My RULES For Using Games in the Classroom

With so much discussion lately about President Obama's sweeping reforms to existing gun legislation, especially the mention of discourse around violent video games, I felt it appropriate to address some of the "common sense" rules that I use when deciding to use a video game in my classroom. 

To be clear, these rules are my rules and only apply to my classroom.  While they may be applicable to other classrooms, they can provide a framework or guide for you to create your own rules. 

1. Understand and follow the ESRB! - The Electronics Software Ratings Board goes to great lengths to rate video games for appropriate age levels.  Understanding these ratings and the ratings process will help you create a list of games appropriate for your classroom.  Go to www.esrb.org for more information.  
2. Tied to the Common Core! - Using video games are a great way to engage students, but the game must be tied to the standards you are teaching in your class.  Choosing a video game to fill time or as an easy reward will diminish the impact the game could actually have on your students' learning. 
3. Research Appropriate Games! - If you haven't played a game, don't use it in your class!  Research games you plan to use before actually using them in class.  Watch walkthroughs of the game on YouTube or read reviews from several different websites. Gathering information about the game will only help you to prepare lessons for that game in your classroom. 
4. Listen to your students! - If your students are discussing a game, take note.  More often than not you will find that the students can help you create lessons around a game.  Minecraft is a good example of this.  Ask students what they know about a game then research it on your own to determine if it is appropriate for use in your class. 
5. Correspond with Parents! - In light of the recent controversy surrounding violence in the media and video games, it is appropriate to explain to parents why you are using a game in class and to explain your plans, the standards you address, and the outcomes of the lessons. 

Using video games as learning tools can engage students and create a learning environment that is not only academically rigorous but also fun.  Following the rules above will help teachers to make educated decisions about using video games as learning tools.  It's important to remember that the majority of video games on the market are not violent and do not fall into the Mature category.  It's up to the teacher to discover the appropriate games to engage students. 

Preparing for the Common Core

Teachers and administrators across Ohio are scrambling to prepare for the implementation of the common core standards.  For many schools, the "shifts" in instruction will be daunting task especially when so little information if available.  While there is information in the web that shows videos of David Coleman, co-author of the common core, discussing the "shifts" in instruction and offering his view on how teachers should change to prepare students to be college and career ready, I still wonder if we are walking into a jungle without a compass. 

At Lakewood High School, teachers have been engaged in Literacy and Math Teams since last year to examine the common core and highlight instructional shifts.  These team members are responsible for reporting back to departments and helping colleagues design activities that align to the common core.  Many teachers, however, want to see the End of Course exams and the new PARCC assessment before evaluating and changing current curricula. 

We've taken this plunge in Ohio and, at least I feel, we seem to be so far behind that it will require a Herculean effort to catch up.  Administrators are facing changes in evaluation standards with the new OTES and OPES while new teachers are facing the 4-year Resident Educator program to earn a teaching license.  Ohio has also effectively changed its "grading" system for schools; this effort has and will put pressure on administration to prove their worth in their schools.  It seems like there is just no end.

So the common core?  What are the next steps? 

• Teachers must own the changes they want to make and see in their classrooms.  Now is not the time to have the "this is what we've always done" mentality. 
• School Leaders must look to department leaders as avenues for effective professional development around the common core...no more whole school sit and get!  Individualized PD is essential! 
• Department leaders must change their roles to instructional leaders for their departments and work with colleagues to ensure the "shifts" are understood and are being implemented.
• School Leaders must stay diligent in identifying changes that need to be made in existing curricula, praise effective teachers, and highlight useful strategies for instruction.

2013 Ohio ETech Conference

The Ohio ETech Conference is just around the corner and I'm excited to be able to spend three days listening and learning about integrating technology into my classroom and school.  I have also been selected to present my work with using video games in the classroom.  I'm truly excited to share with my colleagues from around the state my successes in my own classroom. 

For a complete listing of events, go to http://www.etech.ohio.gov/conference

See you in February!

Ali Carr-Chellman: Gaming to re-engage boys in learning

Many boys are having a hard time in school—they’re disproportionally suspended, marked as learning disabled, and diagnosed with ADHD. In this talk from TEDxPSU, Ali Carr-Chellman ponders whether this could be a simple culture clash. She shares a fascinating idea — that creating educational video games full of rich narratives could help boy culture connect with school culture.

As an avid video game player and believer that games can transform how our students view school, literature, the world and their lives, Ali-Carr Chellman makes a compelling argument for gaming to re-engage boys in learning.  Enjoy!

Making the Most of Parent/Teacher Conferences

These days are circled on our calendars!  We know that parent/teacher conferences are a busy time of the year for teachers and the amount of preparation that precedes the conversations between parents and teachers seems endless.  I have found ways to be more efficient in my preparation for conferences over the years, but I still understand that I will most likely lose my voice at the end of the night! 

My solution to a great night with parents: LET THE STUDENTS TO THE TALKING! 

Immediately after the end of the first quarter, I hand out a Standards Based Report Card (Think back to kindergarten when we all got these) to allow my students to think about and reflect on the skills they’ve mastered or still need to improve upon.  It’s a tough task for many, but these report cards set the stage for the conversations I have with most parents.  Instead of conversations about grades or missing homework, I let the students tell their parents about their level of mastery in my class.  For most parents, this is an eye-opening experience! 

While I use paper and pencil for this activity, many teachers in my school use an online resource called Blue Harvest.  Billed as “Assessment through Feedback”, Blue Harvest allows teachers and students to be in constant communication about their mastery of specific standards.  As an online tool that provides on-going assessment and feedback opportunities, there is nothing better. 

Consider some of these ideas as you begin your own parent/teacher conferences, and remember to let the students do the talking.

Call of Duty...Curse or Cure?

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Preparing for the biggest Call of Duty video game launch of all time, USA Today published an article on their website warning employers and teachers that workers and students might be “sick” on Tuesday.  As Call of Duty: Black Ops II hits shelves at midnight on Tuesday, the draw to play may be too great for some people and their work may suffer.  While I don’t see any of my students coughing or sneezing, I certainly am prepared for a few more absences than normal. 

From an administrative perspective, attendance is a major issue in schools and principals work tirelessly to improve attendance rates each day.  It might be our first reaction to fight against this type of event and force students to get away from the television and back in school.  However, I feel that teachers and administrators should take a hard look at why so many students will skip school to play a little video game.  And the answers, I assure you, go far beyond entertainment. 

·         Clear Objectives – We can post the standards on the board, hang the standards in our room, and they still just aren’t that clear.  And let’s be honest, many students fail to recognize how their mastery of standard will impact their future.  In a video game, the objectives are clear and concrete.  There is no gray area.  When you complete the objective you move to the next level.  If you don’t, then you start again until you have mastered the skills to move forward. 

·         Relevant and Rigorous Learning – After the clear objectives have been established, games require players to master skills that are relevant to their success in the given world.  While the time it takes for some players to master the skills necessary is far greater than other players, games have the ability to enhance rigor based on the player’s existing skill set.  From the easy level to the “hardcore” mode, players adapt to an increasingly difficult world each time they play.

·         Immediate Feedback and Adaptation – While schools do provide some incentive for getting to class every day, the benefits of coming to school every day aren’t necessarily visible until later in life.  With a video game, the benefits of showing up are immediate.  Students win, lose and adapt each minute in a video game and that immediate feedback is motivation to continue. 

Do these things exist in every school and classroom in this nation?  Absolutely!  So why don’t students wait in line for hours to get into our schools the same way they do in anticipation for a big game release? MOTIVATION!  Video games motivate people to risk failure but rewards them with upgrades and trophies for their successes.  Schools can do the same.  As teachers and administrators, we must consider why we are failing to motivate our students to be successful at school and why video games succeed in motivating our students to master complex sets of skills in the matter of hours.  Instead of spending our time cursing Call of Duty and similar games for ruining our perfect attendance, we might start looking to them as the cure for some of our most difficult problems. 

To see the entire USA Today article, go to http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2012/11/11/call-of-duty-sick-days/1694633/

Why We Play!

As I watched my daughter carve her first pumpkin over the weekend, I couldn't help but notice her intense focus and determination to make perfect cuts around the eyes and nose.  While her pumpkin ended up looking a little cross-eyed and lopsided, she was certainly happy with the outcome; she clapped and grinned sheepishly as we lit tea candles and turned out the lights.  However, as I watched her carve, I realized that she was simply playing.  She had never carved a pumpkin before; this was all trial and error for her.  But when she started playing, with no real consequences in mind, she created a product that she was proud of.

Similar situations NEED to be presented in our classrooms!  In his article "Why We Play: How Our Desire for Games Shapes our World", Ben Reeves discusses why people of all ages are attracted to playing video games and how that attraction affects the real world.  He goes on to mention three "invisible needs" that people have that explains their desire for play: the need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. 

While I do provide my students with opportunities to play video games in my classroom, all teachers can find a way to "gamify" their classrooms to reach the needs of their students. And, moreover, these are the needs that drive much of the real world. 

In the end, Reeves says, "When used correctly, video games hold the potential to show us the world through a different set of lenses - to craft experiences that engage both cognitively and socially and ultimately make us feel like an active participant in shaping our destiny".  This sounds exactly like what I want my students to do everyday...to feel like they are a participant in shaping their destiny. 

To read Reeves' full article "Why We Play: How Our Desire for Games Shapes our World" go to www.gameinformer.com.