(S9) Educational Gaming

1. What qualifies a video or computer game as educational? 

2. What do some experts say about gaming in education?   Cite some specific commentary from one of these links.  Don't duplicate any answers before you.

Summit on Educational Gaming

the education arcade

MIT-Singapore GAMBIT Lab

3. What makes a game fun?  What compels you to keep playing?

(S8) Read it on Reddit

Go to reddit and click "register" in the upper right hand corner.  Explore the site.  Answer the questions below.  As always, number your responses.  



1. What is reddit? How does it compare to a blog?
2. Find an article that you think is interesting and appropriate.  Upvote it.  Read a few comments of that article.  Upvote the ones that you feel made good points.  List the article you chose.
3. Comment on the article. When you have submitted, click on the 'permalink' below your comment. Copy the url of the page it brings you to and save that link.  Paste the link to the comment you made.
4. How does the concept of "social news" appeal to you?  What are it's strengths and weaknesses?

NOTE: Everyone needs to submit valid answers before the "Monday Deal" goes into effect.

(S7) Paper vs Paperless teaching

1. How many of your classes are basically paperless, that is your classwork is delivered and completed online?

2. How many of your classes use paper handouts, packets, worksheets or paper tests all or most of the time?

3. Which do you prefer?    Paper or Paperless?  Why?

4. pvLearners / Google docs are good online environments, but there were some in class that disapproved. Do you think it's an efficient means to collaborate, communicate, teach/learn between teachers and students?  Why?  If not, what is a better idea?

(S6) GenYES

Based on what you've read from the GenYES site and the work you've done at SMHS, describe, in your opinion what you feel is the most important function of GenYES.  

This is a shortened version of the student written blog topic.  But since we are having several discussions on GenYES this week, I thought you should catch a break here!  One or two sentences will suffice for this week's task. 

(S5) AMPLITUDE

The AMP Zones 

• AMP 1 - PC cove  (wired for X-Box often used for Madden)
• AMP 2 - wii interactive wall
• AMP 3 - mac mini on the back (wired for wii)
• AMP 4 - mac mini on the back (wired for wii)
• AMP 5 - mac mini on the back (wired for X-box is often used for Rock Band)
• AMP 6 - Situation room / Telepresence

1. What part has GenYES played in developing these zones? 

    (You might need to interview some GenYes students if you're new this year)

2. How can we expand use of these zones by teachers? Be specific to a few zones.

3. How can we expand use of these zones by students? Be specific to a few zones.

4. Research an innovative technology that we might explore to integrate into an AMP zone in the future

(S4) Programming Languages

We use technology all the time, computers, phones, ipods.  What makes it work?

Program languages are the underlying methods that allow computer and application functions to happen.

Research one programming language.

1.  Describe it, what it is used for and the applications that use it.
2.  What advantages does it have over other programming languages?
3.  What is the relative difficulty of it to learn?
4.  What professions might you use this language in?

(S3) Do it yourself

This weeks student blog challenges you to discuss how you would go about building your own computer.  (Buying a stock package or going to Best Buy is not an option here!)

1. How do you decide what system you want and where do you start?  List websites you'd use.

2. What 10 parts will you buy? The parts should personally meet your needs (ie gaming, portability, cost)  Justify some of your choices.

3. How long do you think it will take you to build your custom machine?

4. What are the benefits or disadvantages to building your own system?

(S2) Tech -> Fail

Over the past few months of the blog assignment, we've examined the biggest presence on the internet and in the world of operation systems. Your job this week is to find the biggest blunders of the tech world.

1. Find one failed tech idea that really stands out to you. Give a short summary about this product, including when it was made, who made it, and what it aspired to do.

2. What went wrong with the product?

3. What could have been done to make it more successful?

(S1) Mac Apps!

1) The Mac app store has been launched! How will the addition of the mac app store effect the "Lite" and spam apps already on the regular iTouch app store? 


2) With piracy being so prevalent on the web, what's to stop pirates from taking the software and creating a mac based cydia? 

3) You've all seen it. The iPad commercials brag about being used with third party items such as a guitar and the camera connector cords in tandem with app store apps. What would you like to see an app for?  What ports are you looking forward to seeing on the mac? (other than angry birds) ARD for the ipad? car control?  

"Create the Blog" Assignment

What's happening in the world of technology that tech students should know about?

What's happening in technology that is significant to education?

How can teachers improve instruction, be more efficient or ramp up the excitement of learning?

How does GenYes impact a campus?  

Revisit some of the previous GenYes blog articles.  The next group of blog assignments will be by you.

Submit your blog ideas to Ms K via email for approval.   The week of your blog is published you will have a free 50 points!

Of course this assignment is worth 50 points and Due by Saturday.  (But send submission ideas now so you know you are on the right track)

Your blog assignment should incorporate at least two of the following tasks:  

• research new information
• learn new strategies, tips or tricks
• discovery of a new method or attitude
• create a more efficient work flow using technology
• change the way we think using the tech tools you provide
• have us do an activity that will expand thinking (related to education!)
• provide a service to teachers
• provide a service to students

You will comment on this blog post when all the student entries are in! Try to guess who wrote each new post.