Double Entry Journal #13

Chapter 6: Affinity Spaces


1. Give an example of a "community of practice" in which you are currently participating in.

• Learning to plan a wedding
• Learning how to be a teacher

2.Why is the term "community" better defined in relation to spaces rather than groups of people?

• Becaue the community is a place where people with common practices gather together. The place or surroundings usually define the community and twhat the people in that "community" practice.

3. What is a "generator"? What is it's counterpart in school?

• A generator is whatever gives a certain place some content.
• It's counterpart in school is video games.

4. What is a "content organizer"? What is it's counterpart in school?

• A content organizer is how a spaces content is designed or organized.
• It's counterpart in school is great design of space.

5. What is a "portal"? What is it's counterpart in school?

• A portal is anything that gives acess to the content and to ways of interacting with that content.
• It's counterpart to school is Internet games that allows kids to play against one another.

6. What do people have an "affinity" for in an "affinity space"? How does this inform your understanding of good teaching?

• People have an affinity for the endeavor or around which the space is organized.
• We need to keep an anfinit space in mind when teaching. Your students need to be in a space that enhances learning.

7. How do "affinity spaces" support inclusive classrooms? Choose two characteristics below to make connections between "affinity spaces" and inclusive classrooms.

• Affinity spaces support inclusive classrooms because all of the students ( disabled and non-disabled) in the same room. This creates a positive classroom enviornment.
• Using a Common Language - A sense of community is created by establishing a common language without the use of intellectual and confusing terms, so that all participants can equally understand. This allows the classroom to feel more safe for all the student in the classroom.
• Problem Solving Teams - Teams comprised of significant participants in every child’s program are formed to make decisions concerning how a student’s individual needs may be met. Problem-solving teams determine the type and extent of special education adaptations and services needed for each child and develop the implementation plan for inclusive policies for each child. In this way, each child benefits from the expertise of many members of the school community, each of whom provides a specific perspective on the individual needs of that child. Typically, teams consist of principal, special education teacher, regular education teacher, counselor, parent, paraprofessional and specific resource people. This allows a safe classroom enviornment and also caters to each individual students needs.

8. How are traditional classroom different from Affinity Spaces?

• In traditional classrooms students are usually segregated by ability and academic levels. They are also not allowed to use as much technology as they should. In an affinity space this is all the opposite.

Double Entry Journal #12

Chapter 5: Learning and Gaming


1. What is the main argument the author is making in Chapter 5.

• That there is a connect between video games and learning and how playing them can increase student learning.

2. What constitutes a theory of learning?

• Patterns and Priciples are what constitute a theory of learning.

3. Why did the author struggle to learn to play Warcraft III? What needs to proceed before good learning principles?

• He struggled in playing the game because he didn't engage in it in a way with it's learning priciples. He needs to be more motivated to proceed.

4. How would have the authors struggle with learning to play Warcraft III been interpreted in school?

• As failure becasue he recieved a low or failing grade.

5. What kind of learning experience might be better suited for at risk students?

• Gee says that "at-risk" learners need a dumbed-down curriculum ment to catch them up on basic skills.

6. Why does the school-based interpretation of "at risk" lead to bad learning?

• Because they are not challenging the students. They are just teaching them the basic skills that the student needs to know.

7. What do schools need to do to function more like a good game?

• Students should be challenged more and encouraged to take on the identities of what they are working on.

8. What is different about how good games and school assess learners?

• Schools assess learners by having them take tests. If a student fails a test the teacher then decides what is best for that student. Good games allow the students to choose what setting they like best and how they learn best.

9. What are the attributes of a fish-tank tutorial that make it an effective learning tool? How is it different than school-based learning?

• All learners are different so the designers don't know what the players desired learning style will be. Also the learners don't know what learning stule will work best in each situation. This is different because in school- based learning they asses the learner and then decide how they will deal with the student.

10. What is a sand-box tutorial? Why is effective? How is it different that school-based learning?

• The sand-box tutorial is where the student is free to explore and take risks. It is effective because it allows the students to descover the best ways they learn. This is different than school based learning because in school-based learning you don't get to explore. The students just are to do things the way the teachers say to do it.

11. What is a genre? Why is it important for good learning?

• A genre is a category or a type of thing that something is. In able to learn the student needs to know what type of things we are asking them to learn in order to be successful.

12. According to the author, what to learning and play having in common?

• You always are learning something when you are having fun so they are connect in that way.

13. How are the skills test in good games different from skills tests in school?

• Skills test in good games are something that students can actually learn from and school testing is constantly the same.

14. How does RoN support collaborative learning?

• They have blogs and websites were people can share or gain knowledge. This knowledge comes from many different people from many different places so this allows a wide range of knowledge.

15. Match at least one learning principle of good games (on page 74) with each the following learning theorists you have studied in 3352:
Dewey : #22

Vygotsky: #12

Piaget: #5
Gardner: #14

Bandura: #1

Skinner: #8

Fostering High Quality Formative Assessment: A Policy Brief by The National Council of Teachers for English

What is formative assessment?

• This is a way to see if the students are retaining the knowledge throughout the learning process and if there needs to be any modifications to the teaching or activities. It can be forml or informal

What is the CENTRAL purpose of formative assessment?

• Improving student achievement

Connect a best practice in formative assessment to one research-based strategy.

• provides feedback that engenders motivation and leads to improvement (Providing Feedback)

Give an example of how a specific assessment can be used formatively and summatively.

• You can give the same test as a pre and a post test. In the begining as a formative assessment you can see what your students know and what you need to teach. Then at the end it can be a summative assessment to see that they have learned.

Give an example from your field placement related to formative assessment and timing.

• I have K and we use games to test how well the students are at rhyming. The teacher keeps testing them formitavely before she wants to give them a summative test on it.

What are some strategies to help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback?

• Be specific on what they need to work on
• Using a rubric or a check list

Name two advantages to high quality formative assessment.

• Using high-quality will allow students to be more successful in other classes
• It provides enough details for the student so they know why, what, and how they are to proceed as they continue to work on the content.

What are some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment?

• Takes more time to do

Double Entry Journal #11

Chapter 4:Simulations and Bodies 1. What does the author mean when he says, "Learning doesn't work well when learners are forced to check their bodies at the school room door like guns in the old West."  Students learn better when they have a purpose to learn or are intereseted in what they are learning. The book says that when they learning something as a cultural process their bodies are involved because it usually involves a specific experience. The students are made to just set at their desk and memorize words or read from a textbook and not allowed to get up and move to learn. 2. According to the author, what is the best way to acquire a large vocabulary?  Through conversation and experience with other around them. Many words are used in different contexts depending on the situation. Larger vocabulary will be obtained through interacting with others in many different situations.

3. What gives a word a specific meaning?
The specific words aroung the word gives that word a certain meaning. A person uses context clues to figure the words meaning. 

4. What does the term "off the hook" mean in each of these sentences?

a. My sister broke up with her fiance, so I'm off the hook for buying her a wedding present. They don't have to buy her a gift.

b. Them shoes are off the hook dog. The shoes are awesome.

c. Man that cat was fighting 6 people and he beat them all. Yo, it was "off the hook", you should have seen it!! It was amazing and unbelievable.

4. According to the author what is the"work" of childhood? Do you agree?
I agree that the work of a child is play. When children are playing together the are interacting and leaning how to communicate with one another and how to work out different situations.

5.Why is NOT reading the instruction for how to play a game before playing a game a wise decision?
Instructions are usually very hard to understand if you have never played the game. Kids need to experience the game to learn the way and it works.

6. Does knowing the general or literal meaning of a word lead to strong reading skills?
Yes because that means that the person has had some experience with the word. If the word is used in a different context the reader will use context clues to figure out what the word means so this will also lead to strong reading skills.

7. What does the author mean by the terms "identity" and "game". Give an example of 3 "identities" or "games" you play?
"Game": playing something in a fun way to learn
"Identity":act out to be recognized.
1) As a daughter, I am expected to respect my parents.
2) As a future teacher, I am expected to learn as many contents as possible and act in a respectable manner.
3) As a future bride, I am expected to plan a wedding and find the perfect wedding dress.

8. According to the author what is good learning?
When a student can identify with learing. For example, do the students know how this connects to the real world?

9. How does understanding that being able to build a mental model and simulations of a real-word experience is closely tied  to comprehending written and oral language support of change the way you think children should learn in school?
When we teach children we need to relate the learning to a real-world situation because they will see meaning in the learning. They also need to use hands-on activities and get the students up out of their seats. If they are up experiencing something they will most likely remember that content.

10. Why is peer to peer interaction so important for the language development of young children? How does knowing this support or change the way you think children should learn in school?
Children who interact with one another are experiencing language situations that well help them develope their language skills. This means that students need to interact with each other throughout the day while working on school work.