Engaging+Students+on+their+Turf

Engaging Students on their "Turf”

Quest Atlantis http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/ transformational play students are protagonists in Quest Atlantic they need to make sense of a situation students make choices Free

(there is one on bullying!)

Teacher provided with a unit – e.g. fish are dying in a lake. Blend of computer and class time Pre and post test are available (u Done in cooperative groups (not all are) Students provided with necessary resources.

All students are required to keep a notebook

Problem: Fish are dying in a lake Students are presented with choices: Stop logging Farmers – stop using fertilizer Fishing – stop fishing

Advantages Free Safe, secure site Curriculum based units Encourages good writing Develops critical thinking skills Focus on social responsibilities (big focus in this area)

Suggestions/Need to Know: Students need to be aware of the expectations of being appropriate online. They will be found out (e.g. an entire online conversation can be printed and you will be notified if the student is mis-behaving Students should have written permission from home – understand it is a gaming environment but tied to curriculum Parents should know what the students are doing Does not work well on “thin clients”

Tech Requirements Need to have computer for each student on a regular basis Program has to be installed on all computers (to get into it) It is an online environment

Benefits Actively engaging Diverse groups

Teachers must take training Must have more than 1 teacher from the school participating 1 ½ hours for 3 weeks Training is via Skypes Teachers must read and evaluate student work (not just theirs) – maybe 2-3 per day and they are very short Must have a program coordinators

Students have the opportunity to chat with others. Limit text messaging and use formal language. Inappropriate language is noticed and teachers will be informed.