Week 5 Reflection

            This week we had to create a video from our MinecraftEdu challenge, using the tacher tools. Where we had to show our favorite part of the challenge, I had an interesting time trying to build and not have potions thrown on me. I had a feeling there was a peer of mine who was “throwing” the potions. I wasn’t sure even using the teacher tools, but after watching Thomas’s video (with the fabulous Sound of Music playing in the background!) I know exactly who was throwing potions. Mystery is solved.

            From this experience this week, I learned that to set teacher up for success, they need to know the ins and outs of the teacher tools. In my other class, we are creating a training for teachers to take to learn about the teacher tools. While in the challenge this week, if I didn’t know how to freeze, take supplies away from a student or give supplies to a student, my students would not be engaged, the whole world would have been chaos and classroom management would be intolerable.

            I think with differentiation classroom management is key. I also read from my other peers blogs this week, that other teachers, parents, administrators and IT personal with districts are not supportive of gaming in the classroom. Tristan’s video had an interesting perspective from the students. The students explained if they would like MinecraftEdu in the classroom and if their parents would approve. The response’s were interesting and not at all surprising. One  student said,  her mom wouldn’t want her to be wasting time and looking at a screen all day… I think we have brainwashed parents into thinking all video games are bad and should only be played at home. I wonder what would happen if you took the word “game” away from the program and called it an technology education tool. When explaining it, don’t mention the word game. It would be interesting to see what the parents would thik then…

            I have a lot of online tools to use with my classroom. The one I’m excited to try in the next few weeks, is planet turtle. It’s an online math program that is aligned with the common core state standards. Teachers can select the content students will use in the classroom. It’s a tool that allows teachers to differentiate and work with students in a smaller group.

            I think to be able to provide differentiation with an online “game” we need to explain the program and reasoning to the parents and administrators first. If we get them on board, we can do many things in our classroom. Worksheets are old school. Our time is technology. We are surrounded by technology, it needs to be used in a classroom. Students will be engaged, they will want to learn and will retain the content much better than working through “busy work activities in class.