Category: Assignment 1 – Blog Posts

This week we learned a little about Game Based Learning and Gamification, also gained some knowledge about them. So what is the difference between them? I believe this chart will give you the answer.

Then why does Game Based Learning and Gamification have so much power?

Many people have thought about this, and educators have been thinking about this issue. They found that the most overwhelming point of the game is its “timely feedback” mechanism, which can bring players a sense of participation and achievement, and if this is introduced into education, boring learning will become much more interesting.

For example, answering a physics question. We can calculate according to a fixed formula, as long as the number of questions done is enough, you can always come up with an answer. But after you get the answer, you may still not like physics. If in another form: If the Earth is occupied by an alien species, you need to combine the position and relationship between the Earth and other celestial bodies, including the celestial mass, angle and distance, the law of gravity, and the escape velocity to ensure that the spacecraft does not fall out of orbit during the process of leaving the Earth, in order to maximize the possibility of planetary transfer for humans.

This is a wonderful application problem, and even we do not have the opportunity to complete this thing in our limited life. But it is in such a game, we will have enough space to play and show themselves, the game brings a sense of achievement, even if you know it is false, but you are still immersed in it. This is the motivation that comes from the game.

The way to reconcile with the game is to use it in just the right way, and game-based teaching creates a way for us to reconcile with the game. Gaining knowledge and thinking while having fun. We are always looking for educational games that are interdisciplinary, focused on logical exercises and inspiring.

The SAMR model was developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura and its main purpose is to guide teachers in integrating technology into their classrooms. SAMR consists of four steps: S (Substitution), A (Augmentation), M (Modification), and R (Redefinition).

In the lower steps (“S” and “A”), the technology combination does not look complicated. For example, in S Part, until I was in middle school, we used paper and pen to accomplish the task of taking notes, whereas now we can use a tablet to achieve the same function. In Part A, again taking notes as an example, after we finish taking notes through the tablet and save them to the cloud, we can access them anytime and anywhere, which is not possible in the traditional way. Tools can only make functional improvements to the learning task, but they have not yet touched the essence of the task to change it.

The second two steps of the model “M” and “R,” are where the power of technology really begins to shine through. For example in M Part, technology allows us to redefine the task itself. My PAAS class instructor last semester used technology to divide students into groups to collaborate and present to each other after class using technology such as Google Slides. Students can collaborate on a presentation at different locations and at different times. As well as R Part, technology allows us to really redefine the task itself or create learning tasks that were never imagined in the past like this semester’s EDCI 337 through a different approach to learning.

References：

Terada, Y. (2020, May 5). A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding- good-tech-integration

Walsh, K. (2020, February 4). 8 Examples of Transforming Lessons Through the SAMR Cycle. Emerging Education Technologies. https://www.emergingedtech.com/2015/04/examples-of-transforming-lessons-through-samr/

Goggle Side. https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model

During the process of this week’s study we have learned some things about PPT. As a method of multimedia teaching, PPT has been widely used by teachers, but to improve the efficiency and overall quality of PPT teaching, I think we should follow the following principles.

Coherence Principle: Try to keep the content presented in the PPT are the key of teaching content, don’t put too much text in the PPT, just put the main points in the PPT. Remember that PPT is used to support your presentation, and not as the whole content.

Signaling Principle: When we simplify the content of the PPT to a certain extent, we should also make sure that some of the key points in the teaching content should be marked out in a special way, such as bolded or enlarged. Because it is important to know that even among the main points, there will be more important content. For example, exclusive nouns in the middle of a sentence or something like that. This way students will be the first to notice what is the focus when studying.

Modality Principle: When editing PPT text or pictures, be sure to use more concise and easy to understand text or pictures. Don’t use complicated words, because when students see a lot of complicated words, they not only have to spend time to check the meaning of the words, but also have to understand the content of the PPT. This will waste a lot of unnecessary effort.

References

Oberfoell, A. (2016, December 1). Understanding the role of the modality principle in multimedia learning environments. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcal.12157

Walsh, K. (2021, April 17). Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning are a Powerful Design Resource. Teaching Principles. https://www.emergingedtech.com/2017/06/mayers-12-principles-of-multimedia-learning-are-a-powerful-design-resource/

Educ5104G, P. I. (2020, April 10). Coherence Principle – E-Learning Essentials 2020. Pressbooks. https://elearning2020.pressbooks.com/chapter/coherence-principle/

After this week’s study and understanding, I learned about AR technology and how to apply it. In fact, there are a lot of AR technologies in our life, such as an app called AR ruler is the use of AR technology in our life. Another example is MAC’s official website where you can use the AR technology for lipstick color testing. So first of all, what exactly is AR technology? ‘Augmented Reality (AR) adds digital elements to the camera of your smartphone, creating the illusion that holographic content is a part of a physical world. Unlike virtual reality (VR), you are not immersed in an artificial environment. In turn, AR changes reality by adding three-dimensional objects, sounds, videos, graphics.’ (2020), AR in general is a technology that can combine virtual and real In turn, AR changes reality by adding three-dimensional objects, sounds, videos, graphics.

So what are some of the places where AR technology can be used in multi-media teaching? During the epidemic, it is very dangerous to go out to the gym, but learning at home with videos is afraid of making mistakes, and also there is no whole block of time to exercise and no professional guidance. The smart fitness mirror with AR technology can be a good solution to these problems.

Smart fitness mirror has an interactive mirror display with an embedded camera and speakers inside. Users can connect to the mobile app to turn the mirror into a fitness class display, a wide range of classes (cardio, strength training, boxing, barre, Pilates, yoga, stretching, pre and postnatal and aerobic dance), on-demand classes and live classes are available, a class lasts 15 to 60 minutes, coaches are from the top fitness centers across the United States. Not only can you follow the guidance of the fitness coach in real time, you can also give feedback to the coach on the user’s exercise status, and the user can also check the calorie consumption and other related data at any time.

Secondly, AR technology can also be applied to the display of creatures and animals in multi-media teaching. For example, in biology class, students can download a relevant app, when the teacher tells about the animal, learners can understand the animal more intuitively through AR technology, which is more beneficial to the teaching task. In fact, there are many more uses of AR technology in teaching, and I believe that in the future, AR technology can help us learn more quickly and effectively.

References：

Admin. (2020, November 18). What Is Augmented Reality (AR) and How Does It Work? Smart Tek LLC. https://smartteksas.com/augmented-reality-ar-work/. 

Adelson, K. I. (2021, March 29). I Tried the New ‘Smart’ Fitness Machines (and Mirror) to Find What’s Worth It. The Strategist. https://nymag.com/strategist/article/smart-home-gym-equipment-mirror-tonal-peloton-review.html. 

Behaviorism is a Western political science thought process that emphasizes the application of the empirical methods of the natural sciences to provide a systematic, empirical, and causal explanation of the processes of social and politically based life. Skinner, one of the prominent figures of behaviorism, summarized the learning formula as “If an operation occurs followed by a reinforcing stimulus, then its intensity increases.” The increase in intensity referred to here is not a particular response, but the general tendency to make those responses occur. He argues that the key variable that makes the rate of conditioned action increase is reinforcement, and that practice does not cause the rate of response to increase, but simply provides the opportunity for further reinforcement to occur.

The first is the behaviorist goal of instruction, which is preferably to provide a specific stimulus in order to elicit a specific response from the student. So the more specific and precise the instructional goal is, the better. Skinner believed that students’ behavior is influenced by the consequences of their behavior, so if you want students to respond with the desired behavior, there must be a reinforcing consequence after the behavior; if a behavior is not reinforced, it will disappear. So we need to make systematic arrangements for the setting of the learning environment, the design of the course materials, and the management of student behavior; we need to focus on “how to teach” rather than “what to teach”. Finally, the main pedagogical approach, which helps the learning process to be effective, is to present the material in a sequence of small, internally logical steps; to give immediate feedback to learners on any response and to help them solve problems; to learn at their own pace and to learn at a time and pace that suits them.

Reference:

Western Governors University. (2021, March 23). What Is The Behavioral Learning Theory? Western Governors University. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-behavioral-learning-theory2005.html#close