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[ICTs in English] e-Learning Update - 12 November 2013


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  • From: Catriona <catriona.pene AT core-ed.ac.nz>
  • To: "ictenglish AT lists.tki.org.nz" <ictenglish AT lists.tki.org.nz>
  • Subject: [ICTs in English] e-Learning Update - 12 November 2013
  • Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:59:49 +1300

e-Learning Update -  12 November 2013.

Kia ora all, 

Here is this week's e-learning update - a day early as I really wanted to remind you all of the webinar tomorrow afternoon.

This week the focus is on the rise and place of gaming in Education. 

Earlier today at a workshop looking at innovative use of technologies in education I viewed a video Taking the Lead: An Interview with Larry Rosenstock, Larry is High Tech High's founding principal and CEO and he speaks about its innovative teaching and learning model.

He says “Why is it that your average kid regardless of socioeconomic or educational background, if given an MMO or video game, computer game would, left to their own devices, play with it for 10 hours a day for 14 months, even though it was fraught with failure, frustrations, setbacks and successes but going through and persevering. And some of us think; isn’t there something that we can take from that pedagogically if we were to change the nature of the transaction...  I want kids producing not consuming, I want kids making, making those things.”

If you needed convincing of the potential of gaming to add value to our classrooms and our education programmes then I would suggest its hard to argue with Larry’s logic. 
And if we agree there is untapped potential here for creating, problem solving, collaborating, how do we tap into this and take it into our classrooms?

On the VLN there are teachers sharing their experiences and challenges with using Minecraft in classrooms.

Minecraft Teachers Group. Interested in the potential of Minecraft in education - come and join the journey.

There is also another group on the VLN exploring  Learning through games.
Learning games or serious games are about taking the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills kids often develop playing other forms of video games, but in an education context. The goal typically is to help students experience school subjects as an engaging process of mystery and discovery.

Can you add your own experiences and links to resources to these groups?

Tomorrow afternoon’s webinar LIVE Webinar - Gaming in Education with Hamish Chalmers as guest presenter is online from 3.45- 4.45pm.

Gaming in education has huge potential for engaging and motivating learners, as well as developing key competencies and supporting curriculum goals such as literacy. With a growing interest in games like Minecraft - what does this mean? What does this look like and how can we harness interactive applications and online games to improve student learning? Relevant for primary/secondary.

Its not too late to join us - Register Here. 

This webinar is supported by a thread, LIVE WEBINAR: Gaming in education | An Enabling e-Learning event in the Enabling e-Learning | Teaching group. We'd love to hear more about your own experiences and findings - especially how gaming can make a difference for priority learners.

The webinar will also be recorded and available for viewing here shortly afterwards.

And finally - here is a link to Hamish' latest blog post  Minecraft - What's Wrong With These People?!?


Looking forward to your responses and comments,

Catriona Pene

e-Learning Facilitator

English, ESOL & Literacy Online

Twitter - @CatrionaPene




  • [ICTs in English] e-Learning Update - 12 November 2013, Catriona, 11/12/2013

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