Online learning is perceived as an
aim to “broaden and expand student experiences” (Picciano & Seaman, 2010, p.
2). As a future educator, I plan on teaching English to high school students.
Online learning is definitely a facet I plan on incorporating in my teaching
pedagogy. When I do decide to use an online educational game as a part of my
lesson plan, there is nothing more that I want than for my students to be be
fully engaged and cooperative. Ways in which I, as a teacher, can revise my
assignments for my students when using an online educational game are to: integrate
applicable challenge levels for my students to maneuver about, ensure
equilibrium between instruction and entertainment within the game, and provide
adequate performance feedback to my students. By executing these objectives in
my online educational game, I feel that I can establish an effective online
learning environment for my students.
Online learning games have a variety
of levels of difficulty. As a high school English teacher, I want to incorporate
an online educational game my students can enjoy and be motivated to attempt,
yet appropriately challenge them. If I were in my students’ shoes, I would not
want a game too easy or too challenging for me. If the game I am applying my
students to attempt is too easy and simple, then my students would probably get
easily bored and lose interest. Consequently, if I give my students a very
challenging game to complete, then it would not benefit them in any way because
they would end up getting frustrated and quit. I feel that having an online
educational game that meets the appropriate challenges amongst students will
help them pay attention, as well as warrant an impactful learning and gaming
experience.
When applying an online learning
game into my teaching pedagogy, I do not want my students to forget the goal of
their gaming experience, which is learning. Some online educational games can
be too entertaining to the point that distracts the learner from finishing the
task at hand. I want my students to be totally engaged in the online
educational game, but at the same time I do not want that overall engagement to
hinder their ability to lose focus on acquiring the knowledge and skills
displayed within the game. I believe that the entertainment aspect is just as
important as the instructional and learning aspect in any online educational
game. Finding an equilibrium between these two aspects will go exhibit
effectiveness and efficiency in the online learning game as a whole.
Feedback is crucial in any learning
environment. According to Shelley Stagg Peterson (2010), verbal and written
feedback can be an influential teaching tool. Feedback can be delivered in
various ways, but in an online educational game, I feel that the most helpful way
of giving feedback is through student performance. I understand that students
do not take feedback too lightly, but they need to realize that feedback does more
good than harm. With my students, I plan on giving them feedback on their
performance after they complete the game, as well them providing me feedback on
their thoughts and concerns regarding the online learning game. Feedback
enables me to understand and pinpoint areas my students and myself need to work
on. By providing adequate feedback to my students, I feel that my teaching
pedagogy will be strong and effective because not only will feedback help me as
an educator, but will also help my students learn from their mistakes and make
room for improvements.
Online learning certainly enlarges
an individual’s learning and gaming experience. Implementing an online learning
game as an assignment for my students will be definitely be challenging, but I am
hopeful that with the right teaching pedagogy, I will be able to overcome such a
challenge. Because I am going to be teaching English to high school students, I
want to make sure that I am applicably meeting my students’ needs in successfully
executing an online education game as a part of my teaching pedagogy. The
online learning game I will distribute to my students will contain a level of
difficulty in coherence to their level of understanding of the subject. Balancing
entertainment and instruction within the online game is a must. I want my
students to have fun, yet learn. In addition, feedback is important in any
learning environment. It provides students, as well as teachers, an assessment
of their strengths and weaknesses as learners. Revisions such as these will
help me grow and flourish as an educator. Teaching online learning will, without
a doubt, be such an experience for me as a future educator.
