all know that no single teaching approach will engage all students at once, but implementing a culturally-responsive instructional strategy will help you connect to your more diverse students with distinct backgrounds. So what does it mean to be a culturally-responsive teacher? Being culturally responsive means you can relate to people not only from your own culture, but to that of others as well. It’s more than just knowing the backgrounds of your students. It’s about using that knowledge to incorporate teaching strategies that will engage all students in your classroom, even those with different backgrounds.

Below are a few instructional strategies to help you become a more culturally-responsive teacher.

1 – Get to Know Your Students

culturally
About Me Google Slide Activity

One strategy to create a more culturally-responsive classroom is getting to know your students. The more you know about your students, the better. Icebreakers are one way to accomplish this. See Classroom Icebreakers and Even More Classroom Icebreakers for activities you can incorporate in your classroom. Other ideas include interest surveys or questionnaires about learning styles. By showing genuine interest in what matters to your students, you are building trust and creating a place where all students feel comfortable.

2 – Incorporate Real-World Learning Scenarios

Another strategy to use is incorporating real-world learning scenarios in your classroom. By creating activities that present problems that students can relate to, you’re linking to student interests and allowing them the opportunity to use their own cultural awareness to solve the problem. Take a look at Collaborative Projects in PBL to get ideas on how to create real-world problem scenarios.

3 – Use Learning Stations

All students respond differently to different types of content due to preference, learning style, and/or culture. With learning stations, you can provide a variety of materials that are differentiated for students.  Each station should use a unique method of instructing students so that students have a choice in which station they would prefer to visit. If culturally diverse students can make connections with the content, they will be more engaged.

4 – Include Games in Lessons

Another way to differentiate content and delivery is to include games in your lessons. Gamifying learning is a good way to motivate students of all cultures. Students love earning badges or trying to be the top scorer. Setting goals or specific tasks and offering rewards can inspire students and give them what they need. In addition, it gives your entire class a chance to have a little fun.

5 – Bring in Guest Speakers

Inviting diverse speakers to speak to your students and share their knowledge is another strategy for creating a culturally-responsive classroom. Students may be more engaged and motivated if they share a culture with the guest speaker. In addition, technology makes it easier than ever to bring speakers into your classroom. It is very easy to set up a Google Hangout or Mystery Skype to connect with others.

Be a Culturally-Responsive Teacher

We live in a multicultural world; therefore implementing culturally responsive teaching strategies is becoming more necessary to create a successful learning environment where all students can learn. Consistency is key to being a more culturally-responsive teacher. Try using all or some of the instructional strategies listed above to ensure that you are meeting the needs of all your students.

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Digital BreakoutEducational TrendsGood Teaching

Back to School Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Kick off the school year with a TCEA digital breakout. The theme is school supplies.

If you are new to digital breakouts, check out the basics. (If not, skip on down to the Back to School breakout section.)

What is Breakout EDU?

Teams of students follow clues posted and/or hidden in the classroom to open up a locked box. The box can have one or several locks. The time frame for Breakout EDU is usually 30 to 45 minutes.

What is a Digital Breakout EDU?

A digital breakout uses a Google Form and Google Sites. You will find images, text, and hyperlinks on the Google Sites. Students use the information on this page to solve digital puzzles. Next, they submit the answers in the Google Form. The Google Form uses response validation to create the digital locks. Unless you provide the exact content, the question does not unlock. Students will not be able to submit the form unless all the digital locks contain the correct answers.

Digital Breakouts in the Classroom

The beauty of digital breakouts is students can work by themselves, in pairs, or in small groups. Time limits are set in the story line. Teachers can set their own time frames. You can find digital breakouts  for every level and subject imaginable. Remember that the intrinsic reward is solving the breakout, so no prizes are necessary. The Back to School Digital Breakout is on the easy end of the spectrum. It is a great “starter”  to this type of game format.

Equipment Necessary

The only item you need for a digital breakout is an internet-connected computer. A laptop, desktop, or Chromebook is the preferred device. You can also use an iPad to play.  The tricky part on an iPad is toggling between two tabs in the browser. One tab is for the Google Site with the breakout information and the other is for the Google Form to type the answers.

Accessing the Google Form from an iPad

  1. Tap on the Google Form which contains the locks.
  2. In the upper right corner, tap on the action button. Note: The action button is the little square button with the upward pointing arrow.
  3. A Google Form will open in another tab.

Flip-flop between the two tabs. Google Sites holds the breakout information. The Google Form has the answers.

The Back to School Digital Breakout

Is this a hidden lock?
Is this a hidden lock?

If you are ready to get started, click here.

The Lock Information

The Back to School Breakout has a total of four locks:

  • 7-Direction Lock
  • 4-Color Lock
  • 4-Letter Lock
  • 3-Number Lock

Helpful Hints

  • Find the three hidden links on the web page.
  • The fourth lock is a school supply quiz in a Google Form. The student will need to look at the image and type in the correct word. Spelling counts! When you reach the submission page, you will reach the lock riddle.
  • No external links appear. Younger learners will not find annoying ads or possible inappropriate content.

Don’t forget that you can always email me for hints if you get stuck on the puzzles. Happy Breaking Out!

More Free Digital Breakouts

Featured image designed by TCEA.

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gaming
Educational TrendsGood Teaching

Battle Royale: Gaming in Schools

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Accidental learning, the kind of informal learning that takes place in online games, is now the rule. The risks of gameplay are low and the opportunities for collaboration high. Why not use online games like Fortnite to teach collaboration in schools? Let’s explore a topic that so often results in a battle royale: gaming in schools.

What is Fortnite?

If you have missed the buzz about this online shooter game, Variety magazine sums it up in this way:

The wildly popular game “Fortnite Battle Royale,” an online shooter in which 100 players fight to the death on a cartoonish island arena, is entering the world of higher education. Ohio’s Ashland University announced this week that it’ll be the first college in the U.S. to offer scholarships specifically for the game.

Academic institutions offering scholarships for virtual skill development (learn more about eSports in Education). Is that the best approach to encouraging learning? Stephen Reid, an advocate of Minecraft: Education Edition for use in schools, says (Source):

  • “Fortnite is not the kind of game we should be trying to use in education! I do not advocate Fortnite as #GamesBasedLearning.”
  • “I worry that a lot of parents are letting their children play it because they see cartoon images.”

Reid challenges us all to ask an important question: “Do we want students learning collaboration as they hunt and kill others?” Dr. Harrison McCoy is in agreement with Reid and expressed dismay about promoting the use of Fortnite in school. Read the twitter conversation.

Special Feature: Dr. Harrison McCoy offered more extended reflections. Those will be included as a comment on this blog entry. Thank you, Dr. McCoy!

Meanwhile, others suggest there are real benefits to using games for learning.

Learning from Failure?

In 2006, I blogged about how John Seelye Brown described accidental learning in this way:

It’s learning to be – a natural byproduct of adjusting to a new culture – as opposed to learning about. Where traditional learning is based on the execution of carefully graded challenges, accidental learning relies on failure. Virtual environments are safe platforms for trial and error. The chance of failure is high, but the cost is low and the lessons learned are immediate.

Brown points to the collaboration benefits as well.

When role-playing gamers team up to undertake a quest, they often need to attempt particularly difficult challenges repeatedly until they find a blend of skills, talents, and actions that allows them to succeed. This process brings about a profound shift in how they perceive and react to the world around them. They become more flexible in their thinking and more sensitive to social cues.

Students are often more engaged in online games than at school. Our collective fixation on high stakes assessments has distracted us from engaging learning. Research suggests we should focus on what works.

What Does the Research Say?

The research firm Demos discussed this phenomenon in 2007. The report, entitled “Their Space: Education for a Digital Generation,” remains relevant. The authors suggest that moral panic is normal. We experience it when coming in contact with new technology. Instead of hysteria, however, we should encourage learners to reflect on their burgeoning media literacy. That effort could happen at school. The authors also suggest blending collaborative projects into instruction.

Demos isn’t alone. In a 2018 publication, a leading university drew similar conclusions. Stanford experts suggested that games support robust learning practices. Those include teamwork, strategic thinking, spatial understanding, and imagination (Source: Stanford). A 2018 study asserts the following:

Researchers have found no evidence to support the theory that video games make players more violent.

Science Daily (2015) reported violent video games are not linked to aggression. In 2014, Ohio University found other results. Researchers found gamers, like non-gamers, had the same neural response to provocative images (Source). It is too easy to blame our creations, our tools and instruments, for our own failings. Gun violence has affected more than 187,000 students since Columbine. What steps should we take in schools?

Gaming in School?

Decide first how to best engage your students. Should you rely on gamification of learning? Or game-based learning (GBL)? The former relies on using game design techniques. Gamifying makes the learning process more enjoyable and motivating (e.g. Classcraft).

The latter approach (GBL) relies on students playing games. Some examples include Minecraft: Education Edition and Cignition in class. Rather than adding badges and rewards, GBL uses video games to teach a subject or skill itself. Students learn to think in a critical manner, solving authentic problems for themselves.

Strategies you can adopt include:

  • Align game types with learning outcomes
  • Turn learning and knowledge into the clue
  • Apply proven effective instructional strategies (e.g. Marzano’s Nine Strategies) to game design
  • Guide the gamer to achieve goals
  • Make the game immersive
  • Provide enough challenges

“I’d like to see curriculum that offers a set of problems with a very good mechanic to solve them. [it should be] connected to social activities and participation spaces in and out of school,” says John Paul Gee. This allows students to “be proactive and take it further, learn collaboratively, and even learn to design.”

Ready to Adopt GBL?

Before jumping to adopt game-based learning based on Fortnite, first inventory your biases. Mine are easy. I’ve been a gamer since age thirteen. My son plays Fortnite, narrowcasting his gameplay via Twitch. I see little evidence of game violence manifesting in our lives. Set boundaries, craft a class contract, and assess participation.

Second, ask yourself, “Is the design of a game easy to adapt to learning objectives?” In the case of Fortnite, game design may not be overcome due to the amount of peer slaying that is central to play. Rely on game engines that can be adapted to learning objectives.

Third, decide “How have you involved stakeholders (parents, administrators) in the curriculum development process?” Without their involvement and their support, you are setting yourself up for failure. Brave educators have adopted game-based learning before, but society often expresses itself in schools. For some communities, game-based learning has arrived. For others, not so much. Make sure your enthusiasm doesn’t result in a battle royale in your school.

Have an Opinion?

I would love to hear other opinions on this issue. Share your professional remarks in the comments or link to your blogged remarks.

 

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ChromebooksProfessional Learning

Enhance Your Skills with Chromebook Bingo

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

Recently, I offered a workshop on how to enhance your Chromebook skills. The first part of the workshop focused on getting to know your Chromebook. To make things more exciting, I decided to gamify this part of the session by allowing the participants to play bingo because who doesn’t like the thrill of finding the last item on their bingo card, jumping out of their chairs, and shouting “Bingo!”

Chromebook Bingo Steps

The steps of the bingo game were as follows:

Step 1: Each participant accessed a copy of the digital bingo card. They could work alone or in groups. They were to complete each task on the card until a bingo was made.

Step 2: After the first bingo, they continued to play until someone made a blackout.

Step 3: After the blackout, they came up with another skill not already on their card and asked someone in their group or their neighbor if they could demonstrate the skill they came up with.

Bingo

Create Your Own Bingo Card

Bingo is an incredibly fun game to play and can be used to learn anything from vocabulary to math to even learning more about your Chromebook. And best of all, you can create your own, customized Bingo cards in only a short amount of time.

I used Google Drawings to create the Chromebook Skills Bingo Card. Get your own copy here and see if you can make a blackout. You can even customize the card to gamify your next lesson. What you put on the card is, of course, only limited by your imagination. Don’t forget to give the winner a prize, a small treat, a trophy, a “No Homework” pass … or you can even give out a badge.

Chromebook Educator Course

Are you maximizing the limitless potential of Chromebooks in your classroom? Want to take your Chromebook skills to the next level? Harness the power of the Chromebook by taking our Chromebook Educator course.

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game-based learning
Educational TrendsGood Teaching

Five Easy Tips to Engage in Game-Based Learning

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Gone are the days when learning meant simply reading through text material. With interactive games and swanky gadgets, learning has not only become easy, but interactive and fun as well!

Besides virtual tours, field days, and other methods of breaking down classroom walls, game-based learning has become one of the most popular ways of learning in recent years. And it’s easy to see why. Research shows that game-based learning provides advantages by being highly engaging, providing learners with immediate feedback, and allowing students to more easily translate learning to a real-world environment. So how do you bring game-based learning into your classroom? There are several things you must consider. You need to think as a gamer first and foremost and learn how to adopt game principles to a learning context.

Here are five tips to get start your classroom on the path to game-based learning success!

1. Choose the Right Game

There are different types of games, from puzzles to adventure games to board games. Before laying your hands on all of them, it is imperative that you analyse them and pick the most suitable one. This will depend on the scenario and on the learning outcomes. 

A puzzle-type might be appropriate if you’re trying to build problem-solving skills. These also make good ice breakers! Here are some examples to try. A quiz style game can be helpful if you want to see how much students have retained after a lesson. Quizizz or Kahoot! are good sources for creating game-based assessments. There are also simulation games that can help students learn a skill or experience something they might not be able to do in real life. For example, if you are teaching a biology class, your students can practice dissecting animals to learn about how their bodies work. You can even find games to help students develop their coding skills!

2. Fuse Learning with Real-World Situations

Choosing a game that replicates real-world situations for the gamer will help them get the most out of the learning. This also gives the gamer positive reinforcement as he can see how his problem-solving skills or knowledge can lead to improved results. The gamer sees how she can connect the game to real life and uses the same strategies for success. Thus, it becomes a repetitive behavior transferable to her working environment.

3. Empower the Gamer

As with any game, in game-based learning, the learners should know the course of action and the consequences of their actions. This helps them make informed decisions. They can learn from their mistakes and build on their successes. Without this agency, your gamer will be put off and be less likely to continue to pursue the game. Giving the gamer agency also encourages them to take chances and be empowered in other aspects of learning. They will learn to ask questions, try, fail, and try again. 

4. Let Them Be Part of the Game

To maximise the results, the gamer should be made part of the game instead of being only the one who controls the characters. Doing this will not only improve the experience, but improve the results as well. For example, you can let the game player become the game maker. This helps them understand how a game works and empowers them with their own ability to create content. There are a number of resources that you can use with students to help them create their own games. 

5. Keep Game-Based Learning “Just Right”

The game must be challenging, but not so challenging as to discourage learners. At the beginning of the game, let the gamer get used to the environment. As the game progresses, increase the level of challenge. If the gamer doesn’t face any challenges, she will not engage and, as a result, will lose interest. However, don’t underestimate your students’ abilities. One of the best things about game-based learning is that it is easy to scaffold for different levels. Make sure to supply some true challenges for your strongest game players to take on. 

Do you have any favorite tools, tips, or resources for game-based learning? We hope you’ll share them in the comments below.

This is a guest blog by Farid Gasim. Farid is the founder of Edarabia.com and has extensive experience in serving the Middle East education industry. As an integral part of media agency, Grafdom, Farid has developed marketing strategies for institutions and government agencies. He is a notable speaker with over 12 years of marketing expertise and numerous public engagements at New York University, Zayed University, Higher Colleges of Technology and other industry events and forums.

 

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math
Math

Why Your Students Should Be Practicing Math with Prodigy

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

Keeping students engaged while practicing their math skills can sometimes be difficult. But luckily, there is a powerful and free platform available for grades 1 through 8 that will help them achieve mastery and have fun doing it. And that platform is Prodigy.

What Is Prodigy?

More than 15 million students around the world are using Prodigy right now, a curriculum-aligned math game for elementary and middle school learners. With more than 1,200 crucial math skills covered and a guarantee that the product will ALWAYS be free to educators, you will definitely want to get your students registered to use this program. It begins with a diagnostic test for each student so that they begin working on their best level and follows up with embedded assessments and differentiation. And the teacher can see individualized reports about each student’s progress at any time.

math

 

Played like a video game, the platform includes the ability to create a persona, take part in quests, level up, and engage in social learning. It is game-based learning at is finest and most engaging. And the research behind the math learning is spot on, so as a the teacher, you know that your students are learning what they are supposed to be.

Getting Started with Prodigy

To begin using the program, the teacher creates an account with name, email, and password. Then you must select the curriculum you want your students to use. Choices include the Prodigy Math Curriculum, which is the default, along with Common Core Math Standards, Florida standards, and yes, standards aligned to the Texas TEKS. Set up your class and enter your students and then determine on what topic you want them to start. Then you are ready to go. You will receive a URL for each class created for your students to enter, along with a unique class code. Students will then be asked to create a character and can start playing.

More about this Math Game

Prodigy works on any device that can connect to the Internet, which makes it perfect for the BYOT classroom. In addition, there is also a Chrome extension for the game. The game even includes virtual manipulatives for the students to use, along with text-to-speech/question read-aloud features. And in case you’re wondering how Prodigy is paying the bills, they sell an optional membership to parents that allows them to see exactly what their child is working on and how he/she is doing.

In a time when some educational companies promise, but don’t deliver, and when those that do may come with a hefty price tag, Prodigy is a beacon of what is best for student learning. Create your teacher account today and get your kids engaged!

 

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gamification
Educational TrendsGood Teaching

Taking Gamification to the Next Level

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

If you’re into gamification—the process of providing a game-like learning environment to better engage your students or adult learners—then you should check out GooseChase. A type of digital scavenger hunt that can be done anywhere using mobile devices, GooseChase is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.

How GooseChase Works

Like most powerful learning ideas, GooseChase requires a good amount of work and thought up front by the teacher or professional development facilitator. The concept is simple. Create a game with several different missions on their website. A mission could be answering a history question related to what the student is currently studying, taking a picture of someone on the team doing a kind act for someone not on the team, or checking in at the campus library. Missions can involve:

  • Photos or videos (record the results of a science experiment or create a how-to video on a particular tech resource)
  • Text (solve a riddle, puzzle, or math problem, take a survey, answer a question)
  • GPS (check in at a particular location)

gamificationOnce you’ve created several missions (the number of missions is up to you), then you can assign each mission a point value based on its degree of difficulty. Decide how long you want the game to run and if a password is required to join. Then the game is afoot! Gather the participants together and have them divide up into teams. (I would recommend no more than four to a team, with three being the optimum number.) One player on each team will need to download the free GooseChase app, available for either an iOS or Android/Google device. Teams will be able to see scores of all participants in real time as they complete missions and share videos and photos of their success. The game leader can even award unscheduled bonus points for teams who go above and beyond.

There are three key things that make GooseChase a powerful learning platform. First, it is based on our competitive nature. Everyone wants to win. Second, it allows us to play, collaborate, and learn with others. Finally, the game can be structured so that, much like the phenomena Pokemon GO, participants must get up and move around in order to be successful. In a nation of overweight people, more movement is good.

Ways to Incorporate Gamification

This tool would be great for lots of different learning opportunities, both for students and adults. Consider these:

  • Set up missions for new student/staff orientation around the campus
  • Leverage available BYOT technology for self-directed learning (no teams; everyone plays on his/her own against the others)
  • Use the game as an icebreaker activity or to kick off a new unit of study
  • Play GooseChase as part of a team-building emphasis
  • Remind everyone that learning can be fun and playful by including some “not so serious” missions, such as playing leapfrog with another team or making silly hats in the school makerspace
  • Assign an activity to be done and filmed at home with parents
  • Take the game on a field trip to enhance the learning there
  • Make a highlight reel at the end of the game of all of the photos and videos created and use it with the learners for reflection

Pricing

The Recreational version of the game is free and just requires registration by the facilitator. That allows for unlimited missions for up to five teams (25 people).

GooseChase also offers a free educational version of the game, though, with more features. GooseChase EDU brings a library of reusable K-12 games, free educator accounts, game sharing, and more. The Educator Basic Plan allows you to run an unlimited number of team games with an unlimited number of class sections with up to five teams per game. (They have a great back to school Classroom Expectations game for the start of the new school year!) There are also upgraded plans available with reasonable pricing.

Final Thoughts

Gamification is a trend that will not be going away because of its power in making people want to learn. While there are lots of different ways to gamify your classroom or workshop, GooseChase is one of the easiest ones I’ve seen. And because each mission can be created and defined by you, its potential is limitless. Try the game out today yourself and let me know what you think in the Comments section below. Or even invite me to join you on a mission!

This blog was updated with new information on August 1, 2017.

 

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Google Tips and Tricks

Transform your Classroom into a Game Show

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

The ever popular TV game show Jeopardy can provide an enjoyable way of reviewing content with students. At a recent Google workshop, I divided participants into teams and we played the game. Immediately, the participants’ eyes lit up and everyone was actively learning together.

I created the Jeopardy game using Flippity. Flippity is a great service that offers a handful of templates for creating interactive games that you can use in the classroom. There are 11 tools that you can select from:

  • Flashcards
  • Quiz Show
  • Bingo
  • Hangman
  • Spelling Words
  • Random Picker
  • Mix and Match
  • Badge Tracker
  • Progress Indicator
  • MadLibs
  • Certificate Quiz

Each tool has a link to a demo page, so you can see it in action, and a link to the step-by-step instructions for the tool. In addition, each tool also has a Google Sheets template that you can make a copy of and then fill in with your own information.

Steps for Making Your Own Game Show

If you want to make your own Jeopardy quiz show, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Modify the Google Spreadsheet Template
• Make a copy of this template. (You’ll need to sign-in with your Google account.)
• Edit all the Quiz Show Questions (and answers and categories) to fit your content.
• Do not edit any cell with a blue background and don’t delete rows or columns.

Step 2: Publish Your Spreadsheet
• Go to File, Publish to the Web, and then click Publish.

Step 3: Get Your Flippity Link
• Click on the Get the Link Here tab of the template (at the bottom).
• Click on the Flippity.net link to test out your game.

Step 4: Bookmark, Share, and Play
• Make a shortcut or bookmark to get back to the game whenever you want to play.
• Share the game with your colleagues and have them try it out.
• Play the game with your students.

Flippity Add-On

This past November, the Flippity Add-on for Google Sheets became available. Now it is easier than ever to create games. With this add-on, even your students can create review games with Flippity.

To get the Flippity Add-On:
1. Open a new Google Sheet and click on the “Add-ons” menu.
2. Search for “Flippity” and click on the blue “Free” button to install the add-on.
3. Allow the add-on to connect to your Google account.
4. Go back to the Add-ons menu and click on Flippity–>Pick a Template.
5. After you select your template, your Google sheet is reformatted and you are ready to enter your data.

Conclusion

Flippity can be a great learning tool for students. I think it is a powerful and fun way for them to review content at home, too. The fact that they can use the review games on their phones and/or tablets makes Flippity even more appealing. Turn your classroom into a game show by giving it a try or by having your students give it a try! It’s certainly a fun way to prepare your students.

Please share your creations in the comments below and be sure to check out some of our upcoming Google events to extend your learning.

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gamifying
Microsoft

Gamifying OneNote Learning

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

gamifying

Get PDF | PPTx version

At the recent TCEA 2017 Conference, my plan for gamifying participants’ exploration of OneNote was foiled when I neglected to print my game board. Fortunately, I can share my “Learning OneNote Game Board” with you and make it up to those who attended my session, as well as others!

Learning OneNote Game Rules

The rules for the game are very simple. They include having fun as you complete as many squares as you have time for. If you discover something cool or want to celebrate your experience, post it in the padlet created for that purpose. For now, let’s take a quick look at some of the tasks on the game board, from easiest (bottom) to hardest (top).

OneNote Version

Are you able to distinguish between the various versions of OneNote? As time goes by, it’s getting a little harder to see the differences. Remember that the OneNote app, which works on Windows 10, iOS, and Android, comes with a variety of features like its big brother (OneNote 2016 for Windows and Mac), but has a simpler interface. While all versions of OneNote are compatible with Class Notebook, OneNote 2016 is the real powerhouse since it makes copying/moving sections easy. And if you’re looking for a quick way to share OneNote via the web, OneNote Online is your go-to. This gives non-OneNote users access.

What kinds of media can be embedded in a OneNote page?

If you haven’t seen Marjolein Hoekstra’s tutorial on embedding content in OneNote, you are missing out! You can embed all sorts of media, and I keep a OneNote page with all the latest examples (including Marjolein’s example).

How does Onetastic enhance OneNote?

If you haven’t explored Onetastic, you definitely need to investigate it. For $15 a year, Onetastic enables you to add a truckload of macros. These OneNote macros automate tasks as well as expand the functionality of OneNote. Need to crop an image directly in OneNote? Generate a table of contents for a notebook, a section or pageful of headers? No worries, Onetastic to the rescue.

Conclusion

At the high end of the game board, you will see other ideas such as using Class Notebook, using checkboxes and tags to keep track of projects, as well as organizing with sections and section groups. Why don’t you give the game board a try?

 

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Pokemon Go
Educational Trends

Pokemon GO: What Education Should Be

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

This blog was updated on January 12, 2017 to include new resources.

I admit it. I’m addicted to Pokemon GO. It’s not something that I expected to happen. (After all, I’m not really their prime demographic audience!) But I’m in the game constantly now, thanks to the TCEA board members who showed it to me at a recent meeting and to my grown-up son Stephen who is also playing.

What Is Pokemon GO?

If you are not familiar with this new phenomenon (where have you been hiding?), here are the basics. It’s an update of the old Pokemon (“Pocket Monster”) card game that came out in 1995 and is now played via a free Android or iOS app. You are a trainer who catches different “monsters” that are out in the wild. You train them and then fight them in battle gyms. The goal is to “catch them all” and earn the most points for yourself and your monsters. You can trap the creatures by flicking a Pokeball at them with your finger.

How Is It Better?

What makes this new version so very different (and better, in my opinion) than the card game and subsequent video games is Pokemon Gothe technology that’s now available. The new version features an augmented reality overlay that uses your phone’s camera and GPS to show Pokemon around you in the real world. So, for example, while I’m walking through the mall, I actually see different Pokemon in the various shops and restaurants.

In addition, in order to increase your score in the game, you actually have to get up and move around; you can’t win by just sitting and playing. Instead, you must walk (driving doesn’t work) to visit virtual PokeStops to get more Pokeballs and to see different Pokemon. This part of the game design has blown me away. I went walking around my hometown of Bastrop, Texas Monday night with my son and two of his friends in an effort to discover new monsters. Everywhere we went, we saw people of all ages out walking with their cell phones, stopping to talk to other “trainers” and to share tips and tricks and the best locations to stock up on supplies. It was a very social event, something most games aren’t.

What Are the Pluses of the Game?

There are a lot of very positive things about Pokemon Go:

  • Almost overnight, it has gotten a generation that’s most comfortable inside on the couch playing a game outside walking around, getting fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. According to a study, Pokemon GO has added a total of 144 BILLION steps to U. S. physical activity!
  • It provides an often-needed mental break, especially if you’re an adult playing the game.
  • It has allowed Millennials (and their parents!) to relive the memories of the earlier Pokemon glory days. (I’m pretty sure I still have hundreds of those cards hidden in my couch at home.)
  • In order to play the game, you have to visit PokeStops. These are usually at famous landmarks and historical markers around town, which allows players to learn about their community and its history.
  • Some businesses are using Pokemon GO as a way to drive customers to their location. (There’s a great article on that available here.)
  • People are connecting and making friends in the strangest ways. For example, if I set out a lure at a PokeStop, then Pokemon Goeveryone who joins me there can benefit from my generosity as we all catch monsters together. There are no racial or economic barriers between us. We are united, at least for a few minutes. And in today’s world, that’s a huge benefit and need.
  • The game is crossing generations and bringing together players of all ages. When I walked with my son and his friends, we were all alike, even though I have a lot of years on them and not a lot in common.
  • And it achieves all of this without violence or negativity (no Pokemon are ever harmed in the game).

Of Course, It’s Not All Sunshine and Pikachu.

Like anything, there have been some negative consequences of the game. A few people were lured to a particular location via the game and then robbed, a girl discovered a dead body while looking for a Pokemon, and some folks have been too busy looking at their phones to notice the world (and the traffic) around them. But I believe that the game can teach those of us in education a lot about what works with people. After all, there are already more people playing it in its first week of limited release than everyone with a Twitter account worldwide.

So What Does Pokemon GO Mean to Education?

In my perfect world, learning at school would look like Pokemon GO. It would be active, it would allow people of all ages to come together to solve problems, it would be engaging, it would be fun, and people would feel good about what they learn and accomplish. How do we do that? Well, I’m not completely sure. I know that this is a goal that all educators are working toward and one that can best be achieved with great teachers and technology. But for now, here are some ways that the game can be used educationally:

pokemon goI also found this great Pokemon Player’s Pledge that I wanted to share. While it was written with teenagers or adult players in mind, it could be adapted for younger students. I think it could be a strong lesson starter about how we do anything in life. I can easily see students writing their own pledges. Then the discussion could spin out to how we can be “respectful parts of the world around us” in other areas of our lives. This could lead into talks about bullying, empathy, the environment, and much more.Pokemon GO

If you as an educator do not want to embrace this phenomenon and even want to ban it from your classroom, that is, of course, your right. But please don’t take the attitude of this teacher, who seems very bent on punishment. I don’t believe that this kind of thinking shows that we as educators understand our students, what motivates them, or how they need to be treated.

If you’re ready to try the game, here’s a good introduction on how to play it, along with a Parent’s Guide to Playing Pokemon GO with Your Kids. In a future update, the company has promised that players will be able to exchange Pokemon with each other, providing another way for us to connect and share. (By the way, I’m hunting for a Charmander. If you find one, will you let me know where, please? Gotta catch ’em all!)

Newest Feature

The game publisher released an update of the app today that does include the promised “buddy system.” This is a great feature for education. It will let trainers choose a specific Pokemon and make it your “buddy.” As you walk around, your buddy monster will be trained and you will be awarded with candy, a very useful resource in the game. The key thing here is that you will have to walk in order to make this feature work. So the game is again emphasizing physical activity. It will also allow players to bond with their buddy, something that will be great for helping students develop and practice empathy.

More to Come

The developer of the game has hinted that the next big update will come sometime between October and Christmas and will feature trading of Pokemon between players. This will be another chance for students to enjoy the social aspects of the game and to make new friends. After all, with more than 500 MILLION downloads of the game in its first two months, there are a lot of new people to meet!

Find out what others think about the use of Pokemon Go in education in my second blog on this topic.
 
 

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