Capstone: Game-Based Learning PowerPoint

Capstone: Game Based Learning

Making this project was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I originally wanted to create an actual game or at least a scenario inside another game but, lack of time and resources proved to be to difficult. So, I made a PowerPoint presentation instead. Inside this PowerPoint, I have shown a way to be able to use games to teach.

The research of this project was the hardest part. It required a plethora of games to look into. Every site said to use this game or that game because it was superb but, I couldn't truly know what worked and what didn't until I really researched the game. I guess you could say that I sat around playing games all day. I looked into every game from World of Warcraft down to Oregon trail trying to find how the game could be used rather than how it was being used, unless it was a "serious game." I came to realize that there is no one miracle game like I had thought but, multiple games that could be used in cooperation to create a good game-based learning environment.

Once I started developing the PowerPoint, rather than trying to get a game for the presentation, the project fell into place and smoothed off quickly. I filled the PowerPoint with information quickly and chopped at it some trying to make it cleaner and neater but I still needed to show how game-based learning works. I found this teacher named Joel Levin with the YouTube account MinecraftTeachr. Joel Levin is teaching groups of second graders how to use a game called minecraft. It is really fun to see how fast these kids catch on and are able to make great things in short time frames by cooperating together to get it done. Joel Levin is setting a good example for other schools by showing that even a group of second graders can learn through technology.

I originally wanted a game in order to really show how game-based learning can work but, I choose to make a PowerPoint instead with the hopes that I can still relay the information of game-based learning. I hope that one day games can be used in the classroom without question of how effective they are. I know by first hand experience that I learn better with games and with the research that is being produced it should be no question that game-based learning works.

Reflection on the year

It is obvious to me that I have come along as a writer. I have improved in many areas although I still have a grammatical problem with writing. I think that I have improved in many aspects but, the ones that have seen the most improvement are using sources, constructing a well-organized and flowing paper, and letting my own ideas flourish. I am glad that I have improved in writing because that means that this course was worth taking.

I have improved on using sources this year by a tremendous amount. When writing papers before this year, I never really used sources; they were not really necessary in my writings. This year has opened my eyes to using sources and to how others use sources. I use to just read the article I had originally wanted to read but now I check the sources that it lists, seeing if they are legitimate and if I would want to read the source. Checking sources can make a paper you thought was good into a paper you think is not credible. In the blog post “Why I think college is good,” I feel like I used sources to my advantage in helping write the blog and made the blog itself into a credible one. Using sources is a big thing to me now, it has made me more cautious of what I read and I now feel as though writings should have some source to list in order to make it a well-rounded read.

Another thing that I feel I have improved on is organizing my paper and making it flow. I have always had a problem with flowing words into one another to make for an easier read. I have by no means completely tackled this problem but I feel as though I have made a good base for me to start and with this I have organized my papers and notes. A good example of my organization is my blog post “Why college isn't good enough.” I personally love how this blog looks, all the pictures, the bullets, and the white space. This blog shows that I have made improvement and gained confidence in writing. Even if my papers might not flow well now, I know how to improve myself for the long run which will more than likely prove to be useful.

The last thing I feel I have improved on is probably the biggest and that is letting my ideas flourish. Over these few months I have learned to let my ideas flow and pour out onto the paper rather than let my brain overthink what I am writing and critic every little detail of what I am saying. In doing this, my writing is mostly my own words now, rather than thinking of what would be the nice and appropriate thing to say. “Why college? Take 2,” this post was the post that my ideas have come through the most in and really shown what I think. Most of my writing consists of ideas and sentences that my brain has gone through over and over until I finally decide how I want it and then put it on to the paper which doesn’t make for a very good read. I have found my writing to be much more enjoyable to read if I just start typing and let all my ideas flow out without hesitating in any way. This is also much more enjoyable to me and quicker to write.

Reflecting on this year I suppose I really have made a large improvement in myself. Even if at the least I have made an improvement in my confidence of writing. Personally I believe that the only way to improve on writing is to just do it. You can’t just write all the time though, you must read too, that is how you will pick up on things and improve yourself. I believe that is one reason I improved so much, I have been reading unlike I ever have before and I am enjoying it, which in turn has made me enjoy writing much more.

Why college? Take 2

I chose to go to college mostly because it’s the thing to do now. I know that sounds lame but, it’s
true. I could say it was because I wanted to expand my education and get a better job but, that would be a lie. I guess I really don't have a great reason for being here. I am, as of right now, majoring in biology. I will probably transfer mainly because, I want to major in cellular biology and get a job as a genetic engineer. However, I will more than likely change my major before I get out of college. This semester I took a few core classes just to get the hang of college but next semester I plan on taking more elective type classes. I would appreciate any opinions on classes that you like and why. I am still planning on taking only 12 hours. I didn’t realize how much time and effort goes into 12 credit hours.

I really like this college as a median from high school life to college life. The people here are friendly and fun (mostly) and yet serious at the same time.  I originally wanted to go straight to auburn and start my major there but, I am glad that I came here first.

Photo credit: Cap'n Rob

That was my second blog post and it was pretty bad. Reading it now, it just sounds plain depressing. So here is round two! Why college? Well I can’t really go back and change why I came to college, so how about I tell you why I am staying.

First, I like learning in college. I am actually learning quite a bit of information in college, even if I have b’s and c’s. I think I just needed to get into the groove of things to start turning my grades around. I have to admit that college is no cake walk. There is a lot more studying than I expected, tons of notes, and more trying to improve my intelligence rather than just getting the grade. “Education is unlike anything else in this world. No one can take it from you and it's priceless.” Alex jester said this and it sticks out to me because only those who want to learn will understand the importance of education.

Next, I am learning what I want to do with my life. Coming into college I wanted to major in biology and be a genetic engineer but I have changed my mind completely. I realized that I don’t want anything to do with biology! I have always been good at delivering speeches or presentations but, I never knew many jobs where I could make that my forte until recently in my Stu 101 class. My class had an assignment called kuderjourney. During the assignment, I found many majors and jobs that I loved or loved the idea of. So, I spent hours and hours of research on it and I have decided I want to go into public relations. However, I’m not certain what job I want yet to focus on yet.

Lifelong Employment Earnings*
Education	Earnings (in millions of dollars)
Professional Degree	$4.40
Doctorate	$3.40
Master's Degree	$2.50
Bachelor's Degree	$2.10
Associate’s Degree	$1.60
High School Diploma	$1.20
Less than High School Diploma	$1.00

*Full-time, year-round employment over a period of 40 years.

Money is another reason I am staying in college. According to the chart above, from the U.S. Census Bureau, a little education can make a huge difference in your lifetime earnings. I know your sitting there saying “well yeah, I could have told you that” but, I didn’t know it would be this big of a difference. Knowing that there is a big opportunity to make so much more money, it really urges me to strive harder in college.

 These reasons seem like common ground every typical college student has except other college students have something I don’t.  They talk about this “great experience”. What is this great experience? Even Kaitlyn Zelhart talks about these great friends she has made and how college is new and exciting. Maybe I am alone on this but, I haven’t made any amazing friends and nothing has really changed from high school except the learning curve.

All in all, I am really glad that I am in college and that I have revisited this topic to really delve into it more. College has helped me transition out of high school and think about what I want to do with my life. College is something that should be taken seriously and treated with respect if done so, you will learn a great deal of information and have a good time.

SHARE OR DIE. just graduated

Wow, Share or Die voices of the get lost generation in the age of crisis is an eye opening book. I haven’t read much of the book but, it’s hard to put down. The book is a collection of stories from a selection of different newly graduated people in their life after college. There are two stories in particular that I really like in the book: Heartbeats and Hashtags: Youth in Service, and The Janus-faced Craigslist: Comedy, Tragedy and Video Games.

The first story Heartbeats and Hashtags: Youth in Service is a story of a girl and how she is managing to stay alive in New York with a 25 dollar stipend every week. Hannah Brencher was a volunteer in New York for one year after college. She gave 8 hours of her life each day for an entire year, I find this incredible. I find it hard to imagine giving so much of my life to helping others in need, you can call me selfish but, I bet there are others out there like me… unfortunately. Hannah was volunteering in Manhattan for six months until she started with Sister Margaret at her community life center.

Ever have those moments when you go online and try to find information on a shop only to find that they don’t have a website or they have a very poor one? That happens to me a lot and usually my search ends there, unless they have a phone number. That is how Sister Margaret’s website looked. Well, Hannah (like most of us) knows her way around the computer and decided to really make and impact. Hannah set up a complete website, detailed, and integrated with social media.

The next story The Janus-faced Craigslist: Comedy, Tragedy and Video Games, is a story of a newly graduated boy moving from DC to Seattle with friends. It starts with a road trip across the country to an unknown town. Ryan Gleason’s story is mostly a story of trying to stay alive by keeping a constant income. Ryan stayed alive by getting free items on Craigslist and finding jobs on Craigslist. Ryan jumps from job to job only moving to another when being fired.

These are two completely different stories only being tied together by two things hard times and the internet. Hannah and Ryan both went through rough times but, they both made it through safely and dealt with it in two completely different ways. You may call me naïve but, I believe that this really says that as long as you have an optimistic outlook on where you are in life then you will be OK. Now, as for the internet, IT IS AMAZING! There are so many outstanding things the internet can do and here are just two ways of the millions out there.

I am going to keep reading this book and I suggest reading it to anyone out there. I think this book will benefit anyone reading it, even if it is just getting a kick out of some silly stories.

Why college isn't good enough

I believe that college is NOT good enough for everything. I think that where you go to college and what you study is important but, I believe that the person behind that degree is more important. As stated by Noam Chomsky, public education is a great achievement; “One purpose was to prepare independent farmers for life as wage laborers who would tolerate what the regarded as virtual slavery.” I like this quote because, that’s how I think life after college is going to be. We are going to be shackled to a desk somewhere doing paperwork.

                                                  photo credit: Ryan Grove via photopin cc

I have my doubts about college at times. I often wonder, how much do people actually learn in college or am I ever going to use this information besides on the upcoming test? I am usually astonished though, there are times where I won’t know what some completely random medical term means and my dad will know 99% of the time. So, if you are like me, you might wonder; how do I retain information from class better? Here are some tips from Carol Rzadkiewicz on how to soak up information better.

• ·         Concentrate on what the professor is saying.

• ·         Try to get the main points and not every single word.

• ·         Don’t automatically assume you know what the professor is going to say before he or she says it.

• ·         Focus on the professors words, not how he or she delivers the information or looks that day.

• ·         Become self-aware of what you are doing wrong. Commit to improving on your listening skills.

• ·         “Listen for cues: If an instructor says, ‘This is important,’ ‘Pay attention to this,’ or ‘Remember this,’ that means the chances are great that the information will be needed for a test.”

• ·         Ask questions

• ·         “Develop note-taking skills: Students must learn how to take notes. Most students, though, are lousy note-takers because they don’t know what to listen for or how to take notes efficiently. Instead, they jot down an occasional random fact they think “might” happen to be important or else they desperately try to write down every word uttered by a professor, regardless of its relevance."

  photo credit: velkr0 via photopin cc

I do believe that everyone should have an education and almost everyone should have higher education. A good education system can only make a country better. If someone is working a job they hate and they believe that a higher education will lead to a job they like more and pays better than do it. However, don’t just focus on school and jobs, family and friends come first. I know this may sound corny but, I still believe in this very strongly! I don’t meet many people like this still but, Gretchen Oltman really inspired me by saying, “When life hands you circumstances that need you, then go. Be in the moment, and accept the consequences of late work, missing grades or deducted points. I once had to accept a lower grade in a class because I attended the funeral of a close friend. I do not regret that grade, and every time I see it on my transcript, I am reminded that I chose what mattered most at the time. Always, always choose to be in the moment with those who need you.” This is a really nice thing to read because, recently my sister broke both of her arms so, my family and I really have to be there for her. I had to skip the beginning of a class in order to get her ready for high school one morning and I am proud of my decision.

I think that who you get to know throughout life is very important. It is what we all do, we socialize and network. I would bet that more people get jobs just because they are good friends with the employer than because they had a better degree than the next guy. One opinion I like is from Jack Vincent, he says a degree no longer sets you apart from everyone else. Experience is a door opener and it’s hard to get a job without experience but, you can’t get experience without a job. “Regardless of your major or the type of position that you are seeking today’s candidates must have more to offer than just academic achievement.” This is extremely true and it is quite discouraging to me as a student because, I know I will have very little experience when I graduate and it will be hard to find a job.

photo credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory via photopin cc

Networking is a great thing; it makes everyone’s life easier by combining ideas and work to get the job done easier and quicker. We do have to answer to our superiors however, it’s not all black and white. Our bosses need our help and we need theirs but, this isn’t something that is shown in schools. “Consider first the emphasis schools have on authority. Schools are hierarchical: The teacher is the authority in the classroom. Principals or deans preside over teachers and professors. Seniors "rank" higher than juniors, and so on,” says John Coleman. This happens in every school, and I know I participated in this hierarchy. I remember being cut so much slack just because I was a senior and how the lower grades always looked up to the seniors.

I think that a degree isn’t good enough and that we all need people to account on for help. We don’t know everything and most of the time if you ask a peer or a superior they will be able to help. I think networking is one of the most important things in life and the only way to be able to network is by being a good likeable person.