Second Life QUEST 2

                                                             BEFORE

Functionality was still the same, but I liked going to and exploring different objects/items. I had an issue with the camera it kept giving me an error that that I didn't have enough money to put the pictures in my inventory so not sure where I went wrong there, but the only other options for the picture was to send it to my email or save it. I am able to navigate a little better and adjust the different views to move around and see things better.

Understanding the different camera views and ways to moved helped me a lot. but I did have an issue with the game freezing or taking forever for me to make one simple move while on my windows laptop.

AFTER!!!!!

***Tonight  though  (12/7) when using my Mac, I found that after installing the updated version of Second Life it works TONS better on an Imac yaaaayy!! I can walk fast, spin fast, fly fast...EVERYTHING is tons faster without all of the glitching so SUPER excited about second life now. And low & behold......       


                  A PICTURE: TADAAAAA!!

Just me flying around Dr. Z's area.....

I'm a Gamer....so I thought!!!!

The new game I tried was L.A Noire, now recently I've been on The Sims mode and really enjoy playing that series of game. I tried L.A Noire which is where you are a detective from 1940's and you have to try and solve different crimes. The game is very indepth and detailed and you have to piece together the right pieces of the puzzle to get ANYWHERE in the game. It was so interesting because you even have to discover which witness is telling you the truth or not based on the answers they provide, one wrong guess prevents you from moving forward properly in the game. So it was definitely interesting and difficult, but made me use  my brain.

I liked getting the hands on knowledge of what a detective job entailed at that time. I don't feel like I was in the flow of the game at all!!!! There were chasing scenes and fighting scenes where I had to apprehend suspects and I had no coordination to be able to do that effectively. I also found it hard to select which witness responses were believable given the clues discovered at the crime scene.

This game was fun, but definitely stressed me out because there were times when an object was right in front of me and it took me FOREVER to figure out where it was. So it definitely was a test of visual and mental awareness. It made me think about what ways gaming can be incorporated into technology, you have to find a game that can benefit all individuals, so maybe having a variety of games and letting students test out which one sparks their interests and seems like something they can do is better. I enjoyed my gaming, but think I picked too hard of a game 8)


Truly,
dpledge

The World is Flat...Well We're Getting There!!!!

I've heard a good deal about the innovation of technology in regards to education and it being "flat". By seeing all of the projects and experiments going on with technology world wide, I am a believer that a flat world is the right way to go as far as education goes. It's a great way to share information about other cultures and collaborate from where you are instantly without spending mega bucks to take a visit. I would have loved to sit in my classroom and collaborate with a student from China or Africa etc. That would be the best experience ever!! I think with the way technology is evolving it's making this type of collaboration more attainable and can prove as a true learning experience. We can finally throw out the old history books and actually get a current depiction of what we need to know.  I'm all for the flat world, I hope this is something heavily incorporated when my daughter enters school because it would be a great thing to follow and be apart of as a parent. Cheers to being flat!!

Truly,
dpledge

Technology in Education????

I use technology in both a classroom and corporate form as far as education goes.  At work we have many trainings that incorporate online simulations and audio features to help enhance the training. I think my employer does a great job of finding online resources that fit directly with the concepts being learned. For instance I just went through a mobile phone training for the mobile app that was launched and there was a simulation of the iphone where we could literally go through each option of the phone to see what a customer would experience. We have the live phone image on our computer screen where we could make selections and navigate as if we had the actually had the phone in our hand. We saw all the error messages and tabs....very cool and great example of just how far technology has come!!!

Of course in class, being in an online class has no choice, but to offer a plethora of technology. That way learners can tap into their own learning and even explore other opportunities to enhance their learning. Being able to explore new mediums helps all students in the classroom instead of settling on one main method and trying to make it fit for everyone.

Truly,

dpledge



            The QUESTION: To Train or NOT to Train????!!

SO....I read an article today asking if teachers need training in online instruction????  

My thoughts............OF COURSE!!!! No person is perfect nor is anyone too smart to not benefit from extra  training and instruction. When teaching online you have to be an educator that understands your student's needs from a distance. Thinking that class should be conducted as if students were in a physical classroom is a big NO, no!! You have to take into account that student's have personal lives as well and instruction needs to be developed in a manner conducive to learning that way.  

Training can often times shed new light on any subject and get people to thinking differently about how they do things. So it's not a bad thing for teachers, if anything, it can help teacher's with re-designing and re-defining their instruction to foster  learning for learners.

Truly,
dpledge

Cell Phones in School?

WAIT!! CELLPHONES ARE USEFUL 
                                                 IN SCHOOL????????????? Hmm....



     It's no secret that cellphones have definitely been scrutinized in relation to their benefit in the classroom. I was surprised to see that there are now some tools that students can use on their phone to connect more with school.

All of these programs are text based, which is something students LOVE to do!!!

Remind101: Remind101 allows teachers to send text messages (and email) home -- to students and/or to parents -- to offer reminders and updates for class. Remind101 allows teachers to communicate with their classes without either teacher or students having to share their phone numbers.
Poll Everywhere: As the name suggests, Poll Everywhere allows teachers to use cellphones for polling in class. Students text their responses, using their cellphones to give feedback, answer questions, take quizzes.
Celly: Celly provides SMS-based group messaging. Classrooms can use the service to take quick polls and quizzes, filter messages, get news updates, take notes, and organize and hold study groups. The groups can be public or private, moderated or open.
StudyBoost: StudyBoost allows students to study via SMS-based quizzes. The questions can be self- or teacher-created, and can be multiple choice or open-ended.
  ***Courtesy of Texting in the Classroom: Not Just a Distraction By Audrey Watters

A Great Start!!

Truly,
dpledge

        Technology is a GREAT tool!!! The blogs that I am following, are good resources regarding digital technology. They discuss tech use in school, the workplace, and just facts and news articles to help enhance anyone's knowledge about technology.

Here's a cute video about children & technology use, this school was given a technology makeover based on this video:

                                                               Courtesy of YouTube

It's so interesting how younger students can maneuver technology and I'm interested to see how much they will change how instruction is directed based on their knowledge. I love to see stuff like this!!!

Truly,
dpledge