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?