Week Fourteen: Using Games for Teaching & Learning

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, technology should not be used as a crutch. All supplemental resources should be used as just that, supplements. So, when the idea of using video games and simulations for teaching and learning purposes was a topic for class, I immediately thought of that.

Obviously, slaying zombies and killing people are not the type of video games introduced in the school setting. Games that exercise a student's ability to type, work in a group, use math skills, or to complete a pattern, all to defeat the "Bad Guy" are much more appropriate...on an elementary level.

For secondary students, using simulations, like the Driver's Ed. simulation (video in early post), are great for practicing real world skills, without posing any danger to the actual real world. Let's not forget how important the background information that these simulations and practices need to be based upon to be effective.

Second Life, a program that uses avatars, that represent people in the real world, to interact in the virtual world, is a program that does not fit in either of the aforementioned categories: it is not a computer game strictly for learning, and it is not a simulation course. Second Life works with social skills, and even economic skills. Users can "talk" to one another via avatar, and "sell" different products for real money.

Though Second Life is a worthwhile social device, like any other social program, if people become too dependent upon it, more harm is done than benefit. There have been numerous occasions in which a person cheats on his/her spouse with another Second Life avatar leading to divorce. Care should be taken, as well, to maintain the privacy of one's Second Life. Account hacking, which happens on Facebook and MySpace all too often, is something users need to be very aware of if Second Life really is such a prominent presence in the lives of its users.

Week Thirteen: Distance Education and Virtual Schooling

delivering education to students who are not physically on site

That is a way to describe distance education: an education received, typically, via the internet. At UF, the distance learning realm is referred to as "e-Learning." Every class has a page, which includes a syllabus and portal to reach the professor, quizzes, grade sheets, and forums for questions. Distance learning really helps to facilitate learning and feedback in the educational world.

Of course, not all distance education is strictly on the internet. Some large and crowded classes are split: students can either attend lectures, or watch the recorded lecture on the class webpage. This is called "blended distance education." Virtual distance education would be a class where no meetings occur face-to-face and all communication happens on the internet.

Why work with distance education, anyway? Well, online learning allows the student to work at his/her own pace at any time in his/her life. Multimedia can be reached more easily by the professor preparing a presentation and the student receiving the lecture. While these are happy benefits, there are some drawbacks to distance learning: security, costs, motivation, regular attendance, lack of personal impact on the professor's part.

These are all hindrances to the realm of online classes, but they are easily overcome. Setting a specific time each day or week to work with online classes makes it routine and easier to pay attention, while also being a small motivator.

Somewhat like distance education, virtual schooling separates the student from the physical school entirely. All communication between student and teacher is apart. Class sizes can be large, but the materials and programs used by some virtual classes comes free of charge.

The ideas of distance learning and virtual schooling are innovative, to an extent. Allowing high schoolers to use them in place of attendance in a physical school is a poor plan, but an adult going back to school for a degree of some sort is safe. Kids already don't know how to use their time effectively, giving them a virtual education is just a pathway straight to disaster. Adults strapped for time, however, can use the flexibility to continue their learning career. Using distance education for students to know their grades, use multimedial resources, and contact is a great idea, but relying totally on the internet as the classroom is quite the wrong way to go.