Abstracts
A survey of language, culture, and classroom instruction for teachers of refugees/migrants in Malta, mainland Europe, and other countries who teach in the mainstream classroom
Dr. Eileen Ariza, Dr. Susanne Lapp, Dr. Rina Bousalis, Ms Renee Zelden
Florida Atlantic University
eariza@fau.edu
Summary: Refugees to the US are vetted, sponsored, and trained before entering. Mainstream teachers receive language and social issues support. Refugees in crisis in Malta have nothing and little support. Teachers must address schoolchildren’s issues (L1, L2, religion, trauma, PTSD, FGM). We discuss issues/multicultural strategies for refugees who arrive in SFlorida. Abstract: Teachers in Malta are born bilingual or trilingual with Maltese, English and often Italian. They have not studied language acquisition and when droves of refugees from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan land in their classrooms, teachers need to face and address issues such as trauma, cultural shock, religious differences, FGM, health issues, PTSD, as well as interrupted education, and perhaps no L1 literacy. Maltese society is mostly Catholic, and the refugees are from countries with usually non-Christian religions. In the US, when refugees come, they usually have been vetted, prepared for the differences in living here, and are supported by some organization who will help place them and assist with integration. This does not happen in Malta, and refugees cannot be repatriated because they have no papers to prove their home countries. Mainstream teachers must face these difficult issues and adjustments, and educate these children in both English and Maltese. This study looks at the needs of mainstream teachers in Malta, and seeks to determine their biggest needs. We believe that it is only a matter of time that refugees will be assigned to South Florida and we hope to be ahead of the curve so that we will be able to prepare teachers in South Florida to meet the needs of these waves of refugee students.
An investigation of Appypie for use in Secondary Education: A New Instructional Application
Roberta Weber and Susanne Lapp
Florida Atlantic University
rweberfau@gmail.com
Abstract to come...
Bad Memory
Glenn J Musgrove
Broward College, USA
musgrove.jake@gmail.com
In the early 1920s, two men were convicted and executed for a robbery and murder that they probably did not commit. The evidence against them was the same evidence that had been used to convict almost 75% of those exonerated by The Innocence Project: Eyewitness testimony. It turns out that even though eyewitness testimony is extraordinarily powerful to juries, it is notoriously inaccurate. Wrong eyewitness identification is but one form of false memory. In this presentation I will introduce you to several examples of false memory, from repressed and recovered memories of decades old abuse, to the impossible memory of having shaken hands with Bugs Bunny on a trip to Disneyland, The misinformation effect can explain much of these types of memory intrusion, which suggests that when we remember something, something can be added or removed from the memory, and then when it is reconsolidated into long-term memory, the new information becomes an indiscernible part of the original memory. Some Psychologists are using the reconsolidation idea to help people with PTSD to change their memory of the stress inducing event in order to decrease the stress associated with it. I will also try to induce you into a false memory of your very own.
Comparing critical issue content of doctoral dissertations: Is there a trend developing?
Ethan Allen & Dr. RK Weber
FAU
eallen@fau.edu
This study follows recent research in which Weber and Allen (2016) sought to learn how doctoral dissertations in education (2005-2014) aligned with critical educational issues. Recent dissertations from the same institution (2015 – 2016) were reviewed for trending patterns along three previously established categories: Government & Politics, Inside Schools, and School Policy. After independently assigning a single category to each of the dissertations, the researchers reached an interrater consensus agreement rate of 88%. Topical categories for each of 26 dissertations were judged based upon title, abstract, and keywords provided by ProQuest records. Dissertations concentrated heavily (92%) in the Inside Schools category, compared with 88% in the larger dataset. Eight percent of dissertations were categorized under School Policy, compared to 11% from the previous study. No dissertations were categorized under Government & Politics. Given the limitation of the dataset size, a trending pattern could not be established, yet when viewed in relationship to previous periods, there are notable similarities.
CTwins - organising professional learning across borders
Richard Millwood
Trinity College Dublin
richard.millwood@tcd.ie
Computer science is becoming increasingly prevalent and moreover, it is argued that so-called Computational Thinking should be introduced across the curriculum, since this has become an important aspect of all disciplines. However limited consideration has been given to upskilling Irish teachers. The CTwins (‘Coding Twins’ or ‘Computational Thinking Wins’) involved a playful introduction to computer programming working in cross-border pairs called ‘twins’. Paired programming has been shown to have positive effects on performance, in addition to increasing confidence. The ‘twins’ agree to produce a creative piece and take turns as they communicate and reflect in an online community. They are purposely chosen to be geographically and educationally-culturally distant from one another by choosing one from the Republic of Ireland with one from Northern Ireland. An action research approach was taken, using mixed-methods data collection including two pre and post surveys, a focus group and postings from the online community. Preliminary analysis reveals that participants’ confidence had risen by the end of the project. Posts in the online community were analysed to triangulate the survey results and identify causes. An exhibition of the products at the end of each cycle was the occasion for a focus group for joint reflection and evaluation.
Dialing in on Virtual School Teacher Practice for the Sake of True Virtual School Teacher Evaluation
Christina Seamster, Ph.D.
Recent FAU Graduate
cseamster11@gmail.com
According to Molnar (2014), full time virtual school education lacks a measurement tool that accurately measures effective virtual teacher practices. K-12 virtual school teachers perform skillsets that are similar to teaching in a traditional K-12 environment, yet they perform tasks that are exclusive to the online K-12 educator (DiPietro, Ferdig, Black, & Preston, 2008). Darling-Hammond (2014) also states: "Teachers and school leaders should be involved in developing, implementing, and monitoring the [evaluation] system to ensure that it reflects good teaching well, that it operates effectively, that it is tied to useful learning opportunities for teachers, and that it produces valid results." (p. 12) Therefore, it makes sense to begin developing a virtual school teacher evaluation tool using the perspective of virtual school teachers to both involve them in the process as well as to better understand the scope of their work. The purpose of the study was to identify full time virtual school teacher practices and to determine the impact of full time virtual school teachers’ practices on student learning from the perspective of current full time K-8 virtual school teachers. The results of this study provide a foundation for future virtual school teacher evaluation tools which align with the duties of elementary and secondary online teachers from the perspective of current full time virtual school teachers. This presentation will discuss the methodology that the researcher used in determining the virtual school teacher practices which were found to most impact student learning from the perspective of current educators in the field of online learning.
Digital Escape Rooms
Dr. Sally Robison
North Little Rock School District
sally.robison@gmail.com
This newest trend in developing collaborative problem solving and critical thinking will have your students begging for more digital assignments as they search for answers on a variety of subjects. When is the last time you heard your class say "That was very challenging.......when can we do it again?" Students problem solve to find the clues needed for digital lock boxes in order to complete the "Great Escape" from the virtual rooms.
Faith or Financial?: Exploring Why Students Attend Christian Institutions of Higher Education in the United States
Katie Wolfe
Florida Atlantic University, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
kwolfe6@fau.edu
Although faith-based education was the foundation for higher education, the 19th and 20th centuries, and their many contributing factors, brought about a major shift away from the traditional Christian liberal arts educational model (Adrian, 2003; Lawrence, 2007; Marsden, 1994). By the 21st century, many Christian colleges and universities have witnessed the pendulum swing back their direction. In 2006, enrollment at Council for Christian College and Universities institutions increased “by 70.6 percent over the previous year, while other private colleges grew by 28 percent and public universities increased by 13 percent during the same period” (Joeckel & Chesnes, 2012, p.12). Therefore, it is vital to understand why students, more than ever, are seeking an education at a Christian institution of higher education. This presentation will answer why undergraduate students choose to attend a Christian college or university through a mixed methods convergent design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). By first providing quantitative data, the researcher will provide a breadth of responses from students across three Christian institutions. Then by exploring qualitative data, via two focus groups at each of the three sites, the researcher will examine the depth and range of students’ rationale for attending their particular institution of higher education. Overall, this study aligns with current research in noting that students are selecting their colleges and universities to best meet their fiscal needs (Denhart, Villwock, Vedder, 2009; Raikes, Berling, David, 2012).
Floor robots: A Tool for developing Language Learning in the Early years
Susan Nic Réamoinn
Trinity College Dublin
snicreamoinn@gmail.com
This workshop will demonstrate the author's practice of using programmable floor robots to support learning in the early years (Aistear), focussing on Irish language (Gaeilge). This is the focus of the researchers' Phd which plans a design-based action research methodology to address the following questions: How can programmable robots contribute to language learning in the Early Years? What impact does programming robots have on the children’s learning experience? What are the children’s attitudes towards Irish in such lessons? How can this pedagogy contribute to the New Language Curriculum in Ireland?
From Hippocrates through Mesmer to rTMS
Glenn J Musgrove
Broward College, USA
musgrove.jake@gmail.com
This presentation traces magnetic therapies from Hippocrates to Neurostar. Hippocrates spoke of “humors” and their relationship to personality traits. Mesmer developed a treatment for ill-humored people that originally utilized magnets, and later Mesmer’s own ‘animal magnetism’. Although Mesmer’s treatment techniques were discredited, his idea of Mesmerism was the forerunner of modern hypnotism. Magnetic-based therapies, though, have recently been revived, as wraps, mattress pads, heel cups, etc. A brief review of somatic magnetic therapy research reveals that there is some reason to acknowledge its effectiveness. More recently, pulsating electromagnetic waves have been directed at the brain for relief of psychiatric issues. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has been FDA approved for the treatment of depression, and research is continuing on the treatment of migraines, schizophrenia, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Global Athletic Training: An Educational Dialogue
Eva Frank and Dr. Siobhán O Connor
Northern Illinois University and Dublin City University
evamfrank@gmail.com
There is a considerable lack of educational research specific to athletic training within an international context. An examination of the currently published athletic training related educational literature identified: 1) research is predominantly conducted in North America; 2) there is a lack of in-depth investigations into educational terms and their relationships, particularly in comparison to other allied health fields; and 3) the concept of a meaningful learning experience is underdeveloped. This is specifically in reference to all invested parties which include the teacher, the student, the peer, the professional accrediting bodies, and the learning experience itself. As a solution to this problem, we propose it is necessary to identify the commonalities and differences in the education of athletic training globally. Engaging in this international conversation will help to define educational terminology, such as meaningful learning, with more certainty and simultaneously provide consensus on their definitions and applications. With that, further research on improving meaningful learning experiences should be conducted and refined to further investigate the multifactorial relationships between the environment and those with a vested interest in the teaching and learning of athletic trainers, especially from an international perspective. Following this investigation, vested parties are provided the necessary educational language and definitions from which they can then discuss the most applicable and successful attributes that were identified through diverse international conversations. Therefore, this can instigate future research in this area, advance the profession of athletic training, and ultimately improve patient outcome globally.
Global Warming: The Global Climate Crisis
John Bell
Florida Atlantic University
jbell60@gmail.com
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and its Eco-Schools USA program believe educators play a key role in developing a climate literate citizenry. With climate change being one of the most significant environmental issues of our time, young adults need to fully understand the essential principles of Earth’s systems and the impact of climate change on them. Students also need opportunities to be exposed to “real science” that is experiential, engaging, and when understood and applied, provides them with the ability to communicate about climate change and make informed decisions with regard to individual actions. At the same time, it is my desire that educators utilize this curriculum to attract and retain students in STEM disciplines and inspire the next generation of Earth Scientists. NWF and NASA collaboration. Eco-Schools USA Climate Change Connections is designed to build upon and utilize the many NASA mission resources, programs, and associated interfaces to enhance educator and student authentic learning experiences, and develop an integrated system thinking approach to understanding and acting upon the issue of climate change. In collaboration with mission education specialists from Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), Land Satellite (LandSat), Earth Observing System's flagship satellite (Terra), Earth Science satellite (AQUA), and Earth's ozone layer, air quality and climate satellite (AURA), a cross-programmatic curriculum was developed to provide a unified or systems thinking approach to addressing real-world Earth systems problems. Using the tools provided by NASA, I have prepared an interactive Power point presentation to lay out the key aspects of global warming. One such part of the presentation is the likelihood of sea-level rise anywhere on earth (perhaps seeing what Trinity University would look like with a minimal sea-level rise- the results are astounding!).
Google Classroom in High Education Teaching
Janete Sander Costa, Alessandra Martins
Faculdades Integradas de Taquara - FACCAT
janetesander@gmail.com
This study aims at presenting an ongoing experience report with college teachers learning how to use the Google Classroom as a communication, collaboration, and sharing virtual resource to support their in presence lessons. It is used to expand interactions outside the classroom. As an initiative of the Faculdades Integradas de Taquara - FACCAT college to motivate teachers in use of ICT in daily classroom routines, the Online Education Department has been offering training workshops to all FACCAT undergraduate college teachers interested in having instructions on how to use and take advantage of the Google Classroom. Workshops have been currently taking place since July 2016. So far two Faccat college courses have already been inquired on how well is this experience impacting teachers’ lessons in view of their students achievements and interactions: Accounting Sciences and Business Administration. An online questionnaire has been sent to those teachers to conduct an initial survey to verify how productive it has been to use the Classroom in addition to other in presence resources. This study has basically a qualitative profile but quantitative results may also add to it positively. Keywords: College Teachers Training; Google Classroom; Virtual Learning Support.
How to EdCamp? Powering up professional learning
Dr. Oleksandr Elkin
Advisor to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, inspirer of EdCamp movement in Ukraine
oelkin@edpro.agency
A critical element slowing the learning revolution in schools is ineffective professional development for teachers. Innovative model of EdCamp (un)conferences offers a solution for this pressing problem. EdCamps are held by adopting new participant-driven format for educators to co-create all over the world. Since 2010 there have been over 1,500 events around the world in 28 countries which have brought together only in Ukraine more than 10,000 passionate educators. EdCamp format ranks the 6th place in the global list of the most innovative educational organizations in 2015. Ukraine became the 9th country in the world that has joined the international family and is considered as the most active community outside the US by the founders from The Edcamp Foundation (Philadelphia). We conducted three national and 35 regional events through out the country and have launched "EdCamp in a box" program. Today EdCamp Ukraine agents of change community plays an effective role in educational reforms. In the talk we will give an overview of the EdCamp model, share tools to organize your own EdCamp and stories from EdCampers in action. And invite to participate in EdCamp Ukraine 2018!
Self-organised CPD - the TeachMeet phenomenon.
Mags Amond
Trinity College Dublin
amondm@gmail.com
This presentation will outline research to date on the evolution of a recently developed form of self-organised teacher Continuing Professional Development (CPD), known as TeachMeet. It will report work in progress on the consolidation of various informal sources of information into a dataset in preparation for further analysis and evaluation. TeachMeet came into existence in 2006 in Scotland. The first event was organised by three educators who were publishing online and who wanted to continue discussion face-to- face. The subtitle given to the event by the founders was “teachers sharing ideas with teachers”. TeachMeet combines the philosophy and practices of unconference with the communication of social media. A major factor has been the use of tools and practices of online collaboration that have enabled the TeachMeet community to develop and grow organically, unincorporated, without formal constitution or management structure, in a way that seems at present to be sustainable. Although there is a wealth of informal and personal reflection on TeachMeet to be found online, a search in the academic literature reveals very little direct examination of the phenomenon, although other similar unconference activity has been reported. In ten years since its inception it has become a worldwide educational movement and recently government agencies are beginning to experiment with the format for CPD. Taken together these observations would suggest the phenomenon deserves further research to describe its essential elements and evaluate its effectiveness. Informal comments and reports by attendees, presenters and organisers constantly refer to TeachMeet as “the best CPD yet” or more recently as “our COP” (Community of Practice). This paper outlines how TeachMeet characteristics may be mapped to models of CPD, and participants identified within a CoP Levels of Participation model. This will help to fill a gap in knowledge concerning a phenomenon that Bennett (2011), in the only formal academic paper directly related to this subject to date, has entitled “guerilla CPD”
Stimulating the Public to Learn More About Ireland’s Mineral Heritage: Novel Connections, Vital Collaborations
Dr. Patrick Roycroft
Irish Family History Centre, CHQ Building, Dublin 1, Ireland
proyc6@aim.com
For historical reasons, awareness of Ireland’s mineral heritage by the Irish public is low. Foreign collectors and other experts often know more than any Irish-based academic or amateur. Minerals, especially those of Ireland, are a great personal interest, and I have had the opportunity to help raise public awareness via some unusual methods: some projects are still ongoing. First, the Heritage Council of Ireland supported me in saving University College Dublin’s large mineral collection, and I helped recruit over two dozen national and international volunteers. Second, I published a popular book on Irish geology, which featured minerals quite heavily. Third, I enlisted the help of genealogists to work with me on the UCD mineral labels and to advertise for and publicize this project. Fourth, the National Museum of Ireland–Natural History gave me exhibition space in their museum on Merrion Row (Dublin) and continue to work with me to produce prototype, and ultimately freely downloadable, pdfs of Irish minerals presented in public-friendly ways. The pdfs will be hosted by the museum’s own computer server. Fifth, working with the Irish Geological Association, I have initiated a way to encourage students and amateurs to do their own geological research [“Be Your Own Professor”], including linking genealogy with geology. I try to lead by example by publishing papers that, in principle, any amateur with sufficient enthusiasm could publish. However, much remains to be done, and it will be through collaborations and novel linkages that the public will come to appreciate and become educated on Ireland’s mineral heritage.
Suggested Guidelines for Journal Publication
Arthur Quinn, Ethan Allen
St. Vincent de PAul Regional Seminary & Florida Atlantic University
eallen@fau.edu
Newcomers to academia are charged with research and writing obligations, but may have some uncertainty when choosing journals to which they might submit their papers. Many thousands of journals compete for both authors and readers, while promotion and tenure norms may not provide any guidance for selecting a journal for publication purposes. Scholarly communication in the current environment is complicated by developments such as open access publishing, creative commons attribution of rights, and institutional repository mandates. Publication is a weighty responsibility that may be shared through co-authorship and distribution of roles. This presentation will focus on the benefits of collaboration and specific journal attributes authors need to consider as they seek outlets for their intellectual outputs. Impact factors, acceptance rates, aims and scope statements from a small sample of peer reviewed journals will serve to illustrate the range of possibilities available to scholars as they make the best possible choices.
Teachers’ Instructional Usage of 1:1 Computing in a Rural School District
Dr. Jillian R. Powers Presenters: Dr. Jillian R. Powers, Dr. Ann T. Musgrove
Floridia Atlantic University
jrpowers@fau.edu
This presentation will share findings from a study that utilized Davis’ (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the instructional usage of 1:1 computing by K-9 teachers in a rural school district. After surveying 46 teachers working in a small, rural school district located in the Southeastern United States, the researchers used multiple regression and moderator analyses to examine whether the TAM model helped explain teachers’ reported whole class and individualized instructional usage of 1:1 computing. The results of the linear regression indicated that the TAM component teachers’ reported perceived ease of use (PEOU) of 1:1 computing contributed to the prediction of teachers’ reported frequency of use of 1:1 computing for both whole class and individualized instruction. However, the results of the moderator analysis did not yield any significant moderators of the relationship between either form of instructional usage and both perceived usefulness and PEOU. Qualitative analysis of teacher interview transcripts and open-ended survey items supported these findings.
Teaching College Students How to Identify Fake News
Ann T. Musgrove, Jillian R. Powers, Lauri C. Rebar, Glenn Musgrove, Broward College
Florida Atlantic University
musgrove@fau.edu
Today’s college students are constantly connected to digital information and social media through a variety of devices and tools. However, if the sheer volume of information is not overwhelming enough, the problem of “fake news” or alternative facts can make it even more difficult for students to identify and evaluate credible sources. Although this is not a new problem, intentionally misrepresenting information has recently captured the world’s attention. Psychological research indicates that college students can only identify propaganda and satire 50 percent of the time. Educational survey research also highlights the difficulties students have in determining how to identify valid sources. In particular, the dissemination of “fake news” on the world-wide web and social media has become pervasive. This article describes ways faculty and academic librarians can teach college students how to identify fake news while building information literacy skills and concepts. The authors describe best practices for teaching students how to identify fake news from digital sources while developing the information literacy skills set forth in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework and other tools.
Technology, Creativity and Human Rights
Dr. Susannah Brown
Florida Atlantic University
sbrow118@fau.edu
Focusing on technology and its application with undergraduate students in an art education degree program at an American university, the researcher integrated creative problem solving with the contexts of art education and human rights. The purpose of this study includes the issues of effectively using technology in K-12 classrooms through teacher preparation, exploring creativity using technology applications, and the integration of human rights into classroom context. This innovative perspective and blend of issues into art education curriculum provides a unique approach to curriculum. Initially, the issues of technology in K-12 classrooms is discussed leading to the focus of creativity and human rights. The integration of technology in American classrooms is constantly being reassessed and redefined not only to include new programs and applications, but also newly designed electronic devices (Schaffhauser, 2016). The need to effectively integrate technology into lessons for all disciplines is constant and the strategies used in classrooms evolve quickly in a technology-oriented society. This need for technological literate K-12 arts educators led the researcher to integrate studio focused applications on iPads, smart phones, and laptops in the art education program. The context of the project is framed by the work of the United Nations (1992) which emphasizes importance of women’s roles and creativity in the process of forming a global community. This focus supports the use of creative applications in learning and the inspiration of artwork by women artists. The resulting student artwork is shared to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach in curriculum.
The Age of Networking Power and Explosive Percolation
Roger Carlsen, Ed.D.
Professor Emeritus Wright State University Dayton, Ohio, USA
wsucarlsen@gmail.com
In the summer of 2016 I presented, “Disrupting Education as We Know it Ready…”. From that presentation, two general reflections continue to haunt me. First, I felt efforts existed which could correct educational equilibrium so that teachers and learners could slow things down for the better. Second, I stated that the United States was already engaged in a cyber war. The scale and global implications were never fully anticipated. Networking Power gave the United States and the world President Trump. Forget the Democratic Computer hacking and Hillary Clinton’s hacked emails which helped swing the US election. Hackers stole a US hacking weapon, repurposed it, and shut down services for over 45000 computer systems worldwide impacting approximately a quarter million individuals. Thus, it is my objective to clarify my 2016 statements. In addition, the emergence of 5G Technology will usher fantastic opportunities. There is no retreat to previous ways of behaving and knowing. The world has changed and will continue to change. Three different interviews will be presented to help identify perspectives of representative individuals. Most people cannot readily make sense of what is occurring relative to the state and impact of Network Power. S. J. Gould referred to this phenomenon as punctuated equilibrium or using more current terminology, explosive percolation. There may be a new normal but it will not be recognizable by those successfully enmeshed into the previous ways of learning and doing things. Aspects of last year’s talk continue to morph into more headline generating stories concerning ransomware and payment by Bitcoins, the weaponizing of code, and the Internet of Things (IOT) and continue to advance but faster.
Using Activity Theory to evaluate Pre-service Teachers’ pedagogical development when designing a virtual world in MinecraftEdu.
Pamela Cowan
School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast
p.cowan@qub.ac.uk
Pedagogical developments have moved away from the transmissive mode of teaching towards the constructivist or socio-cognitive models which place the learner at the heart of activities and may often leave the teacher isolated from the learning process. Farmer and Taylor (2002) emphasize the importance of opportunities for learners to form and re-form ideas and concepts through decision-making in light of changing cognitive development. Socio-cognitive processes rely on learning taking place in a social context in which peer collaboration challenges existing conceptions (or misconceptions) and requires learners to re-construct their cognitive schema. Applying these ideas to the pre-service teacher as the learner, this paper considers how a group of 16 pre-service teachers on a one year PGCE course were forced to confront their existing pedagogical beliefs and reconsider how the affordances of a virtual world could be utilised to offer an interactive, engaging and games-based learning experience in which pupils were empowered to construct their knowledge and understanding of a topic. This paper focuses on the challenges faced by the pre-service teachers and uses the lens of activity theory (Engestrom, 1987) to identify the ‘contradictions’ or problems emerging from the activity and how this rich data can be utilised to facilitate change. The key research questions for this study were: Was MinecraftEdu easy to learn to use and sufficiently flexible to accommodate pre-service teachers’ desired outcomes? To what extent did the MinecraftEdu platform distract pre-service teachers from their focus on adopting suitable pedagogical process for the topic being taught? Was a Community of Practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991) established within the group as a result of working in MinecraftEdu? MinecraftEdu is the education modification of Minecraft, a multiplayer sandbox video game with Lego-like graphics and based in a virtual world designed to look like the real world. Observations of on-going support of and within the group of pre-service teachers in the design and creation of their virtual world has provided data in relation to the research questions. Outcomes indicate mixed subject groupings work well; the ‘leaders’ emerging within the group tended to be male and a hierarchy of expertise was accepted; it was easy to lose focus on the pedagogy and subject content while crafting the world.
Using QR codes to bridge student learning
Susanne Lapp and Alexander Draginoff
Florida Atlantic University and Mason High School
susanne.lapp@yahoo.com
Presenters will share and describe how scannable technologies like QR codes and Augmented Reality positively impact the learning process for all grade-level students. Suggestions to create dynamic learning opportunities using scannable technologies will be shared with the audience.