Hey all this is Jeff Ho, I'm in my late 20's and I love video games and as a result have created my own Youtube channel where I review and talk about my opinions on various games I’m playing. My channel combines two of my greatest loves in my life namely writing and technology. This will lead me into my first topic for my first post which is to answer the question “what role do I believe media technology should play in teaching at any level”. And to answer that I believe it should play a significant role if not the largest possible role. As a child I grew up in the LAUSD public school system. As destitute this school system was back in the early 1990’s they did have computers as early as my first grade year in school. I remember it well they had the old Macintosh computers with the screen only had 2 colors black and green. Despite this I played educational games like Where is Carmen San Diego and Oregon Trail and little did I know how much of an impact this kind of rudimentary technology at the time would have on the rest of my life. Now our world is run from our smartphones, technology is moving faster than ever and I was one of the first generations that grew up from a young age alongside computer technology having that incorporated into my school education. It has greatly influenced my life and I believe I would not have my own Youtube channel today had I not experienced technology in the way I had when I was a young boy in school.
The follow up question to this is “Have you witnessed any particularly effective or ineffective uses of media technology as a student?”. And to this I say yes, those games I played back in the day on that old Macintosh computer in first grade. Well a few years later when my family got our own home computer I remembered those games and asked my dad to buy them for me and he did. I played them constantly when I was little and before I knew it i was able to type proficiently and had a decent understanding of how programs and operating systems worked just from playing some simple educational games on this old computer back in the early 1990’s. Media and technology rules so many facets of people’s lives but also of children’s lives. If people and especially educators can combine fun and learning using apps or games the potential benefits for kids is huge as they gain valuable skills and knowledge without feeling like it’s boring or hard work.
Hello Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI think it's so cool that you have a youtube channel where you discuss video games (something I'm a fan of myself) and I'm glad to see that it has done a job in encouraging you as an educator. One thing that I thought of as I read your post is how cool would it be to have a youtube channel for your students? What I mean is, for some students who may be absent or need extra help, it would be neat to have a channel where your students can look at mini lessons you created or even a short explanation on a subject you weren't fully able to discuss in class. This would be great for students who need help with fully articulating a lesson as well as give extra help right in the comfort of their own home.
I also really loved those old computer games we got during the summer in elementary school! I remember the Cluefinders, I loved the story lines so much I forgot I was learning half the time!
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ReplyDeleteHey Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI agree that technology is only continuously progressing with each day. They create new technology so quickly and it's so hard to keep up with the new things they are coming out with. I remember having the old computers in middle school and high school. We'd go on trips to the computer lab in middle school to use the internet resources for our essays. I think that this technological advancement helped aid our essays in a direction the previous generations never had. Teachers should be able to utilize different methods of technology to further their students educations, but I also think it shouldn't be abused to the point were a teacher only shows PowerPoints and doesn't implement engaging activities. I loved your post and I agree video games are so much fun! Those old games we the most fun but it is crazy how the artistic quality as improved over the years to the point that so many of the them are quite realistic and engaging.
-A Fellow Gamer :)
Hey Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI love your passion for gaming, and how gaming has influenced you growing up not just as a child, but as full grown adult in regards to education. I was quite the same, not knowing that by playing games as a kid it would improve my logic and understanding and enhance my own education as I got older.
Games like Pajama Sam and Freddie Fish were some of the first games I played, and sometimes involved math and rudimentary skills I had no idea would carry me into adulthood. I also agree with the fact that technology should be more engaging in the classroom because it might have the same result with students of this current generation. Their love of technology, combined with the excitement of a game that integrates a possible lesson plan, can provide a new way to get students more focused into school and school activities.
I do believe the gap is only narrowing, because as more young prospective students become teachers, the wheel comes back full circle and slowly but surely technology will be up to speed with the educational standards of today as we move forward helping adolescents.
I really enjoyed reading your post Mr. Ho. That is a very inspiring story and reason to apply technology in the classroom. If I had the same experience I would probably support media in the classroom as much as you do. I always admire the people that go into jobs such as engineering and computer sciences as they are very technical subject to delve into. I completely agree with your opinion that students can learn a lot from computer programs geared towards learning. It sounds a lot like after elementary school you stopped using the programs. The same thing happened to me. In middle school I hardly remember using any computer programs except for a typing tutor. My teachers used to make the kids mathematical puzzle handouts where they would solve the problems to make the picture. Those were fun and still are a result of technology and computers. One last question? What grade are you planning on teaching?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I felt like I could really relate to you because I too was privileged enough to have computers in my school. We also played games like The Oregon Trail and having you mention that game brought me back to my third grade computer class when times seemed so different. When kids and humans in general weren’t dependent on technology and life was just simple. I’m not saying technology is bad because I enjoy things like my cellphone and computer, but times really were different. Being a kid meant waiting by the house phone at a certain time because your friend was going to call or telling everyone in the house that they couldn’t use the house phone because you were plugging in the dial up internet. It was just such a different way of living and learning and now we have technology everywhere around us. Its so crazy to think how the world has evolved especially because of technology like cellphones. We literally don’t have to memorize phone numbers, buy cameras, own maps, and we can track how much walking we’ve done in a day by clicking a heart button on our iPhones. Technology is evolving fast and we need to evolve with it just as fast. So when it comes to technology being present in classrooms I find it necessary like you do because without my experience of having it in the classroom at a young age I don’t think I would even have learned how to type just like you said that it played a major role in you learning to type when you asked your dad to buy you that game for your home computer. Thank you for your post and bringing me back a couple of years. Okay more than a couple. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and how media technology has influenced your life's direction as a whole.
As you stated, students benefit most from technology that they enjoy in their free-time as well. You were lucky to have been a student who was introduced to video gaming at an early age in a learning environment--this worked well because not only did you grow as a student who was from then on able to use a skill that will be valuable the rest of your life (typing proficiently), but it connected with you on a personal level and has been a guiding stick in your life since then.
Further, it seems as though the adults in your life--both your teachers and parents--were encouraging even if you were in a not-so-great school system. That really resonated with me because had they stunted that growth, you may not be where you are today, able to use the skills you acquired to help others.
Dear Jeff,
ReplyDeleteYou had a positive experience with technology and were able to use it to learn since your primary school years, that’s wonderful. However, media technology doesn’t help every single student as a whole to learn math, science, literature, etc., To have it be the main source of teaching would exclude children who are not visual learners or have a hard time concentrating and sitting down. I know I was one of these students as a child. Just being forced to sit down in front of a computer to learn how to use it frustrated me extremely in the beginning and even does now. My dad taking me down to the park and teaching me on an abacus while we laid on the grass taught me how to add and multiply. Being able to touch each piece of the wooden abaci taught me the basics. My mom reading aloud to me and making her voice change with each different character in a book made me fall in love with literature. I know that not being part of media technology is impossible because it is part of our daily lives, but it’s not our whole life. Children should be taught how to use technology appropriately (I agree), but it shouldn’t be the primary source of learning since children don’t all learn in the same way.
Dear Jeff,
ReplyDeleteYou had a positive experience with technology and were able to use it to learn since your primary school years, that’s wonderful. However, media technology doesn’t help every single student as a whole to learn math, science, literature, etc., To have it be the main source of teaching would exclude children who are not visual learners or have a hard time concentrating and sitting down. I know I was one of these students as a child. Just being forced to sit down in front of a computer to learn how to use it frustrated me extremely in the beginning and even does now. My dad taking me down to the park and teaching me on an abacus while we laid on the grass taught me how to add and multiply. Being able to touch each piece of the wooden abaci taught me the basics. My mom reading aloud to me and making her voice change with each different character in a book made me fall in love with literature. I know that not being part of media technology is impossible because it is part of our daily lives, but it’s not our whole life. Children should be taught how to use technology appropriately (I agree), but it shouldn’