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“DGBL environments allow for immersive interactive learning and for work with active engaging content.”

Tips to make game-based learning work:

·      Play theory or learning through engaging play

·      Key elements- challenge, feedback, and scaffolding

·      Continuous trial and error

·      Continuous feedback

·      DGBL environment should be included with other learning activities (before or after game)

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“The myth about social media in the classroom is that if you use it, kids will be Tweeting, Facebooking and Snapchatting while you're trying to teach.”

Tips to use social media in class:

·      Post status updates about class- can be done through Schoology account

·      Keep blog about what the class is doing

·      Communicate with other classrooms

·      Use YouTube to host a show

“Social media is here. It's just another resource and doesn't have to be a distraction from learning objectives. Social media is another tool that you can use to make your classroom more engaging, relevant and culturally diverse.”

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Strategies to engage students with technology:

·  Global learning- connect with classrooms around the world with conferencing technology

·  Video streaming- to visually show content and help with comprehension

·  Classroom gaming- help with motivation and student interest

·  Social media- writing on social media is current and part of the students’ lives, incorporate this type of writing into the classroom

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“Gamification is the use of game design and mechanics to enhance non-game contexts by increasing participation, engagement, loyalty and competition.”

Ways to gamify a classroom:

·      Through grading- experience point system

·      Award students with badges- digital dropbox

·      Educational video games into curriculum

·      Tournament style lesson plans

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Edpuzzle is a specific tool to use while flipping a classroom.  This video explained how a teacher could make his or her own videos or use videos from the public library.  Edpuzzle would be a strategy to use for students to learn content at home and then come into class prepared for higher level thinking activities and inquiry. The videos are equipped with questions and comprehension checks.

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“flipping the classroom” means that students gain first exposure to new material outside of the classroom, usually by either reading provided or online material and/or viewing lecture videos, and they use class time to do the more difficult conceptual work of assimilating that knowledge through problem-solving, discussion, debates or other active learning strategies.

Strategies to use while flipping a classroom:

·       Provide incentive for students to come prepared for class

·       Complete “pre” activity to be able to check for student understanding after the lesson

·       In class activities should be focused on higher level skills

“The flipped classroom in and of itself does not provide for outstanding student learning experiences; rather, it provides the time and space for instructors to design significant student learning experiences both in and out of the classroom and then carry them out.”

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This was a presentation given by our staff development coordinator as a professional development class I took over the summer.  Although filled with great ideas, I was only able to briefly try a few out this year.

Engagement strategies:

·      Poll Everywhere- discussion starter/Do Now, Exit ticket

·      Padlet- discussion board

·      Nearpod/Pear deck- interactive lecture tools

·      Plickers- formative assessment

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This article talks about the use of online graphic organizers to brainstorm and take notes to engage students in prior knowledge activities and to use technology to take notes in a more visually appealing way.

Websites to try:

·      Animoto- students can create videos

·      Wordle- activate prior knowledge and check for understanding

·      Lotus square- students take notes in created table in Word, organizing facts or details

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“Results show teacher candidates report learning about educational technology tools and the integration into their teaching as important and necessary. Learning about and using educational technology integration had statistically significant positive impact on their teaching as well as enhancing the engagement of k-12 students.”

This study surveyed teacher candidates on the importance of learning about new technology and incorporating that technology into their perspective classrooms.  They found that when teachers were trained on a new technology (Smart board and Movie Maker) the teachers were more inclined to incorporate that technology into their classrooms and were more successful.

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Understanding the types of student engagement was helpful to identify where my students currently are and where I would like them to go.  I feel most of my classes are at “passive compliance” and I would like them to be at “authentic engagement”.

Tips for better engagement (general):

·      10:2 method

·      Provide frequent feedback

·      3-2-1 method to summarize end of lesson

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1. weekly data collection

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Gamification in the Classroom

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Since the majority of students play video games at home, it shouldn't come as a surprise that 70% of teachers saw an increase in student engagement when using educational video games. Have you ever tried playing games in class? Since nearly 80% of learners said they would be more productive if their learning was like a game, maybe you should give it a try in your class!

If you are a professor thinking about adding gaming to your curriculum, understanding the benefits and drawbacks of gaming in the classroom is important. The information in this article should be able to help you with your decision. Many instructors have led the way in researching this topic and are using games to motivate students in their classrooms.

An Overview of Gamified Learning

The definition of gamification in higher education is a teaching methodology that creates a game-like scenario around the course curriculum and the objectives of the course. The purpose of these game systems is to promote student engagement and motivate students to participate in the course activities. The concept of gamification in higher education has become popular with a wide range of companies that have created game platforms for many different subjects.

If used properly, many professors have found that by using games as a motivator in their classrooms they have improved course assessment results and have students that are attentive and productive. Research and science-based games are even working on real-world problems by motivating players to help.

Critics claim that gamification is a fad that doesn't help teach students anything meaningful and many professors scoff at using games in their college classrooms since they do not see it as serious learning. While it's true that gamification has become a large part of K-12 classrooms, there are many opportunities for gamification in higher education as well. There is enough research on both sides of the argument to support either view so here are some pros and cons to help you determine if a gamified classroom is right for you.

What is Gamification in Higher Education?

Games, in any form, increase motivation through engagement. Nowhere else is this more important than education. Nothing demonstrates a general lack of student motivation quite like the striking high school dropout rates: approximately 1.2 million students fail to graduate each year (All4Ed, 2010). At the college level, a Harvard Graduate School of Education study "Pathways to Prosperity" reports that just 56% of students complete four-year degrees within six years. It's argued that this is due to current systemic flaws in the way we teach; schools are behind the times. Watch a single lecture on innovation trends in education, and the presenter likely notes the striking similarities of a modern-day classroom and one of the centuries past. It's been proven that gamifying other services have resulted in retention and incentive. For example, website builder DevHub saw a remarkable increase of users who finished their sites shoot from 10 percent to 80 percent. So, in theory, it should work for schools as well.

How Can I Gamify Education In My Classroom?

Educators have tested this theory and seen positive results. There are a variety of ways to introduce your classroom to gamification in higher education and we're providing you with just a few ideas. We hope to spark a discussion on gamifying higher education so that educators can discuss the topic more thoroughly and provide examples in which they have used gamification to make learning more engaging.

1. Gamification in grading: One success story is Lee Sheldon, a professor at Indiana University, who gamified his course by abandoning grades and implementing an "experience points" system. Students' letter grades are determined by the number of points they have accumulated at the end of the course, in other words, by how much they have accomplished. Because of the extracurricular interests of the current college-age generation (games!), Professor Sheldon attributes success to the fact that "the elements of the class are couched in terms they understand." Students are progressing towards levels of mastery, as one does in games. Each assignment and each test feels rewarding, rather than disheartening. Using experience points allows educators to align levels with skills and highlight the inherent value of education.

2. Award students with badges: For each assignment completed, award students with badges. This may seem like a regression back to Kindergarten stickers of gold stars, but it's working for Khan Academy. As students watch instructional videos and complete problem sets, Khan Academy awards them with points and badges to track progress and encourage perseverance. Western Oklahoma State College is implementing this form of gamification into their technology classes, with badges like "Moodle Noob No More," or, a personal favorite "Drop It Like It Hot" to indicate mastery of Dropbox. However, as previously noted, it's important to add value to the badges, like bonus points, skill levels, etc.

3. Integrate educational video games into your curriculum: The use of games allows students to fail, overcome, and persevere. Students are given a sense of agency-in games, they control the choices they make, and the more agency students have, the better students do. Instantaneous feedback and small rewards (or big ones, like winning) are external motivators that work. Case in point, Mr. Pai, a 3rd-grade teacher on a mission to make learning fun. He disrupted the traditional classroom setting by introducing the Nintendo DS, among other technology, into his daily curriculum. Students practiced math and language through the use of computers and video games. In just eighteen weeks, his class went from a below 3rd-grade level to a mid-fourth-grade level.

4. Implement a class-wide rewards system: Encourage camaraderie among students by setting up a rewards system where students achieve something as a team. For example, set a goal of 80% of the class passing an exam. As a reward, give the entire class bonus points or even a party. That way, students are working to master the material together instead of competing, and the highest-achieving students will help those around them.

5. Gamify homework assignments to encourage informal learning: Ultimately, educators hope games translate learning into informal environments. There simply aren't enough hours in the day for an educator. Games allow the curiosity-and the learning-to continue after the bell rings.

Pros of the Gamified Classroom in Higher Education
1. Increases Student Engagement
Studies have shown that students are more likely to spend time playing a learning-based game if you are using a reward system. Badges and points help translate the work the student is completing into a tangible benefit. By increasing engagement, you'll also see a rise in learning retention through gamification of learning. Students will be able to relate to the content easier through practice than just reading or watching a lecture.
2. Creates Enthusiasm
Gamified learning can be used to foster feelings of enthusiasm towards the subject matter, especially in subjects that students struggle with, like math. By creating a gamifying learning with rewards, students are becoming excited and competitive while learning through quizzes, polls and other collaborative learning methods with their peers.
3. Provides Instant Feedback
Most gamification apps or systems allow for instantaneous feedback, which students can use to see where they stand among their peers. This information can push a student to try the quiz or activity again to get higher placement and creates motivation for further student engagement.
4. Makes Social Connections
In higher education, we often find that students have trouble creating social connections with other students in their courses. Gamified classrooms, seated and virtual, help students who have trouble with social interaction and give them a reason to work together. This is especially true if you create team competitions that require students to collaborate on challenges.

Cons of the Gamified Classroom in Higher Education
1. Decreases Student Attention Span
Critics of gamified learning believe that the fast pace and immediate feedback create issues for students' attention spans. Students may begin to expect the same kind of responses from all parts of their education and won't find it, leading to frustration.
2. Cost
The costs of gamified learning are varied based on the type of system you are using. There may be equipment, software, and training costs for instructors. Sometimes these costs are passed on to the students through registration fees and course codes that must be purchased, creating a higher barrier to entry into the classroom. There are often support or maintenance-related costs for systems that are delivered online or are hosted in your campus environment.
3. Student Assessment
When choosing a game it is not often clear how the results of the gamified learning activity will tie into your course assessment. While most games have a built-in way to track progress, you will need to find a way to translate the student's game progress into fulfilling objectives. It is not always easy to find a good fit between the games on the market and your course materials so this can be a time-consuming process.
4. Game Logistics
Many times, setting up a game for your course requires a lot of prior planning and logistics. Questions you need to ask are: Will students be able to play the game at home? Is there an additional cost if they use it outside of the classroom? Are there enough computers available for students to play the game in class? Do I want to use class time for students to play the game? Most of the time you will need to sit down and play the game yourself all the way through, which can take about 40 hours before you fully understand the game and objectives.

Gamification Apps and Tools

Gamifying your higher education classroom through online tools and platforms can help engage your students in course content and helps them connect with their classmates on a deeper level. Here, we share some tools that help you bring enthusiasm, connection and competition to your course.

1. Kahoot: Kahoot allows instructors to design their own multiple-choice quizzes for both formative assessments and informal quizzes. To participate, students answered timed questions, where they are ranked based on their speed and accuracy. It can be accessed via Kahoot! app or web browser.

2. TEDEd: TEDEd houses hundreds of educational videos \with an accompanying app where instructors can create interactive video lessons based on their course concepts, with quizzes, discussion prompts and other activities.

3. Gimkit: Gimkit gives instructors the opportunity to create their own gameshows that students can answer on their own devices. Working at their own pace, students work on question sets until they reach mastery to ensure they've fully comprehended course concepts.

Conclusion

While the topic of gamified learning has been around for years, it is just now hitting its stride in higher education. The global gamification market is projected to grow from $9.1 billion in 2020 to $30.7 billion by 2025. There are many opportunities for new and exciting games that will help us increase student engagement in our seated and online classrooms.

These pros and cons are important ideas to consider when choosing how games could support your college classroom. If you love the idea of motivating your students through points and badges, gamified learning may be for you, but if you struggle to prioritize your time when it comes to course development, gamification may not be the right choice. Starting small and giving yourself lots of time for planning is the key to success.

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How to Bring Gamification Into Your Classroom | Top Hat

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Use these gamification strategies in your classroom to increase participation, engagement, loyalty and competition. Check them out now!

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Game-Based Learning

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Using Social Media in the Classroom

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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6 Ways to Engage Students with Technology

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Today's students are more tech-savvy than ever before. It's almost like they are programed to learn a different way than traditional past methods. No I don't mean they are like robots, but they have grown up around technology, so multimedia, vivid images, video, instantaneous information, all of this grabs today's student's attention. Having technology in the classroom is not to replace a great teacher, but a combination of a great teacher and constructive classroom technology usage can result to great education. It simply makes sense to integrate technology in the classroom since it has become so integral to the world outside of the classroom and today's students are accustomed to it.

Here are 6 ways to engage students with technology in the classroom:

1. Global learning

Students can study abroad without ever stepping foot out of the classroom. With video conferencing technology in the classroom students are offered exhilarating educational advantages such as learning languages from native speakers, being exposed to other cultures, and making friends all over the world. Video conferencing can bring an exciting and invaluable experience to your students.

2. Multimedia

Multimedia can stimulate more than one sense at a time, and in doing so, you can reach all different types of learners and hold student's attention longer. Giving students the ability to create and utilize different types of multimedia creates a more collaborative classroom and allows students communicate and actually apply what they are learning, enhancing the overall educational experience.
3. Video streaming and YouTube
According to Visual Teaching Alliance studies, 70 percent of the population are visual learners. Therefore, explaining, giving examples of, and describing things in words isn't always a very easy or effective method of teaching students. Use classroom technology and add a few YouTube video clips while explaining and suddenly you will begin to see the light bulbs go off. You can use video streaming, short clips, cartoons, how to videos, raw footage, etc. to create a much clearer picture for your students. In the end you will have an educated and entertained class.
4. Replace some reading with podcasts
Now I'm not saying you should replace all text reading with podcasts, I'm simply suggesting that teachers that want to mix things up and increase engagement with technology in the classroom could use podcasts in place of some of their reading material to break up some of the monotony. I remember in college, the only thing more mind-numbing than reading countless novels, was to then be forced to read extensive, dull analyses of those novels. My English literature professor decided to break up our repetitious reading assignments by mixing in a few podcasts which definitely kept more students awake and enabled more classroom discussions.

5. Classroom gaming

Remember when you were young being told that video games are bad and will "rot your brain", well now studies show video games can improve student learning. There are tons of educational games that allow students to apply and test what they have learned. Students can get motivated by challenging each other and if done on a mobile device, students are more likely to continue learning outside of the classroom. Using educational games is one of the best ways to use technology in the classroom to make students eager for learning.
6. Utilize Social media
Social media is here to stay and educators need to realize that. Many teachers have learned to embrace social media and use Facebook, Twitter, and other types to generate discussions outside of class. I actually had one professor assign it as homework. He would give us a topic, we would research it a little, and then write a short post on it and comment on each others posts. This usually sparked conversation and debate that everyone participated in, not just the same 10 who always answered questions in class.

As technology in the classroom increases, the IT department needs to know everything about their school wireless network, what they can support and how they can plan their school wireless network to support devices of the future. If your school is ready to update your wireless network to support some of this exciting classroom technology, SecurEdge Networks provides planning, deployment and design for school wireless networks.

Contact us today to discover how we can analyze and optimize your current school wireless network to help you achieve higher academic success.

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6 Ways to Engage Students with Technology in the Classroom

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Today's students are more tech-savvy than ever before. It's almost like they are programed to learn a different way than traditional past methods. No I don't mean they are like robots, but they have grown up around technology, so multimedia, vivid images, video, instantaneous information, all of this grabs today's student's attention.

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Students seem bored with using technology the same way everyday. Researching and creating Powerpoint is easy but boring to them

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Edpuzzle/Flipped Classroom

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Engage Students Today and Flip your classroom - How to use Edpuzzle

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The Flipped Classroom

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Graphic Organizers and Technology Unite

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Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher

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Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher

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The goal of teachers and principals to be professional problem solvers committed to improving both their own practice and student outcomes provides a powerful reason to practice action research.

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(Re)Engaging Students in the Classroom

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(Re)Engaging Students in the Classroom.pdf

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Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher

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Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher

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"In the field of special education, it is common for action researchers to utilize a single-subject experimental research design. Single-subject experimental research designs (also referred to as single-case experimental designs) are designs that can be applied when the sample size is one or when a number of individuals are considered as one group." (p.7

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7 ways to Increase student engagement (in general)

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It is probably not surprising that one of the most consistent findings in educational research demonstrates that the more time students spend engaged during instruction, the more they learn (Gettinger & Ball, 2007). Schlechty (2002) defined the five levels of student engagement so we can learn to gauge student interest and increase the effectiveness of our structured literacy instruction .

Five Levels of Student Engagement

Authentic Engagement-students are immersed in work that has a clear meaning and immediate value to them (reading a book on a topic of personal interest)

Ritual Compliance-

the work has little or no direct meaning to students, but there are extrinsic outcomes of value that keep them engaged (earning grades necessary for college acceptance)

Passive Compliance-students see little or no meaning in the assigned work but expend effort merely to avoid negative consequences (not having to stay in during recess to complete work)

Retreatism-students are disengaged from assigned work and make no attempt to comply, but are not disruptive to the learning of others

Rebellion-students refuse to do the assigned task, act disruptive, and attempt to substitute alternative activities

Measuring Engagement in the Classroom

The level of student engagement can vary from student to student and lesson to lesson, so it can be challenging to get a general feel for how engaged a class is as a whole. To that end, Schlechty (2002) also outlined three categories that can measure the level of engagement for an entire classroom.
The Engaged Classroom
In the engaged classroom, you will observe that all students are authentically engaged at least some of the time or that most students are authentically engaged most of the time. Passive compliance and retreatism rarely occur, and rebellion is non-existent.
The Compliant Classroom
The compliant classroom is the picture of traditional education. This type of classroom is orderly, and most students will appear to be working, so it would be easy to infer that learning is taking place. However, while there is little evidence of rebellion, retreatism is a genuine danger prevalent in the compliant classroom.
The Off-Task Classroom
Retreatism and rebellion are easily observed in the off-task classroom. This type of classroom is every student for themself, so you will see some degree of authentic and ritual engagement, along with passive compliance. Teachers in the off-task classroom spend most of their time dealing with rebellious students rather than teaching lessons that engage

Seven Student Engagement Strategies

Student engagement is a byproduct of effective instruction that has significant payoffs. When students are engaged during explicit phonics instruction , they learn and retain more information. Student engagement during reading instruction also increases the likelihood that your students will become passionate about reading. So, how can you increase the amount of time that students in your class are engaged during reading instruction? Here are some suggestions:

1. Use the 10:2 method. For every 10 minutes of instruction, allow the students 2 minutes to process and respond to the information or reading material. You can do this in various ways: have them write about what they have learned or read, ask or write down questions about what they have read or understood, or have students discuss the lesson or reading material with a partner.

2. Incorporate movement into your lessons. Require students to respond to a question about a reading passage or lesson by moving to a particular spot in the room, writing on whiteboards, standing (or sitting) when they are done thinking about the question, etc.

3. Pick up the pace. One misconception is that we must go slow for students to understand and engage in a lesson or story. There is a lot of evidence that shows that when teaching and reading are done at a brisk pace, students have more opportunities to engage, respond, and move on to the next concept or idea (Carnine & Fink, 1978; Williams, 1993; Ernsbarger et al., 2001).

4. Provide frequent and effective feedback. Correct students as they learn new decoding skills or reading strategies. Be sure students know how to use each method correctly to experience success and mastery.

5. Allow students 5-7 seconds of 'think time' when asking a question about a story or reading passage. At the end of the time, draw a random name to answer the question.

6. Use the 3-2-1 method of summarizing. At the end of a lesson, have students record three things they learned, two interesting things, and one question about what you taught or read. Allow time to share their findings with a peer.

7. Periodically pause mid-sentence. Require students to fill in the blanks when you suddenly go quiet.

Learn more about teaching reading strategies ›

Pinterest Reference Guide:

Conclusion

At the end of a recent day-long training session, a teacher approached me and said, "This was a great training. I know because I didn't get my knitting needles out one time." Whether we are teaching young people or adults, it is important to remember that student engagement is more than just listening. If we are constantly monitoring student engagement in our classroom, we can consciously work to increase the amount of time students are involved in learning and expect greater success in our teaching.
Are you interested in learning more about Early Literacy? Explore our free educational resources to learn how you can help the young readers in your life! Take a look at one of our Reading Horizons reviews (from California - the state).
Resources

*Carnine. D., & Fink, W. T. (1978). Increasing the rate of presentation and use of signals in elementary classroom teachers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11, 35-46.

*Ernsbarger, S. C., Tincani. M. J., Harrison, T. J., Frazier-Trotman, S., Simmons-Reed, E., & Heward. W. L. (2001, May). Slow teacher/fast teacher: Effects on participation rate, accuracy, and off-task behavior by pre-K students during small-group language lessons. Paper presented at the 27th Annual Convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis. New Orleans. LA

*Gettinger, M., & Ball, C. (2007). Best practices in increasing academic engaged time. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 1043-1075). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

*Schlechty, P. (2002) Working on the Work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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Seven Ways to Increase Student Engagement in the Classroom - Reading Horizons

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How to Measure and Increase Student Engagement During Reading Instruction? The level of student engagement can vary from student-to-student, and lesson-to-lesson so it can be difficult to get a general feel for how engaged a class is as a whole.

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Preparing Special Education Teachers to Use Educational Technology to Enhance Student Learning

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Preparing Special Education teachers to use technology.pdf

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1. Is my focus specific enough?

2. How will I measure student engagement?

3. Students need to be open to new ways of using technology

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Students use technology
"shortcuts" to complete assignments, missing the point of the lesson

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Students are using technology in class, but are not engaged in the material

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"Technology in the classroom to Enhance Student Engagement"

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"Technology in the classroom to Enhance Student Engagement"

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working title

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MG

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How can I improve my use of technology to engage the students in the Biology material?