Reflection #1: Educational Online Game

       Teenagers and young adults, like myself, can browse all day through the Internet, go on different websites, play numerous online games, visit different social networks, and all at the same time, not pay attention to the features on each new page we come across. This is how I was until I started to take this class. Doing this project opened my eyes even more to the many tools one can use to create web pages. I love going on the Internet whenever I get the opportunity. Although, I never thought of myself as Internet savvy because I am not. I can honestly say that I am good when it comes to books and charts. However, when it comes to creating web pages, using online tools to create presentations, or using another search engine other than Google, I am the dumbest person in the room. Thank heavens for ED 271!

       I must admit that I would have never gotten through this project without my group. As I mentioned before, I am not the best at using online tools. Even at that, I am always open to learning new things, like how to create a website. I was thankful for the group that I had because we all had our different gifts to contribute in completing this project. Since I love charts and writing, I offered to take the lead in creating the rubric to evaluate our online game. The hardest part about creating our rubric was deciding what things we were going to evaluate depending on the online game we chose. Choosing the game had to be the hardest part of the project. Each member of our group found interesting and exciting games. Finally, we selected a game that was simple, enjoyable, and appropriate for our targeted age group. The overall characteristics of the game made our scoring much easier.

       As I have stated before, I am thankful for the group that I have. They were able to teach me a few things I did not know about creating websites and other neat things online. There was no problem regarding communication in our group. Our primary method of contact was through Wiggio. We did not make use of the web conference tool in Wiggio. We were very simple and just used the basic instant messaging and wall posts to communicate. The group decided to use Weebly to create our website since most of us in the group were familiar with it. Naturally, I was not, but I did learn. In the end, I was happy and content with the way our presentation turned out. The interaction with the class in playing the game was quite humorous. I look forward to learning more through collaboration with my group members.

       Doing this project got me thinking how I can use such tools in my classroom when I become a teacher. There are many neat things teachers and students can do online. Creating a blog to submit and showcase assignments, as we do in this class, is something I would like to do with my students. Blogs are probably old by now in the Internet world. That is why using a blog might be a bit troublesome though considering not many people use them anymore. According to Santrock (2012), fewer adolescents are blogging nowadays. In a survey in 2006, 28 percent of adolescents were blogging. By 2009, those numbers dropped by half to 14 percent. Although I would like to make use of blogs in my classroom, I need to find other online tools and methods that appeal to today's generation.

       The game that we chose, BalloonPop Subtraction, is in no way related to my content area. However, doing this project has given me ideas of how I can extend learning beyond the classroom for my students. For example, I could find games related to my content area that would help students study, learn, and give feedback. It is also my belief that more teachers should consider doing these extra steps to promote learning outside the classroom. However, the problem is that some teachers are hesitant to use the Internet for instructional purposes. "When a teacher is somewhat reluctant to use technology or views it in a negative way, pedagogy may suffer (Harper et al., 2004)." Teachers must find innovative ways to engage their students. I believe using the Internet more as a method of communication rather than just a source of information would be beneficial to student learning.

       In conclusion, this project was a creative and beneficial learning experience, at least for me. The work put into learning new tools as we have done in this project is definitely tedious and time consuming. However, it is rewarding seeing the many things one can do with today's technology. I am excited to learn more ways on all these technological and media resources can enhance my work as a student and future teacher.

References

Harper, K. C., Chen, K., & Yen, D. C. (2004). Distance learning, virtual
      classrooms, and teaching pedagogy in the Internet Environment. Oxford, OH:
      Miami University.

Santrock, J.W. (2012). Adolescence ( 14th Ed.). The Media and Technology
      (p. 415). New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.