Scout Game

I work for an advertising agency, and so we focus on a different kind of learning that deals more with awareness. One thing that ad agencies have been doing is adding elements of social media and gaming in order to create an environment for their target audience to have fun and also learn about the brand. While it is still a new concept, it is something that my company has been promoting to some of our clients.

Here is an example: http://www.mrrooter.com/ResourceCenter/ScoutsGame.aspx

While the gamer is having fun they are also being exposed to the brand and becoming aware. These types of games are not only living just on a companies website, but through Facebook apps and mobile apps. This may be a bit in a different direction than what most would agree is "learning" but it makes the most sense in my case at least with the types of gaming scenarios that I come across from day to day.

CrossFit St. Pete

So I'm not sure the site I'll share will fit into the traditional mold of a learning and education resource but I think if you look outside the traditional boundaries of education and training, you'll find this site to be a solid example of ARCS in real-life, intentionally or otherwise.

The site is hosted by a CrossFit gym in St. Petersburg, FL. It's designed to supplement the training conducted at the gym and to be a place where members can connect with trainers, coaches and other gym members to ask questions, compare results and give advice. The site goes further to provide training and nutrition tips, a meal planning tool, work out descriptions and a fitness blog hosted by the head trainer.

ATTENTION: Right out of the gates the site grabs your attention with a loud, scrolling title banner advertising the gym with pictures of the members during workouts. If you happened to be a member it's not unlikely that upon landing on the site you'd find yourself plastered at the top of the page (kind of motivational). Further, the site pairs each daily workout post with a picture, fitness focused that but not in the traditional sense. Usually, the pictures have no obvious connection to the daily post and often incite you to wonder what the author is going for with the picture. The workouts are also named, often after a military, police or fire fighter that gave their life in the line of duty. For most, well for me anyway, this leaves you to wonder and probably research who the person is behind the workout. Learning the bio, the contributions and the sacrifice tends to be a significant motivator to get involved with the workout.

RELEVANCE: The You wouldn't be logged in if you weren't focused on fitness or aspiring to develop it, so the site has a decent head start in the relevance department. Taking nothing for granted though, the site authors do a nice job of promoting the relevance of their content every Saturday with the weekly post by the head trainer. In each of the posts the author tackles a different aspect of fitness, nutrition, physiology, etc by convincing us we've got it all wrong. The posts then go on to show us the right way, usually with an anthropology and kinesiology lesson and pictures with links to the literature (not what you'd expect at a workout blog) to back it up. For those of us on the extreme high side of perceived relevance, the posts erase anxiety by giving us the coaching we need to improve. For those on the low side the combination of pictures, literature, examples and discussion do a great job of erasing indifference.

CONFIDENCE: The CrossFit blog handles the confidence issue with a parallel "work out of the day" blog by gym members. Participants share work out results, tips, feelings, goals and failures. The sense of community created by this level of sharing can be motivating and inspire personal accountability.

SATISFACTION: The "work out of the day" forum is a major part of the satisfaction piece of ARCS as well. In this case, comparing results can be a huge motivator both when your performance exceeds someone else's and even more so when it falls short.

Take a look if you get a shot.

http://www.stpetecrossfit.com/

Carmen Sandiego

"Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" a question that was asked time and time again over the speakers of my parents desktop computer when I was a child. This fun detective game teaches its players about geography, history and other worldly facts. I remember using my copy of the World Almanac to look up capital cities and flags of countries that we're given as clues in the game. There are also many references to historical events throughout the world, as well as cultural icons. This game is somewhat addicting and progresses through many stages of catching villains who have stolen things from around the world. The ultimate goal is to catch the elusive Carmen Sandiego, but not before you catch the other villains in her cohort. The game also progresses through a series of promotions for the detective and the cases increase in difficulty as the detective gets closer to catching Carmen.

Attention: This game easily keeps the players' attention as it has a bright, cartoony interface, entertaining audio clips and a fun progressive series of levels and promotions. It will keep the attention of any player but is geared more toward children from 8 to 13.

Relevance: Though this game is a classic (to me at least) it has managed to stay relevant. Users of Facebook are now able to play on the website, earning points and badges. Users are required to build a team of detectives and can either use artificial intelligence or real friends from their Facebook page on their team. I believe this improves relevance greatly, especially now that so many online games are collaborative.

Confidence: The game builds confidence of the players by awarding them badges and promotions throughout the game. This positive reinforcement comes along with newspaper clippings that mention the detective catching the culprits, which I remember being very rewarding when I played this as a child. If a detective fails a case, they do not get demoted but simply are given another shot at a different case. Another part of this game that I believe builds confidence is the fact that the levels start out very easy and simply teach you how to use the interface. The levels increase in difficulty quickly enough to keep the player entertained, but not so quickly as to confuse the player.

Satisfaction: The player will feel more satisfied after each level, as their points, badges and rank continue to increase. On the Facebook version of the game, you can compare your score with other friends who also play the game and compete, not only against the levels but against each other. The players satisfaction is improved each level they pass and once they reach the ultimate goal of catching Carmen Sandiego, they can do it all again, with new cases and new criminals to catch.

Edtec670 Post #1

I'm not teaching now,but if I were teaching a video editing I would steer my students to www.creativecow.net
Creative Cow is a multimedia tutorial website that gives students and hobbyists alike lessons and tips on using several multimedia programs such as Adobe Premiere,
Flash and Final Cut Pro. The way the site is presented and used fits nicely with the ARCS Model..
The layout of the site grabs your attention by listing several tutorials and how they can improve your current skills.
Once a tutorial is started by a learner,relevance occurs when prior learning with a given software must be recalled to complete a tutorial.
Once a tutorial is completed successfully the learner's confidence and motivation to learn more goes up. If the tutorial proves to be a challenge the learner can return to it until they get it right.
When tutorials are completed and applied in the learner's own work..Their satisfaction with learning the new skills will be higher.

Interactive Geography Games

As I was looking for new sites to write about in my blog, I began to thing about the different educational games that I have utilized in my teaching career, and why students always seemed to return to them.  Most of the games that I had students use were related to geography, as many of the games for other topics in social studies were not engaging or little more than quizzes.  During this past year, I took over a classroom for a teacher on maternity leave, and I noticed that she had her students take incredibly difficult map quizzes, but did not have any online help listed for them.  After some research and testing, I found a simple website that offered simple, but effective games to help students learn the names and locations of countries for the map quizzes.  I posted links to the games on my teacher webpage, and within days I had comments from parents who said that their students were engaged in the game at home, and it was helping them prepare for the map quizzes.  I received multiple comments from parents of students who had attention issues that they were engaged and their scores had improved as a result of using the site.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Asian_Geography.htm

 

Attention: While the initial website is clearly dated, once learners choose their individual level, the game begins and learners are engaged.  The site setup is nearly the same look as the test students will be taking, and students are asked to identify individual countries by name (the name of the country is either spoken or written).  If they answer incorrectly, the country turns red and the learner has two more attempts to get the correct answer.  The game moves quickly from one region to another, and the learner’s score and time are posted in the corner of the page. 

Relevance:  The information and skills demonstrated in the game is set up in the almost exact same manner as the quizzes that the students will take.  When students take the quiz, they have a list of countries and geographic landmarks, and a quiz with countries and landmarks that have numbers associated with them.  Students must recognize each area based on their geographic boundaries, and then list the name of the country or geographic landmark.  While the online game does not offer a quiz on geographic landmarks, the section on countries used are all on the quiz. 

Confidence:  The games offers multiple levels that students can choose from, and students can start at a level above or below what is necessary for them to prepare for the quiz.  The first level gives the learner the name of the country when they click on it, and helps build confidence in their ability.  As the games become more challenging, they learners can have multiple tries to get the correct answer, and learners can retry individual levels multiple times to improve their score. 

Satisfaction:  Learners have the ability to choose their levels when they start, but the game will only move them up to the next level if they score above a 90%.  The levels become more challenging as learners move up, and require different skills for each level.  As learners progress, they earn different badges, from beginner to advanced up to expert plus, geographer, and cartographer.   

Raz-Kids for K-6 literacy imporvement

Our school first started using Raz-Kids last school year. The first time I saw this program, I thought the upper elementary students would lack the motivation and determination to use this program. I was proved wrong, as over the course of the school year, my fourth graders improved their reading skills and comprehension skills using this program. I can definately say that the ARCS model is embedded in this website and program.


Attention- For the students, their attention is grabbed right away when they have options in reading through the books. They can read through it at their own pace or have the book read to them by the program. Their attention is kept through each book by not having too much information on every page. The books are also illustrated to keep the students attention. The students know that they will be taking a comprehension quiz after the book, so their attention and focus must stay consistent.

Relevance- Each book is made relevant to the student's individual reading skill and level. The students read books that are not too easy or too hard for them. They are also allowed to go into the book store and look for other interesting and relevant books. The students know that with each book and quiz they complete, they are becoming a better reader.

Confidence- As the students complete books and take the quizzes, they earn stickers and awards. Once they get so many stickers and awards, they move up to the next reading level. Teachers at my school also offered rewards in class when the students moved up to the next reading level. Their confidence grows as they read through the many different books.

Satisfaction- Students are instantly satisified when they read through the books on their own or with the added voice. They get to take the quiz, and retake it if they do not do well. They are satisfied when they see their rewards and stickers. They can track their progress to the next level too. Teachers see improved student satisfaction for personal growth. The students strive to do better and know that they are improving their reading skills and levels.

I first heard about the Lemonade Stand Game last year in one of Dr. Marshall’s Edtec courses, either 540 or 544, and I remember it being the perfect example of a motivational game. The goal of this game is to make as much money as you can in 30 days running your very own business, a lemonade stand! You have complete control over every part of your business including pricing, quality control, inventory control, and purchasing supplies.

Attention- what first stimulates the curiosity of the learners is the concept of the game. Most of us remember as a child trying to start our own lemonade stand one summer afternoon with our friends. Here, they are curious how they can replicate that same experience in an online format. Once the learners begin playing the game however, their attention is maintained by the variability in function. Each “day” you sell lemonade, the forecast in the weather is different. Therefore, it is a different experience each time you play.

Relevance- This game might be more relevant for business students, or for those who are curious about the field, but there are certainly factors in the game that make it relevant to all users. One of the main points of relevancy for this game is the fact that most people have attempted to start a lemonade stand at least at one point in their life. This game makes them aware of factors such as customer service, pricing control, and inventory control that they might not have seen as relevant before. Also, because the game allows the players to see the immediate results of each“ day” from these factors, they are able to see the relevance behind their decisions.

Confidence- The Lemonade stand game allows for players to build their confidence by providing many opportunities for players to reach the goal. Unlike other games where if you lose a level, you start back from the beginning, Lemonade Stand gives you 30 “days” or tries to change factors, such as pricing and inventory, in order to increase profits. Also, the fact that the game gives player’s personal responsibility, or control over their decisions, is motivating for the players to continue reaching towards their goal.

Satisfaction- Lemonade Stand uses both positive reinforcement and operant conditioning to keep users motivated to play the game. If you earned more money at the end of one “day” more than the day before, you will be positively reinforced to continue playing. On the other hand, because the weather, pricing, inventory, changes everyday, some days the results will not always be positive, which keeps the learner engaged.

Spent

My girlfriend recently sent me a link to a game called Spent. It blurs the line between "game" and interactive PSA, turning into somewhat of an online Choose Your Own Adventure book.

The premise of the game is you, like many Americans, are tasked with the goal of surviving on a low-wage job. Specifically, you are tasked with getting through one month of bills as a single parent with an $8 or $9 an hour job without losing all of your savings. To mix things up a bit, there are random events that occur that force you into making tough decisions. Do you opt in for health insurance or do you risk it? If your child gets a birthday card in the mail with $10, do you pocket it or give it to him/her? When you make your decisions, facts will pop up on screen about the kinds of decisions that Americans in these situations actually face. The game ends when you make it through the month or when you run out of money, whichever comes first.

I thought this did a good job of using ARCS in its design. First, attention is gained at the very beginning of the game by asking the audience to "prove" that they could survive the month without having to ask for help from organizations such as the maker of the game, Urban Ministries of Durham. Not only does the game provide the challenge and objective right away, but it plays on the high sense of pride that Americans have when it comes to being self-sufficient.

The game is very relevant in the fact that everyone knows the plight of having a low-wage job. Coupled with the stress of being a single parent, a lot of people can relate to this type of real-world problem presented in the narrative.

Confidence also plays a part here since designers of this game ask the players to prove they can survive the month, despite their economic background. The game provides opportunities for the player to succeed, but there are consequences to their actions within the narrative. Perhaps the player must take a different route than they normally would in real life, but this is to immerse the player into this particular situation and making tough decisions to make it through the month.

There is satisfaction in getting through the month without going bankrupt, though I think the game provides a different type of satisfaction. Yes, the game elements are there. There is ample feedback provided at practically every decision to let the player know how their actions have made an effect in their virtual month. However, I think there is also satisfaction for the player in not having to live in this situation in real life. The game provides another decision once the game is over: to donate via paypal to the Urban Ministries of Durham. I have not personally heard of this organization, so I cannot advocate for donations on their behalf because of this game. However, the end result of the game could lead to donations to this or other worthy organizations, which could be seen as a form of intrinsic satisfaction that the player receives due to the game.

While the designers probably didn't use the ARCS model when creating the game, it's interesting to see that it can be applied in so many ways to a variety of software, apps, and tutorial programs.

I came across a web site that intrigued me, even though I am not a K-12 classroom teacher. Their concept of Project Based Learning as a motivational construct is something that may have possibilities in the corporate world where I develop training.

At first blush, I thought that the author had read Keller or was familiar with the ARCS model but after having read their section on Student Motivation, it became clear that they had developed their model based on other research. They began their description of how PBL could increase student motivation by identifying how students’ attention would be heightened in the process of choosing different strategies and approaches to their learning. They established relevance in their summation at the bottom of the first web page. “Learners who can see the connection between a project based task and the real world will be more motivated to understand and solve the problem at hand.” I don’t know if Keller would have stated it any differently. Stating that students gain a “sense of ownership and control over their own learning” pretty clearly show how their confidence is enhanced through this learning process. Finally, the process encouraged teachers to provide a self-evaluation tool that would give the students an opportunity to reflect on their accomplishment and instill an intrinsic responsibility for their own learning. This capped the model and identified the satisfaction factor.

Without one reference to Keller, they built a pretty good defense of the ARCS model and clearly showed how it could apply to the PBL process they linked it to.

The Gardening Guide

The Gardening Guide From Mother Earth News

Here’s a great app/game for both Apple and Android tablets. I recently began using this app during the summer and discovered I enjoyed the app as equally as harvesting my own crops. Instead of playing Farmville on Facebook, my wife and I decided to give it a try in our yard. Our lack of skills/knowledge to plant and care for plants was our lack of motivation. My wife and I are very competitive and she insisted she didn’t need an app to assist her. So we decided to make this into a game/experiment. I would use the app meanwhile she would go by fate. Given my “techy” background, I quickly found this incredible app called, The Gardening Guide.

The app guided me through the process and provided tips and information on a specific plant. It caught my attention immediately because of the title: Garden Guide. I wanted a one-stop app where I can inform myself how to plant and how to take care of our crops. The interface is easy and very informative which caught my attention. Meanwhile the app guided me through the process of planting my crops, soon became very relevant as I needed to read and follow instructions. 

Throughout the season, I began to feel very confident about my crops; they were looking much healthier than my wife’s. The app gave me confidence to read ahead on other plants and expand my crop. An interesting feature that included was the ability to take a picture with your tablet and write or record your voice about the progress of your seed. Seeing the progress and final harvest, definitely sets the mood for satisfaction. Incredibly, I now find my nieces interested in using this app to plant and experiment with their own vegetables at home. This is a great example how the ARCS model can catch your interest/attention to motivate you into learning something new.

Engineering Energy Efficiency

With the recent focus on STEM, one of my tasks is to be aware of relevant curriculum that schools can use.  I have found that Concord Consortium has created several real-world situations problem solving sites.  The one I am focusing on today is: Engineering Energy Efficiency. This project investigates the educational value of computational models and simulations within the design process. Students design and build an energy-efficient scale-model house with the aid of simulations and probeware. (http://www.concord.org/projects/engineering-energy#cc1)

Attention: This module immediately gets a student's attention as it is a real-world problem that has no absolute solution.  Students are able to use their skills to solve something meaningful.  The interactions are real, using interactive tools the replicate what professionals use.  Students use computers to solve problems which often gets their attention.










Relevance:  This simulation is directly relevant to a real-world problem.  With all of the emphasis on green technologies, there is a need to learn how to build energy efficient housing.  The project uses the skills students have in math, science, and engineering

Confidence:  There are many steps the students go though in building their models.  Students are guided through each step, gradually building their skills need for the project.  This gradual build-up of their skills and working towards the final product should give the students the confidence they need to be successful.

Satisfaction:  There is satisfaction in completing a project with an unique solution and being able to present that solution to peers.  If the student goes thorough all of the steps, they should design a final product they are proud of and can demonstrate a meaningful answer to a real problem they could face as adults.

Lumosity reclaim your brain, motivating learning site

The motivating learning website I visited is Lumosity.com, an interactive learning website that has content designed to help learners improve brain health and performance and learning activities that helps learners improve memory, speed, attention, flexibility and problems solving. Learners can sign-up for an accounts which offers three free sessions of basic training for memory attention and speed. With a paid account the learner has to courses, games, assessments, and brain profiles. Lumosity tells the learner that every brain needs a gym and presents opportunity to customize learning that meets the learners’ needs. The learner can sharpen memory, focus attention, reach peak performance and enhance creativity.

How the ARCS Model is Applied in the Lumosity Bird Watcher Game

Attention - Lumosity Bird Watcher Game for exercising attention in the brain uses some of the following techniques for gaining and sustaining attention including:

Perceptual Arousal: – What playing the bird watching game, a bird flashes very briefly in a certain location on the screen and at the same time a certain letter of the alphabet which is part of a bird’s name of the bird flashes also appears briefly. The learner clicks the screen to the location where the learner thinks the bird flashed on the screen and remember the character that flashed on the screen.

Inquiry Arousal: - Learner can choose a game that appeal to their interests. With the bird watcher game, learners are presented with a scenario to choose the correct characters that represent a bird’s name. These visual aids for choosing the correct characters methods are used to increase the learner participation.

Variability: Vary the layout and style throughout the bird watching games. After completing each game the learner is presented with a different background and a different bird scenario. After the learner has completed the bird watching scenario, a screen appears which allows the learner to guess the name of the bird to complete the game.

Relevance To establish Relevance the Lumosity Bird Watcher games appears to increase the learner’s motivation to learn by connecting and building bridges between what the learner currently knows and to succeed in the game that improves attention and move to games that improves memory and speed.

Goal Orientation: the Learner is presented with goals for achievement for improving the brain with basic training for attention, memory and speed. The learner is presented with the goal for successfully achieving points in the Bird Watcher before moving on to the next two basic training games for memory and speed.

Motive Matching: One of the learners motives for achieving success in the Bird Watcher game is to determine how well the learner’s brain will respond to success based on the effort they give to play the games.

Familiarity – The Lumosity Bird Watcher game ties learners’ previous knowledge of birds, and experience of spelling and recognizing birds.

Confidence- The learner is given the opportunity to succeed in interactive games for training the brain that starts with basic games for memory, speed and attention. The Lumosity Bird Watcher game is one of the basic training games that build the learner’s confidence on how well the brain responses to exercises for the attention aspects of the brain.

Learning requirements: Lumosity encourages learners to finish each of the games in each training session (i.e., memory, attention and speed) to maximize the effectiveness of your training program.

Success Opportunities: After completing each game, score cards are presented to build the students confidence and to show success in the games and offers course progress levels.

Personal Control: as a basic game, the Bird Watcher game can start with low-level difficulty that gives the learners a feeling of confidence in being successful in the game or start with a more difficult game as a paid subscriber.

Satisfaction: Lumosity gives feedback and reinforcement during the Bird Watcher game which appears to be used to provide learner satisfaction through a sense of achievement. Learners are given immediate visual feedback when they click the screen at the location where they believe the bird appeared. Positive reinforcement occurs when the learner clicks the correct location, because the learner is then given the opportunity to guess what letter from the alphabet appeared when the bird appeared. However, negative reinforcement occurs if the learner clicks the incorrect location, because then, the learner is presented with an error message and the learner is not given an opportunity to guess the letter. The learner is given an opportunity to appreciate the results to evaluate their success in the game.

Achieve 3000

Achieve 3000 is a new program we're using at school that our English department really pushed for because of the motivating, educational features that help enhance reading and reading comprehension. Since I work at a middle school, we use teenbiz3000.com which is directed towards a teen audience. This isn't a free resource, but I highly recommend this program if you or your school is looking for a motivating resource that helps improve reading and comprehension. Students take a lexile/level set test at the beginning to determine reading levels and then daily, students are sent high interest articles tailored to their individual reading levels. Students then complete activities involved with the text in order to practice reading skills. Seemingly, this seems like a dull resource, but the cool thing about Achieve 3000 is that students have avatars, earn points, and can collect achievements that boost their daily point totals. It's a highly competitive program.

Attention: Students instantly attach to this program because of the attention grabbing headlines they are sent in their mailboxes. Each day teenbiz sends all students enrolled in the program a high interest article with attention grabbing pictures to student teenbiz mailboxes. Students actually get excit ed to read because the articles are interesting and they continue to read because they are at a reading level they can comprehend. Not to mention, the minute students take their initial placement assessment to determine reading levels, students have the opportunity to set up their profile with an avatar of their choice. The avatar really grabs students attention because it makes the program seem more game like.

Relevance: The program aligns with English standards due to the reading and writing activities shown in the program. The articles reaffirm relevance because they are usually based on current events so students relate the content to the world around them...they see the information as useful outside of the classroom. Lastly, a really incredible feature on achieve3000 is the ability to search and assign articles to your students. So if we're studying something in English I can look for an article that relates to what we're studying on achieve 3000 and assign it to my students. This means that students make better content to life connections inside and outside of the classroom.

Confidence: Achieve 3000 definitely builds confidence to to the point system and achievement system the program uses. Each activity gives students points. There are also achievements students can earn based on exceptional work. Teachers can also assign some of the achievements available. So, as students progress through the program they gain confidence because they get instant feedback on their activities, earn points, and earn achievements. Another confidence builder is feature that students can be featured as the "daily high score" for the school. So all students are striving to get the daily high score. Not to mention, as students progress through articles and activities they learn better reading strategies and that starts reflecting in their scores therefore giving them confidence.

Satisfaction: The more points students earn the more satisfaction they feel with the program. Achieve 3000 doesn't just track daily points but also keeps record of the cumulative value. Students feel satisfied when their points are high because they know they are mastering language arts skills. Students feel satisfied as they earn achievements for showing their skills. Students feel satisfied when I get to enable the "game" features when they show successful achieve 3000 use because they know they get to play the games when they've accomplished a task with success.

Free Baseball Instruction for Coaches

Recently I was looking for tips on how to improve my coaching. I had played all my life, but was looking for a different perspective. I stumbled on this website and knew I had found a "coaching home". This website has everything you need to know about baseball from drills for the players to ways to enhance your coaching skills.

Attention- As you can see the website itself is an attention getter. The bright colors scream "look at me" as soon as you land on it. I personally was drawn in by the 12 menus that had particular components of baseball. At first I thought I was going to get a video of some sort, but instead was offered a plethora of choices as far as articles that I could read. I was in baseball heaven.

Relevance- Truly this is the best part of the website. Why you ask? Well, you would think being a baseball/softball website the articles would only pertain to that sport. Wrong! The articles pertain to ALL SPORTS....or anything where you find something such as a good "mental game" pertinent. One article is "10 things kids don't want their parents to do" written by a child Psychologist. I found this particular part of the website very well done and every article I saw had something that I could read and use in many parts of my life, not just coaching.

Confidence & Satisfaction- I would think anyone, such as myself, who stumbles on this website would be intrinsically motivated to find information, therefore have confidence and be satisfied when they saw how powerful and informational of a website it is. As soon as I started perusing the different components I learned where to go to read 170 different instructional articles and drills for coaches.

The one main draw for me though was the fact that all of this information was FREE! Many baseball/softball coaching websites want to charge you a fee to look at their advice. This was an instant satisfier for me....all of these articles, and they were FREE!

Overall I found this website to be an invaluable part of any coaches repotiore. Am ust have. I have never found any other site with this much information for free, as well as it being easily accessible and easy to read.

Third Grade Resource

This summer I found myself browsing websites for some fresh teaching ideas. How could I make the old new again? While searching, I stumbled across a website by another third grade teacher, Beth Newingham. This year, her classroom website takes on the name, Studio 13 and is full of glitz and glamour.

Attention: When I started browsing her website, the first thing that grabbed my attention were all of her examples. She explained how she set up her binders and ideas, but also included concrete examples of the ideas. There were lots of pictures to click on, so that you could understand her ideas. Along with pictures, she also provides videos of these ideas in action.

Relevance: Because I am a classroom teacher, the material that Beth presents in her website and blog is extremely relevant to me. The curriculum and the way the instruction is delivered, via reader’s and writer’s workshop, is identical to our district’s standards. In her blog, you can ask her questions about her ideas and she responds back with a personal answer. The website is also set up, so you can pick and choose what you want to implement. You do not have to do it all!

Confidence and Satisfaction: Because Beth includes so many visuals and step by step instructions, it is easy to become successful with implementing her projects. As a teacher using her website to learn and implement new ideas in my classroom, I can select what I want to use and what I do not want to use. I have already implemented many of her strategies in my own classroom and keep coming back for more.

Fun Games

Fun Brain

Funbrain.com allows students to quiz their knowledge in math and reading. Since I'm a Language Arts teacher, my students generally use the reading section of this website where they get help with previewing texts, testing their grammar skills, confusing plurals, word confusion, and root words. As their teacher, I like that this website focuses on many skills that are less focused on in the traditional classroom setting, but are still equally as important.

Attention: My students are instantly drawn to this website because of its colorful, easy to use interface and the fact that it is multileveled. They love that they have the choice of what type of games they want to play and that they get to choose their ability levels.

Relevance: The website offers several different categories that align with English standards. Many of these standards (grammar, spelling, plurals, root words, etc.) are difficult for teachers to motivate students to learn, but they are still a very valuable part of their education. It also includes a section for students to select games based on their current grade level. Learning these skills will help improve their writing tremendously!

Confidence: After the student selects the type of game they'd like to play, they're then asked at what level they'd like to start the game. This gives students at all levels the opportunity to feel confident in their skills. While completing each level, hints are given when wrong answers are chosen, so the student learns from their mistake and does better the next time a similar question is posed. They also include an great HELP section below the game that gives definitions of the words they may be looking for, depending on the level. After each level is completed, the student is then asked if they'd like to challenge themselves at the next level of difficulty, giving the student even more opportunity to expand their knowledge. 

Satisfaction: This is the one are that I think could be improved for this game. Though students scores are tracked within each game and they receive some satisfaction at the end of each level accomplished, I think it would be great if their overall points were kept on the main screen totaling all of their points throughout their time on the website. This could help raise student satisfaction levels even more as well as help teachers keep track of their student's productivity.

Cannon Math

http://funschool.kaboose.com/formula-fusion/number-fun/games/game_cannon_math.html

This is a basic math game built for preschoolers and early elementary school students. It's set in a circus where a the player fires cartoon people out of a cannon and onto a landing pad. Each of the three landing pads has a number below it, which correlate as answers for a simple math problem displayed at the top of the screen. The player must solve the problem, then choose the angle and amount of power to fire their character onto the landing pad with the correct answer.

When I fist stumbled on this game, what really captured my attention was the simple interface and time to practice as much as I needed. It immediately helped build my confidence for the game ahead. Most of us are familiar with this style of game where the player uses angles and power to propel a projectile to a target. However, having a chance to become familiar with the game mechanics before I started playing the game made me feel more comfortable.

Once I started, it was clear that the game's math is aimed at preschool students since it is all basic addition. For that age group, the structure of the game is highly relevant because the process is simple and repetitive, giving the player a chance to practice the skill again and again. Also, there is no time limit on how long the player takes to shoot the cannon so a young player can count out the answer in whatever way they need to. This helps with confidence because the player can determine the answer in the way they find best in the time that they need. From that point the player can focus on getting the cannon to shoot at the right answer.

The game holds the player's attention by changing the scenario just as a level becomes tedious. At first the targets are static, but as the levels progress they start to move. Reaching each new level creates satisfaction as the challenge becomes more difficult. The math does not change difficulty, which can be seen as a plus or a minus. I feel that this is a benefit to a young player because it allows them to continue practicing the skills and start memorizing the formulas, which continues to build confidence.

Cannon Math is a motivating because it holds the player's attention, teaches them relevant skills through repetition that helps build confidence, and offers satisfying levels that are opened at just the right time. Considering the age group it is aimed at, it is a great way to teach simple addition.

Johnnie's Math Page

http://jmathpage.com/

Attention: My students go to the computer lab twice a week, and during that 45 minute block, I can pretty much decide to let my kids work on whatever educational program that I want. The computer lab lady provides me with a list, but my kids have been working on those programs since kindergarten, so they're bored with all of them. I normally have them go on Study Island and Zingy, but they use those programs throughout the week during designated Study Island and Zingy times, so I often feel it's an overkill as well. Wanting my kids to use that time wisely, I happened to stumble upon Johnnie's Math Page, which they all LOVE! It helps them practice their math skills and at the same time, they're very engaged and having fun with the games.

Relevant: What I love most about Johnnie's Math Page is that it covers all of the math topics, and not just a specific topic (e.g. multiplication facts). It's perfect for 5th grade because most of the main points of this school year is part of this website. For example, my kids often have a hard time with converting fractions to decimals and percents. There's two games on the website that covers this topic alone. I really do feel like it correlates with the state standards nicely!

Confidence: Even though my kids should've already mastered their basic multiplication facts by the time they reach 5th grade, most of them come to me without that knowledge. It can get really frustrating (for both the kids and me alike) when they're getting multi-digit multiplication and long division problems wrong because they didn't multiply correctly. Therefore, I made it a priority for them to leave my classroom with that skill. I do a lot of paper drill and kill, and sometimes, they get frustrated. I noticed that after playing the basic multiplication facts games on Johnnie's Math, they get better at my paper drill and kill in the classroom. It also transfers to their other math assignments. I've had my kids go on Johnnie's Math Page for 3 years now, and each year, I see how my kids' confidence levels have gone up!

Satisfaction: Everyone, but especially little kids, like instant gratification. No matter which game the kids' select, they get their results instantly. It's very heartwarming when my kids call me over just to show my their high scores. They even call me over to tell me that they didn't do too well this time around, but that they're going to beat it next time!

Cool Math Games

A common struggle of mathematics teachers is holding a student’s ATTENTION, so any ideas that offer to break up the monotony of drill-and-kill are a welcome addition. Cool Math Games is a website that offers different types of lessons and games. The lessons span from basic arithmetic to pre-calculus, and the different types of games include categories of strategy, skill, numbers, shapes, pictures, logic, and memory.

I must admit that I struggle to find a mathematical relationship to some of the games, yet many of the games are RELEVANT to mathematics and are fun. So far, my two favorites are called Bloxorz and B-Cubed.

Bloxorz is a game in which the goal is to put a moveable block into a square hole. The block, which are two cubes stuck together, is moved around a world of squares that are stuck together. In the world, a player must navigate narrow pathways, bridges, and sidelines. This game is great for students who are developing their spatial abilities, for the block can only move on its side two squares at a time or on its end one square at a time. The block will fall over the edge if its side or end does not cover the squares that make up the world, but the game will start over again at the same level, so a player can build their CONFIDENCE by learning from their mistakes and adjusting their strategy.

B-Cubed is a game in which the goal is to slide a moveable cube onto a red square and in the process eliminate all the grey squares that make up the world. As the player moves beyond a grey square that held it in the previous step, the square falls off the world and can no longer be used. It’s a good tool for students because it helps them to strategically plan moves in anticipation of having enough grey squares to get to the red square. Another positive aspect is that there are some situations where the world can be conquered by more than one method—similar to solving an equation in more than one way. After a player conquers a world they enter a new more difficult world, so one experiences SATISFACTION in developing their skills and knowing they are well prepared for their next challenge.

Villainy Inc: Thwarting World Supremacy through Mathematics

Villainy Inc: Thwarting World Supremacy Through Mathematics

While searching for a site for this post I came across a great educational site where students use math to try to thwart the evil plans of Dr. Wick and his sidekick Platypus (Platy). Following the Dr. Evil model for world domination, students work as double agents working for the Anti-Villainy Unit (AVU) to thwart the zany plans Dr. Wick and Platy come up with. Math problem-solving skills are put to the test as you try to solve unique and complex mathematical problems using statistics, probability, algebra, geometry, decimals, percents, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and negative numbers.

These problems are posed as two separate missions for you to solve-
Mission #1- Dr. Wick wants to build a golf course over the Gulf of Mexico. I know, silly but surprisingly complex as you are in charge of building the course to cater to Dr. Wick's "mad" golf skills (no trees, flat ground, no curves, easy.) Students must build the course to Dr. Wick's specifications, find the area of the course then calculate the amount of materials necessary. Tools such as a ruler, calculator and notepad are available on the site.

Mission #2- Dr. Wick has bought several major fast-food chains and is trying to plant, toys that have subliminal messages in them to get people to eat at his restaurants. The missionis to design the most cost-effective children's meals, study population statistics to determine the cities with the most and least amount of children then determine the costs of setting up a franchise. Again, the multi-step problems utilize many math skills and problem-solving techniques.

Attention The site does a good job in stimulating and sustaining the user's attention. The topics are introduced problematically and you are tasked with finding a solution. The double agent role is exciting and maintained throughout the site with several variations in tasks. Information is presented in a variety of ways, on the one hand you are involved in conference calls with Dr. Wick where you are briefed by his Dr. Evilesque animated character and on the other hand you receive secret spy messages from headquarters throughout your mission. Highly engaging for middle school students. The site is also easy to use and navigate the movies are narrated and checklists and tables are utilized to maintain your attention.

Relevance Designing a golf course and establishing a franchise clearly stimulate problem-solving, achievement striving behavior. The site builds on what they have learned in class and challenges their problem-solving abilities. Learners can choose either of the missions based on their interest level then work cooperatively to calculate the math problems. The benefits of the program I believe are self-evident, students are developing math skills that will greatly benefit them in their future academic and possibly professional endeavors. Learning the skills, thought processes and mathematical reasoning and calculations necessary to design a golf course and establish a franchise are activities which can have many applications and implications for future use.

Confidence The content of the site is organized clearly, sequentially and is very easy to follow. Beginning with a brief meeting with Dr. Wick to discuss your task, then receiving secret messages from your unit during the task help the learner know what is expected of them. In addition, tasks are sequenced from simple to difficult and the learner is not able to move on to the next step until their current step is completed correctly. However, the learners are given assistance in the form of "teammates and the AVU headquarters" At any time you can call for help from someone with specific math strengths such as, estimation, identifying key parts of a problem, drawing examples etc. The learners are given control over the amount and time they might need help and receive positive reinforcement when a task is completed.

Satisfaction Feedback is given throughout the mission in the form of checks on a checklist and positive reinforcement. Once data is submitted to Dr.Wick the learner is taken back to the conference room where they receive enthusiastic praise form Dr. Wick and Platy as well as the next part of the mission. The messages from the AVU also support the learner's success with acknowledgments of that success and praise. The skills build on each other in each separate mission and the answers to the calculations are used throughout the mission. In the end, the learner gets to see the results of all of their hard work, receives praise for foiling Dr. Wick's plans and gets to see Dr. Wick and Platy disappointingly accept defeat...until the next time.

Fun yet challenging site for middle school kids that directly involves them in unique standards based instruction. There are many supports for teachers and parents and great suggestions for introducing this activity to your students.