Final Thoughts

I find this course very useful; I learn new things that I never heard about it…

The most benefit martial are the webquest , blog , game and concept map.

When return to school I plan of many things for my students and for other teachers in my school and outside it, and I will share some of it:

For my students I will use the webquest as professional tool and I will chose the topics that my student s will find it interest.

Also I think about create a blog for my students t discuses any thing in their minds even if it not related to my subject.

For the other teachers:

I think about making workshops about webquest, blog, game and concept map.

And enable them to use it inside their classrooms, why not our students need some thing new to motivate them.

And the most important thing I learn it from the doctor to be brief in your lesson but gave the student useful thing. May be it need some years of experience to be profession in it.

Games ,Computer simulations and virtual reality

Game:

There is many definitions for the meaning of the game and this is one of them "a physical or mental contest, played according to specific rules, with the goal of amusing or rewarding the participants"[1].

When we try to design or educational game or chose it, there is some points for better choice ,the game must be continuous challenge ,interesting storyline, flexibility, immediate,  useful rewards and combining fun and realism.

To start plan for our lesson that we will use the game in it ,first we have to define Objectives, then decide what sort of game and storyline ,after we have to break objectives down into challenges and design rewards. If we will design the game it is the time to start build Game, test game and run it.

Computer simulations and virtual reality

The computer simulations definition "are computer-generated versions of real-world objects .They may be presented in 2-dimensional, text-driven formats, or, increasingly, 3-dimensional, multimedia formats".[2]

And the Virtual reality definition is a "technology that allows students to explore and manipulate computer-generated, 3-dimensional, multimedia environments in real time."[2]

 There is tow main types of the virtual reality environment

• "Desktop virtual reality environments
• Web-based “virtual tours” "[2]

Computer simulations and virtual reality provide for the student an other life that the student has the opportunity build his experience and acquire new knowledge and skills from these games .But these learning approaches will be Influence by some factors these are the Grade Level, Student Characteristics, Teacher Training and Support and Instructional Context

Because I was taught in primary school I used the games to teach my first grade students some of the computer concept like click, double click, drag and drop, use the keyboard and pointing.

For other grades in their projects there are additional exercises to design a game and play it with their peers. But I never think about teach them by game may be this need more creative ideas.

These are some references for websites for educational games, simulations games and virtual reality games:

1.      http://funschool.kaboose.com/

2.      http://www.theproblemsite.com/games.asp

3.      http://www.girlgamezone.com/virtual-games.html

References:

[1] Zyda, M.. (2005). From Visual Simulation to Virtual Reality to Games. Retrieved decamber 15, 2010 from

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/goodgame.html

[2] Zyda, M.. (2005). From Visual Simulation to Virtual Reality to Games. Retrieved December 15, 2010 from citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.104.5295...

[3] What Makes a Good Game? Retrieved December 15, 2010 from http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/udl/documents/VirtualRealityUDL_000.pdf

Concept Maps

Concept mapping is a technique that developed by Prof. Joseph D. Novak at Cornell University in the 1960s and it use for representing knowledge in graphs. Knowledge graphs are networks of concepts, it consist of nodes and links.

Most of us could be confused between the mind map and the concept map, but there is a main different between them, the mind map has one concept but the concept map may have several. This comes down to the point that a mind map can be represented as a tree, while a concept map may need a network representation.

And there are four main types of concept maps. The most common is the Spider concept (central concept) figure [1] and its appropriate in the pre-writing stage when a person wants to brainstorm details about a specific topic. Hierarchy (chronological) figure [2]  and it can help students to point out the main idea and details of text or a concept. Flowchart (liner fashion) figure [3]  and Systems maps (inputs – outputs) figure [4]. Flowchart and Systems concept maps are great visuals for ordering sequence of events and presenting information.

figure[1]

figure[2]

figure [3]

figure [4]

The concept maps very useful to generate ideas like brain storming, to design a complex structure (long texts, hypermedia, large web sites, etc.),to communicate complex ideas ,to aid learning by explicitly integrating new and old knowledge and to assess understanding or diagnose misunderstanding.

To create a professional concept maps you have to follow five tips. First of all you have to gather your writing and drawing materials also you have to gather your research materials like books, class notes and related newspaper and magazine articles. Then select the appropriate concept map formats. After start making your first map, then revise the map and make any needed changes.

For me I use it with out I know its concept maps. But after the lecture , after I read the slides and search in the internet,  I found it very useful technique that I can use it before any lesson, because it summarize all the lesson points and I can distributed in the end of my lesson . Also I plan to make a full work shop on the concept maps for the teachers or for students.

References:

[1] Creatng cincept maps.

Retrieved Decamber 15, 2010 from

http://www.dubberly.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ddo_creating_concept_maps.pdf

[2]Tips on Making Your Own Concept Maps.

Retrieved Decamber 15, 2010 from

http://www.aldridgeshs.eq.edu.au/sose/mindmaps/tips.htm

[3]Types of concepts maps.

Retrieved Decamber 15, 2010 from

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5340683_types-concept-maps.htm

[4]Types of concept maps.

Retrieved Decamber 15, 2010 from

www.virtualcurriculum.com/N3225/ConceptMap2_nursing.pdf

[5]What's concept maps?

Retrieved Decamber 15, 2010 from

http://users.edte.utwente.nl/lanzing/cm_home.htm

 

Inquire based learning and webquest

The best ways to teach is to leave your students teach them self through different approach one of them is inquire based learning and it's mean "through questions generated from the interests, curiosities, and perspectives/experiences of the learner."[1]

Inquiry-based learning is cyclical processes which start by create a question this will create hypotheses, which lead the students to investigate and construct the new knowledge .the student will start to discuss and reflect based on the new knowledge and this will lead to long life learning.

This way of learning enhance the student motivation and gave him a chance to deep understanding in his topics. In addition it supports the social skill, thinking skill and meta cognitive.

Web quest is an example of inquiry-based learning, it "is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet."[2]

Any Web quest must got introduction, task, process, evaluation and conclusion, and there are websites that got ready webquest templates.

It have got many advantages it allows the students to learn n different way rather than spoon feeding ,the student can be do it in their homes or any where not only inside the class and it can be use in any topic.

I am never use it because it the first time I hear about it, I find it a very interested way to motivate the students and gave them a chance to take some of their responsibility of learning. Also I think by this way we can encourage our students to use the internet to inquire useful information rather than chatting.  

References:

http://www.inquirylearn.com/Inquirydef.htm

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.htl

Student Center Learning

"Student-centered learning (SCL), or learner-centeredness, is a learning model that places the student (learner) in the center of the learning process. In student-centered learning, students are active participants in their learning; they learn at their own pace and use their own strategies; they are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated; learning is more individualized than standardized. Student-centered learning develops learning-how-to-learn skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and reflective thinking. Student-centered learning accounts for and adapts to different learning styles of students (National Center for Research on Teacher Learning. 1999)."

From my experience student center approach  is to gave the student the responsibility of his learning ,our society not ready yet, our student not have the enough responsibility to apply these approach .The family not instilled in their children the ambition to achieve and the responsibility of this achievements .
The society behavior is reflect on the school and the teachers and student behavior ,most of our teachers use the teacher center approach because it's fit with theirs needs and available resources , along my experience I didn't see any teacher use student center approach .Also our administration want the teacher takes all the roles inside the class or most of the them , if they don't see us took along the lesson that mean we don't teach .
I used this approach once only with grade 6 in the formatting in the excel program .I divided my students to six groups each group had to use the book and the lesson video that I prepared before the class using the adobe creative, then applied what they understand on their tables that they created in previous lesson, all my role was facilititer .there result in evaluation was amazing ,they get the highest grades in the question that related to formatting lesson. But if my principle interred this lesson she would ask me about my role the dirctied not enough for teacher and I would get low grades in the evaluation.
Our school's administrations must update their teaching knowledge .And push the teachers to use this approach because it have many benefits rather then  negatives .
This approach learns the student confidence, responsibility and self steem .This will create a new generation that can confront new challenges, build the country's future and be active citizen.

Refrencec:

http://www.intime.uni.edu/model/center_of_learning_files/definition.html

Tool,Tutee and Tutor

Introudection

My name is Nawal Mohammed I graduate from university of Bahrain and I study computer science. And I have 6 years experience ,2 years in adult school and 4 years .

in primary school  I never think to be a teacher, but this is the job I find it.

Know I like my job and I find it the basic of any other job and the country progress depend on it. Education has got an important mission.

I believe that we have to change our way of thinking and open it for any useful ideas, we have to try before we judge that any new thing will fail but we have to keep monitoring any new approaches and keep change until it fit with our needs.