Hello. If you are reading this, I assume that you are interested in integrating technology in your classroom. If not, you must be bored...
I have been a teacher in my school for 6 years now. I am starting my 7th year teaching and 2nd year teaching 3rd grade. Since my start, my fascination with technology has been ingrained in my classroom since the start. First, just having kids with poor handwriting type their work into Word, to now, using tools like Google Docs and Drive to create and store student portfolios that house every single writing piece that my students create throughout the entire year. The students in my class are given opportunities to learn, create, and present in the ways that we do out here in the "real world". There is a technology component in our class every day.
We are fortunate in our room to have access to devices. Most buildings and teachers have limited access that causes their integration to be stifled and sometimes non-existent. Currently in my room there are 4 desktop computers that were updated last year (I'm sure that they are considered old by today's standards, but it is a public school and we get what we can). Additionally, our building received 50 Nexus tablets (2012 model) that were dispersed to each grade level with 15 tablets ear-marked for each intermediate grade. I house these in my room / hoard them. Some might say that these tablets are largely "useless" since they are an old model and often have connectivity issues. I don't see it myself. I think that they are wonderful. The keyboard is small, but the kids have small fingers. They are able to use all the Google apps that make Google such an awesome tool for the classroom. Sure, they don't have Flash, but who cares, I hear that it is becoming more useless anyway.
First, some things about me that might be important in later posts. I do not follow the norm. I smile before Thanksgiving, I am not particular about the color of notebooks that your child brings, and I couldn't care less about their handwriting as long as I can actually decipher it. While some teachers might toil for days before school decorating, I choose to slap up some butcher paper and fill the rest in with either student work or anchor charts. I do not crank the AC down below 70 and I leave my window open most of the time. Our room is all about comfort. With that being said, I am a teacher that is willing to try anything to get my kids motivated.
I first heard of using "games" in education when referencing things like math games. Simple websites that put players against others in a race to complete more math facts correctly in a given amount of time. I used these and other tools on a regular basis. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a better way to apply games to education.
Some time later, I had a conversation with another "techie" and discussed the use of Minecraft as an educational tool. I had some interaction with Minecraft, though my wife would consider it an obsession, as a gamer playing and enjoying the openness of the game. Unlike the vast majority of video games that are available, it didn't have objectives, it didn't have some sort of mission and this strongly appealed to me. The game allowed me to do whatever I wanted. As I played and built monuments to my own greatness, I realized the creativity that it allowed me to express. It reminded me of playing with Lego's as a child, except that there were no limitations of space or lack of blocks. No cats running across and destroying hours of labor. No plans to follow or direction to be imposed. It is just simply a way to build and (if you want to turn on Survival Mode) survive in a world that is as expansive as our own. My thoughts immediately went to "how can I use this with my students?" I know that my kids were extremely motivated when it came to this game. I have seen kids search Youtube and create things that were shown to them, build intricate rail systems that served a purpose, and create houses that rivaled the homes of celebrities. As a teacher, I battled kids that wanted nothing more than to spend their evenings playing video games that were far above their maturity when they should have been reading or completing their homework. It dawned on me that I should not battle this, but use it to my advantage as their teacher. Thus, my motivation to build and start what I like to call "Mindcraft" in my classroom. This is my motivation to blog.
I want to have a place for to reflect as I embark on this technology related exploration into gaming in education. There will be problems and celebrations along the way, but it will be exciting nonetheless. Perhaps it might inspire others to try it themselves, or at least spark some new ideas. I hope that this experience will help others, or at least provide some entertainment.
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