EduTech’s West Central Region Blog

Last Friday, I attended the North Dakota Association of Technology Leaders Spring Face to Face Conference in Fargo.  While there, I learned about these fun classroom games and activities that are easy to use with an interactive whiteboard from Nancy Conkins.

Jeopardy Labs

Purpose Games

Class Tools

I hope you and your students will enjoy using these in your classrooms!

I have been teaching a lot of workshops on interactive whiteboards lately. At one of my workshops, a teacher recommended this website http://www.oswego.org/staff/cchamber/techno/games.htm

There are a lot of games there that can be used with any interactive whiteboard. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

This past July I spent two weeks as an intern at McGraw-Hill Learning Group’s Center for Digital Innovation in Bothell, Washington. I did so as part of the graduate requirements for my Instructional Design and Technology degree at the University of North Dakota. It was a great opportunity to see yet another side of the k-12 educational process! It was beautiful there…didn’t rain more than about 10 minutes the whole time!

I worked with six instructional designers and other members of their digital innovation team. Much of their work is spent designing digital activities and games that extend and reteach concepts from their Everyday Math, Real Math, Gear Up and Wright Skills Series. While I was there, the teams were asked to brainstorm ideas for a new literature series. Much of our brainstorming session involved integrating “new literacies” such as blogging, podcasting, creating wikis and other collaboration activities into the literature curriculum.

I was asked to talk about my experience at a recent NDATL meeting and wanted to share information regarding “new literacies”, so I have linked a document with links to the National Council of Teachers of English information and Julie Coiro’s research.

New Literacies Research.doc

I’d love to hear about your experiences or opinions of this information and research, so feel free to comment!

Thanks!

Last Monday, I participated in the Integrating Games Into the Classroom Workshop at University of North Dakota. Margaret Meijers and Richard Van Eck were the main speakers.

Margaret is doing amazing things with games in her classroom in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia! Check out her website at http://www.mindtools.tased.edu.au/default.htm

Richard Van Eck is the graduate director of the Instructional Design and Technology program at UND. He’s written numerous articles on integrating games into the classroom. Check out his article on digital game-based learning at http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm06/erm0620.asp

I have also attached my overview and lesson plan of Zoo Tycoon 2. I’d love to hear your thoughts about using this in your classroom!

Zoo Tycoon 2 Overview

Zoo Tycoon 2 Lesson Plan