Thank you Katie!
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Thank you Katie!
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I love the idea of focusing more on what type of people we want to develop. I think this speaks to a broader idea of expanding the reach of higher ed beyond the institution. Ultimately, academia should have a positive impact on the world. And this is best done through developing the kind of person who is motivated and has the skills to do so. I also really liked the metaphor you used!
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Interesting — I also found that the journal I looked at (Kairos) did more to explain their contribution to the field (rhetoric & pedagogy studies) than they did to define open access or explain exactly what that means to them. That said, they did have some information about publishing on their site (it’s an online-only journal).
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Yes! It is tough to get rid of the mindset of “gaming” as in the literal meaning of the word versus the various uses of it.
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I appreciate you reminding me about the concept of gamification. While I think the activity of “gaming” is inherently tied to technology, I also think it could be considered as a metaphor or as a way of thinking about how people naturally learn. There are aspects of gaming (having a tangible problem to solve, offering small, achievable goals throughout a process) that could be integrated into the classroom even without using technology. Jane McGonigal is awesome and does such a great job talking about those aspects. As someone who literally gets a headache from looking at a computer screen, I will need to find alternate ways to harness the very real benefits of technology and gaming.
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I hear you Hannah. There is definitely a learning curve to it and not everyone is comfortable with it. I feel out of place myself with a lot of innovative and technological stuff but trying is important I guess. (Lol on the emoticon details :D)
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Speaking the language of the students is key. We need a faculty that can speak in the present about the past and yet still anticipate the future. It’s a rough mix. I will tell you from numerous classroom observations, far too many teachers attempt to teach students as if they were replicas of themselves. They develop a type of tunnel vision in which they presume that every student learns the same way they do. I will be the first to admit that gamification is not my first language and I’ll even say that I thought the stuffed poop emoticon I saw in WalMart the other day was a little holiday Hershey’s kiss…but I’m certainly trying to learn (and to not make a fool out of myself in front of strangers when I say how cute the poop is!)
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