Quest Atlantis = Educational Gaming

Quest Atlantis is an interactive 3D multi-user educational environment for children between the ages of 9 and 12. The environment provides a combination of pedagogy and educational content with a "commercial gaming" approach to learning. The goal of Quest Atlantis is to improve and demonstrate the relationship of interaction of education and entertainment in the classroom. Can "commercial gaming" really be applied effectively in the classroom? Is it a good motivation tool?

Quest Atlantis’s 3D environment includes: novels, storyline, comics, quests, and real-world scenarios. Children are able to put themselves in the story and travel through the virtual world and participate in quests. Each quest is divided up into related villages, and each with a theme. The content of the quests is based on academic state standards, which is where the appeal is for the education community.

It is difficult for "commercial gaming" to be embedded in curriculum. Typically students aren't interested in learning when they could be playing games. However, the creators of Quest Atlantis researched areas of student interest and based the program around student learning and recent "fads."

With this recent move into the academic world, it is necessary for more research to be done on ways in which gaming can be connected to learning within a "content and inquiry based pedagogy." For now, Quest Atlantis has successfully shown teachers, administrations, and parents that it is possible to support learning through interactivity, but it would be interesting to learn if it is possible to integrate similarly using more traditional methods of learning.

Webkinz in the Classroom

Webkinz pets are plush toys that come with a secret code that can be used to enter Webkinz World. In Webkinz World, kids can play and take care of their virtual pets, earn KinzCash (pretend money), and play games.

Recently in some schools, Webkinz World is being used in the classroom as an educational resource. Kathy Conran, author of Hands-On Learning with Webkinz, Using Webkinz in the Classroom, and My Webkinz Companion Guide, provides templates and lesson plans in her book to complement Webkinz World and its activities.

Unlike the recent Beanie Babies 2.0, Webkinz is oriented towards kids 4-14. BeanieLand is for a younger audience and is less educational than Webkinz World. Webkinz offers many different varieties of animals (cat, buffalo, dolphin, camel, to name a few), and there is also a smaller version known as "Lil' Kinz." The price of Webkinz vary. At some stores they can be as much as $15, but at others I have seem them as low as $5.

Webkinz are popular in the educational community because they provide a way of connecting instructional lessons with activities children enjoy. A child enters the Webkinz world by entering a secret code from his or her Webkinz pet. Upon entering the virtual Webkinz world the pet is given a home and $2000 in Kinz cash to decorate the room. There are on line quizzes, arcades, daily activities and weekly contests. The world is always changing. The site is offered in several languages.

Parents like Webkinz World because it is safe and kid-friendly. Kids are able to chat with one another, but their are restrictions in the chat room. Kids choose pre-worded chat phrases to communicate. Unlike AIM or Yahoo Chat where you can write whatever you want, Webkinz Chat is monitored and structured based on your Webkinz pet.


CBSNews Video: Kids Going Crazy for Webkinz

Review: Disney ToonTown

While on Apple.com today, I stumbled across the Kids and Learning games page. There, while perusing through the links for educational and entertainment software I found Disney ToonTown. Disney ToonTown is an online multiplayer game specifically created for kids. In this 3-D world, kids ("Toons") collaborate with one another to save the world from robot Cogs (robots who want to take over ToonTown). The only weakness of a cog is to play cartoon gags on them while navigating through ToonTown.

In ToonTown, kids can create their own Toon character, travel around different neighborhoods and meet other players, furnish their homes, customize their racing karts, train a pet Doodle, and join teams to defeat the Cogs and save ToonTown. Like many other games, ToonTown is child-safe and offers password protective services for individual log-in information.

Besides ToonTown's appeal to many. I have noticed that because the program is not "free" there are less kids registered than there are for other programs available online. The software is $4.95 for the first month and $9.95 after that. Over time that amount accumulates and it seems that for this program to be worth it, a child would need to access and play the game multiple times a day. (similarly to college students who probably access Facebook more than five times a day) ToonTown also offers deals if you sign up for the program for six months or a one year period, but why would you pay for something when you could most likely find the same thing or something better somewhere else?

Search Engines For Kids

In elementary schools, teachers begin to incorporate technology into the classroom and using internet resources. One of the first ways this is done is by assigning research projects, book reports, or a famous person biography. It is important for teachers to provide sites to students where they will not stumble upon inappropriate material. This is why I did my own research and compiled a list of "student approved and appropriate" search engines. Each are slightly different, but all are valuable in the classroom. Some of the search engines are more geared towards "asking a question and getting an answer" while others are created to be more fun and have a less formal structure.

Ask for Kids: Allows kids to ask a question, confirms the question with them, and supplies a link to a site where they will be able to find an answer to their question.

CyberSleuth Kids: Grades K-12 homework help resource, in addition to to offering free coloring pages, games, and clip art.

KidsClick: A web search engine for kids created by librarians.

Dib Dab Doo and Dilly Too: A child safe search engine that filters results for age appropriate results.

TekMom: Internet resource for K-8 students and teachers. TekMom includes a compilation of search engines separated by subjects, maps, and dictionaries.

KidsTube: This site is actually a video search resource and sharing website designed for kids. It is designed similarly to YouTube, SchoolTube, and TeacherTube.

HowStuffWorks: This site provides a search feature for students and teachers to learn "how stuff works." Besides providing descriptions, videos and audio files are provided for better understanding.

E-Educational Resources

As I prepare for my student teaching, it has come to my attention that teachers are creating lists of online resources that can be used in their classrooms and at home. My goal for this post is to give you a detailed list of the most popular "free" online resources that students enjoy.

FunBrain.com is part of the Family Education Network. This site gives students the opportunity to develop their reading skills, play math games for further enrichment, and sign up for Poptropica. Poptropica is an educational multi-player virtual world where students can compete with one another in games and get rewards/points for each "island mission" they complete.

FactMonster.com is a homework help website for kids. In addition to providing an almanac, encyclopedia, and dictionary, FactMonster also has games and quizzes for when students want to take a break from studying.

TumbleBooks.com is an online book database for schools and public libraries. These ebooks for kids range from elementary to high school level and are an interactive way for students to check their understanding.

Starfall.com is a fun reading program primarily for kids in pre-k to second grade. The site is an "inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and inspire a love of reading and writing."

StudyIsland.com is an educational tool for students in grades 3-5. It is a web-based state standard practice tool to prepare students for the PSSA's.

BrainPop.com is an animated education site for kids. It provides videos and simulations based on the different subjects taught in school.

Most of the sites I listed above are ones that I have used in the classroom many times. StudyIsland is an extremely popular site due to the fact that it is important that students do well on their state exams and schools make AYP. Starfall and Tumblebooks I have only seen used in the lower grades pre-k to second, but depending on reading level, students in middle and high school may also benefit. Finally, BrainPop is similar to YouTube, except that it has less variety and is directly linked to the subjects taught in schools.

*photo from South Suburban Humane Society

Glogster EDU: Poster your Classroom

Something I have been wondering about for a while is the pedagogical value of interactive bulletin boards that teachers can put up on a SmartBoard or project on a screen and have the students touch/click the screen to learn more about the topic. GlogsterEDU is a digital learning tool for the classroom that was created based on the feedback of Glogster customers. A 'glog' is an interactive online poster that people can customize and add photos, graphics, videos, and audio to express themselves.

GlogsterEDU is a web 2.0 platform tool that "fosters advancement of skills as students progress through grade levels" (Glogster.com/edu). Using the program, teachers are able to create a classroom master account and acquire log-ins and passwords for up to 200 private student accounts. In school, teachers often assign poster projects. The problem with this is that classroom space is limited and eventually these posters will need to be thrown out. This is why ‘glogs’ are so popular. They give students and teachers the opportunity to hold onto their work in an electronic version, which they will later be able to include in a school-work portfolio. Teachers may also choose to upload the ‘glogs’ to their computer screensaver and have them cycle so that every student has the chance to share their work with the class.

Glogster is a 21st century alternative to the traditional poster. Glogster can be used for all school subjects, and teachers like it because students are more engaged when using technology. The only negative that I have heard towards the program is that the .edu site links back to the .com site in which there are some inappropriate photographs that some people include in their personal blogs. However, the creators of Glogster are working to fix that issue.

EduTweet: Twitter in the Classroom

There is a Sprint commercial running now that says “233,000 people just Twittered on Twitter. 26% of you viewing this have no idea what that means.” Many people have not heard of Twitter and many who have are still trying to figure out whether it deserves all the hype. Twitter is a social-networking and micro-blogging service. Many would-be tweeters have signed up for Twitter only to give up on it a month later, according to AC Nielsen. Is it a tool for celebrity watchers to follow the every word and goings on of their favorite celebrity like Oprah or Ashton Kutcher or can it be a serious tool for educators? Recently, it has been brought to my attention that Twitter is now being used as a classroom tool for both students and educators. Teachers are using Twitter tools to keep their students connected while at home, developing an e-classroom community. What appeals to students is that they can "chat" with their friends, receive instant feedback from their teacher, and subscribe to "tweet posts" of others.

Applications are tweeting up all over the place. Here are some interesting examples:

Real-Time Biographical Research: In schools, a common lesson that is taught is how to research and write a biography about a famous person. Twitter gives students the opportunity to "subscribe and follow" that person and includes a present day point of view in addition to background information and history. Some big names who Tweet that might be acceptable for a biography---Barbara Walters and Al Gore.

Literacy and Grammar Skills: How about brushing up on your vocabulary for the SAT test? Follow Ultimate Vocabulary. Try this tweet: "Tenuous” means flimsy, fragile, or not substantial. If vocabulary is not for you, how about grammar? Students like to take shortcuts in their writing. BRB (be right back), K (ok), and LOL (laugh out loud). Most of these shortcuts are used for communication, and not regularly used in professional writing. Unfortunately, grammar seems to suffer when students use sound bites of information. Twitter can actually provide opportunities for micro grammar lessons and promote ways to communicate effectively. For instance, Al Gore's tweets are well written and grammatically correct: Corporations join together to call for an “economy-wide cap and trade program." Notice the closed quotation properly outside the period. Students can see where people abuse the rules they were taught in elementary school. Examples: (from a famous rapper) This Video!! I almost broke down after I seen it and I'm done. No offence.

Real-Time Analytical Thinking and Discussion: Twitter is a good resource for sharing and discussion-based learning. Teachers can post a prompt for their students to respond to, or can share a link that they found that was interesting and pertained to what was being taught in the classroom. Students will be able to go back and forth and share sites that they have found with their classmates and develop a deeper understanding of the course material.

School Bulletin Board: District administrators and school principals are beginning to use Twitter as a way of letting parents know of any upcoming important dates, especially parent-teacher conferences, half-days, and school closings due to inclement weather. Yesterday, Pottsgrove Middle School launched its Twitter account with the following messages: Welcome to the new Pottsgrove Middle School Twitter account and Follow along to stay connected and for updates on Pottsgrove Middle School.

Are You Getting It Yet? Colleges have already started to use Twitter as a way for students to make connections with their classmates and professors. In "Twitter Goes to College," US News discusses the use of tweeting in colleges around the country. A history professor at the University of Texas-Dallas was concerned that her lecture-based class was too large to engage her students. She decided to use Twitter to encourage her students to post messages and questions related to the presentation material to ensure students were grasping the material.

This approach of using Twitter for educational purposes is still in the developmental stages, but like other educational technologies, it will end up benefiting students, especially since students now have higher educational expectations and wish to be entertained. Arne Duncan, the newly appointed Secretary of Education, is squarely behind this push for technology in the classroom. E-School News recently quoted Duncan as suggesting that technology officials should embrace the cell phone since students are on them constantly and find ways to "to send homework, video lectures, and other classroom material so students can study wherever they are. " By the way Arne Duncan has a Twitter account, but hasn't had one Tweet to say.

*photo from Distance-Education.org*

Educational Newsletters - News You Can Use?

The Internet provides a vast amount of resources for educators. Teachers are subscribing to educational newsletters and blogs in an attempt to stay informed and as a way to improve their practice. The question is which newsletters can give you timely news you can use? We all know that it is impossible to read every email you receive while teaching, especially those that are not directly from parents, students, family or administrators. So is it worth it to subscribe? I would say "yes and no." A quick fix is subscribing to them as an RSS feed and setting up a Google Reader account to access the news feeds all in one place. This limits the clog factor, and the easy to browse feature of Google Reader is a timesaver. But it is only worth being a subscriber if you actually read the newsletter or at least skim it for something that you find interesting or beneficial for your classroom. Otherwise, they merely clog up your email waiting to be deleted. Because these newsletters are free, there is a temptation to subscribe to many of them. However, with so many coming in on a daily basis you risk missing the important information in the very good ones.

Educational newsletters range from being about "What's New" to "Job Listings.” There are a handful that I find interesting and thought provoking.

General Information: While it is not necessary to read all of these, any one of the first three does a good job of keeping you informed of important education news for the week. The US DOE news feeds are geared toward federal funding and education policies/resources.

ASCD Smartbrief is published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). ASCD is a membership organization that publishes several different newsletters. Its Smart Brief is a free, daily e-newsletter that provides summaries and links to top education stories of the day.

Education-World is a website designed for educators that offers valuable resources for writing lesson plans, professional development, classroom supplies, or technology integration. It offers 11 different newsletters! The good news is that the newsletters are geared for different interests from lesson plans to early childhood. I like Ed World's Education News Headlines Newsletter which provides news summaries on topics like No Child Left Behind, technology in the classroom and behavior management. All the summaries come from articles published that week in national journals and newspapers like The New York Times.

EdWeek Update is a weekly e-newsletter that includes top stories from its publication, Education Week, on general topics, and is similar to ASCD Smart Brief and Education World’s News Headlines Newsletter.

The U.S. Department of Education also offers news feeds that includes press releases, funding opportunities, No Child Left Behind, and federal learning resources.

Curriculum News and Lesson Planning: Generally speaking if you need lesson plans there are many excellent websites that offer high quality lesson plans easily searched by topic and grade. So why get a newsletter? If you are an English teacher, it is best to stay abreast of the latest curriculum and teaching strategies for English teachers. The same is true for math and science teachers. Here are some free newsletters that are highly recommended in English, Math and Science that are well laid out and easy to skim for useful information.

NCTE Inbox (Language Arts) published by the National Council of English Teachers.
NSTA Express (Science) from the National Science Teachers Association
Math Forum Internet News from the Math Forum at Drexel University
Also Middle Web has an excellent newsletter that is geared for middle schoolers but often includes articles that are great for all grades.

Educational Technology: My favorites are:

E-Learning Insider published by the E-Learning Guild and any of Eduhound’s excellent newsletters. E-Learning Guild also offers an E-learning Blog Aggregator.

Happy reading!!

*photo from Natural Dog Food Co.*