Horizon for Learning

The most critical part of action research is collecting data. There are many types of data such as quantitative and qualitative. There are many tools that can be used as instruments for obtaining information. This week I was given the opportunity to select a type of data that I wanted to collect as exercise for class. I created a ratings checklist based on the five characteristics and qualities that make a good TV show. Here's what I came up with. Let's see if you agree. Ratings of TV Shows Name of Show: Better Call Saul Key: 5=Very High, 4-High, 3=Average, 2=Low, 1=Very Low Rate the quality of TV Show based on the following Criteria 1. Creativity/Originality 4: Spin off of Breaking Bad.  Like a prequel going back in time.  Get to see sides of main character “Saul” that did not exist in original show. 2. Integration of Shows, tangible theme with connection to prior episodes 5.  Characters from Breaking Bad show up in this show.  Each episodes tie

So my graduate class, " Using digital and social media in education" is coming to a close. For the final project, we could choose either gamification or global collaboration. The rising trend in corporate training is gamification and I felt it would be the best project for me. Game Name: Bridge Street Classroom Link to Game: http://chelrice.com/ (if for some reason you have trouble accessing this site, it might be that I didn't renew the hosting of the site. It was either pay by the year or by the month, and for the purpose of the project, I choose just one month.) Also, please note that you are accessing it as a visitor you may not be able to experience the full features of the game. Audience : I think the material I selected works for 9th grade to adult. This is actually spelled out in the quest. Learning Goal(s) of the Game: T he goals for each assignment or quest is listed. The self-paced learning addresses science, the arts, and histor

After completing some initial research, I found a global collaboration project to join that seems like it would very engaging for students.  I would like to use the Out of Eden Walk as a class project.  This is a based on  Paul Salopek’s 7-year journey .                                             source: nationalgeographic.org It is suitable for K-12 as well a higher education learners.  My target audience is 7th grade social studies students. Here is a list of some examples of the activities the students would participate in for Part One: 1.) Setting Out: Listen and Watch Paul's opening statement and explanation about why he took the journey.  Then create an avatar and a mini-bio about yourself (not using your real name).  Comment on what caught your attention about Paul's walk. 2.) Meet up with your walking partners.  Your class will be assigned other walking partners from classrooms around the globe.  Comment on two students bio posts and ask probing questions

Action mapping can be useful in creating e-learning goals and develop interactive learning.  Action mapping is meant to target behavior that can be enforced or modified.  It consists of measurable goals and immersive learning. image source: Cathy Moore What I like about this concept is a tailored approach.  It is not a blanket course that is deployed to everyone that works at the company.  It's more about taking the time to say, "Hey, this is what you (employee) need to know to do your job (job title)."  Cathy Moore says it's about letting the learner make and explore the same decisions they would face on the job with consequences.  This allows the learner to draw conclusions based on the decisions they made and not have the answer dictated to them.  Because it is job-based and not an information dump that means it is just one part of the learning program.  Other focus areas might include job aids, discussions or process changes. Most likely the course wou

I am very new to social media and have yet to wrap my head around all the possibilities it has in the classroom.  The Pew Research Center reports the 57% of teens (13-17) have made a new friend online (through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter).  They are the digital natives. In this particular election year where heated debate is aplenty.  I found the concept of teaching students participatory politics with social media an unique twist.  Nicole Mirra  says  educators can foster young people to become active producers of knowledge instead of consumers.  The educators role could be to help them refine the issues in the community that matter to them personally and conduct multimedia research projects and create their own counter narratives. They develop critical thinking and critical literacy skills and in the process help to dismantle traditional power hierarchies.  That lesson is engaging and powerful. The case for Skype in the classroom is also another great topic.  At

I  recently read an article that said that the time-chunking was important in corporate training due to limited resources and vested versus unvested interest.  The amount of time allotted use to be 30 minutes but a new wave of research is now only supporting 23 minutes.  The shortened time span has to due with the fact that more Millennials are entering the workforce and their communication style is short bursts similar to the digital information that are use to digesting.  Is there a way to capitalize on this style with a game?   Barry Joseph says that there is much to be learned from Pokémon Go.  This game is engaging because of it ability to create co-presence which is the idea of blending your reality with a virtual character.  Do you need a AR (augmented reality) camera to do this?  Not necessarily.  Turning the camera off to conserve the power does not turn the player away from the game because it offers up datasets (in this case Google Maps) which bring the location into t