Week 2 Essential Questions

1. 1. What makes an Open Class Engaging?

An open class is engaging when everyone is participating in the class. It’s also engaging when the class is working together and brainstorming ideas with each other. The other night, was the first time during this class I participated or have ever participated in a google hangout. Before I was able to log in, the class was very frustrating for me. I could not get any of my two computers to work and be able to participate in the class. After an hour of downloading different browsers and programs, I finally was able to participate in the class. I felt completely lost and was quickly caught up by the class from the visuals and being told the information that was missed.  I think to have an open class, everyone needs to be on the same page, be flexible, provide visuals, examples and work as a team. An open class is a great way for others in different areas around the world to collaborate with each other online.

2. What factors make a game effective for learning?

There are a lot of factors to making a game effective to learning. Scaffolding (Kapp, 2012) is important for the students to understand the content and information in the game. I know with my students I have to go over the directions and rules about five times until they are ready to try it with a partner. Even when they’re playing with a partner, they still ask for clarification and guidance. I think the key to having an effective game for learning is motivation. If a student is not motivated, then they will not want to play the game and learn the information. I like how in motivation it’s important to "tell the student what needs to be learned and how long it will take". This helps the student motivate him or herself instead of having someone else tell them to keep working. Students need to be challenged. If they find the game too easy, then they will want to play a different game that is more challenging. If the game is too difficult, then students will find learning frustrating, feel defeated and could possibly decide to not play the game or turn to a different game. Providing feedback and giving guidance is important too. Feedback has to be "given even if a player makes an error or omission and explain the consequences of it within the real-life work scenario" (Majumdar, 2014). This week we ran out of time to play our math game. Instead I introduced the game to my students and went over the directions and modeled the procedures. The following day before we played the game, I went over the directions and modeled again. What I noticed is the introduction gave them time to think about what kind of game we were going to play. When my students started playing the game, there was hardly any confusion. At the end of the unit, I have my students play the game again. I have noticed that repetition has created mastery for my students and they are designing game strategies and different ways to play the game.

Majumdar, A. (2014, June 9). 5 Tips to Make Learning Games Effective - Retrieved September 10, 2014 from http://elearningindustry.com/5-tips-to-make-learning-games-effective

Kapp, K. M. (2012). The Gamification of Learning and Instruction : Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.