Digital Badge #E-Chapter 7

    This week we read Chapter 7 in the book which had some very good insight on issues concerning exploring problem solving with software. It is very clear the technology is an important part of the learning process in todays society but how can we as educators filter out the softwares that do not hold much educational value. There is a specific section in this chapter that gives teachers guidelines on how to do just that. The "Evaluation Criteria" section offers helpful tips when it comes to choosing your software for your classroom. There are 3 main features to determine low quality software- 1) The computer dictates the activity, 2) competition, stereo-typing or violence is present, 3) quick reactions are favored over sustained thinking and problem solving. I think in order to have a successful education software these criterias are important to avoid. You don't want the student to feel pressure to answer the fastest or be the smartest in the class. These games are not about competition, those are games that are meant to be played at home for entertainment purposes. I was made aware of the organization "Common Sense Media" through this section. This non-profit organization evaluates the learning potential of websites, video games, and mobile apps for students. It evaluates age-appropriatness and learning content. I thought this was really great because not only will it provide helpful feedback on potential softwares but it will make me as an educator more aware of the options I could possibly have in my classroom when it comes to different programs. I especially like that it rates age groups since my goal is to work with younger students this can really help me filter through all of the available softwares at my disposal.

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     The next section touches on students "Building, Inventing, and Creating Software" I really loved this section because I am a big fan of anything creative. What I really advocate and enjoy is the use of    Kid Pix. I have used this software before on a family friends computer who is an elementary school educator and I was blown away by the amount of things you can do. Kid Pix really is, in my opinion the best software out there for educators of younger children. It allows kids to really tap into their creative side while also learning and having fun. Kid Pix allows children to create their own books, stories, pictures, graphs, work sheets etc; it really has it all. I think this is a must have software for anyone who is entering the Elementary Education field. It is definitely something I plan to purchase once I begin my student-teaching hours. Another great tool mentioned in this section is Google Earth. I have mentioned before that I am a big fan of virtual field trips and Google Earth is a wonderful software that can definitely aid in that particular activity. It can allow students to visit anywhere in the world and even offers "street view" for a much more detailed look. Below I included a video that gives a detailed look into all of the fun and exciting things a student can do with Kid Pix.

Via YouTube

     The last section I want to talk about is "Debates about Games and Gaming." This is an issue I myself have become aware of taking this class. Before entering this course when I heard the term "gaming" my mind immediately went to video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. I thought of killed brain cells and violence that was a bad influence on America's youth. The truth of the matter is gaming gets a bad reputation because of the negativity surrounding the industry. Games can be used to improve students problem solving and critical thinking skills while creating a fun and entertaining learning environment. There are 3 types of video games, those that are for entertainment purposes only, those that combine education and entertainment and those that are strictly used for educational purposes. As an educator I know I will have to make a stand on one side of this debate and I am honestly all for video games. I believe even the ones created just for entertainment purposes still hold some level of problem solving that must be completed. For example I beat the "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" game and although there was a fair amount of violence it took a lot of strategizing and coming up with original ideas to complete some of those missions. If playing video games is going to increase a childs interest in his/her education I don't see why this is even an issue at all. 

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   In conclusion I enjoyed this chapter because it gave me a lot of excellent resources that I can utilize in my future classroom. It also got be thinking about a debate that I wasn't aware was such a hot button issue among teachers. I can use many of the things I learned here to my advantage later on in my career.