Cycle 3: Games and Technology in the Classroom
“Are
we playing ‘Quizziz’ today?” one of my students asked excitedly. “Quizziz” is
an online game where students can play against each other. I use it in my Biology
classes as well as my math classes. The students love it and ask for
opportunities to play it – often students who are often operate on a lower
level than others. They are always engaged and, I think, always learning. They
play to see if they beat their own score as well as “level up” in front of
their classmates. They enjoy choosing their own avatar names as they are learning
new material.
“Have
you ever tried Quizlet Live, Ms. P?” one of my students inquired. I had not,
but I was interested in trying it. Our review class for the next Biology quiz
transformed from boredom to excitement as students played Quizlet Live for the
first time in Biology. The Quizlet website randomly mixes students into teams. To
win, each team must get 12 questions right in a row, or they start back at 0.
My period 4 Biology class in particular loved this game. I had planned to play
it only a couple times, but we ended up playing it most of the period because
they were so engaged and having so much fun. The results on this quiz, too, were
higher than usual.
I
share these two stories to show how game-based learning has had a positive
impact in my classroom. Teachers like Doyle in the “Learning by Playing” article
are inspiring and demonstrate the value of games in the classroom. While these
games are not straight “videogames” like Quest 2 Learn is, the students enjoy
the competition and are not afraid to fail. Not being afraid to fail is such a
key component to learn that is, I think much easier for students to embrace in
a video game than in typical classroom scenarios.
One
caution I have in gaming is that, though there can be a social aspect to it, I
think nothing can imitate interaction between humans face to face with no technology.
I think young people in particular struggle greatly to be present with the
people they are with and not be engrossed with technology: whether this be on
their phone or on the television. This is, I think, the greatest downside to
game-based learning. Students need to still have many avenues to interact with
their peers and their teacher without technology for their own personal growth.
Further,
I agree with Ken Robinson that the way we do education should be changed:
awaken students to their great potential and creativity, not force them through
a system that may be unhelpful for what they would like to pursue. But I think
this can be done through other avenues besides technology. I think as educators
we should consider technology and gaming to be a valuable tool we should use,
but we should not see it as THE answer to learning.
Moreover,
as a math teacher who uses different technological tools in the classroom, I am
aware that some are much better than others. Some focus on memorization and
rote practice and others, which are better for learning, focus on conceptual
understanding. A fun game does not necessarily equal deeper learning.
Finally,
one type of game learning and/or technology use in the classroom may be helpful
for one students but not all. I use Khan Academy a good amount in my classroom
and give videos to students who are struggling. This works really well for some
of my students. Others really do not like Khan Academy and do not find it
helpful. They would prefer for me or someone else to explain concepts to them,
as they do not “get it” by doing Khan Academy. Teachers should use technology
to further their educational goals, but only with careful thought and
deliberation to ensure the best results for student learning.
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post. I enjoyed reading it. I hope all is well with you in DC. I'm curious if you've moved your classes online or if you are simply on a break during this time of public health emergency. Either way, good luck!
Your two opening stories are good ones. It's not that prepping for a test is such deep learning, but it's students excitement at working through a competitive situation to reach a shared goal that is so interesting. Failure is not something that slows you down in such a situation. It's merely an indicator that you are not there yet. You are truly right to think about the role of failure in the gaming scenario. It's completely different. Failure provides you instant feedback that you want! When you are number two in Fortnite (I don't love the game, but I let my sons play, so I watch them sometimes), you learn quickly what the other person is doing that you are not. Your own failure quickly pushes you to learn what else you need to do to succeed. School learning has never produced that sort of "productive failure" until maybe now. (That is, the stakes for failure have always been too high.)
One thing I've been thinking about recently is whether or not we might not just want the public/private schools to do a bit less so that they can do it a bit better. Family is the heart of a child's life, I truly believe (let's bracket for the moment that some children don't have family). In that case, while technology is not the solution for education, maybe it is the solution for education. They typical middle school has 800 kids or something like that. Do we really want to bring 800 kids at this insecure and crazy age together in one building at one time? Do they learn that much related to content or spend most of their time thinking about social groupings? Would some distance learning in the home (again, where possible), supplemented by some more limited time in school surrounded by peers (perhaps a core group that one comes to know well?), and in close interaction with teachers who can provide feedback and guidance--might this not be the way to go?
If more kids could learn via Khan, might not this free teacher's up to work with those students who truly need their help?
These are just a few thoughts that the COVID-19 situation is bringing towards me.
I'm very curious to see how this situation evolves and how schooling might look different as a result of this all.
Take care and stay safe!
Kyle
Your quizziz stories reminded me of my classroom. Students always begged to play gimkit for vocabulary reviews. I loved how engaged some students were, but I always noticed that at least 2-3 students would be on their phones or chromebooks during the game time, but would be doing something off task rather than playing the game.
DeleteI get the impression that because it's a game, and probably because it's not graded, the students think there's no value in it. The same sort of thing happens when we do word puzzles or activities that aren't getting turned in. How do you combat this in your classroom?
Hello Sarah,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I wanted to compliment how you started your post by providing your own personal experiences with your students and their relationship to technology. I have experienced the same thing: a rise in motivation and engagement when there is technology involved. Whether it is a free time incentive or an online lesson, my students always become excited and more into it when they can be on a Chromebook or iPad. I think that this engagement and motivation component is what we seem to be missing, and where technology could help us out, if used correctly. I think this is also true because they feel comfortable with technology because they grew up in the age of it. Like you said in your post, some of that comfort might lead them to be less fearful of failure, a.k.a. more willing to try. I agree with you that not being afraid to fail is important in any learning environment, with or without technology.
I also agree with you that nothing can replace person-to-person interaction. That is how I felt when I watched the video of Salman Khan about Khan Academy. It felt like Khan Academy was aimed at replacing the in-person teacher with an on-screen one. But, obviously, there is an abundance of positives to a shift to an online learning community, especially given our current situation.
Finally, I like how you highlight that this whole conversation about technology in schools is not black and white. In an age where technology is rapidly growing and changing the face of our society and schools, it is a good reminder that there is not one answer or one best method. I think the most successful classrooms while combine methods of technology and in-person interactions. And like you said, with careful thought about what will head the best educational experiences for individual students.
Great work and stay healthy!
Joy
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI hope all is well with you. I really enjoyed reading your post and found many similarities with my teaching. Like you, I also use many games and technology in my teaching such as Quizizz and Kahoot. My students really enjoy playing these games and I have also found that they do come in handy as study tools for assessments. Kahoot is great because students can play anonymously or in pairs. It creates a very low pressure yet fun way of learning. Now more so than ever I have been using Kahn academy videos to supplement my teaching online (I teach in NYC). I’m wondering if a flipped classroom is something you’ve thought about for the future because I know I certainly am! This whole remote learning thing has been going pretty well for me and hope you too.
All the best,
Becca Landon