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?