Coursera Has 80 New Courses

The best teachers are always learning, be it on their own or through credit courses. One of the most convenient ways to learn what you want when you want at the right price (free) is through Coursera. Maybe you or your students want to jump into songwriting, explore digital signal processing, take on quantum physics, learn about comic books, or discover if plants have senses. You’ll find courses on these topics and more in the new Coursera catalog.  Check it out because you won’t believe how much is there for you and your students—cryptography, nanotechnology, Common Core, Surviving Your Rookie Year of Teaching, genetics, critical thinking, bioelectricity, Latin American Culture, Malicious Software, English Composition . . .

Gaming for a Better World

We know that students like educational games, but most teachers don’t think of themselves as game designers. Perhaps, we will take that on in the future, or at least take on the editing of some games—just like we do with other educational resources. Keeping in mind that students and many adults find some games addictive, we need to consider why this addiction happens and how we might use this knowledge to improve educational games and perhaps solve other problems as well. If we can create games that motivate students into problem solving modes, just like the most popular online games do, this will not only mean learning across the curriculum but also learning that may benefit education and our world.

Game designer Jane McGonigal's goal is to show everyone that game play can help solve the world’s problems. Just consider: playing games online helps students “learn as they go” and to collaborate and cooperate with others. Games match ability to game levels, offer collaborators to help, feature inspiring stories, give rewards, and leave users with a feeling of satisfaction. Many students spend as much time gaming as they do in school. Also, gamers may get better feedback in virtual worlds than they do in our schools. Because of her belief that gamers can offer solutions to many of our world’s problems, McGonigal has developed three games to test her theory. These include: World Without Oil (what happens when oil supplies run out), SuperStruct (gamers have 23 years left on Planet Earth), and Evoke (motivating social innovation skills especially for those in developing nations). Evoke is available online for you and your students to try. Users of these games have, according to McGonigal, come up with some “amazing solutions.”

Give Me More Math Homework!

Once in a while, we teachers encounter a math-whiz who can’t get enough math, but most of our students don’t exactly fit into that category. So, when students beg for more math homework, we wonder what might be causing this sudden fondness for the subject. According to Susan Bowling, the Enrichment Program Director at Fremont Intermediate School in Mundelein, Illinois, the answer is to put students to work with Wowsers. The product is an online learning platform for Grades 3-8, which provides games and activities to help students master core mathematics concepts. Bowling’s students want more Wowser math fun after school, on weekends and when they are out sick. At Fremont, all students, including those in Special Education and Gifted programs, receive time with Wowsers, and they can also access it at home, during their free time, and on their mobile devices. Currently only school editions, which can be used at home, are available, but the folks at Wowsers are working on the ability to offer a single use edition for families whose children’s schools don’t have Wowsers.

For Those Students Who Like Puzzles

Don’t forget Sudoku puzzles to stimulate critical thinking. Funbrain offers easy to hard puzzles to help students sharpen their brain power. Games come with directions, options such as sound effects, the coloring of illegitimate entries in red, and use of symbols instead of numbers. Hints are provided and students can print the games instead of playing them online. Two hundred Sudoku boards are available.