Diversity in front of simplicity

When I'm talking about how I connect tech to the SAMR model in my examples it's exactly that part I'm talking about. The technology. But of course SAMR can be used even without 'tech', so far I havn't talked about that. 

When I use technology I try to use it as effective as it's possible for the moment. Therefor I reach different levels on the model and it's not always necessary to reach the higher levels. But when describing the steps how it would be possible to go there I hope I (or you my readers) could see how it would be possible to reach higher and hopefully without modify your own goals. 

With that said, this is not how I've solved the entire course.

As one of my friends comment on my previous blogpost 

"There should be some common ground between 'traditional teaching' and ICT." 

Of course, that is the key to success: to keep our students' interest, we have to vary our teaching so it's always interesting. A course full of powerpoints or minecraft won't make it! I have to use my whole toolbox and no matter what tool, I can be successfull if I use SAMR. The technology, as well as SAMR model, is totally useless unless I have an idea what I want to deliver. 

I want to take my teaching to a place where it's interesting to the students and I'm pretty sure they learn in another way that we're used to. So I have to step out of my comfort zone, and walk to their spot and deliever. And that's not always the easiest.

What comes to the project "Business administration with World of Warcraft" we never did play the game during the lectures, we mostly used PowerPoints and the whiteboard. However, when using World of Warcraft as a sandbox, we could draw parallels between reality and into a virtual world the participants were interested in. By doing that we have not had to modify our goals, we achieve them anyway. And as a result of that, we could meet halfway with many good and often lengthy discussions, unlike the traditional manner with the textbook examples when the students most often are sleeping.

We do not really need to learn and master the game, it's enough that we are interested in our students' interest and use this to our advantage. 

We took advantage of both parties knowledge to achieve a common goal, and that might be a step to the question "How do I utilise knowledge by choosing this or that?"

Think SAMR ain't easy!

Again, thinking SAMR isn't the easiest. 

When I use a game in education like Minecraft I usually feel like I'm already on step three of the SAMR model but instead of accept the fact I start to think: why? How can I already be on the modification-level? As important as it is to hit a higher level, to really take advantages of tech, it's to understand how I came there. What have I done that's different with the other times, except "just" use a game (in education)? 

When you do some googling there's loads of examples of how you reach level 1-2 or level 3-4, but it's very rare to have the whole progress listed.

Sometimes I have to accept I'm on an higher level and start from there but my goal is to explain every single step, because I guess it would help me master the model. And yes, I know there's lots of critics against it but hey, it's just a model to support you.

When we use the Gamification tool Didactor - 14 games in one platform - I guess this is what happens:

Substitution

Technology is used for processes that were possible before its introduction. We replace pen and paper to computers and the Internet.

Augmentation

Technology is used for processes that were possible before but they simplify and improve the performance.

Basically, students have the same type of information as before but it is easier for both teachers and students to make the data, it improves performance because the students get immediate feedback and the teachers have more time in the classroom.

Modifcation

Learning process begins designed in a new way because of the access to technology. Learning is developed.

Didactor has given students the opportunity to increase self-awareness and reflection, the students are no longer satisfied to complete the course without strive for higher ratings. Teachers are more present during the lessons, it's more fun to teach and they have a better chance of preventing learning problems. Learning is developed for both parties.

Redefinition

Technology is used that allows the creation of new tasks that were previously impossible. But we have not yet reached the fourth and final stage because we have not yet redefined data and questions.

Fourth level is important to show even though we didn't reached that level this time because it makes us thinking, what to do next?

Business administration with WoW?

What comes to Economics with World of Warcraft, a project we completed yesterday I have to accept to start from the third level.

Using a computer game (in this case, World of Warcraft) differs from traditional teaching in the classroom. Suddenly we have gained access to a concrete case in which our students can perform financial transactions that affect their way of understanding how financial markets work from a digital, social and educational content that both affect and are important to them. By the digital world as World of Warcraft adds, we can execute trades in a way that had not been possible with just paper and pencil because there already exists an economic system in the game, that students are very interested in (third level of SAMR: modification).

Even beyond our educational mission, the project idea is already alive and exist, it creates entirely new conditions that would not be possible in a regular classroom situation (fourth stage of SAMR: redefinition).

The trade that students make in the game affect other players who are not part of the task, which makes their actions have a greater impact than just within the school framework. This in turn means that students take greater responsibility and understand that every action has a consequence on other players, just as it is in the financial market where all the transfers have consequences.

Am I satisfied with the summary?

I'm satisfied getting such a good summary of level 3-4 but I'm still thinking what happened on level 2.