Horizon for Learning

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

Pokemon Go is a lot like geocaching.  While teachers have used scavenger hunts in the classroom to help kids learn in a fun environment, there is also another tool out there called Educache who is similar in nature to Pokemon Go.  Here is an actual example of one.  Using a smart phone a person is able to track the landmarks of Dr Martin Luther Kings visit to Berlin. https://dotcomblog.de/educache-martin-luther-king/ With the use of iBeacons (created by Apple), the educache could use mirco GPS coordinates to help people discover things on a campus or inside a building.  Museums could use to create an interactive experience with the displays.  Large companies or universities could use it to help new employees or new students with way finding and make it interactive at the same time. The actual hunt is the thrill in this case and there are so many ones to generate new learning for the student in a dynamic way.  I think as time goes by we will begin to see more of this incorporate

Scoreboard Tally: Level : 13 Team: Mystic Metals: 13 Pokedex:  Caught :41  Seen: 64 Current Items: 313/350 What helped?  What hindered? It helped to gather information from other players to make my understanding better.  It took me a while to understand that the higher the cp#, the more use of items needed.  In other words, a standard PokeBall does not work for catching all Pokemon. Are you leveling up? Definitely.  Currently at level 13. How does it feel like when you level up?   It feels like an achievement and unlocks other items in the game making it easier to play. Does leveling up have anything to do with learning in the classroom? Yes, leveling up us the equivalent to influence in status.  Classroom parallel is grading. What are you learning? Sequence of events, collaboration, resource management, and strategizing. Are you frustrated? Currently no.  I am trying to determine how to make a single Pokemon powerful enough to compete in the gym. What do you do when you

You get paid? Wait a sec... Day Three: I ran across an avid Pokemon player who taught me the value of battling in gyms.  Not only do you get points for that but you can "place" your Pokemon character there and every day that it holds its status you get paid (okay not real dollars) but coins that you can shop with.  The more gyms the higher the daily paycheck.  The best tip I got was to evolve low level Pokemon to first level and then transfer them because the first generation is less costly than evolving to the second generation.  I also found out a lure by accident but experienced it three times in one day.  A lure is a player's attempt to mark a stop (you must have the lure in your bag) to attract Pokemon.  I was walking through the sculpture garden and multiple lures were set close by and I felt myself in the flow.  I didn't want to leave that space until the lure had expired (30 minutes).   The Take Away: Collaboration can be a strategy.  So in the ca

What the Farm? Day Two:  I used some of my break/lunch time to play.  I found out that there is a Pokemon stop located near my building which made it easier to collect the items. Later in the day, I headed out to a public trail around a pond and discovered water-type Pokemon.  The PokeStops there were great as every 3rd light pole was a stop.  I found out that there is a limit to how much you can carry (aka. hoard).   This was a step in the right direction for "farming" the PokeStops strategy that I learned the day before.  There were at least 6 gyms at the trail I walked and I was able to view them but not battle.  I was able to level-up and also learned about evolving the Pokemon to the next level. The Take Away:  I found it help to throw the balls further.  I was frustrated that I couldn't collect any more balls because my bag was full.  I found out that I could discard some of the items I didn't need right away.  The potions are good for healing wounded P

Let's Play! I was recently tasked with selecting either Kingdom Rush of Pokemon Go as a game to play for three hours.  I selected Pokemon Go as it seemed like the easier game to learn and let me go outside. Day One: Installed the app for free on my phone from iTunes.  I first set-up my avatar and then went outside with someone that knew how to play.  The first concept I learned was something referred to as "farming".  A PokeStop is a place to collect free items like poke balls, potions, eggs, etc.  The stop will take about 10 minutes to reset where you can go back to it and collect again.  I stationed myself near several stops and make a circular path to "farm" the items. The Take Away: Influence the behavior:  Resource management is a good skill to learn.  Collecting items needed to play the game was the first concept I learned. Appointment dynamic: Game must be played outside and in populated areas. Influence Status: I learned about levels