Playing Games

We had a session last week trying out games on various electronic devices. I actually found this a bit disappointing (sorry Mandy) for several reasons.

Firstly, for some reason I had thought we were having a session on animation, which I was really looking forward to. So I felt a bit "awwww" before we even started.

Secondly, when the group actually got to play the games, I found it frustrating trying to work out exactly how each device worked in the short period of time we had available. It would have been less irritating if we had been able to get straight on and play the games. I think that this was exacerbated by the fact the first game we tried to play (the F1 game) had a leangthy and complex set up process, whilst the second game (on the Konect) was also confusing to set up players and access the game.

Finally, none of the games really appealed to me as a player, with the possible exception of Prince of Persia (which I didn't get the chance to play as a certain group member was a bit of a fan and rather hogged the controls!

However, none of this changes the fact that I do believe that sensibly used games devices can greatly enhance learning, providing an opportnuity for increasing engagement and enjoyment, and stimulating children by offering them familiar leisure activites within a learning context.

Schools and autism

Am currently wading through paperwork on behalf of my eldest son, who has ASD and is struggling at school. Found this quote on a well known mums website I occasionally browse through, and it so sums up the problems!

Trouble with schools is their lack of empathy, absence of theory of mind, poor awareness of emotions, difficulty choosing the appropriate thing to say, inability to build or maintain relationships beyond a superficial level. Oh, plus their inflexibility, routines and obsessions

Exactly.

Should Education be more like a game?

Found an interesting article online today - which makes it look like I was doing research for my ICT module, but in fact I was looking for information on a completely unrelated topic. Anyway,in the course of my meandering I happened across a quote which made me think of my ICT module, so I looked up the source of the quote, and it turns out that it is a really interesting thought on the similarities between the skills used when learning how to play a computer game and the skills which are required to be successful in school.

The article argues more that school based learning should in fact learn from games, creating a more incremental and meaningful sort of learning - learning that is used immediately and usefully in order to achieve a goal. It is not obviously useful for my essay - which is more about using games within education, but is certainly thought provoking. Find the article here: Good Learning

Another interesting thing I came across this morning is a "prezi" about maths education, and I am impressed by both the content and the way of presenting it. Wondering if it might be an innovative way to present my next uni presentation! Check it out here: Math is not linear

What I haven't done this weeek - and REALLY should have - is finished my Understading the Learner essay. I cannot think where the week has vanished to - Friday already!!!

Dazed and confused....

Missed my lecture last week (very, VERY sorry everybody!) because I was having "child troubles". Specifically, troubles with my eldest son, who is on the autistic spectrum and is struggling badly at school. To be honest I am finding it hard to focus on anything except trying to get him sorted out, at the moment. This is where it gets hard to be a good Mum AND an effective student. My head is so full of worrying there is hardly any room for study.

On the other hand, I did get my Inclusion presentation mark back and got a B - which I am reasonably contented with - apparently there were no A's in the whole year. I am more worried about my SEN presentation though - think I am more likely to be a C for that.

Ho hum. I played Civ IV this week - can I count that as research for my ICT essay?

BETT in London

So, major occurance this week was the Year 2 trip to BETT, an educational technology fair at Olympia, in London.

Lots of free catalogues and stuff - including some lego!!!

The particular points that interested me were a program called "I can animate", which is, as it sounds, a program to enable children to make stop-motion animations; a Speech and Language program, which has been adopted for use in my local LEA to diagnose and treat children with Speech and Language disorders, and which was explained to us in some detail. There were also a plethora of educational games programs, many of which I can apply for free trials to try out, which will help enormously with my Technology Assignment.

Whilst in London I also paid a vist to the Natural History Museum, which is just as great as I remembered, and to which I will have to pay a visit with my children in the near future. I also found time to pop into the V&A, where I met a friend for lunch, which was far more jaw dropping than I remember from previous visits - it was clearly wasted on a teenager! I didn't managed to sneak time for a visit to the Sir John Soames Museum, which I have been promising myself for ages, despite staying in a hotel in the vicinity. Next time!

The Road To Wales

Following instructions from my university tutor, I am setting up a reflective log to record my progress on my BA Education Studies class.

I am currently in Year 2 of the course at Swansea Met., although I studied Year 1 at Bournemouth Uni.  However, my dear husband got a job in Swansea, and so the children and I packed up our worldly belongings and followed him to Wales.  We are THAT devoted!!!

I am finding full time uni quite strange.  Until recently I was working full time at a school, and studying in the evenings - now I am a "student"!!!  I miss working at school though, and I miss the children, and indeed the teachers....

But - best foot forward and all that!  My first term was a steep learning curve, as I had to learn my way around the university and the names of all my new peers.  Now I have settled in a bit I am hoping to be able to focus more on the course content - as well as having volunteered to set up a Science Club at my local Primary School, which I am looking forward to starting!