Philosophy of Technology in Education

             A little over a year ago now, I was introduced to game designer Jane McGonigal and her book, Reality is Broken.  The basic premise of her book is this: games are good for us and games can change the world.  As an avid video gamer myself, the idea intrigued me.  I was definitely on board with the value of video games, having spent numerous hours defending my beloved hobby to many who would call it "a waste of time." I've always thought that games had value for human beings, educational value being one possibility.  Yet, here some someone else who thought the same thing and had actually researched it!

             But, let me back up here for a moment to what spurred me onto this idea.  One of my favorite online video series is called Extra Credits, a show that attempts to think critically about a whole host of topics related to video games. In one such video, the creators of the show discuss the idea of gamification (which is essentially the psychology behind what motivates us to play games and then how to those ideas to other areas of our lives).  Currently, gamification is pretty big in the business world.  Ever sign up for a rewards program at your grocery store of choice?  Or played the McDonalds monopoly game? Those programs are examples of gamification.  You may not realize it, but these programs utilize the motivational factors of why we play games to get you to shop at their store.  Yet, it seems to me principles of gamification could be put to better use in our education system (which Extra Credits also did a video about). 

             Although the ideas haven't been extensively researched in the education realm, there is quite a bit of basis for the ideas.  One among them is the book I mentioned earlier by Jane McGonigal.  Another proponent of games improving our lives (specifically in the education realm) is James Paul Gee.  Gee has proposed in numerous publications that good video games and good video game environments are "learning engines."  Put simply, he explains that games are good for learning.  Why? Because, as Gee says in this video, video games are "a set of problems that you must solve in order to win."  In solving those problems, games provide authentic environments in which to teach and assess specific skills. 

             Let's say you're on board with this idea (as I am) and want to attempt to create better environments for learning, problem solving, and assessment.  I do think part of the way to do this is to take advantage of the wealth of technological options available in today's world.  One of those ways is to actually use video games themselves, but I'm not necessarily talking about "educational games."  Educational games can often fall into the trap of a"flashy flashcard" or "worksheet with better graphics"  kind of game.  Games like Math Blaster, while fun and engaging in their own way, are really only a kind of more exciting drill practice you could just as well use flashcards for.  Instead, I turn my attention to what are considered to be more mainstream games.  Games such as Minecraft, Little Big Planet, and Portal provide structured game experiences and game environments teachers can use to teach specific concepts.   Both Little Big Planet and Portal have tools you can use to create your own environments for students to solve problems tailored to the skills you want them to learn or demonstrate.  Minecraft itself is an open world game you can use to create just about anything you can think of, but there is also a special modification created by teachers specifically for use in the classroom.

             But I'm not just talking about games; I think technology in general can be used to augment the traditional classroom experience.  Take that book I mentioned earlier.  You have the option of ordering from Amazon or going to Barns and Noble, picking up a copy, and reading it yourself.  Or you could get it right away on an e-reader.  Or, you could go to the website made for the book which has links to various videos of McGonigal speaking, links to reviews in various publications, and more.  You can go to McGonigal's Ted Talk video in which she talks about her ideas.  After watching the video you can read and reply to comments, engaging in the discussion.  Although the video was posted over two years ago, comments are still being posted.  Discussion is still happening.  A common criticism of books is that they can't talk back to you.  But with the internet, you can engage and expand upon experiences that go beyond just reading the book.

             Do I think we should do away with books entirely?  Should all assessment take place in virtual worlds? Should I attempt to incorporate as much technology as is physically possible in my future classroom?  The answer to all of those questions is a resounding and confident "no."  As much as I am a fan of technology and video gaming in classrooms, I am not a fan of technology for the sake of simply having technology.  Just like you should with any curriculum, book, project, or classroom activity, you have to carefully consider and think critically about what that activity actually does for learning. Technology should be used to help, not hinder, learning.  If technology is getting in the way of a student's ability to express what is actually being assessed, then it's a bad assessment tool.  If I'm using a video game, but the student is having difficulties controlling their avatar in the game world, they're not going to be able to use the game to learn.  Maybe for that student an iPad version of Minecraft might be more effective because the large touch screen is easier for them to use than a keyboard and mouse.  Things like this, and other numerous problems, are ones that have to be considered carefully.

             What technology does is give us the ability to augment the current state of the classroom.  It gives teachers the ability to give students choices.  Maybe instead of writing an essay in response to a book, students could make a video blog while pretending to be the main character or make a video where they talk about important points of the novel because they feel their speaking ability is better than their writing abilities.  Or maybe a student does feel that their ideas are best expressed in an essay.  Technology allows us to make learning more engaging and more authentic for students.  All of the ideas I've presented are ones I want, and plan, to use in my future classroom.  Yet, it doesn't stop here.  The ideas I already have continue on, and with the way technology develops I'm sure I'll come up with a list just as long before I graduate.  And really, there's no telling what kinds of technology will crop up over the course of my career as an educator.

A little bit about Glogster

Personal Perspectives

Assistive Technology Review: 12-Language Speaking Global Translator by Franklin

I am here today to tell you about Franklin's 12-language speaking global translator!  Quite the mouthful of a name, but it makes sense given that it has 450,000 words in its database and can speak 115,000 of those words in a pre-recorded, human voice.   Intrigued?  Then read on!

What does this technology do?

Anyone who has ever tried to learn a language (or visited a country speaking a language they didn't know) has most likely encountered a translating dictionary (such as Spanish<->English or Japanese <->English), but what this little gadget does is take about 66 of those little dictionaries and put them into one device.  The translator has English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.  And, it can translate from any one of those languages to another one of those languages.  In addition to the text translation, many of the words can also be spoken aloud by a pre-recorded human (not computer!) voice. In addition to its large vocabulary database, the translator also contains over 12,000 phrases.

The device also has additional features like games and can play mp3 files.  At first glance, it appears like the games and mp3 playback functions have little application in an education setting. However, many of the games could be used to help students learn English keyboard layouts or recognize English letters and numerals.  In terms of its capabilities as a music player, the device could hold mp3 files of audio recordings of books or other audio files you want to use in your classroom.  The device's speaker isn't the highest quality, but if you have the device in your classroom already, it can be used as another mp3 player.

This video (linked here) gives a demonstration (and a little review) of the device.  The video is more from an average consumer's perspective of someone wanting to travel to other countries rather than an education perspective, but the video still provides a visual representation of what the device actually does.

So, what category of assistive technology does this device fit into then?

As a word translator, the device falls into reading-vocabulary.

This is sounding good so far, but what principles of Universal Design might be facilitated by this technology?

Because this device helps make language barriers easier to cross, the speaking global translator really facilitates all three principles of Universal Design.  The fact that the translator presents many of the words in both text and audio helps it facilitate the representation of information.  For engagement in the learning, the translator gives students the ability to quickly look up a word which will allow them to participate more in the learning community.  Maybe a student is more confident in their writing abilities and less in their speaking abilities, but this device can help bridge that difficulty in participation.  Lastly, it facilitates expression of knowledge.  If a student just doesn't have any words to use to express their knowledge, the knowledge will mostly likely stay inside their head (unless you have someone employed at the school who can speak their language, and even then that person is probably spread pretty thin). However, with the global translator, a student might more likely be able to find those words in order to express their knowledge. 

What types of students will benefit from this technology? 

Definitely English Language Learners who are able to speak one of the 11 languages this device is able to translate.  Due to the fact that it does speak a lot of words aloud, it could also be helpful for students who are having difficulties speaking.  However, the number of words it speaks aloud is spread a little thin, so it might be more effective to use a device that specializes in speaking aloud words from a certain language.

 

For what learning goals might the technology might be effective?

I think it would be helpful for students to get through more text and feel like they understand more of the words.  I think it could help facilitate learning more vocabulary, but I don't think that the translator by itself would really facilitate learning more vocabulary due to the fact it doesn't have a dictionary component. 

All of this sounds so good!  But, what are some drawbacks to this technology?

While there are many benefits to this device, I have several reservations.  The first is that it only has 12 languages (11 languages other than English).  The languages in the device are common ones, but it's extremely likely you will have a student in your class that doesn't speak one of those 11 languages. 

Admittedly, another reservation I have is that it has too many languages!  It might seem strange to be concerned that it doesn't have enough languages, but then directly follow that with the concern it has too many.  Yet, because the device is spread so thin between the languages, it's less likely the word a student will want will be in the dictionary.  In my own experimentation, I tried looking up words I thought a student would often find in a classroom.  I could find words like adjective and divide, but when I tried to find solve (as in "solve the following math problem") the device could only find "resolve."  I wonder if the device will have a lot of the academic language that proves to be a large portion of the language barrier for ELL students in school. 

Thirdly, the device is not a dictionary.  It doesn't explain the meaning of the word in either language, it just gives you the word.  This could be a benefit or a drawback, depending on how you look at it, but regardless it is an important aspect of the device I wanted to bring up.

My last concern is something I have found in my own language learning experiences: devices like these can become a bit of a crutch.  They can make things go quicker and be convenient, but it's important not to rely on these devices too much.  When you use something like this all the time, you don't learn decoding skills.  You don't have to try and figure out the word by using the words around it because you can just type it into the translator. 

Any parting thoughts or suggestions?

My main suggestion is that this should be used as a supplement to other supports and can help increase student independence.  In my last concern, I mentioned the fact it's easy for a device like this to become a crutch.  However, if used as a supplemental technology support, this device can help make a student's learning more efficient and give them more ways to understand and communicate their learning. 

Links for further information:

The official site for the translator

Link to the translator on Amazon (for pricing and costumer reviews)

Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park-Chapter 1

 

 Click to listen to the first chapter of Keeping Score (read by me)!

Let's Get Started- A Little More About Me

In my day to day life, I try to surround myself with stories.  

Some stories are told with words, like this word cloud I've filled with things that are important to me, things that make me happy, things I do in my spare time, and people I admire.



















Some stories are told more with pictures, like this map of the place where I grew up.


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But I love the stories that simply make up the lives of regular people.  These are the stories we hear from our friends, and the stories we create as we live our lives.  Sure, I like the stories I read, the stories I play in video games, and the stories I see in movies, but they're not necessarily my favorite stories.

I like to think of the stories I've made in my lifetime and "perfect" days.  Like one day this past summer during my time studying Japanese in Tokyo.  I had the chance to meet up with a friend who lives in Tokyo, and she showed me the kind of day one expects to have when you study abroad.  We ate Japanese food, played games in arcades, walked down crowded streets lined with stores, and even happened upon a festival we had no idea was happening until the celebration was right on top of us.  Even though we got on wrong trains, the weather was unbearably hot and humid, and by the end of it I was so tired I could barely see straight, it was my perfect kind of day.

Even more than that, though, are the average stories.  The days where I just wake up, go to class, eat food, meet up with friends, and do homework are still part of the story.

And that's the sort of thing I like to surround myself with.

Hello!

Hello there! And welcome to my IT 442 blog.