Today we will review the project description available from our course website.
We will also discuss how to write good questions. Ten questions are required for this project.
There are two parts of your game that ensure students will want to use it for learning: the story and the level of questions. You want to make sure that you have an engaging story - and you also want to make sure that your game is the right level of challenge. Factual level questions are too easy (and boring) regardless of the grade level you are targeting.
As you continue work on your PowerPoint games -- it is important to focus on the instructional value of your game -- and value is added through good questions. Bloom's Taxonomy is an easy way to learn more about various levels of questioning. The class handout will show you the levels.
What is Bloom's Taxonomy? "Bloom's Taxonomy is a multi-tiered model of classifying thinking according to six cognitive levels of complexity. Throughout the years, the levels have often been depicted as a stairway, leading many teachers to encourage their students to "climb to a higher (level of) thought." The lowest three levels are: knowledge, comprehension, and application. The highest three levels are: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. "The taxonomy is hierarchical; [in that] each level is subsumed by the higher levels. In other words, a student functioning at the 'application' level has also mastered the material at the 'knowledge' and 'comprehension' levels." (UW Teaching Academy, 2003). One can easily see how this arrangement led to natural divisions of lower and higher level thinking." You can find more information on Bloom's Taxonomy from the e-book put together by UGA's Instructional Technology Professor, Dr. Michael Orey and UGA Students: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
Even young children can use Bloom's Taxonomy to improve their work. Here's a video of a class of children who use it to design literature units. The powerpoint we are looking at today can be found here (labeled section 2 on the link)Learn even more about this project .Using the handouts on Bloom's Taxonomy and question development, over the weekend create 3 sample questions and bring them to class on Monday. Monday we will work in teams to bring those questions "up a level" by using Bloom's Taxonomy. We use these improved questions as a model for all 10 questions to be included in your game. Don't forget that you can checkout textbooks from the Curriculum Materials Center in rm 207 for more ideas for questions (just make sure you're not plagiarizing!)
We'll spend time in class next week fine tuning your questions and working on your game design. Friday's class will be an independent workday. I will not be available on Friday. Make sure you complete the to do list by Monday. I am still working on grading your Inspiration/Kidspiration submissions and I will be grading your blog posting that was due today.
Due Monday
1. You should have selected your grade level and subject (based on a Georgia Performance Standard). Make sure that you are not creating a game that will review multiple standards. Your game should be designed to introduce content or to provide practice for student understanding. If your game is designed around basic factual recall -- think of another game!
2. You should bring 3 sample questions from your game. We will work on them for the 1st half of Monday's class. Use the Bloom's taxonomy handouts to help generate the questions.
3. Monday we will look at the template we will be using for our game. Take a look at it from the link in our class project description. Have a rough draft of your directions for your game.
We will also discuss how to write good questions. Ten questions are required for this project.
There are two parts of your game that ensure students will want to use it for learning: the story and the level of questions. You want to make sure that you have an engaging story - and you also want to make sure that your game is the right level of challenge. Factual level questions are too easy (and boring) regardless of the grade level you are targeting.
As you continue work on your PowerPoint games -- it is important to focus on the instructional value of your game -- and value is added through good questions. Bloom's Taxonomy is an easy way to learn more about various levels of questioning. The class handout will show you the levels.
What is Bloom's Taxonomy? "Bloom's Taxonomy is a multi-tiered model of classifying thinking according to six cognitive levels of complexity. Throughout the years, the levels have often been depicted as a stairway, leading many teachers to encourage their students to "climb to a higher (level of) thought." The lowest three levels are: knowledge, comprehension, and application. The highest three levels are: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. "The taxonomy is hierarchical; [in that] each level is subsumed by the higher levels. In other words, a student functioning at the 'application' level has also mastered the material at the 'knowledge' and 'comprehension' levels." (UW Teaching Academy, 2003). One can easily see how this arrangement led to natural divisions of lower and higher level thinking." You can find more information on Bloom's Taxonomy from the e-book put together by UGA's Instructional Technology Professor, Dr. Michael Orey and UGA Students: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
Even young children can use Bloom's Taxonomy to improve their work. Here's a video of a class of children who use it to design literature units. The powerpoint we are looking at today can be found here (labeled section 2 on the link)Learn even more about this project .Using the handouts on Bloom's Taxonomy and question development, over the weekend create 3 sample questions and bring them to class on Monday. Monday we will work in teams to bring those questions "up a level" by using Bloom's Taxonomy. We use these improved questions as a model for all 10 questions to be included in your game. Don't forget that you can checkout textbooks from the Curriculum Materials Center in rm 207 for more ideas for questions (just make sure you're not plagiarizing!)
We'll spend time in class next week fine tuning your questions and working on your game design. Friday's class will be an independent workday. I will not be available on Friday. Make sure you complete the to do list by Monday. I am still working on grading your Inspiration/Kidspiration submissions and I will be grading your blog posting that was due today.
Due Monday
1. You should have selected your grade level and subject (based on a Georgia Performance Standard). Make sure that you are not creating a game that will review multiple standards. Your game should be designed to introduce content or to provide practice for student understanding. If your game is designed around basic factual recall -- think of another game!
2. You should bring 3 sample questions from your game. We will work on them for the 1st half of Monday's class. Use the Bloom's taxonomy handouts to help generate the questions.
3. Monday we will look at the template we will be using for our game. Take a look at it from the link in our class project description. Have a rough draft of your directions for your game.
