I am currently attending the Fall Leadership Conference for the Texas Distance Learning Association. I was blessed with receiving a scholarship to attend the conference and was honestly very clueless to what TxDLA is and does.
I have since met incredibly nice, professional people and have come to identify with the goals and work of TxDLA. I have also been given the opportunity to work with the marketing team.
For any educator, professional, student or individual that has a career involving educational technology, this organization is a great starting point for those of you that want to get involved.
You can find more information at: http://www.txdla.org/
Friday, October 8, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Creation of Copyright Camp
For one of my courses that I am currently taking, I am in the process of creating Copyright Camp. This website will be a tool that I use in my future classrooms. The purpose of it is to inform teachers, staff and students about copyright laws. It is a continuous work in progress. I will update i and work on it often. Any comments or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!
http://edtechexpress.pbworks.com/
http://edtechexpress.pbworks.com/
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Online Books, Poems, Short Stories - Read Print Library
Online Books, Poems, Short Stories - Read Print Library
Love it! Free online books, poems and short stories...tons of classics!
Love it! Free online books, poems and short stories...tons of classics!
Fall Semester...
 |
| Fall 2010 |
Over the summer I have found a few projects and ideas that I will try to focus on this semester. These include the gaming program Kodu, early age technology integration and research over the effects of the dissolution of the Technology Applications credit requirement for high school graduation in Texas. I will keep this blog updated with all of my research and projects. I hope that others can learn from my work and research.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Downloading Kodu Again...
I just received my new laptop to use for my Masters courses and one of the first programs I downloaded onto the new machine was Kodu. While I am downloading it, I wanted to create a guide for others downloading it.
Step One: Go to http://fuse.microsoft.com/projects-kodu.html and click on Try Kodu Now
Step Two: I've discovered that you have to have two programs on your computer in order for Kodu to run correctly -
.Net Framework 3.5 - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/cc378097.aspx
XNA Framework 3.1 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=53867a2a-e249-4560-8011-98eb3e799ef2&displaylang=en
The download wizard for Kodu will run a system analysis and tell you if your computer has these two programs or not. It will also take you to the place online where you can download them. If not, I have included the two sites above.
Step 3: Finish installing the game setup.
As I start experimenting with the program more, I will include the steps I take on this blog. I am also looking at using my 6 year old sister (1st Grade) and seeing how she reacts to the program.
Step One: Go to http://fuse.microsoft.com/projects-kodu.html and click on Try Kodu Now
Step Two: I've discovered that you have to have two programs on your computer in order for Kodu to run correctly -
.Net Framework 3.5 - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/cc378097.aspx
XNA Framework 3.1 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=53867a2a-e249-4560-8011-98eb3e799ef2&displaylang=en
The download wizard for Kodu will run a system analysis and tell you if your computer has these two programs or not. It will also take you to the place online where you can download them. If not, I have included the two sites above.
Step 3: Finish installing the game setup.
As I start experimenting with the program more, I will include the steps I take on this blog. I am also looking at using my 6 year old sister (1st Grade) and seeing how she reacts to the program.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Interview with Derek Braman, Kodu Instructor
The following is the interview from Derek Braman based on the Kodu Club at Explorer Elementary.
Please DO NOT use any of interview without permission from both myself and Derek Braman. Thank you in advance!
Please answer the following questions regarding Kodu to your best abilities. Any information I obtain from you will be used in a research project for my Educational Technology masters degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
● Jessica Pettyjohn
1. Please share some general information about your school and how it utilizes Kodu.
Explorer Elementary in Kentwood, MI has been using Kodu from Microsoft in an after school setting for the past two years. We have had four sessions of approximately 25 students in each session (total of about 100 students). We have tied Kodu in with our English Language Arts curriculum, specifically the area of writing. The writing process ties in well with what we have been doing in Kodu. At the beginning of each of the four sessions we have had, each group brainstorms vital storytelling elements and what are great characteristics in effective writing. Examples of these would be characters, setting, dialogue, action, etc. The students then brainstormed individual ideas to make a story around the theme of action and adventure. They created graphic organizers and drafted their stories within the first week, then spent the remainder of the seven weeks designing their games around the story they made.
2. Please share some information about yourself and your methods of teaching.
My name is Derek Braman and I will be starting my 9th year of teaching in the fall. I taught my first two years as a middle school resource room teacher before teaching at Explorer Elementary in fifth grade, where I have been for the past 6 years. I teach science and language arts to my students and my teaching methods can be described as guided discovery and highly hands on experiential learning. In our science classes, we do a lot of questioning and experimenting both in real life and through a variety of technological means through websites, simulations, etc.
3. When and how did the use of Kodu first begin? We began using Kodu in the winter of 2008/09 after an Explorer parent, Scott Quibell brought the new project to our attention. He had attended a conference where Kodu was presented and brought the idea to our building principal, who then brought the idea to a few staff members who would have found it to be an interesting idea. Other than the software available through Microsoft, we shaped the program into what was described above, with the blessing of Microsoft and the Fuse team.
4. Do you have corporate or community partners? Pfizer, Blue Sphere Solutions, and Microsoft were sponsors of getting our program started.
5. What have you used this program for? See #1. We have used in for an afterschool program/
6. What are the positive reactions from the students? Just about everything they had to say about the program was positive. THey loved how they were able to take their ideas and turn it into their own games and were then able to have other students play their games and get feedback. They were also excited about looking at other people’s games and how they could “borrow” ideas from them to add to their story and game.
7. What are the negative reactions from the students? About the only negative aspect we heard was that they wanted to take their game with them when they were done (something that seems to be an option now after feedback to Microsoft.). Some also wanted more time and didn’t want to be done so “quickly” after seven weeks.
8. Is the program user friendly? If so or if not, can you please give an example? The program is generally user friendly because of the menu screens for building a programming command. Rather than entering text and code, the users simply choose from visual commands and descriptions. Fourth and fifth grade students seem to have very little difficulty with the program, even when they run into trouble, it provides a great opportunity for problem solving and trial and error solutions.
9. How can Kodu be integrated into classroom curriculum? We have used it in the realm of language arts and writing to “publish” our stories in a different way, but the program also has potential for use in areas of math, specifically sequencing, in science, by using the scientific method to try to achieve certain elements of the games or stories.
10. Are there any examples from students or videos of students working with the program that I would be able to have access to? Here is a Prezi I put together for a board meeting that you have permission to use. Please make sure that it is only used for your presentation and project as some of the individuals in the videos haven’t released their information for use yet. However, it is pretty neat, so I hope it helps! (webaite removed for privacy issues. Please contact me or Derek Braman for this site.)
11. What issues or obstacles have you encountered while using and teaching this program? There have been few, but being able to have more time for students to use Kodu has been a little struggle. As they use Kodu mainly after school, some aren’t able to participate because of transportation issues or parents’ work schedules. Finding a way to have consistent time during the school day with fourth and fifth grade students would be great, but still a challenge.
12. How long does it normally take for students to become familiar with Kodu? In our experience, it has taken anywhere from about 15 minutes, to two full hour sessions to become completely familiar with Kodu. Much of this has to do with the familiarity of the game controller or lack thereof.
13. What other forms of technology do you use regularly in your classroom? I would describe myself as a heavy technology integrator in my classroom. I use a interactive whiteboard from Polyvision called a Walk and Talk board, a document camera, a class set of Palm handhelds (purchased in 2003), an interactive tablet, a classroom microphone system, students response system (clickers), we have access to a mobile laptop cart, and a Flip video camera.
14. Please give any other additional information that you would like to share in regards to using Kodu with students.
15. Do I have your permission to use the answers to this interview for research purposes? Of course!
Derek - Thank you again for your help and guidance while I am completing my work with this program! You, your school and your students are an inspiration!
Please DO NOT use any of interview without permission from both myself and Derek Braman. Thank you in advance!
Please answer the following questions regarding Kodu to your best abilities. Any information I obtain from you will be used in a research project for my Educational Technology masters degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
● Jessica Pettyjohn
1. Please share some general information about your school and how it utilizes Kodu.
Explorer Elementary in Kentwood, MI has been using Kodu from Microsoft in an after school setting for the past two years. We have had four sessions of approximately 25 students in each session (total of about 100 students). We have tied Kodu in with our English Language Arts curriculum, specifically the area of writing. The writing process ties in well with what we have been doing in Kodu. At the beginning of each of the four sessions we have had, each group brainstorms vital storytelling elements and what are great characteristics in effective writing. Examples of these would be characters, setting, dialogue, action, etc. The students then brainstormed individual ideas to make a story around the theme of action and adventure. They created graphic organizers and drafted their stories within the first week, then spent the remainder of the seven weeks designing their games around the story they made.
2. Please share some information about yourself and your methods of teaching.
My name is Derek Braman and I will be starting my 9th year of teaching in the fall. I taught my first two years as a middle school resource room teacher before teaching at Explorer Elementary in fifth grade, where I have been for the past 6 years. I teach science and language arts to my students and my teaching methods can be described as guided discovery and highly hands on experiential learning. In our science classes, we do a lot of questioning and experimenting both in real life and through a variety of technological means through websites, simulations, etc.
3. When and how did the use of Kodu first begin? We began using Kodu in the winter of 2008/09 after an Explorer parent, Scott Quibell brought the new project to our attention. He had attended a conference where Kodu was presented and brought the idea to our building principal, who then brought the idea to a few staff members who would have found it to be an interesting idea. Other than the software available through Microsoft, we shaped the program into what was described above, with the blessing of Microsoft and the Fuse team.
4. Do you have corporate or community partners? Pfizer, Blue Sphere Solutions, and Microsoft were sponsors of getting our program started.
5. What have you used this program for? See #1. We have used in for an afterschool program/
6. What are the positive reactions from the students? Just about everything they had to say about the program was positive. THey loved how they were able to take their ideas and turn it into their own games and were then able to have other students play their games and get feedback. They were also excited about looking at other people’s games and how they could “borrow” ideas from them to add to their story and game.
7. What are the negative reactions from the students? About the only negative aspect we heard was that they wanted to take their game with them when they were done (something that seems to be an option now after feedback to Microsoft.). Some also wanted more time and didn’t want to be done so “quickly” after seven weeks.
8. Is the program user friendly? If so or if not, can you please give an example? The program is generally user friendly because of the menu screens for building a programming command. Rather than entering text and code, the users simply choose from visual commands and descriptions. Fourth and fifth grade students seem to have very little difficulty with the program, even when they run into trouble, it provides a great opportunity for problem solving and trial and error solutions.
9. How can Kodu be integrated into classroom curriculum? We have used it in the realm of language arts and writing to “publish” our stories in a different way, but the program also has potential for use in areas of math, specifically sequencing, in science, by using the scientific method to try to achieve certain elements of the games or stories.
10. Are there any examples from students or videos of students working with the program that I would be able to have access to? Here is a Prezi I put together for a board meeting that you have permission to use. Please make sure that it is only used for your presentation and project as some of the individuals in the videos haven’t released their information for use yet. However, it is pretty neat, so I hope it helps! (webaite removed for privacy issues. Please contact me or Derek Braman for this site.)
11. What issues or obstacles have you encountered while using and teaching this program? There have been few, but being able to have more time for students to use Kodu has been a little struggle. As they use Kodu mainly after school, some aren’t able to participate because of transportation issues or parents’ work schedules. Finding a way to have consistent time during the school day with fourth and fifth grade students would be great, but still a challenge.
12. How long does it normally take for students to become familiar with Kodu? In our experience, it has taken anywhere from about 15 minutes, to two full hour sessions to become completely familiar with Kodu. Much of this has to do with the familiarity of the game controller or lack thereof.
13. What other forms of technology do you use regularly in your classroom? I would describe myself as a heavy technology integrator in my classroom. I use a interactive whiteboard from Polyvision called a Walk and Talk board, a document camera, a class set of Palm handhelds (purchased in 2003), an interactive tablet, a classroom microphone system, students response system (clickers), we have access to a mobile laptop cart, and a Flip video camera.
14. Please give any other additional information that you would like to share in regards to using Kodu with students.
15. Do I have your permission to use the answers to this interview for research purposes? Of course!
Derek - Thank you again for your help and guidance while I am completing my work with this program! You, your school and your students are an inspiration!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
More Wonderful Kodu Tutorial Websites
Here is a list of the following tutorials I have used to help me create my first Kodu game:
1. Simple Kodu game tutorial (using keyboard): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-FjskAHgN0
2. How to Create Games with Official Microsoft Kodu: http://www.webtlk.com/2010/02/06/how-to-create-games-with-official-microsoft-kodu/
3. MS Kodu Game Lab, Getting Started Video Tutorials: http://fuse.microsoft.com/projects-kodu.html
1. Simple Kodu game tutorial (using keyboard): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-FjskAHgN0
2. How to Create Games with Official Microsoft Kodu: http://www.webtlk.com/2010/02/06/how-to-create-games-with-official-microsoft-kodu/
3. MS Kodu Game Lab, Getting Started Video Tutorials: http://fuse.microsoft.com/projects-kodu.html
Working On My Own Game
I got wonderful answers to my questions from Derek Braman. I'm looking forward to combining his answers with my other research. I am also in the process of creating my own game. It's been interesting but not as hard as I was worried it would be. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it is a piece of cake, but I have found several online tutorials that help immensely. My favorite so far is:
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Interview Questions for Kodu Teachers
I have sent the following questions to some of the teachers that have experiences with teaching Kodu. I'd love for some feedback! Thanks!
Please answer the following questions regarding Kodu to your best abilities. Any information I obtain from you will be used in a research project for my Educational Technology masters degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
- Jessica Pettyjohn
1. Please share some general information about your school and how it utilizes Kodu.
2. Please share some information about yourself and your methods of teaching.
3. When and how did the use of Kodu first begin?
4. Do you have corporate or community partners?
5. What have you used this program for?
6. What are the positive reactions from the students?
7. What are the negative reactions from the students?
8. Is the program user friendly? If so or if not, can you please give an example?
9. How can Kodu be integrated into classroom curriculum?
10. Are there any examples from students or videos of students working with the program that I would be able to have access to?
11. What issues or obstacles have you encountered while using and teaching this program?
12. How long does it normally take for students to become familiar with Kodu?
13. What other forms of technology do you use regularly in your classroom?
14. Please give any other additional information that you would like to share in regards to using Kodu with students.
15. Do I have your permission to use the answers to this interview for research purposes?
Please answer the following questions regarding Kodu to your best abilities. Any information I obtain from you will be used in a research project for my Educational Technology masters degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
- Jessica Pettyjohn
1. Please share some general information about your school and how it utilizes Kodu.
2. Please share some information about yourself and your methods of teaching.
3. When and how did the use of Kodu first begin?
4. Do you have corporate or community partners?
5. What have you used this program for?
6. What are the positive reactions from the students?
7. What are the negative reactions from the students?
8. Is the program user friendly? If so or if not, can you please give an example?
9. How can Kodu be integrated into classroom curriculum?
10. Are there any examples from students or videos of students working with the program that I would be able to have access to?
11. What issues or obstacles have you encountered while using and teaching this program?
12. How long does it normally take for students to become familiar with Kodu?
13. What other forms of technology do you use regularly in your classroom?
14. Please give any other additional information that you would like to share in regards to using Kodu with students.
15. Do I have your permission to use the answers to this interview for research purposes?
Monday, July 12, 2010
Explorer Elementary in Caledonia, MI
While doing research for my project on Kodu, I stumbled upon this website http://koduclub.org/default.aspx at Explorer Elementary in Caledonia, MI. This school has formed a Kodu Club under the direction of Derek Braman. According to the website:
"We hope to reach a variety of children in our Kodu club and provide a life-long interest in technology skills.
Explorer Elementary partnered with Microsoft Research to bring Kodu to Explorer's kids in the Winter/Spring of 2009 and is happy to continue this year.
Kodu is a new system created by Microsoft Research that can teach programming and logic skills to kids as young as 8 (3rd grade) with an innovative visual interface. The interface is familiar to most kids as they are actually editing and creating their own games."
I'm very interested in everything that they have done with this program and am currently trying to contact Mr. Braman for help in my research. I can't wait to see what he has done with this program or what the students have done.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
More on Kodu
Kodu provides an end-to-end creative environment for designing, building, and playing your own new games. Aimed at children, although accessible to anybody, Kodu offers a high-level language that incorporates real-world primitives: collision, color, and vision. It runs on Xbox 360 and Windows, includes an interactive terrain editor for creating worlds of arbitrary shape and size, a bridge and path builder, and offers 20 characters with different abilities.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Playing with Kodu from Microsoft FUSE Labs
For my final project in my EDTC 6340 course, I will be examining the Kodu program from Microsoft Fuse Labs. You can find the program and download it for free at http://fuse.microsoft.com/projects-kodu.html.
It did take a few minutes for the program to download but I am exicted to play with it and figure out how to incorporate it into my technology classes.
Per the website: WHAT IS KODU?
Kodu is a visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. Kodu is a free download for the PC – download it today.
I will post blogs as I learn and use the program. Feel free to subscribe to my blog to follow my attempt at mastering this game making program.
It did take a few minutes for the program to download but I am exicted to play with it and figure out how to incorporate it into my technology classes.
Per the website: WHAT IS KODU?
Kodu is a visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. Kodu is a free download for the PC – download it today.
I will post blogs as I learn and use the program. Feel free to subscribe to my blog to follow my attempt at mastering this game making program.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Why Ed Tech Express?
I chose the name of Ed Tech Express because like other educators, I am always in a rush. I'm always caught in a whirlwind of professional development, classes, meetings, conferences, deadlines and more. I'm interested in educational technology but I want to learn as much as I can about it in a short amount of time. The sole purpose of this blog is to create a central location for information about technology integration for educators.
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