Collaboration
Over the course of my Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET), I have made it a focus of mine to bridge the gap between education and the gaming community. By doing so, I have gained new insight about barriers to entry in terms of literacy as well as creating analogies to represent complex educational concepts. Ultimately, I hope to collaborate with game developers and educators to create a new learning environment that best fits our 21st century learners.
Learning Self-Reflection
In the MAET summer hybrid course, we discussed the four theories of education: behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and connectivism. Often when I teach, I use analogies to help better explain things I don't quite understand. This poster relates each philosophy to a different video game and how it is modeled in that game. Most educators have a preferred theory, but I see them as complimentary rather than competing entities.
User Observation Report
In this report, I was tasked with solving an existing problem through research, observations, and data collection. As an educator, I focused on creating a product that breaks down barriers to entry and learning; in this case, helping someone who doesn't understand football learn the game as it is played. I hope to reach wider audiences by making activities more accessible and explaining the basics to someone unfamiliar with the literacy necessary to comprehend it.
Research Paper
Instead of focusing on all the negatives of video games (violence, addiction, etc.), I choose to focus on what video games have to offer us, especially in the classroom. Play is an excellent form of teaching. My goal is to show how video games can be another means of increasing student engagement and motivation. As a teacher, I will always shoot for the high score; I suggest our schools activate this power-up and level-up to their full potential.
