Instructional Tech in English

Instructional Technology in

the English Classroom

Jeff Everhart

Instructional Technology Trainer

Digital Education Collaborative

What is Instructional Technology?

Technology should be used to support objectives

Bloom's Taxonomy

Audience Response Systems

• Clickers

• Mobile Polling (Poll Everywhere, Poll Daddy)

• Built in Polling Systems (Interactive White Boards)

• Targets knowledge and understanding levels of

Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Allows for formative assessment and peer instruction

Interactive Whiteboards

Gamification and Games-Based Learning

• 77% of American households own a videogame

system

• Average age of gamers: 37 years old

• 55% of gamers play on mobile devices

The Three Levels of Games

• Dynamicso By which rules does the player interact with the game?

• Mechanicso What is the point of the game?

o What conditions need to be met for success?

• Aestheticso Does this look and/or feel like a game?

o Does it possess the conventions of a game? (ie. Levels, points, badges,

etc.)

Oh, what’s in a game?• Possesses game mechanics. In other

words, governed by rules.

• Constant feedback

• Rewards at unpredictable intervals

• Some element of competition

• Some aspect of non-productivity (fun or play)

Gamification• Application of game aesthetics to a non-game

setting

• Examples include badges and leader points

• Typically used to increase motivation or

engagement

Applications of Gamification

• Gamification has been widely applied in non-

educational contexts

• Cash-back rewards

• Customer loyalty

So, what role can games play in education?

The Idea of “Play”

Games to Learn Content • River City Project, Harvard University

Hero 1• Teaches English language skills to Arab students

Games to Learn Skills

Lumosity, cont.

Where to next?