Chapter 3

1. My first impression of Sodaplay was that it looked like something that would be fun to explore. Sodaplay was an interesting website to use. I believe that this microworld is used by students to explore and see how things can change by giving it a command to do so. This website can be used in elementary classrooms for the use of explaining how things work. It can also be used to predict what will happen when a certain command is given to the object. The teacher can then do the action and see if the students’ predictions are correct.

2. Net Frog Dissection: My first impression of this simulation is that it looks educational and could be potentially used in the classroom. I also thought back to when I dissected a frog in high school biology and thought that this simulation could be used instead of doing one live. I think that using simulations with students is beneficial and can be substituted instead of using real life classroom observations. I also think that simulations can be beneficial for allowing students to simulate how something works or with training of some sort. I do think that this simulation provided meaningful learning for the students. It is interactive and allows students to truly understand what is happening during the dissection. Not only do students get to simulate through the dissection but also they have questions and exercises to test their understanding of what they witnessed.
Roller Coaster Simulation: My first impression of this simulation is that it would be really cool to design my own roller coaster. I also thought that this website didn’t look as good as the first one. I was interested to find out how it worked and how to make my own roller coaster. Like I said before, I think that using simulations in my classroom will be beneficial to my students. The only problem I have with using simulations in my classroom is that it has to promote meaningful learning and not be something that students play with and not learn anything from. I think this simulation means well but I do think that students will be too involved with making the roller coaster track and not paying any attention to the fact that they are learning physics.

3. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/colonialhouse/media/index.html
Colonial House Simulation
This simulation is an excellent and unique tool to use in the classroom to help teach students about life in the 1600s. Students will be able to go through this website and participate in a simulated life set in the 1600s and how people lived through this time. The website does promote meaningful learning because it allows for students to explore the website and learn on their own time and at their own pace. It also gives students information that can be useful when learning about history during this time. The website also includes photos, videos, and audios that can help students learn in more interesting and interactive ways.

4.
Darfur is Dying
My first impression of the game was that it was interesting to look at. I also wanted to explore the site more to find out what the game was all about. This game would be an excellent tool to use with students in the classroom. I think that it allows for students to learn about the issues of Darfur while interactively participating in a game. The game provides information all throughout each “stage” which is good because students can learn at the same time. I believe this does promote meaningful learning because it allows for students to actively participate in the game while still focusing on what is important concerning this topic. Each of the games within this game allows students to navigate and choose what they want but still gives them information on why something happened or the reason why the game ended the way it did.

Game: The Cost of Life
My first impression of this game was that it looked interesting and looked like I would learn a lot by playing it. This game was a little difficult to play at first and took some getting used to. The whole purpose of this game was to keep the parents alive, educate the family, and see how it is to live in poverty. I think that this game would be useful in the classroom to teach these topics. I do think that it does promote meaningful learning but I’m also worried that students will get too involved with playing the game that they will forget what they are playing it for. I think they will see this game as a win/lose situation instead of a learning experience.

3rd World Farmer
My first impression of this game is that is seemed very similar to Sims or the new game on Facebook, Farmville. This game was also a little more difficult to play because it involved keeping track of money and where the best place to put the items at. In a way this game is very similar to a simulation but does involve a win/lose situation by seeing if your family will starve or prosper. I would use this in my classroom to help students understand how families live in one of the poorest areas of the world. It will also teach students to be resourceful with their money and put other first to help them live. Again this website, like the other, involves a very distinct win/lose situation which can be problematic for students learning. Although they would be actively participating with the game they will be more focused on the winning aspect rather than getting much learning out of it.

5. http://www.multiplication.com/flashgames/ConeCrazyLevels.htm
Cone Crazy Levels
This game can be used with fourth graders learning and practicing their multiplication facts. The game addresses some of Gee’s principles including the practice principle, allowing students to practice their facts over and over again. Another would be situated meaning principle by using penguins, ice cream and choosing the right scoop for the cone. The last principle I noticed that addresses Gee’s principles is multimodal principle by the way that the game is set up, instead of words and only numbers it has penguins, ice cream, and ice cream cones.

6. At first I “googled” virtual worlds and elementary students. One of the first things that came up was the website (http://jvwresearch.org/index.php?_cms=1248925779) that contained research on gifted students ages 8-15 and the virtual world, Quest Atlantis. This was the same virtual world that was introduced in the book as an excellent environment for students to learn and engage themselves in deeper level thinking. Another link that came up was the website (http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/virtual/) involving different virtual worlds that elementary school children could be involved with. The one that stuck out to me was the one called Club Penguin. This virtual world allows elementary school children to play games, chat with others, and take care of their own virtual pet. The other that was mentioned on this website was excellent resources to use for all ages especially elementary aged children. The reoccurring aspect of these virtual worlds mentioned was that children would be actively engaged in doing something and will be able to have a deeper-level of thinking while doing it, which is a characteristic Jonassen mentions in the chapter.

7. I have not had enough experience with programming or writing an HTML code. The Scratch program looks interesting to use and hopefully after using it I will be able to use programming in various ways and be able to write HTML codes as well. When it comes to things like this I am not very good at it and hopefully with some practice I will be able to do both of these things.