Digital Blog Post #E Ch. 4,7 & 9

CONCEPT 1 The first concept that I found interesting in several aspects was the educational practice of using electronic grading software. Initially, it is very self-explanatory. Teachers will use a software the keeps records of grades and will automatically grade assignments in a matter of seconds. There are a couple of advantages to utilizing electronic grading software. One would be that it would cut grading time down drastically. Rather than spending countless hours looking through tests, quizzes and different assignments, a teacher can slip a sheet into the software and bingo-bango, bongo, you have a graded assignment. The other advantage is that teachers can assign percentage values to different types of work, and the software instantly calculates the overall grade (Maloy 86). It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that a computer generated grading software can cut grading time in half and make it so much easier for teachers to grade. This I already know. The only concern I have with this concept is that if a Mathematics teacher has given a test and on that test is a word problem, that necessitates problem solving methods which requires to show the work of how they came up with the answer. The software is not capable of grading the handwritten work that the student was require to show.

CONCEPT 2 The second concept that I found interesting was digital games for learning. Today, millions of kids play video or computer games that have a significant impact on the kids' physiological and psychological makeup. A lot of the games kids play (i.e. Call of Duty, Minecraft, and Halo), have negative sociological impacts. For instance, a kid that thoroughly enjoys video games will be less inclined to go outside and hang out with friends or get exercise. The effects of video games can be detrimental to a students future in schooling. With all that said, I LOVE the idea of making digital games for learning. What a brilliant idea! to make computer games that kids can enjoy and it still have educational value. The key to a successful digital game that incorporates learning is to make it enjoyable for the kid. Why would a kid play an educational game that is boring when he could be playing a fun role-playing game that is way more fun? This would be the only question I asked in regards to digital games for learning. The games must connect with the kids and engage the kids to want to play more. The more they play, the more they learn.

CONCEPT 3 The third concept that I found to be interesting was the YouTube, handcrafted videos, and streaming video resources as a way to teach. In a generation that is dominated by social media, vine, periscope and snapchat, the ways teachers teach must adapt in order to connect with their students. We have so many YouTube video makers that, in today's society, they are famous for the videos that they post of themselves. It is disheartening to see people posting videos of themselves doing erroneous things and becoming famous because of the stupid stunts they pull. But the idea that YouTube can be used in the educational sense is brilliant. It can have so much value. A teacher can easily find a video about the Trail of Tears, by which the Indian tribes were removed from their land and sent to Oklahoma to create more land for the United States to expand to in the early years of the United States of America. What a valuable way to teach kids! Visuals are extremely important for a lot, if not all, students.

The Effects of Video Games on Learning: The Positive View

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.