QA Engagement and Questing on a Sick Day
A vice-principal came into my classroom a few days ago. My students were working on the “Ingolstadt” mission in Quest Atlantis. She watched them for a few minutes and said, “Man, are they ever ENGAGED”. I have a friend that calls virtual games like this and the activities they contain, “Behaviorist Pedagogy“. I think it could be considered to be experiential learning as well. I am not certain which of us is more correct, perhaps we are equally correct. But I do know one thing for sure, my students are engaged, learn self-direction, and have fun when they are in Quest Atlantis. They are learning to interact, communicate, and collaborate with others in an on-line, teacher-monitored, safe environment. They are investigating Social Commitments and how to treat others respectfully, all the while being invested in a standards based curriculum. The more I see kids work with Quest Atlantis, and as I become increasingly efficient at teaching with it, the more I believe that MUVE’s like it definitely hold a very strong place in the future of education.
Another example of how Quest Atlantis can change the way we deliver instruction can be found in the following example. My son is one of my students when I teach school on this side of town. He was ill last week and had to stay home from school. The computer in my kitchen has Quest Atlantis and Skype loaded on it. During my last class of the day, I skyped home and my son was able to attend my class and talk with his classmates as they worked their way through the Ingolstadt mission in Quest Atlantis. My son is at an age where I think he believes I am a bumbling fool…but I think he liked the fact that I was able to help him come to school on a day he was too sick to make it past our kitchen computer.
Every time I investigate QA I am more convinced that aI would like to know more and get involved.
Can you give me an idea of how much time students need per week to make it worthwhile as I only have classes for 1 hour each week (including borrowing)? For me to consider joining any classes up I imagine that class time would also be needed or computer lab time-also 1 hour per week.
What age group would you introduce first with a primary school?
Looking forward to future explorations.
Hi Audrey,
We’d be thrilled to welcome you to our QA family of educators! Many teachers only use QA one 45 minute session a week, and that is plenty to motivate them and provide you with some excellent tools to leverage meaningful learning. We have students in grades 4-8 here in the US (so about ages 9-16), and the program gives them a wonderful opportunity to “meet” other children from around the world. I’ll send you more information for your to review, and if you are interested in joining, just let me know and we can get you set up.
Donna (ds9@indiana.edu)…feel free to email me if you have any questions…
Jeff, you “hit the nail on the head” when you say “…My students are engaged, learn self-direction, and have fun when they are in Quest Atlantis. They are learning to interact, communicate, and collaborate with others in an on-line, teacher-monitored, safe environment.” (I hope you don’t mind if I quote you!)
The example you use regarding your son participating from home is beautiful! I know there are times when my daughter thinks I’m a bumbling fool too, but I know she thinks its pretty cool that her Mum loves virtual worlds like Quest Atlantis just as much as she does.
Lucy
Jeff, you “hit the nail on the head” when you say “…My students are engaged, learn self-direction, and have fun when they are in Quest Atlantis. They are learning to interact, communicate, and collaborate with others in an on-line, teacher-monitored, safe environment.” (I hope you don’t mind if I quote you!)
The example you use regarding your son participating from home is beautiful! I know there are times when my daughter thinks I’m a bumbling fool too, but I know she thinks its pretty cool that her Mum loves virtual worlds like Quest Atlantis just as much as she does.
Lucy