Tag: learning

Extra Credits - Gamifying Education

EER 500 – How do you Gamify Education?

Siobhan HarveyLeave a comment

I figured to motivate myself for both my first two units of university I would use the thinkspace blog to gather my thoughts about the Modules and Readings completed. I usually am prone to completing things at the last minute, but this time I am trying to make a positive step towards research.

Thus, this post about my first assignment for EER500.

As an avid gamer I love the challenge and fun of playing new games. Regardless of the console it exists on (though the Playstation will always hold a special place in my heart). As an educator I have always found the act of ‘playing’ can really motivate students into competing tasks at school.

I remember one lesson where a year 8 English class had to complete a personal research task introducing them to Mythology and Legends. Instead of asking students to just pull out their laptops and assign the questions I changed things up. I made the PowerPoint all students have interactive. Taking them to different slides/websites all in the theme of “The Hero’s Journey” and making them a distant traveller, ready to fulfill a quest/destiny/adventure. The Game of Thrones soundtrack would beat through their ears, as they navigated the realm of heroes and quests for magical fleece or daring to defy the Gods of Greek Mythology. The students were immersed.

I think as we get older, education games and applying game mechanics to education seems to falter after primary school. Why is it not utilised more in high school years, where most students have to complete research and tasks for assessments? Why do we fall short on games and playing/learning for fun?

A channel I subscribe to Youtube.com – Extra Credits, explains in small parts how education systems can be heightened by incorporating play and education. If you love games and history I highly recommend their channel.

It’s time I think to try and combine my two passions and see where the yellow brick road takes me.

Library Poster

What makes a teacher librarian?

Siobhan Harvey3 Comments

As part of the Online Reflective Journal Assignment.

 

My first clear memory of school libraries involved myself carrying a small colourful tote bag over my shoulder, gazing in the somewhat dark room, with shelves filled with books as tall as trees. The librarian could be seen in the center back of the room, perched on her desk with her eagle eyes peering through her clear glasses at anyone, who would run amok in her library.

While this ‘idealised’ vision of a teacher librarian was more than 20 years ago, I believe there is still this stereotype of a teacher librarian (TL). Full of wisdom and sitting above everyone in their room.

As a provisional high school educator I have worked in collaboration with librarians for students learning and compulsory wide-reading lessons. Yet comparing my experiences as a student with that of a teacher, the role of a TL is so much more than that woman sitting at her desk shushing all that make too much noise in her domain.

The ALIA describes the various roles of a TL, including but not limited to “learning and teaching, management, leadership as well as collaboration and community engagement.” (ALIA, 2014).  While an expansive list I do agree that a TL is not only limited to these roles. I believe that the role of a TL is more than what is expected. In order to expand the minds of the students they encounter, the teachers they collaborate with, and the schools in which they contribute to.

This ideal of a limitless librarian is reverberated in Oddone, K. (2016), highlighting the importance of TL’s in the school. With the impact and alterations in education, upgrades in technology and the need for information faster than ever, schools need a place where students can thrive under these fantastical changes.

Without an educator specifically trained in the field of a TL, the ability for both students and teachers to find quality information and resources becomes a near impossible task. Not only are TL’s an asset to a schools community, but vital to its survival. Lagarde, J., & Johnson, D. (2014) touches on this need to adapt to changing environments both digitally and physically. There is a constant need for TL’s to accommodate all kind of learners in order to provide the best information.

Finally, I believe that the role of a TL is not just a supporting role in education, but a leader. They are first and foremost an educator. They are a researcher. They dedicate themselves to further the curiosity of the academic. They act as an encourager of social interaction. More importantly, they devote their time to challenge the school community, teacher and student alike. (Herring, 2007, p 36) really encompasses my feelings about the role of TL’s in the school community, individuals striving to work alongside both students and staff members in order to encourage “intellectually and [to] widen their horizons”.

So now all that is left for me to ponder on now, is how I choose to move forward in my career as a TL. With so much opportunity to make a difference, I believe it’s time I made that first tentative step into the unknown.

 

References:

A.L.I.A. (2014, March 2). What is a teacher librarian? Retrieved from Australian School Library Association: http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.aspx

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries in the twenty-first century: charting new directions in information (pp.27-42).

Lagarde, J., & Johnson, D. (2014). Why do I still need a library when I have one in my pocket? the teacher librarian’s role in 1: 1/BYOD learning environments. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 40.

Oddone, K. (2016). The importance of school libraries in the Google Age. SCIS. Connections, 98.