The summer is a great time for spending more time with family, and it also gives me more time to learn about the kiddos in my family, what they like, what makes them laugh, their friends, and the traits that make me love them so much.
I don't think there is a parent or grandparent that wouldn't do anything they could to make sure there are always happy faces, an overabundance of fun, and opportunities for the kids to be themselves. Whether the summer fun includes swimming in the pool, playing soccer, riding bikes, riding in the boat, fishing, or looking for shells at the beach, there is always time for technology.
I am amazed by the proficiency of today's kids, they are faced with so many options in technology devices, and yet master them in a few minutes after having it in their hands. After the ISTE conference and hearing about the educational benefits of gaming, I began to pay more attention to what they were playing. I began to see what the presenters were talking about in a real-world example in my only family.
This summer, both the girls and the boys seemed to be most interested in Minecraft. They were able to tell me all about the game, how much planning was involved, what they were learning the "secrets" of the game. Both of the oldest kids (soon to be 10, and 9), gave me a detailed description of what the object of the game was and all about what they were building. I saw the critical thinking in action. They were learning from the game, improving their skills and deciding what to build next based on their successful experiences. Their "presentation" was jsut a good as
It was great! Amazing what a 9 and 10 year old can teach you. Our students have so much to offer, we just need to give them the opportunity to share and listen to them.
There are so many resources available, but this one from TeachThought is a good one.
Lessons to Learn From Minecraft
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