Ryan Myers's blog
Foundations Research Paper
Earlier this school year I looked into the possibility of purchasing the computer simulation game "Civilization" to use as part of my World Civilizations and Geography classroom curriculum. I grew up playing this computer game and I believe this game was integral in my developing interest and love of history and geography. I not only learned about world geography and civilizations but enjoyed my experience learning. I am now in my second year teaching 9th grade World Civilizations and Geography and I want my students to enjoy learning through this simulation game. I am lucky enough to have a computer lab of forty computers right across the hall. Now the obstacle is getting copies of this game! This has proven to be more difficult than I had previously thought. For this research paper I want to review articles about the effectiveness of computer simulation games in the social studies classroom.Click here to read more »
The Role of Video Games in Education
In the summer of 1986 I performed whatever odd jobs I could for my family and neighbors to make as much money as I could in as little a time as possible. The money I earned over the summer, plus my saved allowance and all my mom's donated change was enough that Fall to purchase my first video game system, the Nintendo Entertainment System! That school year I had extra motivation to finish my homework after school so I could play Super Mario Bros. or Duck Hunt. I am now 30 years old, and though I thought growing up that by this age I would have grown out of video games, I still enjoy playing, even though time constraints are much different than when I was 8 years old! This hobby is one I share with a large majority of my students and so reading about the functional use or role of video games in education seemed to me like a natural choice to research.
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Week 2: Definitions of Learning and Technology
This week, through reading articles on wikipedia and watching the video slide presentations, the definitions of learning and technology stood out to me. I evaluated my current understanding of these terms. I tried to critically appraise the articles I read about these terms as well. Here are my thoughts:
Learning:
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Any opinions expressed here, except as specifically noted, are those of the individual authors or commenters and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, or Utah State University.