WRIT671 Writing Wonders @mmtys - Tumblr Blog | Tumlook (2024)

EAPSU Volunteer?

If you are interested in volunteering at EAPSU, please let me know. I will need help on both days staffing a registration table, and chairing sessions, and answering questions. Lunch will be included!

Also - it will be much less demanding than the Hunger Games - I just love this series 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I'm interested! Happy to take off work on a Friday to volunteer too. Personal days are use it or lose it, so I'd rather use them.

Choice Assignment

Currently thinking:

4 blog posts

2 chapter notes

This will probably change 🙃

I really want to make a game for my classes. We switched to block schedule last year, and I feel like I lost the ability of getting to know my students throughout a year vs. only half. We also lost seat hours with the traditional to block switch, so it's a lot more of CONTENT NOW and we'll take care of the rest later. But I feel like if I can implement a game that might run the length of the class, that might be something that helps with building relationships/getting to know students, content, and bridging it all together.

Thoughts on that?

I think creating a game to span the semester is a great idea! Have you thought about taking something from your content (or something that you love) and tying that in thematically? I know of a teacher who has her students take the Harry Potter house test and divides them into their corresponding houses. They meet challenges and earn points throughout the semester for their houses, and the kids love it. I have thought about doing something similar by dividing my students into the Capulets and Montagues from Romeo and Juliet. I think there are ways to embed already made "systems" and modify them for your classroom to engage them in community building. :)

Here’s where I’m torn. I’ve done the House Cup (or my version of it) for a number of years. But recently it’s turned into a “what do we get when we win” situation. They want something physical out of it. They want some grand prize that they don’t really understand costs my paycheck. This is where I struggle with the intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation. If you tell me we’re playing a game, I’ll do what I need to win. My competitive side takes over. I just want to win. The kids in my classes want something out of it (other than learning or doing well), and this is where I find my struggle with wanting to implement a game into my class when I’m the one more invested in it than they are. Past classes ate this up and would tell me when I didn’t update the scoreboard. Now it feels more forced.

GBL...What is New

I feel like this chapter emphasizes the point of why we use games in the classroom. Whether we do it to spice up the environment and motivation of our students or if we use it as a review, teachers are supporting game based learning. BUT after reading this chapter, I feel like I have learned how to accurately and intentionally include game based learning in the classroom. By looking at the design elements of game-based learning, I believe that I will be able to create games using these elements and be mindful of the learning outcomes that I want my students to foster throughout the process. Also, I found it interesting to learn more about the types of game-based learning. You can use game based learning to prepare for future learning (like an activating strategy), for learning the new knowledge, for practicing the knowledge, and for reviewing. I don't know why, but I typically only use games for review. Changing this perspective is innovative for my curriculum.

I definitely agree! As teachers, we have so many things that are pushed on us through PD to use in our classrooms because they are the new thing that is going to revolutionize education. However, this chapter makes it more clear as to what using games in the classroom should really be like. I wonder if these companies making these "learning games" are aware of this type of information? But I also usually only find myself using games for review... Something I would like to change as well for the coming school year.

Peer Review Choice Project

For the choice project, I have decided to do:

Chapter Choice + Student Created Notes A and B

Blog Post - What play can teach us about writing

Blog Post - Game Analysis

Create a Game

In creating a game, I am thinking about doing something that has to do with grammar and syntax. I have in the past taught one grammatical pattern per week (about 5-10 min per day) and kids have really enjoyed it and found it helpful for their writing. In thinking about a game, I don’t want the game objectives to be an external objective. I want the grammar-learning to be the focus of the game. I’m wondering, in everyone’s experience, if I should make this a digital game or “on-paper” game. Additionally, I’m also wondering if anyone has suggestions of what sources I should look at (from class) that you think would give me a better view into making the game.

Thanks!

Personally, digital might be the way to go. I've kept "house points" in the past where I've pitted my classes against each other and kept points for things like homework completion, class averages on assignments, etc. It was nice to have an in-classroom posting and scoreboard (mocked HP), but they also appreciated having everything also digitally when they could access it from anywhere, and they always made sure to let me know when the scoreboard wasn't updated!

Original Content Writing Module 4

In Chapter 20 of GBL, I was seeing a lot of ideas about formative assessment. This is HUGE in writing. Within this class, we practice this through our tumblr posts when we peer review. As a teacher, I constantly give formative feedback on writing to support students in perfecting a final draft. Feedback throughout the writing process helps learners understand and reflect on what choices they need to make to be successful. In both a game and a writing assignment, learners put their ideas forth to receive either positive or negative feedback to dictate the next step of the process.

Absolutely saw some of the same connections. Feedback in games helps the player get better, just like feedback in writing helps the writer get better. I often wonder why students take the feedback the get from their games, learn from it, then apply it to their game when they don't so the same with writing. I don't know about your students, but mine seem to see writing feedback as negative (even though it's not a correctness grade, it's more of a "you tried" grade). I wonder if turning writing into more of a game would help bridge that gap?

Choice Assignment

Right now I am planning to do the 4 blog post prompts:

Possibilities of Play

What Play Can Teach Us About Writing

Value of Studying Games as a Graduate Student

Game Analysis

Then for the last choice I am planning on sharing a section of the game I am implementing into my classroom this upcoming year. This game has students creating a character, complete with slimmed down stats and skills that will fall into a particular class, as well as backstories.

Then as we read different material over the year the characters will be used to overcome challenges from the literature. How would their group have approached the Green Knight? What about Grendel? I want to use these opportunities to review literature, have structured writing exercises, and have some fun rolling big foam dice. I hope that allowing students to utilize their characters/avatars in the classroom will allow for them to feel less vulnerable and critically think and take risk when it comes to the themes and stories that we will read.

Love the game aspect you're going to implement. Are their characters going to be able to grow over the time in your class or do they stay the same? Just thinking it might be cool to add some sort of way to gain XP or different skills as they complete classwork, or earn specific grades, or bonus questions so they feel more attachment to the character if you weren't already thinking that.