Welcome To

Connected Education

About Me

Jessica Sander

United Kingdom

Jess is a USAF veteran with over 10 years’ experience in Intelligence Operations, as well as training and education. She currently serves as an Instructional Systems Designer for Booz Allen Hamilton. Jess’ training experience includes course design, development, and execution for the government since 2020, including web-based training, leadership courses, and facilitation. She is well versed in Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Agile, most LMS platforms, Microsoft programs, technical writing, and graphic facilitation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Maryland, Global Campus and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Higher Education from Liberty University. Jess is originally from Texas but currently resides in the U.K. with her husband and two teenagers.

DISCUSSION: ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

Teachers use various technological and assistive equipment to establish a learning environment to cater to the requirements of each student. Scholars with learning disabilities can benefit from multiple advantages provided by assistive technology. These advantages include autonomy, the ability to choose one’s speed, an improvement in the quality of academic work, and a more significant commitment to collective in-class exercises. As an illustration, replacement book formats, such as tapes, can memorize books as braille does. One of the ways that I utilize assistive technology in the classroom is through using different book formats, computers, and calculators. The drafting, prewriting, proofreading, and distribution of written items are all processes that have been shown to benefit from innovation, and these benefits have been largely successful.

Text hints, sound remarks, text-to-discourse, and shading coding are some learning highlights that can be incorporated into technology-based graphic organizers in a classroom. These graphic organizers also provide procedure guidance, self-directed learning methodologies, and a universal plan for learning highlights. This is a handy resource that all students should utilize because it offers a multitude of supports and is equipped with beautiful features that all students can utilize.

Students learning to write and modify their work are given the assistance and support they require to successfully finish their writing tasks using visual organizers based on technology. The smart pen is another valuable piece of assistive technology in which the process for using an intelligent pen combines instructions on how to effectively use the writing instrument itself with instructions on how to take accurate notes. Students can record classroom instruction and lectures using the smart pen, and the cell will retain the recordings so they can play them again later. To promote inclusive education and ensure that all students’ requirements are met, the classroom must access appropriate technology and assistive equipment.

References

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating educational technology into teaching, 6^th ed. Person Education Limited.

Technology Lesson Demonstration

The application that I chose to demonstrate is Gimkit.com. It is a free, interactive gaming website that allows players to interact with their classmates, compare leaderboards, earn achievements, and participate in multiplayer games. It serves many classroom needs like encouraging lifelong play, encouraging problem or inquiry based learning, and it takes the place of worksheets or exercises.

I chose to demonstrate it using an English lesson plan on The Odyssey. I developed question and answers regarding The Odyssey. Gimkit, in this setting, can replace group discussion or even facilitate group discussion as the class works through the questions. According to the Roblyer and Hughes (2019) RAT Matrix, the website application can replace a traditional paper quiz or worksheet. The students are still tested on the material in a less stressful environment and the teacher can track progress of each of the students.

Overall, the website is easy to use for both the student and the teacher. It serves many alternative learning purposes and engages the student. The teacher is able to track progress and re-engage as necessary. Gimkit is a great piece of technology to use in the classroom.

Reference:

Roblyer, M. & Hughes, J. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching, (8th ed.) New York, NY: Pearson.

Discussion: Gaming

9 June 2022

What benefits and challenges are associated with gaming in the classroom?

Gaming in the classroom plays a fundamental role in bolstering the pedagogical process. one of its benefits is that it provides a platform for the active engagement of learners and increases in retention of the learned information. Gaming is also advantageous because it creates a better learning environment for students (Schrier, 2019). Through the promotion of personalization of the pedagogical process, students grasp concepts based on their abilities. However, gaming may lead to negative implications within the classroom situation. For instance, there is a high chance that making it mandatory may instigate the feeling that it is rule-based. As such, it may be difficult to attain the intended goals. Moreover, it may drive the development of mechanical behaviors that may not be effective in the learning process (Schrier, 2019). Thus, whereas gaming has positives, it is important to shape it in a way that the limitations are avoided.

Do you have any strategies that you use to make gaming productive?

I have a specific strategy that involves trying to take the competitive nature out of games. Often, I center the gaming experience on instigating teamwork rather than who can answer first. For instance, when playing jeopardy, my strategy involves providing each group one minute to agree on the best answer. Those who correctly answer the question are awarded points but the basic idea is to ensure that learners collaborate in coming up with the correct solution to a challenge. This also lends to discussing “the why” behind the answer.

When is gaming inappropriate in the instructional setting?

Gaming may be inappropriate in the instructional setting when students are required to formulate their own goals. Since it is based on a predigested value system, it may be impossible to foster innovation among learners. The cost of some games may be prohibitive, which would make them unsuitable for use in the classroom setting (Jenny et al., 2020). Additionally, gaming may be inappropriate when seeking to teach complex ideas. The oversimplification of classroom content limits the extent to which a child can be trained to develop human intellect. Therefore, gaming may be unsuitable when seeking to advance complex pedagogy elements in the instructional setting, especially if its cost are high.

References

Jenny, S., Krause, J., & Armstrong, T. (2020). Technology for physical educators, health educators, and coaches: Enhancing instruction, assessment, management, professional development, and advocacy. Human Kinetics.

Schrier, K. (2019). Learning, education & games, volume 3: 100 games to use in the classroom & beyond. Lulu.com.