http://www.thethinkingstick.com/if-students-had-the-choice/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=if-students-had-the-choice Educator Consultant Author Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:34:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/if-students-had-the-choice/#comment-1605 J.D. Williams Fri, 23 Mar 2007 18:40:18 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=454#comment-1605 When I give my students free time on the computers over 50% of them end up on www.maidmarian.com (girls and boys). At first I thought it might be a bad idea for them to be playing these massive online rpg games. Then I listened to some of their conversations: "You join the chat by typing in backslash, join, then the chat room number. We're all in room number 13. Talk to us on there." They are sitting next to each other, but instead of talking they are typing their messages to each other while they explore these games. Or, "No go up to the (whichever part of the map he is in). No, its south of where you are at. Look on the map." Or, "What language are those people typing in?" The only time now that I think it might be a problem is when one of the admins does a walk through. When I give my students free time on the computers over 50% of them end up on http://www.maidmarian.com (girls and boys). At first I thought it might be a bad idea for them to be playing these massive online rpg games. Then I listened to some of their conversations: “You join the chat by typing in backslash, join, then the chat room number. We’re all in room number 13. Talk to us on there.” They are sitting next to each other, but instead of talking they are typing their messages to each other while they explore these games. Or, “No go up to the (whichever part of the map he is in). No, its south of where you are at. Look on the map.” Or, “What language are those people typing in?” The only time now that I think it might be a problem is when one of the admins does a walk through.

]]> http://www.thethinkingstick.com/if-students-had-the-choice/#comment-1604 Diane Quirk Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:37:51 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=454#comment-1604 As I was reading through the list, I started to think about all the connections they must be making to their own interests and their own learning needs. There's not one thing on the list that couldn't be justified as new learning or adding to previous knowledge. They must have a great teacher who has taught them the value of the tools available to them. :) Every once in a while, I wander into our elementary labs when they're having some free time and think about what I see on the screens. I think the value of what they do with their free time is directly related to the value placed on the tools used for instruction. As I was reading through the list, I started to think about all the connections they must be making to their own interests and their own learning needs. There’s not one thing on the list that couldn’t be justified as new learning or adding to previous knowledge. They must have a great teacher who has taught them the value of the tools available to them. Every once in a while, I wander into our elementary labs when they’re having some free time and think about what I see on the screens. I think the value of what they do with their free time is directly related to the value placed on the tools used for instruction.

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