Teachers Teaching Teachers #219 -Gaming to learn about the business of the environment - 9.22.10

More gaming, more environment on this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers.

We invited Andy Rosenbloom (plus a teacher from New Jersey who has used Spill! in his classroom last Spring) and Tim Baker back onto the show to continue our conversations about gaming and the environment that started this summer with A Real Team Challenge: Spill! TTT 211 - 07.28.10.  This summer Andy Rosenbloom, Program Director for the Virtual Team Challenge: Spill! invited us to join Spill!:

Even though you’re busy this summer with countless poolside BBQs, it’s never too early to plan ahead for Fall semester curriculum. The Virtual Team Challenge is an entirely FREE online, multiplayer business simulation that takes place in the animated 3D world of New City. The team objective in the simulation is to help the mayor stage the most efficient oil spill recovery effort. Top-performing teams are eligible for prizes for themselves, their teachers, and local charities! Virtual Team Challenge will run this Fall from October 12 – November 24. See our article in The New York Times to read about one NJ teacher’s success with the program. Virtual Team Challenge comes complete with lesson plans and in-class exercises which form a curriculum that highlights general business acumen, business ethics, negotiation skills, decision-making processes and accounting while placing a special emphasis on important life/career skills such as teamwork, communication, professionalism and research methods.

We were also joined by Tim Baker, a graduate student who Susan Ettenheim met this summer at a Scratch workshop at MIT. (Listen to: Lots of overlapping pieces: Laura Fay and Tim Baker on using Scratch in middle school - TTT #215 - 08.25.10) Tim Baker came to MIT from Orono, Maine with his project Sim Stream. University of Maine Undergraduate researchers are developing a grades 6-8 virtual, educational system that poses environmental issues for students to explore in their own ecological system, drawing from diverse areas of study. By learning to use scientific observations, analyze data, and draw inferences in formulating decisions and policies, students develop an appreciation and understanding for natural resources, human-non-human inter-dependencies and the need for civic responsibility.

We invite you to join this ongoing conversation by listening to this podcast.

Click Read more to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.

20:56:45 SusanEttenheim: hi mrormsby!
20:57:34 mrormsby: Hello Susan.
20:57:40 mrormsby: Actually I'm Marka Ormsby
20:59:06 SusanEttenheim: hi marka - I'm just getting the broadcast set up - welcome!
20:59:35 mrormsby: Excellent! I've listened to many of the broadcasts via MP3.
21:00:40 chris sloan: hello all
21:01:27 SusanEttenheim: chris is your skype on?
21:02:17 SusanEttenheim: ok marka! now I can "talk" welcome!
21:02:32 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach? and can you hear ok?
21:02:53 mrormsby: Can't hear. Not sure what I need to do.
21:03:03 SusanEttenheim: ok are you at edtechtalk.com
21:03:08 SusanEttenheim: yes, you must be :)
21:03:16 SusanEttenheim: now click where it says participate
21:03:26 SusanEttenheim: and click the volume icon and you should be able to hear us
21:04:14 Andy Rosenbloom: http://www.virtualteamchallenge.com
21:04:39 SusanEttenheim: can you hear now marka?
21:05:29 mrormsby: Yes, I'm in. I can hear fine. Thank you.
21:05:54 SusanEttenheim: great! where and what do you teach?
21:05:59 SusanEttenheim: hi scott welcome!
21:06:27 Scott Shelhart (@kd9sr): Hello Susan
21:06:40 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:07:20 Scott Shelhart (@kd9sr): I'm a preservice K-6 educator in Indiana
21:08:10 mrormsby: My sister and I have a business Tech Matters and we work on Problem Based Learning. We are working with a K-12 school system and a local engineering university to develop educational games.
21:08:41 Tim Baker: http://picasaweb.google.com/Timbone945/SimStream?authkey=Gv1sRgCMP-9vvCn...
21:08:43 mrormsby: We have also used Scratch for school Tech Clubs
21:08:50 SusanEttenheim: great! welcome!
21:09:03 SusanEttenheim: hi margaetsmn welcome!
21:09:08 Paul Allison: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/1166552813/more-gaming-more-environme...
21:10:35 PeggyG: Hi everyone
21:11:13 Gail Desler: HI Margaret and Peggy
21:12:14 SusanEttenheim: hi peggy welcome!
21:13:03 PeggyG: Did you already share the link for tonight for Voices on the Gulf?
21:13:25 Gail Desler: http://voicesonthegulf.net
21:13:32 SusanEttenheim: thanks gail!
21:13:42 Gail Desler: :-)
21:14:00 PeggyG: thank you
21:16:40 Andy Rosenbloom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54154129@N02/sets/72157624881768547/with/5012868800/
21:16:47 PeggyG: I would love to hear more about that!
21:17:15 PeggyG: thanks Andy-those pics are great!
21:17:21 Andy Rosenbloom: Thanks Peggy!
21:18:09 PeggyG: is the simulation only for your class?
21:21:22 Andy Rosenbloom: The simulation is open to all high schools across the country
21:23:10 PeggyG: it's very impressive--just the pictures make me want to participate :-)
21:25:34 PeggyG: I agree! The names are very clever
21:26:13 PeggyG: I think the Mayor should have had a little work on his desk :-)
21:26:27 PeggyG: http://www.brandgames.com
21:27:49 Andy Rosenbloom: HER desk
21:28:50 PeggyG: sorry! missed that little detail...still needs some real "work" evidence :-)
21:32:28 PeggyG: lots of real-life work experiences :-)
21:33:14 PeggyG: that's an interesting term--remedial coaching
21:34:17 mrormsby: The data be used as a way of doing assessments.
21:35:25 PeggyG: those excuses sound very familiar :-)
21:35:53 PeggyG: someone shared that on Facebook :-) excellent article!
21:36:53 mrormsby: The challenges again involve have the resources (people and equipment) to make it happen.
21:38:11 PeggyG: for sure, mrormsby!!
21:39:10 PeggyG: do you find the students want to continue in the sim outside of school?
21:40:01 Gail Desler: PeggyG - that takes the game to another level if they'll access it when they don't have to.
21:40:35 PeggyG: cool!!
21:42:06 Andy Rosenbloom: We find that, like with other curriculum materials, some students are interesting in doing the minimum amount of work and others take a deep, deep dive into the material
21:42:24 PeggyG: this is the perfect exacmple of why curriculum needs to go virtual--students are learning about and exploring real issues that are happening right now that aren't in the textbooks yet!
21:42:32 Andy Rosenbloom: In some cases, that means students accessing the game from home, which is very exciting!
21:42:43 PeggyG: that is very exciting Andy!
21:43:13 Gail Desler: Very good point, Peggy - the textbook lag
21:43:40 mrormsby: Yes Peggy, that lag is getting to be a much bigger issue every year.
21:44:46 PeggyG: wonder if any students will want to run for public office after an experience like this?
21:45:53 PeggyG: pressure!
21:46:32 PeggyG: free and quality experience!!! best of both worlds!
21:50:48 SusanEttenheim: hi joshua welcome!
21:50:54 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:51:45 joshua.mcgrath: I'm a student doing research on educational video games.
21:52:11 PeggyG: fantastic joshua! great to have you joining this conversation!
21:54:48 PeggyG: chat is often the challenge!! they just don't want to allow social networking sites because of the chat feature
21:56:19 SusanEttenheim: welcome joshua - where are you doing your work?
21:56:30 joshua.mcgrath: When I was a middle schooler in the Maine laptop program I had access to Micro Worlds, which is a logo based system coming out of MIT I believe.
21:57:09 SusanEttenheim: how great!
21:57:18 SusanEttenheim: are you doing your work at Maine now?
21:58:06 SusanEttenheim: hi skorpya welcome!
21:58:08 tim: site looks very engaging - nice job
21:58:13 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:58:30 skorpya: :D hi!!
21:58:44 skorpya: EDP COllege of PR
21:58:45 tim: probably wouldn't use in my primary class - but nice to see online spaces evolving.
21:58:52 SusanEttenheim: welcome!
21:59:06 PeggyG: so it was by design not to train teachers in its use but to let them plunge in and learn with the students?
21:59:06 tim: any challenge that's engaging and creative gets students going
21:59:23 PeggyG: I agree tim
22:00:18 joshua.mcgrath: right, with scratch students have a lot of freedom to break, expand and outright change any project.
22:00:57 joshua.mcgrath: Montessori School
22:02:13 PeggyG: Scratch is such an amazing program! so creative and flexible and FUN!
22:02:31 joshua.mcgrath: break, expand, improve
22:02:41 PeggyG: love that description joshua!
22:03:32 joshua.mcgrath: Civics crossed with programming
22:04:07 PeggyG: the gulf dogs makes this such an authentic learning experience :-)
22:04:15 PeggyG: thanks Gail!
22:04:27 Gail Desler: :D
22:05:40 joshua.mcgrath: It's also not about every kid in the classroom. Experiences like this can provide better learning with kids with different learning styles.
22:05:45 Gail Desler: Real world applications - definitely should be part of the classroom experience!
22:05:53 joshua.mcgrath: for*
22:06:27 mrormsby: Yes, Gail! Technology makes it possible now to bring real world experiences through games and sims.
22:06:33 tim: +1 for Scratch
22:06:42 Gail Desler: Night all
22:06:43 PeggyG: excellent points
22:06:56 joshua.mcgrath: Thanks!
22:07:03 SusanEttenheim: night all!
22:07:06 PeggyG: thanks everyone! really interesting and informative! have a great time with your project
22:07:13 PeggyG: see you next week
22:07:17 tim: thank you.
22:07:19 Paul Allison: thanks peggy.
22:07:26 Paul Allison: See you!
22:14:33 amapola: buenas