Chapter 3: Experimenting With Technology

1. My first impression of Sodaplay is that it is a microworld in which people/students can manipulate, play with, and create objects. At first the site seems to be a little more advanced for younger children but once I attempted to “play” or “create” using the site, I think it could be a fun, interactive way for children to learn. The purpose of this microworld is for various educational practices and to engage learners. It could be used with elementary students in learning science and creativity.

2. Net Frog: My first impression was “awesome, there is a simulation where you can act like your dissecting a frog!” I was impressed just by looking at the home page. I think I would use this site with my students because it is interactive and provides them with an imitation of dissecting a frog. I think this site provides meaningful learning because students are engaged in learning about the process of dissections, clear directions are given as well as practice activities, and it keeps kids engaged by means of technology. I also think the site is useful because additional resources are provided in which teachers can further the lesson with.

Funderstanding Rollercoaster: My first impression of this site was like that of Net Frog. I thought how fun for kids to learn from making their own roller coaster. I don’t know if I would use this site with early elementary students because the educational component relates to physics and many younger children are not introduced to this material yet. With older students, I would use the site with an emphasis on the physical things that make the roller coaster work or not and why. I think the site does promote meaningful learning because a student must figure out on his/her own how to make the coaster work and what components affect the coaster. They must construct their own knowledge and play with the speed, friction, etc in order to make it work.

3. Separate Post "Gizmos"

4. Darfur is Dying: From first impressions, I could tell that this site was an interactive site because of the moving icons and because the homepage reads “Start your experience.” I think this site is great because it applies to a real-life situation and cause for the country of Darfur. I think children would really like this site because they get to choose who they want their character to be and they get to make their own survival choices. This site promotes meaningful learning because it allows students to explore the site for themselves and do research about the country and cause for Darfur.

Ayiti: The Cost of Life: When first entering this site, I first noticed how it is part of the well-known organization UNICEF. I also noticed that the site is exploratory and offers additional resources such as “about the game” and lesson plan links at the top. I think I would definitely use this site with students because it can be easily incorporated into a social studies lesson and the idea of poverty. I think children will develop meaningful learning because they are engaged with the game while developing their own understanding of the issues addressed through decision-making.

3rd World Farmer: I think this site is a great way for students to put themselves in the shoes of a family that must make important farming/economic decisions in order to survive. My first impression is that the site is simple to navigate and very direct for students to work with. I would use this site with students because it allows them to interact and make decisions that will determine the survival of their family. Also, students get to learn to make decisions dealing with money because they buy/sell plants depending on their finances. I think meaningful leaning can occur because students can make connections with the game with real life situations. Students have control over their decisions throughout the game and make predictions and determine outcomes.

5. Separate Post: Reading Rainbow

6. A few virtual worlds that I think would be appropriate for elementary students. I particularly liked the virtual world called poptropica although I think it could have additional characteristics to make it more educationally appropriate for students to engage in meaningful learning. To find this site, I searched google under educational virtual worlds and went through a few of the results before finding an educational journal article that referred to this site. The site has many islands that you can visit and there are fun facts/educational information that you can obtain. Younger kids would enjoy this game because it is simple to follow and it allows them to decide where they want to explore and what items they want to obtain. The only thing I would do to make the site more educational is include games that take the facts/information given on each island and apply them. I also think there should be more critical thinking skills that must be applied in order to move onto the next island.

7. I am very unfamiliar with programming because I have not had much education in software programming. The only programs I am familiar with are those programs that I use on a daily basis. I have not taken any courses on programming or where programming was a major aspect of the course. Because of these reasons, I am unfamiliar with how to write HTML codes or other programming languages. Hopefully after experimenting and completing a Scratch project, I will be more familiar with the idea and process of programming.