Find attached articles/projects I have written during my Masters program at the University of Calgary. They are listed in reverse chronological order, from 2013 to 2010.
Using GAFE- A How to Guide for Teachers- This is a link to my final project for my last Masters class, Inquiry into Digital Content. As a proponent of Google Apps For Education, I created a site that teachers could use to implement GAFE into their classes, From using Gmail, to creating a site, to using Google+ communities. As I learn new things or receive feedback, I will update the site accordingly.
Kaboom: The Game- This paper describes the game, Kaboom. Kaboom was created by the authors as a project for a summer class in 2013 on digital game-based learning. This document describes the game; how it was created, how to play, and the objectives of the game. The paper then discusses the design principles the game was created on. A description of our rationale for the game; that it was doable, that it was casual, and that the game is useful for learning practices as it met specific mathematical skills that we had identified as important, and could be reinforced in a fun game, follows. A discussion of the limitations and challenges about the game and its future possibilities use for learning practices completes the discussion.
Can mathematics education change? A story of repetition- This paper looked at the history of mathematics reform in North America and how that reform has impacted the Alberta curriculum. The paper examined how there is a striking similarity between all of the reform initiatives, both in theory and implementation, and because of those similarities, how each of them failed to make substantial differences in the perceived needs of its clientele. The paper concluded with a vision of what I think future reforms in mathematics will be and what I think reform in mathematics should be.
Project based learning: Integrating technology instructional design- The impetus for this instructional design evolved from the classroom encounters that I and my colleagues have been experiencing over the past couple of years that have impacted how we teach, now and in the future. In this paper I provided some examples that have lead me to the creation of this design, then showed how I hoped the proposed instructional design will meet the challenges that those examples have identified.
Educating imagination out of our students- This paper explored how my own teaching impacts on students’ creativity and imagination, how the curriculum hinders out of the box thinking, and how the institution of school compounds these problems. I believe strongly that students are becoming increasingly disengaged in the process of learning, and teaching from a different perspective, or at least looking for opportunities to include the arts as a way of learning, just might offer some solutions.
Evaluation of attitudes to learning at Calgary Christian School- This is an evaluation proposal of the attitudes towards learning at Calgary Christian School, the intent of which is to improve those attitudes. To accomplish this, the evaluation would establish what the attitudes are now in consultation with the stakeholders, and then develop ways that the school can use to improve those attitudes.
Mobile technology: It is time for action- This paper looked at research involving the use of mobile technology in the classroom, and how its use can increase motivation and engagement of students. The research defined what m-learning is, provided examples of its use, and identified some of the problems associated with implementation. A discussion of digital citizenship is included because of the important implications of increased access to the digital world, and the significance of public versus private information. The examples used were the strongest evidence for the use of mobile technology, but also identified the problems with cost, time, and perhaps the most troubling, which platform to use.
The disconnect between the learning of math concepts and their reproduction and use in a grade twelve math class: A grounded theory study- This paper served as a research proposal to investigate the question, “What are the primary reasons for the disconnect between the learning of math concepts and their reproduction and use in a grade twelve math class?”
To a Greater Understanding of Physics: Why Vectors are the Thing- Explores the importance of vectors as a tool for understanding science concepts, and why there is a need for subject specialists in elementary education