Twitter in the classroom

Yes this my last blog will be about tweeting during class!!

Surprisingly there are many ways to use twitter as an educator.
Twitter makes staying in touch and sharing announcements easy and fun. These ideas offer a great way to put the website to use.

1. Keep students updated: Using hashtags on Twitter, students who were not able to make it to class can follow along and stay on top of the conversation.
2. Assignment coordination: Instead of emailing each other or waiting to meet in class, students can collaborate on projects and keep track of changes by using a Twitter hashtag.
3. Silencing students that blurts answers out: For students who have trouble with disruptive blurting, allow them to instantly tweet their blurts silently instead of out loud.
4. Student engagement in big classes: In large lecture classes where student participation can be intimidating and logistically problematic, Twitter can make it easy for students to engage and discuss during class time.
5. Parent communication: Parents can sign up to receive tweets from teachers, learning about activities, tests, projects, and more.
6. Instant feedback: Twitter makes it easy to get instant approval and disapproval of discussions, issues, and more right in the classroom.
7. Attendance reminders: For students who have trouble making it to class on time, send reminders before school to get them in the door earlier.

8. Tweet about upcoming due dates or assignments: One of the simplest ways that teachers can use Twitter in the classroom involves setting up a feed dedicated exclusively to due dates, tests or quizzes. 

   Here's a video about twitter being used in the classroom.

    

Twitter trolling.

Hello everyone,

This week I'll talking about the dark side of Twitter. I would like you guys to watch this little video of people trolling celebrities.

After watching this video just imagine how people act like this toward other people on twitter. celebrity or not twitter can get pretty intense. I have a video that would be the perfect way to deal with people who troll others on twitter 

Twitter

Hello everyone,

This half of the semester I will be talking about Twitter. There are many ways to use Twitter. People use Twitter for promotion, professional development, networking and other reasons. I personally use Twitter to keep in contact with friends back home and figure out what's going on in the world. There are lots of stories on any subject you can imagine. You'll be surprised about the things you are exposed to on Twitter. Below is a video on how to use Twitter.

Online Gaming

Hello everybody!!


So last week everyone seem to enjoy my post about the educational online gaming. A few comments were left about the kind of online games people brought for their kids or websites they used for their students.

This blog will most be more about the other online games that kids end up playing. When I was younger playing games on Miniclip.com was something that I did a lot when i was giving free time. As I got to middle school, downloading became very popular with my generation. Most of the computers in the schools had either Halo or Need for speed Midnight Club. There were times I felt like the whole school was playing one of those games. The kids of today bring their handheld devices to school with tons of games. Now they don't need to use the school computers to play against other classmates. I can only Imagine how teachers and parents feel when their kids are playing games that contains violence and foul language. The impact these games have on certain kids can be either good or bad. Personally I don't think online or regular video games are harmful. I found a video that explains how video games are not as bad for kids.

Educational Online games

Hello everyone,

This week I will be discussing educational online games. There are many websites that have online educational games. Many of them have been around for years. The majority of the sites are not promoted so you wouldn't really know if they are available for kids. Honestly I can remember sites that I used in elementary and middle school. Websites like FunBrain.com and PBS kids are well known when it comes to online gaming

Online educational games for kids have proven to be very beneficial learning tools. These games help kids learn many of the skills needed throughout their early childhood education. Learning games are particularly useful for younger kids and can help build confidence while enhancing the skills needed for success in school. Educational games for toddlers prepare young ones for their first scholastic experience and educational games for preschool students teach kids important skills and concepts required by a preschooler. The kids' games provided here allow children to have fun while they learn. Fun educational games encourage children to keep learning, even after school hours.
This Video will help break down educational online gaming.

Overall I think online gaming has made a huge impact with helping kids learn while playing games. Hopefully they continue to create educational games that will keep the kids learning and having fun while away from school.

Online Gmaing

Online gaming is a very real factor in students' everyday lives. Not only can it be entertainment, but it can also be educational. Below is a TED talk by 13 year old Lewis Tachau in which he explains what he believes some of the benefits of online gaming are within his life.

What is online gaming?

Online gaming is the specialized application or technology, which connects players through internet or over a computer network. (Fundamentals of Game Design).

There are many variations of online gaming, and many different uses. One of fastest growing frontiers of online gaming is using the online gaming technology for educational purposes. There are many different programs and technologies out that focus making the gaming experience count. Game designers and educators are teaming up to make online gaming experience that are not only fun, but also mentally stimulating. Over the next few weeks I will attempt to show and explain the different online gaming programs and developments that are out to help kids learn while gaming.

  http://www.zurinstitute.com/onlinegaming.html#children

Gaming Resources:
Educational Games for Children and Teens

Young Children

• Capital Penguin: Single-player game in which the player learns U.S. states and their capital cities. You must jump on the state that matches the given capital city; jumping towards the wrong state means your penguin will fall into the ocean. Hits and misses are recorded for learning feedback.
• Grammar Gorillas: Players identify parts of speech in order to win bananas. Levels are beginner (nouns and verbs) and advanced (all parts of speech).
• Grand Prix Mulitplication: Up to four players can play this game, which tests the ability to solve math problems quickly in order to win the Grand Prix. The student's correct answers enable a faster pace of the car.
• Lemonade Stand: This game simulates the real-life task of running a lemonade stand. Start with twenty dollars; see how much you can make. Fun way to teach beginning business.
• Tug Team: Up to eight players can play this game which builds familiarity with fractions. How quickly the student correctly answers the fraction problem determines how much the dirt bike will tug, and the team with the fastest rate of correct answers will win the tug of war. Hits and misses are recorded and displayed at the end of the game, along with the student's rate.
• Virble: Word-building exercises, great for younger children and English Learners.

 

Teens

• Airport Tycoon 3: This business management game provides as close to hands-on experience as one can get remotely. Players manage an airport, including security, bad weather, customer and staff needs. Good 3D graphics.
• Crossword Puzzle: This game for teens and adults is created by Dictionary.com and a new game is posted daily. Crosswords keep the mind fresh.
• Darfur is Dying: This game educates players on world issues by showing the violence present in Sudan. The player may be at home on the computer, but they are certainly not isolated when playing this awareness-building game.
• Fitness Frenzy: Another time management game, this time the user runs 10 gym sites and performs personal training. The player helps his or her "clients" to shape up, while keeping them happy and performing all the necessary duties of the job. Great practice for offline time and project management.
• FreeRice.com: This game builds vocabulary and social awareness by donating 10 cents for each correct answer to the UN World Food Program.
• FunTrivia.com: Trivia games for teens, new games added every hour. Tests and rewards knowledge and quickness to answer.
• Gamestar Mechanic: Players get a chance to win enough power to design and create their own video games by solving a set of puzzles. One question asks users to determine how two players arrive at a given point at the same time using physics concepts.
• Geology Explorer: This game for high school and college students is designed to teach geology in a fun, interactive way. Players perform a number of exploratory tasks on the planet Oit, identify findings, create a map and overcome hardship.
• Guess That Phrase: Like Wheel of Fortune, players choose letters that are included in the phrase to be discovered, then guess the phrase. Builds quickness with letters, creativity with words.
• Hotel Dash - Suite Success: This game teaches time management skills by allowing the user to run a hotel. Guests must be attended to, luggage carried, and all in a manner that leaves the hotel system running smoothly!
• Little Big Planet: This multiplayer game for PlayStation 3 comes in 24 languages and has over a million levels - impossible to exhaust! In addition to playing, users can create their own challenges, to be played by others. Opportunity to be an active player and creator teaches exploration and game-building skills. Available at cost.
• Magic Pen: Players use and learn physics and geometry by using logic to construct 2-Dimensional figures.
• Math Baseball: Players complete math problems to play baseball. A wrong answer is a strike out, and correct answers are hits. Whether the hit is a home run or simply to a base depends on the difficulty of the question.
• My Little Word Puzzles: Tests the user's knowledge of definitions and spelling with this game. Letters are randomized and a definition is given; players can learn new words as they put the letters together.
• Reach Out Central: This game teaches emotional and social skills by allowing the player to re-do scenes from their lives which they wish had turned out better. It shows how beliefs and actions affect one's mood and leaves the player with experience trying out different responses to various situations. Provides practice for emotional well-being.
• ReMission: The player gets to destroy malignant cancer cells in this health-promoting game.
• Trivia Machine: Classified as a Brain Teaser, this game gives players a chance to test their trivia knowledge on a wide array of topics, including sports, music, technology and science. Players are rewarded for being knowledgeable!
• Virtual Cell: An interactive game designed to teach students the parts of a cell and how they interact. Includes worksheets for teachers and knowledge test questions.
• Words in a Word: Players find words (4 letter minimum) in other words. Builds vocabulary, quick word recognition skills.