Playing is Learning! I felt like a kid this week as I explored a myriad of online tools! Making a video with Animoto was my favorite activity, but a sneek peek into the upcoming Monarch Migration through the eyes of a Mexican citizen on Learner.org, a fabulous musical journey back in time witnessing Carol King and James Taylor evolve as singer-songwriters on PBS.org, as well as an interactive exploration of the Galapagos Islands with a Charles Darwin expert through Scholastic Online Activities, rounded out my experience! Whew, it was fun!! As I continue to develop my Galapagos course, I think I will find a place for the Scholastic activity. It offered colorful graphics, sound, interactive "research" with a clue-finding scope for detecting a mystery animal living on the Galapagos, as well as the voice of a leading researcher guiding the process; kids will be enthralled. Part of the activity is a bit elementary but for first time Galapagos "student research scientists", it is a perfect introduction to field techniques used by real-world scientists: careful observation and recording of field notes.
Using these tools, as well as a few others I experimented with, will definitely add dimension and depth to any educational activities I might plan for future use. I'm hard-pressed to imagine how we 20th century educators got along without these vibrant tools!
This blog is a reflective look at my eLearning experiences in EDUC250 and EDUC251 at Bellevue College.
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