I helped to collaborate on and build the website on the left. The challenge with this project was that there were too many members with too many visions, and the scope of our project was too large, so we weren't able to really address anything beyond a superficial level. While the topic could have been developed in many different ways, my specific contribution was to the 'current trends' section of avatars, social media, and games. Through further investigation into gamification and the benefits of bringing gaming technology into the classroom, I was able to explore the different theoretical underpinnings to playing more in the class. Like most things in life, it seems that balance is key: the teacher must know the specific needs of the individuals in the class, the environmental and societal demands of those individuals, and the specific skills that they wish to nurture in the students. Beyond the balance needed for the students, the teacher also needs to be able to comfortably balance investigating new technology with being able to successfully transfer that investigation into the classroom.
|