Reflection

The Let’s Play activities shown here review the computer game Spades and the Web 2.0 tool Jeopardy Rocks. These activates, I believe, were assigned to expose students to creative ways to disseminate information to learners and other audiences. 

For my first Let’s Play activity I chose to review the computer game Spades. As I mentioned in the video, Spades is a very popular card game and it’s one of my favorite games to play. This activity was one of our very first assignments. Looking back on the experience I was really, really hesitant to try and complete it at first. I did not understand why this would be a part of the course until I read the information regarding gaming and it’s benefits to learning.   It turns out that gaming can influence learning in a very positive way and can be used in the classroom and training sessions to facilitate the transfer of knowledge. Once I’d read that I chose this Spades game because I have friends that do not know how to play Spades. I would love for them to be able to join me for a game occasionally. So I thought I would give a little insight into the logic that goes into playing the game.   I can say that one of my friends has viewed the video and seems to understand the game of Spades just a little more. She and I play together online a few times a week.

My next Let’s Play activity reviews the Web 2.0 tool Jeopardy Rocks. I found Jeopardy Rocks in a simple Internet search. It appealed to me because Jeopardy has been a tool long used by teachers and professor for information review sessions. I can think back to middle and junior high school, and remember having so much fun during these types of reviews. Not only is it fun, but it is also a quick way to build an experience that incorporates the necessary information.   Because I’d created the first Let’s Play activity, I found that creation of this one went much more smoothly. I was able to record the video and audio using QuickTime, and then edit my video using IMovie. I believe that this video thoroughly reviews Jeopardy Rocks. This is important because given the right tool teachers and professors can build Jeopardy games much more easily. This cuts down on the time necessary for preparation of the game. Also once created, the game can be accessed anytime via the Internet. This means that it can be made available to students at any time for review of their class information.  I am happy with my work on this assignment and the information about the benefits of using Web 2.0 tools I’ve learned.

Overall, these activities were very worthwhile. I learned that using video can really enhance learning. The theory behind the Modality Principle is very true. Spoken word and visuals tend to enhance learning. It can be used for so many different ways to disseminate information. While completing the activities I hadn’t thought about the many training videos I’d seen in the past but this goes to show that they are not just pointless videos. They should be crafted in a way that the transfer of knowledge takes place. This increases knowledge and skill levels of employees.

Let’s Play Activity #2

Web 2.0 tool – Jeopardy Rocks

Let’s Play Activity #1

Let’s Play Spades!!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaGRVXA2IOw