P-Town FH Coach

Final Harry Potter Post

2008-04-03T17:38:00.002-04:00

After I got my but whooped in round 2 by Germany I went back and completed some more house challenges. In the house challenges I learned how to complete more moves and I earned more quidditch cards. When I returned to world cup action I was more skilled and had an easier time. I was able to win the world cup by beating Spain. The score was close and it took me two tries to beat them. So in a way I mastered the game but I didn't play everything the game has to offer. I could go back in and start over with a different team from Hogwarts.

I must be honest I really didn't enjoy playing Harry Potter on play station. It was a struggle to make myself do it. I was more willing to write my paper than play a video game. I'm not sure why exactly. It's just not something I enjoy. Maybe if i was playing a game more oriented for girls but I don't think so.

I have been trying to think about how this game is educational and I can't come up with very much. You can buy things with your quidditch cards you earn so I guess you could put a mathematical spin on it. There is teamwork involved when playing the games. I was much more successful in the matches when I continuously passed the quaffle. when I used higher level skills I earned more points and the snitch appeared quicker in the game. Whoever catches the snitch signifies the winner. The graphics on the game were good I thought. The game is a few years old and I know that graphics have come a long way since the game was created.

Well based on this experience I don't foresee myself playing alot of video games in the future.

World Cup Matches

2008-03-31T16:54:00.002-04:00

I have finally made it to the next level in Harry Potter. I had to play Gryffendor again and i was able to get a higher score than last time and I kept them from scoring as many points. Once I succeeded in beating Gryffendor it unlocked the World Cup matches. i no longer played for the Huffle Puff team but they were there cheering me on. I chose a country to play for(England) and then I played matches against other countries. My first match against France I lost. That was the first match that I lost. The competition is much more difficult. I really needed to use my advanced skills, but I'm not that good at them yet. When I played France again I was able to win. I have successfully made it through round 1 of the World Cup. I will continue to play this week. I keep earning quidditch cards and I was able to upgrade to a better broom for the cup matches.

Harry Potter

2008-03-22T21:02:00.003-04:00

Well I have been playing a little here and there, but tonight but i made some serious progress. I mastered all the house challenges which gave me advantages during the matches. When I master a challenge my team earns Quidditch cards. I finally got through the match with Ravenclaw and moved on to playing Slytherin. I played Gryffendor next. It was the toughest match thus far. I was finally able to beat them. My score wasn't as high as when I played the other teams but I managed to pull out a win. I used my combination passes and the special moves to win the match. I won the Quidditch Cup and now my team Huffle Puff will play in the world cup. I can choose to play teams such as Spain, England, France, Australia, or Germany. I will continue to play and advance in the game.

Video Games in the Classroom

2008-03-09T17:20:00.004-04:00

While reading Squire's piece I couldn't quite figure out what his opinion is. It seems to me that he thinks Civilization for many reasons. But on the other hand I thought he was trying to promote a new literacy. Squire says that this game may not be a good game for the classroom b/c of the difficulties students may face with the game. The students may become frustrated and not really be able to get into the detailed learning that the game offers. He was also saying that he thought that this type of learning would not be accepted in every community. Squire also stated that students felt that learning through video games would not prepare them for their future in traditional educational settings.

I think hypothetically video games can be used in the classroom. What I mean by that is that I think they can be useful and can be another tool used by some students to differentiate instruction. But i don't know that I would introduce video games into my classroom b/c I don't know very much about video games.

I'm wondering if anyone interpreted this research differently and can please share the other side with me.

Are You Having an Identity Crisis?

2008-03-05T14:22:00.003-05:00

Do you think the identity play allowed in many games is beneficial or harmful? Why? How does the identity play in games compare to that in reading different novels and taking on character perspectives?

I think that identity play can be both harmful and beneficial. When children are allowed to create new identities it can be harmful because they may choose to make their character in the game do negative things or make bad choices. It also gives kids a false sense of security. All children do not understand right from wrong or that it's just a game. So maybe their video game identity does something wrong, but doesn't get caught or doesn't get in trouble. The child may attempt a similar action but he/she will get caught and not fully understand why. I think that something like that is rare but I'm sure it does occur. I think that it may be possible for a gamer to become obsessed with the identity they have created. They may want to live their lives similarly to their character in the game. This could potentially cause an identity crisis.

I feel that creating an alternative identity can also have a positive effect on ones life. I believe you can try to feel how another person feels. I realize that video game characters don't necessarily have feelings. In Gee's book it says that many game players choose to create a player who is of the opposite sex. The games are so sophisticated now that by creating an opposite sex character, people might be able to see how the other half lives. Through the game you can create an awareness of what life is like for the opposite sex. This might also help children to be more accepting of people with different personalities. They might learn to be more open to new ideas or new ways or doing things.

I see this in my classroom all the time. Some students do not know how to tolerate another person's idiosyncrasies. I hear them saying all the time "You are so annoying". This could be minimized by students playing video games where they choose a player that is different from themselves. They might not like everything about that character but they must learn to deal with it if they want to be successful at the game. That theory also extends to life. To be successful in life you must be able to get along with many different types of people.

I agree that when a person reads a novel they do the same thing, most of the time you choose books where you can assimilate with the main character. Or at other times you may chose a book because the main character is so different that you would like to live through his or her experiences. The only main difference I see is that with a video game the person is interacting differently. In some games you can chose to change your players attributes such as in Arcanum. Gee decided that he wanted his half-elf Bead-Bead to be stronger so he used one of his points to make her stronger. So I see it as a person making connections to other identities whether it be through a book or a video game.

New Literacies

2008-02-27T20:17:00.002-05:00

I took Dr. Dana's New Literacies class last year so one would think I should have a fabulous grasp on what New Literacies. I understand that literacy has to do with any type of reading or writing and when you look at the "new" part to me it implies that this reading and writing can be found through different medias or multimodal texts. Examples can include blogging, fan fiction, social networking sites, and electronic games.

In my school students are using new literacies all the time. Last year my students wrote fan fiction stories. They typed them into their own blog page and then I posted their blog page to a class blog page. The project was successful and the students had fun doing it.

Everyday students in our school are using compass learning which is a web based site where students learn and practice skills for every subject. The students in my class seem to like and usually stay on task. I assign them tasks based on their reading levels and what skills they are deficient in. Students will continue to learn using these and other new literacies. It can even be said that they might learn more from these new literacies than the old school way of a text book.

Are Video Games A Waste of Time???

2008-02-23T20:14:00.003-05:00

I continued playing Harry Potter today. I am advancing in the game but I'm not all that interested in the game. It's seems like a children's game. I had a hard time remembering which button controlled which skill because as I advanced I learned more skills and needed to use more buttons. I was trying to think about how the game involves strategy or problem solving skills. I will have to keep thinking about that. The game does involve teamwork. During the cup matches I play with my team mates of Hufflepuff. I pass the Quaffle and try to shoot and score.

Video games is a new domain for me. I am not familiar with this domain. I am learning but I'm not convinced yet of the value of the learning. If I wasn't playing my video game I would be watching TV so I'm not sure how much learning takes places while I'm doing that either.

I like Video Games!!!

2008-02-21T19:59:00.002-05:00

Well I just started playing Harry Potter on Play Station 2. I played for an hour and my thumb started to get sore b/c i'm not used to playing video games. lol I picked the Hufflepuff team b/c I like the name "Hufflepuff". When I picked up the controller I was a little frighten that I wouldnt know how to use it b/c it has so many buttons. But when I started each practice activity it explained which button did what. I only had to use 2 buttons and the left joystick nob so it wasn't too bad. I won my first Quidditch match because I caught the seeker but i didn't score the most goals. I did much better in my second match. I scored 23 goals in the second match. In the first match i was confusing the two buttons. The circle button is for scoring and the x button is for passing and tackling. I beat Ravenclaw twice and now maybe I will "be allowed" to play in the Quidditch cup against another team. Hopefully I will have more time to play 2moro. I doing a snow dance!!!!!

How Do I Learn?

2008-02-13T13:49:00.003-05:00

I have always been an auditory learner. When I was in high school my mother read me Lord of the Flies because I just couldn't get through it reading it silently. When in college I always went to class and took notes that was how learned. If the teacher is talking I can be listening and playing on the computer at the same time and still remember what she said. When I need to memorize something I say it out loud over and over again. When I try to read something my mind just wanders. I often need to reread paragraphs or sentences b/c I realized that I had no idea what I read. I just can't stay focused. It doesn't matter if it is educational or reading for pleasure.

I would have to agree with Vygotsky's theory of social learning. I am definitely a social learner. I learn through my experiences of going places and talking to different people about different things. In elementary school the teachers would tell my mother that if they went out the room for a minute I would be able to report to them everything that happened in the classroom while they were gone. I am always aware of everything and every conversation that goes on around me. I don't have the ability to block things out.

When it comes to my classroom I would say that I teach to the auditory learner. We read just about everything aloud in my class, that is for 2 reasons: low readers and I want to make sure they are actually reading it. My students lack prior knowledge about many different things. I try to provide prior knowledge and connect it to something they know about. I am not well connected to the rap world so it becomes a little difficult sometimes. I try to make connections to sports to spark their interest. We have 10 minutes of silent reading everyday so I hope that I am able to meet the needs of all my students in one way or another.

MEDI 506

2008-02-03T14:55:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the first day our Evaluating Media course, I didn't really know what to expect. When we arrived Dr. Dana explained that we will be taking a closer look at video games and evaluating their academic qualities as well as looking at other media sources. I'm not exactly sure what academic qualities the video games will have but I'm eager to find out. And when I tell my students that video games can be learning tools they are probably going to be mad. Then when I tell them that I support them playing video games they are even going to be more shocked (as long as their homework is done of course).

I will admit I dont have alot of experience playing games. I played my cousins Atari when i was real little. Then we got our own Nintendo but that was the only gaming system i ever really played. My sister and her husband have a wii and I have played it a few times but that's it. I think I would like the waitressing game that Dr. D mentioned.

I would like to respond about the video we watched in class also. I don't think the parents in Jessica's town should have called the principal. It is not the school's business. I think if the parent was that concerned then they should have contacted Jessica's parents. I don't think the provocative pictures should be on her site but I also dont think her parents should have made her take down the website maybe just some of the more risque pictures. Jessica's parents should monitor Jessica's site and allow her to photograph herself but in the pictures she should wear a little more clothing. She can still express herself wearing whatever she would like just not lingere. I am interested in watching the rest of the video clips b/c it is so real to me b/c the footage is from kids around here.

Reflection

2007-04-18T17:29:00.000-04:00

I was quite surprised by everything i learned and how I am now trying to think differently about reading and new literacies. I had never taken an online course before so I didn't know how i was going to respond. i was able to keep up with all the readings and I even read them. I learned many things that will help my students. I am going to try to accept watever my students are reading. As long as they are actually reading I am satisfied. If I make some of them read a novel, they will just stare at the pages.

I think that blogging would be a great activity for my students. They could keep a personal journal. i am thinking about assigning blogging time instead of silent reading time. They would like it becuase it has to do with the computer and most of my students do not have access to a computer at home.

I really like the idea of fan fiction. It is very difficult to get my students interested in learning. Through fan fiction they will already be interested in the stories so it will make teaching writing alot easier.

I found the reading about gaming to be eye opening. Before the reading i never viewed a video game as any type of learning activity. I can now see that gaming can develop problem sloving skills along with many other things that can be used in the classroom.

I liked the structure of the class. i never felt at a loss. I knew Dr. D was just an email away.

Update on my life....

2007-04-11T10:07:00.000-04:00

just incase anybody cares. Easter was nice. My sister had Easter and her husbands family came over. We get along with them well and we had a fun day. It was little crazy becuase there were 3 dogs running around and barking during dinner. My sister has a 2 yr old black lab and a 3 month old black lab. Bodie the litttle one is quite the devil. We played the 90's game and I was on the winning team with my brother-in-law. I have been working like crazy to get my grad work done so I can go to FL next week and not be stressed. I went to my first yankee game of the season last week. It was freezing cold. It even snowed!!!! I hope the week goes by quickly!!!!!

You Tube

2007-03-22T19:42:00.002-04:00

I didn't realize we had to post about You Tube also. Yesterday I was listening to the radio and Rocky Allen was talking about Lilly Tomlin and the I Heart Huckabees movie. There is a video posted of the director going crazy and screaming outrageous obscenities at Tomlin right on the set of the movie. So I checked it out. The director was crazy. I also watched Hillary Clinton sing the National Anthem. She wasn't very good. Today I went on b/c I reread our assignment. I typed in field hockey and up popped pages and pages of videos on field hockey. I watched some of them. I think You Tube is neat. It is another source of information that is available to everyone who has a computer. It would be fun to browse through if a person has ALLLLOOOOTTT of time.

Hopkin Green Frog

2007-03-20T13:16:00.000-04:00

Well that was interesting. I dont know if i really believe the story or how much i believe. The idea of a meme is the internet form of the old school game telephone. The story is constantly changing and being spread across the world via the internet. The information can be in the form of rumors. The meme on the "60 minutes" piece was surprising because I view 60 Minutes as a reputable source of information. But I dont know where to find the truth. There is even a wikipedia page on the Hopkin Green Frog. Why did this issue become so large scale across the internet? Where is the orginal news story?

I think a meme is something valuable to tell my students about becuase it will show them why they shouldn't believe everything they read.

Reading

2007-03-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

I hate to say this but I am not a reader. I have never enjoyed reading. My mother used to take me to the library but it was never a hobby I enjoyed. I was an active child. I enjoyed playing outside.

Reading did not come that easily to me. Now I am a Reading Teacher! Go firgure. I encourage my students to read and i let them read things they enjoy during silent reading time b/c if i dont let them pick, they wont read at all! I help my students pick books that are on their level and books that they are interested in. I try to make reading fun and interesting for my students.

I dont mind reading off of the computer and i think that technology has increased the time I spend reading. i will read the news online. I email people often instead of talking to them on the phone. I believe all the typing and emailing I do enhances my writing skills. In the New Literacies book they made reference that the computer has become the telephone and the telephone has become the computer. I used to call people to say hello and what's up now I send an email or a text message.

The Matrix

2007-03-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

I was not thrilled about having to watch The Matrix. I had seen it once before but I didn't remember it because I didn't like or really understand it. I went over to my sister's and watched it with her and my brother-in-law. He likes the movie and was able to explain some things to me which helped. I am just not a fan of Science fiction, alternate reality, computer mumbo jumbo kinda stuff. I just can't relate to all of "unreal" or "impossible" things this movie discusses, but then when you think about it is it so impossible. I probably won't be around when or if any the technology of the movie becomes available.

Last Week

2007-03-01T10:10:00.002-05:00

I was on vacation all last week which was nice. I had a good weekend watching the Daytona 500 with my friends and family. On President's Day I went skiing with my sister. We didnt last to long, but it was fun.

I ordered new skis online. I payed extra to have them by Thursday b/c I was going skiing again on Fri/Sat. The skis arrived on time but to my dismay they were ugly. What can i say? I am a girl and I shop by color. So i had to pay to ship them back. A few days after I shipped them back they were returned to me!! ugggg. That was annoying!!! I took them back to the post office and we resent them. I didnt have to pay anything extra.

I worked on my graduate work basically all day on Tues, Weds, and Thurs of last week. That was not too fun much but I wasn't doing anything else.

I went away with my friends to Lake Placid this past weekend. We had a great time. Everyone liked the hotel i found. The skiing was tough for me b/c im not in shape. My legs were burning. We ate and drank plenty. We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner Sat night and the food was fabulous. The pasta was homemade!!! I had the most delicious tortellini with vodka sauce I have ever had and a bottle of wine!!!

It's started to snow Sunday and i was hoping for a snow day. Well my school was not off but I didnt go to school b/c at 10pm we called the fire dept. We had a chimney fire. The house was smokey, the roof was damaged and the chimney is shot but thankfully everybody is ok. So we can't use the wood burning for the rest of the year. That is how we heat our whole house.

So this week seems to be going by fairly fast, thank goodness. I need to watch The Matrix for my grad class and i am not looking forward to it. I didn't like the movie the first time i saw it. This time I will be watching for media so i will have another focus.

Myspace

2007-02-20T12:37:00.000-05:00

I made my myspace page. It was not that easy to navigate. I had to have a friend talk me through it. She helped me add a background and music. That was not easy either. I made my page private so only people I invite can see my page. I tried searching for Dr. Dana and I couldn't find her page. I don't even know if she has a page but I would think so. I don't understand how to search for people. Good Luck to everyone.

Anime as a link to writing...

2007-02-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

I found the second reading about anime to be very interesting. I think it is great that the two girls Eileen and Rhiannon are writing stories. No matter what they are about. I think about it being similar to me giving my students a picture prompt and telling them to write a story or read a book and write an alternate ending to the story. It seemed as if their writing was more of a science fiction type of writing but I'm not sure. I would love for my students to be able to write a story based from anime or manga. Whatever keeps them interested!!!

YEAH SNOW FINALLY!!!

2007-02-13T19:43:00.000-05:00

I know most people don't love the snow but I do. It is so pretty falling from the sky so innocently. I live in Sussex county where they have forecasted 15-20 inches by the time all is said and done. So I guess I will be taking a snow day even if my district doesn't have one. Sorry everybody who must go to work!! I hope it snows as much as in that picture. I am in the yellow jacket with my best friend. The yellow lab is my best friends and the black lab is my sisters. I hope everyone has a happy snow day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahh I wish I was there!!!

2007-02-08T21:00:00.002-05:00

New Literacies HUH???

2007-02-07T13:43:00.000-05:00

What exactly are they trying to say about new literacies?? One minute I think I understand what they are trying to say: that new literacies are a broad topic that cover many aspects of reading and writing. Then in the next paragraph they are saying something that totally confuses me. The only concrete thing I got out of chapter one was that culture and society effect literacy. I agree with that because I can see a difference from where I teach (East Orange) and the suburbs. The expectations are at total ends of the spectrum.

Chapter two seems to be a little more reader friendly. I am trying to grasp the concept between web 1.0 and web 2.0. So basically Web 1.0 is outdated and it is being replaced with Web 2.0? But Web 1.0(netscape) is still accessible.

I agree that kids are more capable of being able to multi-task do to all the media that surrounds them but in my classroom I still only expect them to be doing one thing at a time. I guess maybe that's antiquated thinking but I don't know any other way. I will try to loosen up a bit and accept that students can listen and play with their pen at the same time.

I hope someone can shed some light on what these chapters meant to them.

Is it over yet?

2007-02-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

Is the week over yet? I live for the weekends. I don't hate my job but i just dont want to: get up, deal with traffic, deal with the school politics, or deal the kids' issues and their fighting. I dont mind the kids if they are sitting quietly actively participating in my class, like good little children should do. I just can't stand the arguing and the constant bickering. I'm NOT a teacher!!! I am a babysitter!!!!! We are done with CAPA but now we have the pressure of the ASK test. The administration are not suspending kids becuase it makes them look bad, but how can I possibly prepare them for the test if they are constantly fooling around. I do have a few students who I make me happy. One of my students said she didn't want to go on the field trips because she wanted to stay at school and learn. I'm not sure if that was the really reason though. The next day she said ok I will go on the $7 trip. Last year many of the trips were paid for by the school. Well enough ranting about school.

How about all that grad work I have!!! I have another class besides this one and I have never done that before. Remind me not to do that again.

Well that boy I went on one date with hasn't called me in like a week. So who knows but im not calling him.

So all in all not a particulary good week.

Busy Birthday Week

2007-02-02T16:32:00.000-05:00

It was great that it was my birthday this week but boy was it a busy week. I started off the state department of education in our school for 3 days so everyone was on edge. The principal said it didn't go as well as she had hoped. Then Monday night I went to my other grad class in PA. On Tuesday after work and tutoring I needed to go to the dentist so he could drill and fit me for a crown on my tooth. It didn't hurt as much as last time so thats a bonus. Then Wednesday was my birthday and I ordered pizza for my students who completed all their homework last week. My nice friend Dina made me cupcakes and I appreciate that even though I didn't eat lunch with her. On Wed evening I went to a field hockey coaching clinic and I didn't get home until 10pm. I called Dan the guy I went out with last weekend and he didn't ask me to do anything this weekend but we were both busy opposites night on the weekend and Sunday is Superbowl. So who knows whats going to happen with that. On Thursday I went out to eat with my family and best friend. We went to a Japanese hibachi restaurant where they cook the food in front of you. Tonight(Fri) I'm going to dinner with another friend and hanging out. Tomorrow I am attending a 30th birthday party by going to a jewelery making place. And of Sunday I will be doing graduate work and attending a superbowl party. Whew what a weekend! Anyone else doing anything fun?

Zero to Six

2007-01-30T10:41:00.000-05:00

Wow I always thought that kids watch too much TV, but Im am usually thinking about children older than six. Many of these findings shed some light on why kids are the way they are. Children don't know how to entertain themselves anymore in this fast paced world. Everything is media driven including their toys. What ever happened to lincoln logs and dolls?

My parents used to make me go outside and play and now in many communitites that is unsafe. Maybe the safest thing to do is to sit your child down in front of the TV? Who knows!! I am not a parent yet but I am a teacher so I understand the value of reading to children and having them read to you. I was never interested in reading. My mother likes to read but my father doesnt like to read. So would i have turned out differently if i liked to read. I think that it is just one of the characteristics that make us all different. I think this would be a very boring world if everyone's favorite hobby was reading. I dont have anything against reading and i think it's a valuable way to spend time.

• What is/are the key issue(s) lying behind this text?
It appears that media is definitley having an effect on young children. I think argument can be made that the effects are positive and negative. The children are learning but what are they learning.

The Date and The Dinner Party

2007-01-27T11:19:00.000-05:00

Well I went on the date last night. I would say it well. We went to dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants. It was delicious and we talked for 3 1/2 hours. We talked about our jobs and life. The conversation just flowed. There was a table full of drunken 40 yr old women who made some extra entertainment. So I'm hopefully we will go out again. We didn't make any plans, but I'm not worried.

I was nervous about cooking dinner for 8 of my friends b/c I don't cook all that often. The dinner was delicious and we had a great time. We also celebrated my birthday which is the 31st and my friend's b-day which was the 17th. My best friend gave me a paper towel holder. I know that must seem like a ridiculous gift but it wasn't b/c it was an eiffel tower paper towel holder. My kitchen is decorated in a French theme so it was perfect. I love France and all things French. Well the weekend is winding down and I need to do some grad work. Yuck!

BIG WEEKEND

2007-01-24T12:37:00.000-05:00

Well hopefully this weekend will be a success. I am going on a first date which is always exciting yet nerve wracking. This date will be the start of my fun-filled weekend.

On Saturday i will attend graduate class then prepare a meal for my luscious luau. I will be making teriyaki chicken and vegetables for 10 of my friends. Im going with more of an Asian theme rather than Hawaiian food. I dont cook all that much so i have gotten alot of advice from friends and relatives who know how to cook. It will be a fun evening. Some of my friends are dressing up in festive luau gear. I bought luau decorations.

On sunday i will go have breakfast at one of my friend's mother's house. Where hopefully she will tell everyone that she is expecting. i heard a rumor that went through town. They have been trying for a couple of years now so that would be very exciting for them. then i will relax home and read alittle for my Monday night grad class.

I hope everyone has/had a good weekend also.

Class concerns

2007-01-20T11:54:00.000-05:00

I hope to learn things that will help my students. It is very hard to motivate middle school students, but they are inerested in using the computer. I am interested in learning about myspace b/c my high school hockey players use it and i would like to keep up with the times.