David Fuerst Ackles

Pre-service Teacher. Student. Dog Dad.

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EdTech Inquiry: Digital Roleplay and Classcraft

October 12, 2019 / / 0 Comments

person holding polygonal die

Photo by Alex Chambers on Unsplash

Classcraft was brought to my attention by one of my group members, Andrew, who was introduced to it during his observations at Belmont Secondary. Classcraft is a tool to Gamify the classroom using the video game elements of avatars, objectives, rewards, and punishments. Each student creates an avatar and as they achieve certain goals, they receive points which they can use to level up and customize their avatar or gain new powers. These powers include things like the ability to listen to music in class, skip one homework question per day, or get the answer to one question on a test. There is a built-in system for the teacher to hand out rewards for predetermined things such as asking insightful questions, listening well during a lecture, or completing an assignment and also for issuing punishments (sentences) for things like interrupting, late assignments or bullying another student.

Overall I’m not sure how I feel about Classcraft. I think it’s a great idea and could work really well in an elementary/middle school setting and possibly even into high school but it definitely has an age engagement limit. This point was brought up by Andrew as well who mentioned that the teacher in whose class this was used hoped that the designers would soon come out with a new version aimed at older students. I also am also unsure of how I feel about the punishment system. It is not clear from my exploration of Classcraft whether it is a private system, meaning only the student who is receiving the punishment can see it. If it is not and everyone on the student’s team knows when someone gets punished and what for, I would have issues with it. It would be too close to public shaming and I don’t think that promotes a safe and inclusive classroom.

That being said, I think there is potential in Classcraft. I like the idea of students being able to create their own avatar and using in-class rewards to upgrade and modify their character. This form of motivation I can see being very effective so long as students buy into the overall premise of Classcraft. Using videogame style objectives to get students to engage in classwork is also something I can see working well. Having a sense of progression and purpose to learning would certainly increase student engagement.

In summary, I need to learn more about Classcraft and how it works before I can make a final judgment but in terms of bringing roleplay elements into the classroom I think it is a great place to start. We know that kids love videogames and the more we can bring those elements into education, the better.

Gaming and Gamification in Education

October 12, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Disclaimer: This blog post is adapted from another post I made for a Multiliteracies assignment but I believe it applies to Ed-Tech as well.

Looking forward at the course syllabus, something I am looking forward to exploring is the role of video games in education. I have not played Minecraft beyond exploring the version of the game a little on our class computers so I am excited to see how it can be used in a classroom setting.  Another quick disclaimer: I do not consider myself a “gamer.”  I wasn’t the kid with a Super Nintendo or an N64- I was the kid that was always coming over to your house to play on yours. I got my first console, an Xbox, when I was 14 and since then I’ve always had access to games but I’ve never been the type to play for more than 3-4 hours at a time.

Despite all this, I have always loved video games. They allow the player to do and see things in ways that other types of texts do not. Like a novel, they can contain complete worlds, rich with detail. Like movies, they are visually stimulating. Unlike most other texts, they give the consumer agency. Modern video games, in particular, have managed to create an entirely novel and immersive experience for the player. An example of this is the 2018 Rock Star Games release Red Dead Redemption 2. I won’t go into too much detail but suffice it to say it is a game that gives you unprecedented control over the smallest of details: hair/beard length, horse cleanliness, weapon engravings, your character needs to eat or they will die, if you eat too much you will gain weight etc. These are details that do not affect the game at all and yet the player is given control.

So where am I going with this? Video games are immersive and have the potential when introduced into a classroom to create incredible learning experiences. I recently came across a TedTalk by Scott Herbet, and educator from Fort Saskatchewan titled The Power of Gamification in Education. In the video, Scott talks about how around grade 5, fun is removed from the classroom and school becomes more about worksheets, desks in rows, and rote memorization. While this is probably not the experience of a student in BC today, it was certainly my experience for the most part. High school was a significant source of stress for me and while I survived and thrived, I sometimes wonder: What if school had been more fun? What if I could have learned without taking learning so seriously? Scott’s TedTalk is not explicitly about Video Games but the idea of gamification, that is, applying the principles of game design to areas where no game is present. I believe there is a way to combine this idea of Gamification and literal video games.

Looking into this idea, I found an article on The Guardian online: What video games in schools can teach us about learning. The article focuses on a primary school in West Sussex, England where they are using the Nintendo Labo to teach principles of engineering. The article also touches on other video game companies that are creating content specifically for classrooms.  The most exciting of these is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Discovery Tour, This is an update for the existing game Assassin’s Creed Origins which “removes all combat, missions and story from Assassin’s Creed Origins, leaving you free to explore its detailed recreation of ancient Egypt at leisure. It also adds in 75 interactive tours, written in collaboration with Egyptologists from around Europe, which teach you about everything from mummification to the city of Alexandria.” One of the things I’ve always loved about the Assassin’s Creed games are the historical settings and exploring them. So this update and its classroom applications are something I find very exciting. This is an area of education that is growing rapidly.

I am not sure what video games in the classroom looks like yet, or how I would use them but it is a topic I am excited to explore, both in this class and in my future classroom. With the possibilities that the new curriculum offers I am certain there is room for all types of games in education and that by embracing them we will be able to make education an immersive and novel experience for our students.

These ideas also have applications for my group’s Ed-Tech Inquiry project on Digital Role Play. With things like Discovery Tour and VR technology I can see the potential for completely immersive educational experiences where instead of simply reading about, for example, Rome, a student could take on the role of Roman Citizen and “physically” explore the city and interact with historical figures- literally bringing history to life.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Gameplay Trailer:

THIS VIDEO CONTAINS SOME GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, PLEASE TAKE HEED.

The Power of Gamification in Education- Scott Herbert:

Nintendo Labo First Look:

Technology in the Classroom with Jesse Miller

October 8, 2019 / / 0 Comments

space gray iPhone X on blue surface

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

Today we had the pleasure of having Jesse Miller visit our EdTech class to speak about the way that people interact with technology both inside and outside the classroom. He brought up some really interesting points across a really wide area of subjects from self-driving cars to social media posts to video games.

Overall I found he had a refreshing perspective and approached technology integration in a positive way. This was great especially in a space where its easy to feel that a lot of people have a negative view. For example- every class room I visit at my observation school has a “Cell Phone Hotel” or “Cell Phone Jail.” These were provided by the school and are not mandatory. In my experience, the majority of teachers don’t use them but don’t seem to have an alternative plan. This question of how I would deal with cell phones is one I have thought about a lot since starting the program. Just yesterday I had a conversation where I said that like in my classroom I would be one of the teachers that said “No cell phones.” As an English teacher not only do I want students to engage with the material I bring into the classroom, but I hope that the materiel I provide will be interesting enough so that they will forget about their phones. Typing that out now, it seems both ridiculous and unrealistic.

After today’s talk I have a different view. Jesse spoke briefly about creating a culture in your classroom that has cell phones built in. His suggestion is 20 minutes of focused work, 3 minutes of phone time, and repeat until the bell. If someone is on a phone when they aren’t supposed to be, they are held accountable by their classmates and the next 3 minute phone block is lost for everyone. I like this idea. Creating space for phones makes way more sense than trying to get rid of something which for the current generation is a part of every other aspect of their life. I don’t know if I will implement this exact policy when I have my own classroom but it is certainly something I will use as a jumping off point.

For more Jesse Miller: Click Here

 

October 1, 2019 / / 0 Comments

This is an introductory video I made for our Multiliteracies class. It’s an introduction to me and how I came to be in the PDPP.

Hope you like it!

 

My journey with the Mandolin

September 17, 2019 / / 0 Comments

For my free inquiry project I have decided to try learning the Mandolin. This is an instrument I tried to pick up a couple years ago but did not make much progress after learning a few chords and scales. I have not picked it up in months (possibly over a year) and I am sure most of what I learned is gone so I feel I am in a good place to start from scratch once more.

To start I think I will sit down with my Mandolin (which is called Mando Calrissian) and see what I can remember to establish a baseline of my own knowledge. From there I will seek out resources, either online or in person, to see what is even available and then establish a schedule for myself.

I plan to record my progress through video posts of my playing.

 

Image result for Mando Calrissian

Source

image showing person walking in pre-painted footprints
Photo by Flickr user jfchenier under CC license: BY-NC 2.0

Welcome and Introduction

September 11, 2019 / / 1 Comment

Before proceeding with this first blog post, we expect you to consider your privacy preferences carefully and that you have considered the following options:

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