A lot of our tech is much like a sophisticated workbook on a page. There's a place for this tech, but it's also important to employ deep, meaningful, and creative technology--the kind that's engaging for students and leads to rich learning.
Recently I realized that some of the tech mis-choosing that students are doing is do to the fact that we need more engaging and meaningful tech that catches students' attention like Minecraft and gaming does. So I've been charged to work with students to identify some sites like this, sites like SCRATCH that elevate student learning, collaboration, problem solving, and creativity. Since SCRATCH and Minecraft are not allowed in our system, I'll have to look elsewhere. I'll start my search with sites currently allowed in our system. I'll dig deeper to look for creative games and learning venues offered by those sites. Then I'll look at a host of sites recommended by the students, and seek permission for use of those sites if I believe they meet the criterial for deep, meaningful, and relevant tech learning. Finally I'll do a bit of investigation on my own.
If you have ideas about how to grow this part of our teaching/learning repertoire, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the discovery process. Onward.
