Fun Theory and Student Engagement

Philip Schlechty has probably made a great deal of money and even created a buzz word in education "Student Engagement" with a theory I deciphered my first couple of years as classroom teacher. I realized that if students were tricked into having fun while they learned it made it much easier on everyone involved. I taught seventh graders and I rarely had one come up to me after class and tell me what a great lesson I had taught, but I did have students tell me "that class went by so fast." This supported the old adage "Time flys when your are having fun." That's when I knew I had succeeded in making a lesson fun/engaging.

Schlechty switched fun with engagement and the rest is history.

Here is the video that inspired the post...

Putting Technology in the Hands of our Students

I was recently preparing for a presentation for Texas ASCD about usteam.tv. One of the things I wanted to show was how to upload a video from http://www.ustream.tv/ to http://www.youtube.com/. I googled for instructions and the first video that I clicked was the one below. I was amazed that I was getting instructions from a 10 year old. Not only was I getting instructions, but I was watching a full scale production with advertisements. Just when I think I am doing a great job of implementing technology in schools I realized how far behind I am. I wonder how this child is being challenged in his school? I wonder if he just can't wait to get home so he make his own tutorials about the lesson that day to show the teacher?

Learning from a 10 year old.

A Webcam for Every Classroom

The paradigm shift has started. This week at ACFT elementary school each teacher received a Logitech Web cam to start making connections across the hall and around the world.

Why did we make the shift?

• Opportunity: The old system only allows specific content with specific equipment. Web cams allow the teacher to make connections that only limit their imagination to any one with an Internet connection.
• Money: Connections are not dependant on expensive carts at each end but inexpensive web cams that are available to the masses.
• Multi- Dimensional: Distance learning carts have one job. Make connections. Web cams do so much more: record movies, take pictures, record spelling list, creative avatars, send video email, make video calls, etc...

Web 2.o makes it all happen.

• Skype: The work horse behind our whole initiative. Each teacher received a Skype account with instructions on how to use Skype and its built in extras such as whiteboard to make connections more engaging.
• MeBeam: Keeping it simple. No user names no passwords create a unique room and invite your guest.
• USTREAM.TV: Broadcast your classroom live and record it for others who cannot be there. Great for after school activities and sports.
• DimDim: The most features of all the Web 2.0 sites, even has the ability to share the desktop. This is a WebEx clone if you have ever used it.

The vision is that web cams will inspire teachers to make the work more engaging by giving them authentic audience, a clear and compelling product, and novelty & variety according to Schlechty's design qualities.