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Edutainment refers to the merging of entertainment and education into a single form of media. I believe that by incorporating the aspect of ‘education’ into internet games, television shows or other popular forms of media makes it become a more marketable product. A lot of people in our society have become extremely focused on how to make activities and play an educational experience for children. Educational games are promoted as a way to fast track children to success. However, games do not need to be explicitly deemed educational to provide children with valuable knowledge, lessons and life skills. As discussed several times throughout the course, regular board games such as Monopoly can teach kids a diversity of skills such as counting, banking and patience. Monopoly helps children build these skills without disguising itself as an educational tool. I can think of several other games that are not deemed educational, but teach children a variety of important life skills. Ultimately, I do believe there is value in edutainment to help children build skills, although educational value can be derived from regular games as well.
Over the past few weeks spent in the course Children, Learning and Play I learned a lot about how technology fits into education. Prior to this course I thought I knew a lot about technology, however, I was proven otherwise. I now recognize that the world has changed with the influence of computer technologies and that education must adapt to meet these change. As an educator it is important to keep up with these technologies and find innovative ways to incorporate them into the classroom and curriculum. I think I have greatly benefited from taking this course, as I have learned about many learning technologies, such as LEGO robotics and SongChild, that I would otherwise be unfamiliar with. Most importantly, I have learned to distinguish between ‘learning from technology’ and ‘learning with technology’.
One topic that seemed to resurface throughout the class discussions was the challenges of creating constructionist environments. I recognize that it can be a challenge for educators to surrender their power and not always know what the ‘right’ answer is. However, I believe that central to creating constructionist learning environments are the attitudes and beliefs held by teachers and administrators.
On a different note, I found the blogs to be a very successful way of sharing and establishing my views. Having a daily blog, I was able to further investigate classroom topics and discussions that I may have been unsure about. As well, I was able to read the posts of peers and see their views on the topics.
Working on my final research paper, I have discovered many interesting aspects of the LEGO Mindstorms technology. Many researchers have found that the LEGO Mindstorms technology has the ability to help children gain a better understanding of engineering and scientific concepts. However, the skills children gain go beyond scientific understanding as research has found that children can enhance their social skills, their problem-solving abilities and learn patience. One study I found particularly interesting was by Petre and Price (2004) who conducted a case-study on student teams participating in the RoboCup Junior tournament. The researchers found that students cited ‘creating a better robot’ as the primary motivator for participating in the RoboCup Junior competition. A remarkable finding of the study was that students were intrinsically motivated to learn concepts, such as Algebra, in order to enhance their robots. In addition, students often helped each other out sharing strategies with teammates and other teams in the competition. Throughout the process of researching this topic, I have been convinced that LEGO robotics is a very beneficial program for students. Therefore, I have decided to write an argumentative essay demonstrating the advantages LEGO robotics can bring to students learning.
References
Petre M. and Price B. (2004) Using Robotics to Motivate ‘Back Door’ Learning. Education and Information Technologies 9(2) 147–158
LEGO Mindstorm’s technology is now used in educational settings to enhance student learning and their understanding of engineering concepts. Doing more research on the topic, I saw many successful applications of this technology in educational settings. During my presentation, there was an interesting class discussion about a constructionist approach to teaching technology being similar to baking without a recipe. This made me think of my school experiences baking. I remember that my role would be to add a single spoonful of an ingredient and that would be the only role I was able to take on throughout the whole process of baking. This made me feel detached from the process of cooking and the final product. Similarly, if the students are told exactly what to connect and create with LEGO robotics, this might have the same effect on them. By creating constructionist environments with LEGO Mindstorms technology, students have the ability to actively construct a project that is meaningful to them.
Stephanie’s presentation on photography brought up an interesting question, can pictures help provide children with a voice? I do believe that pictures can be a powerful medium of gaining a child’s perspective on the world. However, a picture can only capture a segment of the child’s reality and therefore other methods need to be used at the same time in order to give children a voice.
As a child, I grew up in a time where video games were gaining popularity and new systems such as Super Nintendo were being created. I spent a lot of time with family and friends attempting to complete games such as Super Mario Brothers and Donkey Kong. Thinking back on my experience there are several skills which I gained throughout the process of playing Nintendo. Firstly, I learned the skills of sharing and co-operation. With other children wanting to participate and have time to play with the video games, I learned how to share time in order to allow each of us to have a turn. Secondly, I learned fine motor skills and co-ordination, as you had to press the appropriate controller buttons at the proper time. Thirdly, I enhanced my problem solving abilities. For example, in Super Mario brothers you have to problem solve to attain keys that will allow you to enter a new room or a special world. However, I do recall becoming very absorbed in the games. This poses a potential risk for children as they may neglect other areas of their life. Another risk that was discussed in class was that technology, such as gaming, can become a ‘babysitting’ tool rather than a constructive ‘learning’ tool. Ultimately, I do believe that children can gain a variety of skills from using video games, although they must be used appropriately with the proper guidance time restrictions.
This week in class we discussed the project currently underway entitled Song Child. This is a very exciting project that will provide a web area for children to create their own music and share their work with others. The examples of songs that were shown in class were written and created by university students. However, future use of the website will not be for adults to create educational content similar to the songs shown in class. I am very interested to check out the website again when it is up and running to see the actual music that has been created by children. It is a very good idea to create a website aimed towards children which allows them to share their music they have created, as there are not many spaces where children have the opportunity to share their work. I enjoyed that we got the opportunity to observe the garage band software in class and see how children could create their own music. In the second presentation in class, we discussed the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative that aims to provide students with laptops in developing countries as an educational tool. One of the features that I saw being significant was the mesh networking. I believe that children learn a lot from one another, and by connecting peers together through mesh networks allows them to work together and enhance their understanding of particular concepts.
I was really excited about exploring the virtual world Second Life. I was interested in seeing why this virtual program has become so addicting for many people, and explore for myself what makes it a unique program. Thinking of my past experiences, I have used programs such as Neopets where you create an online pet. Second life was a very different experience, as Neopets is targeted at a younger demographic. It was fun to go explore different areas in Second Life and to see all the different areas that user have created. In the class where Daniel Bakan substituted, he discussed how a professor created a free university in Second Life. I found that to be a very interesting way to use the space on Second Life. University is very costly and inaccessible to many, however, Second Life University provides free medium in which people can attend classes and learn in the virtual world. This is only one of the many ways in which people could use the virtual space in Second Life. Another example he discussed in class was about using Second Life to create music and perform live concerts. In Second Life you can attend an online concert and listen to people’s music you may not have been exposed to otherwise.
Born in the 80’s, I grew up as a ‘digital native’. For many years I have been using instant messenger programs such as AOL, ICQ, MSN and text messaging. Surprisingly, I was unfamiliar with several terms from the digital native test. An interesting concept that we discussed in class was the ‘digital divide’. I can see this digital divide between myself and older family members, who often call upon me to assist them with use of technology.
Digital natives are the students who are currently going through the education system. Even though I am a digital native, I am not familiar with many of the more recent technologies the younger digital natives have grown up with. Therefore, I believe there is as well a digital divide between the older generation of digital natives and the more recent ones. One important idea I took from this class is the changing nature of learning. Children of the digital native age are learning through more informal methods than formal. It is important to recognize this shift towards informal learning and find ways to incorporate it into classroom lessons and learning.
In the past class, we discussed the notion of an ‘increasingly hurried and pressured style’ of childhood that many say children today are experiencing. Talking about this in class made me think of my own childhood experiences with extracurricular activities and free play. In comparison to my personal experiences, I do believe that some children today are experiencing different pressures than I did as a child. As a child, I did not experience a pressured style of life. I recall spending time playing with neighbours in the backyard. In addition, I spent a lot of time outdoors with my siblings playing sports such as baseball and riding our bikes. Spending time with friends and siblings, I learned many things that I would not have learned in tutoring sessions or piano lessons. I learned life skills, such as how to interact with others, problem solving and how to work together.
I did participate in one extra-curricular activity of my choice which was dance. I believe extracurricular activities can be an extremely enjoyable and rewarding experience, while helping children build various skills. However, I do not think that the positive outcomes derived from these activities can be appreciated when a child feels overworked and overwhelmed. Running from piano lessons, to the tutor and then to dance classes can be a very stressful.
This week in class we discussed Randy Pausch’s video on achieving our childhood dreams. Paush’s lecture made reference to a variety of factors that contributed to his success. Paush discussed the importance of hard work and perseverance in attaining his goals. In addition, he discussed various positive models he had in his life, such as parents, who were supportive and encouraging. As a future educator, I recognize that I will have many opportunities to contribute to children’s education and their understanding of the world. As well, as an educator I will play a fundamental role in providing support to children which will help them to attain their goals. Creating lesson plans that meaningfully engage students in the process of learning will be a challenging aspect of my career. This may require the use of new technologies that I am unfamiliar with. In class Jobina brought up a very important critique of Paush, in which she identified that his notions of success were very individualistic. Success can be measured in many forms and does not necessarily mean being the best and winning. As a future teacher, I want to foster team work and social responsibility in my students while helping them to attain their goals.
