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On Twitter My Notes Come Alive

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This is not a post on why educators should be on Twitter or how wonderful it is to create a global professional learning community… Many others have done that already! I just have something that I need to get off my chest.

Recently at some professional events, I have had a number of people come up to me and say things like “Wow, Iram you tweet a lot”, “You just love seeing your face on that twitter stream don’t you?”, “How can you listen to the presentation if you are tweeting the whole time?”. I want to respond that if they think I tweet a lot, they’ve seen nothing!

While made in a joking tone, I can’t help feeling like there is a tone of judgment happening with these comments… as though I am wasting time, or even worse being obsessed about my ego. I could just forget about it and keep tweeting, but  I feel like I need to make some things clear, defend myself and possibly defend fellow tweeters at the same time.

Tweeting for me is like writing notes. As a presenter shares their knowledge, quotes and resources that I would like to remember and refer to later, I tweet to record these gems. Now why don’t I just write notes or type them into my computer, why do I have to do this on Twitter? Well, when others tweet what they see as gems from the presentation, I can reflect on their thoughts and make my own thoughts which add to my notes. I sometimes retweet exactly what they said or modify their tweet to add my own thoughts to it. At times these tweets spur a side conversation right at the moment or even a few days later. Written notes or notes typed on my computer are a dead end for my notes. On Twitter, my notes come alive and are expanded on and spread to others who missed out on the event or didn’t catch exactly what the speaker was saying. My professional learning community expands in the process and the presentation experience becomes way more than just sitting and mulling over my thoughts in my own head or with the person beside me.

I know this post is probably mostly going to be read by those people who already use Twitter and love it; however, maybe I can help you folks justify your use when THAT person comes up to you and decides that they absolutely need to comment on YOUR Twitter use… and maybe, just maybe, you may convince THEM to tweet.

Parents and Teachers, You Can Play Minecraft Too: Tips for Beginners

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In my last blog post, I am a Minecrafter: ISTE 2014 Made Me Do It, I made a confession that I began playing Minecraft and I was loving it! Since I last wrote, I have discovered an emerald and diamond patch, a slime block and a spawner cage. I have learned how to make pumpkin pie, milk cows, tame wolves and make the wolves have wolf puppies. They are soooo cute!

I also went through an epic journey that tested my patience and perseverance where I built a fantastic home complete with a well stocked farm and a yoga studio, while looking for some more iron got lost for two days (in real time!), was killed by a creeper, respawned in a dark cave, dug myself out of the cave with no tools or torches, got spit out in the middle of an ocean, swam to shore, cut my losses and built another new fabulous home then discovered my old home during an epic trek!

Want into this world?!

As a result of my last post, I have had many discussions with teachers and parents who are going to begin looking into Minecraft for themselves. I thought I’d share some advice and good resources (not in any particular order) for those of you who are interested in giving it a go.

1) There are different versions of Minecraft depending on what platform you would like to play on.

  • The computer version, which can be downloaded straight from the Mojang website.
  • The app, which can be downloaded for your respective tablet device.
  • The game console version which is currently available for PlayStation and XBox, but further releases are planned.

While all three have their different strengths, the computer version is the most complete. However, I have been playing on my iPad and am loving it. The computer version does take up a lot of memory and speed, so just be wary of that before downloading it onto your home computer.

2) Find a kid who loves to play. Ha, this should be REALLY easy! My tutor was my six year old son. He was thrilled that I wanted to learn to play his favourite game and even more thrilled that I wanted him to be my teacher. Turn on the multiplayer setting and play TOGETHER, meaning both of you work through the same world!

If you are on an iPad. Just click on the tools button on the opening screen to the game. Then slide the button to the right for “Local Server Multiplayer” Make sure your wifi is on.

Oh my goodness, this is SO frustrating at times, but you will learn quickly as to what you can and can’t do and how to communicate with your fellow player(s).

3) To ease yourself into the game play involved, begin with “Creative Mode” rather than “Survival Mode”. This option will be given to you when you create a new world. Creative Mode has all the resources available to you and you cannot “die” (oops, my son wants me to let you know… unless you dig yourself to the bottom of the world). Creative mode would also be a better version if you are working with a club and/or a class project where you are presenting challenges. Survival Mode is more challenging, you begin with no tools, there is day and night and there are many creatures (that especially get scary at night) that can kill you.

4) Watch Paul Soares Jr.’s (PSJ) Minecraft tutorials on YouTube. He is one of the leading experts on Minecraft and was the first person to create video tutorials for the game back in 2008. He has several series of videos out, but the How to Survive and Thrive series is a great one to begin with.

All of PSJ’s videos are so enlightening and entertaining. He shows viewers how to play and highlights projects that other players have been working on and challenges he embarks on with other players, including his wife and kids. Currently my family is watching a riveting series of episodes where PSJ’s trusty mule has been kidnapped by another player who is demanding ransom for instructions on his whereabouts. Another bonus is he strives for clean language and family friendly content, which I can’t say for some of the other video tutorials out there.

4) Get your hands on these babies.

Minecraft Beginner’s Handbook, Minecraft Redstone Handbook, Minecraft Combat Handbook and Minecraft Construction Handbook

I don’t know what I am going to do come September when I have to have our students share these books at the library. Multiple copies are on order, but I don’t think these copies are going to satiate the demand!

My son has read these books from cover to cover multiple times, so I decided to take a peek at them and they are ah-mazing!! On a side note, take a look at
Liam O’Donnell’s  post, How Those Minecraft Books Got My Students Reading. These books, co-written by Paul Soares Jr., are very clearly laid out and easy to refer back to if you have specific questions about how to play the game.

5) Google, Google, Google if you have any questions. I have stopped playing many times, after my son has gone to bed, to punch in questions about the game. There are so many Minecraft related websites and forums out there. It can be overwhelming, so here are a few you may want to begin with.

Minecraft Wiki
THE wiki for any information about Minecraft

Minecraft Forum
THE forum for Minecraft questions and answers and the sharing of ideas

Minecraft Institute of Technololgy
I found out about this at Marianne Malmstrom’s (@knowclue) Minecraft session at ISTE 2014 and I was floored! As their website states:

Minecraft Institute of Technology (MIT), is a premium school for minecrafters. Here we teach all sorts of skills, like building, brewing, and horse riding. The faculty has been selected from the best of the world. We own cutting-edge facilities which are always being expanded. MIT is located on XP Galaxy, near the capitol city Pigston.

You go through worlds with your teacher as they guide you through specific skills. How awesome is that?! Note: You need the computer version to participate.

Minecraft Architecture
Get inspiration from this collection of screenshots of amazing homes that players have created.

Minecraft Challenges
A list of challenges you may want to set for yourself or your students.

I hope this post gives you all a great start with Minecraft. Have fun, and remember that you may need to take a Minecraft break, it is very addicting!

Yes, I am a Minecrafter: ISTE 2014 Made Me Do It

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Hi my name is Iram, I am 39 years old and I might have a little problem called Minecraft.

I blame Marianne Malmstrom’s (@knowclue) ISTE 2014 Session, Minecraft: Learning Blocks for pushing me over the edge.

Before this session I had no desire to actually play Minecraft. No matter how much my son begged me to, I just couldn’t do it. As I was thrown into the amazing ISTE 2014 experience, I thought I’d dabble in it and learn to play so I can connect with my students and my son. In no way did I see myself ever SERIOUSLY playing let alone ENJOYING it, but who wouldn’t want to try to create an amusement park with farm animal roller coasters, right?!!!

You know you are fully immersed in the game when you are on a family road trip and you are actually having an animated conversation with your 6 yr. old fellow Minecrafter about all the “biomes” you are driving through, the different types of trees you are whizzing by, what kind of rock the mountains are made of, where we could possibly find coal and diamonds and the government’s role in primary resource management. Also, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I knew this game playing was getting out of hand when I shut my eyes to go to sleep and all I could see was rock as I mined myself to sleep.

I’m currently on a husband sentenced Minecraft “break” (ahem, rehab)… I should be okay. As anything for adults and kids, it’s all about moderation folks!

Malmstrom hit me hard when she stated,

Minecraft isn’t the ultimate TEACHING tool, it’s the ultimate LEARNING tool.

Sometimes educators unintentionally can ruin a good thing by focussing on what they can make students do. As with any tech we need to be careful to remember that tech enhances learning by acting as yet another tool. It doesn’t magically teach curriculum and it doesn’t magically engage students. It needs to be thoughtfully integrated, but not necessarily integrated. It all depends on your students and their needs and learning styles.

In a recent blog post My Beef With the Gamification of Education, Bill Ferriter writes:

As most of you know, I’ve been arguing that technology DOESN’T motivate kids and that our goal SHOULDN’T be to engage learners for a long time… to suggest that students will only willingly embrace those skills when they are working through “exciting worlds full of monsters and magic juice” is a cop out for teachers and an insult to kids. Imagine how much more meaningful learning could be if kids were failing and planning and strategizing and sharing and collaborating with one another while trying to address a REAL problem facing REAL people in the REAL world?

As Howie Diblasi stated at another ISTE 2014 session I attended,

Gaming and simulations work well where kids can try new things. It’s a safe place to fail and persevere.

I believe that this is where Minecraft can play a role in schools. It provides a safe, non-judgemental outlet for students to learn and practice skills. From this point we can then step forward to link the skills learned from games to real life… to things that are actually going on in this world and to help students to step up and confidently play their part in changing the world.

I was inspired by Malmstrom to play Minecraft because I realized how important it is for everyone involved (teachers, parents and students) to have time to “play” before making judgements. It has been wonderful for my son and I to play together in a simulated world. We worked together to mine for resources to craft tools to survive. The 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creating were working over time. We got to a point in our game playing to be able to have the rich, real conversations we had on our road trip.

I have learned that Minecraft has connected my own child to real life issues in this world and I plan to help him explore them beyond Minecraft. I also have learned that it has allowed us to connect more and become closer. It has been a winner in my life and I am excited to see what it will do for the students that I work with. Thank you Marianne Malmstrom and Howie DiBlassi for pushing me into seeing that there is more to gaming than meets the eye.

Kindergarten Orientation: Not Just Another School Event

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Our school had it’s Welcome to Kindergarten afternoon today. I love it when new parents and students arrive through our doors at any time of the year, but the feeling I get from over 30 parents and their children arriving at school at once is even more exhilarating!

I have taught Kindergarten at many schools and the orientation format changes from school to school. Some schools have guests move through stations while they learn about important characteristics of the school and Kindergarten program. Some schools provide children a chance to spend time with the Kindergarten teachers while parents are given an overview of the school and the Kindergarten program lecture style. Some schools only invite parents.

Whatever format your school chooses to do, there are some important things that schools need to remember about this annual event. I get it, it’s a really busy time of year and things are crazy, but we can not risk treating this event as yet another obligation at this time of year to get through. I’d say it’s one of the most important events of the school year.

1) This is your chance to shine, to celebrate why your school is so great! With that you need to put your best foot forward. These parents are entrusting their most valuable possession to you. If you are having a bad day (who hasn’t had a bad day?!), put whatever is bothering you aside for a few hours.

2) Your role is to be welcoming. Be open to answering questions, and be patient with new parents who, most of the time, only have their own schooling experience to reference. Some parents and children may be overwhelmed with this new experience.

3) Use this opportunity to get to know kids and their parents. Covertly make note of “issues” children are displaying; however choose another, more private time to ask parents for more details.

4) Keep the teacher talk to a minimum. Share stories of your own kids and/or students. The best response I have received is sharing that I taught Kindergarten for over 10 years and when my own son entered Kindergarten I was a wreck! I needed to know every detail. If I didn’t have to be at work, I would be one of those moms hovering and peeking through the windows.

5) Don’t let them leave empty handed. Give them things to work on over the summer like a pair of scissors, play dough, a list of math and literacy games, etc.. Oh and, of course, you have to give them a tasty snack (healthy choices optional!)!

Kindergarten orientation is such an important event on so many levels, don’t let it go by without some thoughtful planning and discussion.

EdCamp35: A Parent’s Perspective

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Yesterday I attended EdCamp35 in Langley. Now I have attended a few EdCamps and I love the format. I love that everyone comes in so excited to make connections, to learn and to share. I love meeting people that I only previously have chatted with online. I love that that EdCamps recognize that there are many “experts” and we all can learn from each other. I love that I always leave with my beliefs challenged and a heavier tool belt of strategies.

This EdCamp, though, was a little different from the ones that I have attended before. This time I asked my good friend Jenn, an active Langley parent, to come with me. I thought she may get something out of it, but I have to admit I was nervous that it may be too focused on teachers. I assured her (and myself!) that I would put my parent hat on, parents were being encouraged to come and there would be sessions that she would be interested in because we could suggest sessions.

Well, as the board started to fill up with session ideas, my fears were coming true… there was nothing Jenn was really interested in going to. So, we put up one suggestion and stepped back. After about ten minutes, there were a few more that we felt we would like to attend.

I have to give credit to the organizers of EdCamp 35. They went out of their way to invite stakeholders from all areas of education, including parents. This was the best EdCamp I have attended because of this. However, I still feel like there is more room for growth. It was really eye opening to attend the event as a parent and have a parent right next to me. The whole experience was definitely intimidating.

The teachers who attend EdCamps are a very passionate bunch. They give up a Saturday to attend, that alone says a lot! It’s really beneficial for parents to see this passion. EdCamps also are a great way to create deeper home-school connections and inform parents about what is going on in schools, but it is also a great format to open up the stage for parents to voice their concerns and thoughts about school.

The one session that Jenn and I put up, Childhood Anxiety ended up turning out great. There were many parents and teachers sharing their stories of successes and concerns and it made the discussion quite robust.

So, future organizers of EdCamps how will you encourage deeper connections and engagement of parents? As with many strategies and events that try to encourage more parent involvement, there is potential with EdCamps, but more work needs to be done than just “inviting” parents.

Some things to think about:

  • Offer a ParentCamp in your district with  facilitators to allow parents to get used to the format of an EdCamp.
  • Offer childcare, call it KidsCamp!
  • When asking for ideas for sessions in your registration page, have these sessions already posted on the board. Many people, not just parents, would be nervous about jumping into the bustle to add sessions.
  • If you are an experienced EdCamper, invite some parents and stick by them until they get their bearings.

Each EdCamp that I attend gets better and better. Thank you EdCamp35 for another amazing experience.