Roqayah's+journal

= Journal #1 =

Actually my experience with video and computer games is very limited. I do remember playing game called Crash with my sister when I was little. It was quite interesting. This game is based on adventure. It is all bout stages that we need to pass in order to go to the next stage. The difficulty of this game would increase as you go along these stages or levels. I, also, like a table game called monopoly. Through this game, I could build houses and hotels on properties that I need to buy. I could form my won strategies and investments like real-life investments. It imitates real life business too. I could make deals with other people and make business relationships with them. It allows me to forecast my won. It is huge game that involves a lot of learning principles and skills. The disadvantage of this game is the ability to build a lot of skills that would help the players in the real life investment and negotiation.
 * Describe your background and history with video and computer games?

Depend on the natural of the game. Usually my identity would be as young girl. If I am playing a game that contains visual identity, I would like to choose to be the pretty girl. However, in some strategy games I would like to have the smart and conservative personality. I like to be the girl who plans her move very carefully.
 * What are some of the real and/or virtual ‘identities’ you take on?

Gee’s definition of literacy is grater than what we believe. The impact of James Paul Gee’s definition of ‘literacy’ might have on my teaching is introducing the subjects to my students in different angles rather than focusing on writing and reading to deliver information and knowledge. With the progress of technology, there are so many effective ways to delivering the information.
 * What impact might James Paul Gee’s definition of ‘literacy’ have on your teaching?

My new ‘semiotic domain’ is my first experience of a college system in my master’s degree. The college system, when I was taking my undergraduate degree was similar to the high school degree where the student cannot choose certain coerces. However, I have learned and experienced new ‘semiotic domains’ when I get to choose my courses, professors and strategically match and combine the courses of each term.
 * What experiences have you had learning in new ‘semiotic domains’?

= Journal #2 =

I have not taught yet, but I think using videos games especially the games that related to curriculum in teaching are important. Today, students learn information far out of context and they do not have any idea of how they use these information. Through video games, students would be able to use the information they learn, and it gives them opportunities to do and try things they could not do them in real life.
 * How might virtual and projective identities be important in your teaching?

I have not taught and I never thought about it before, so I do not have any experience regard teaching students with a “damaged” identity?
 * Describe an experience you’ve had in teaching a student with a “damaged” identity.

Today, students learn general ideas and words but they really have no idea what do they mean in actual situations and how they use them in such satiations. Students often learn information out of context and therefor, they will not get the real meaning of such ideas and even they will easily forget what they learn. We, as teacher, should integrate situated learning in our teaching to enhance effective learning, and a video game is one example that could encourage situated learning. Incorporate situated learning in teaching and learning process would enhance student learning and motivate student to learn. For example, when we teach student biological information, it is really important to situate student in actual situations such as games that apply biological environment in which they can see and use the information they learn. Through that students can effectively learn and understand the meaning.
 * Give an example of a situated meaning in your content area, and describe how you might help students gain a more embodied understanding of it?

I recently played “resilient plant” game. In the first step, as player I tried to figure out questions that requirement to solve in order to continue playing such as finding certain see creatures. Some of questions I solved correctly but few of them were incorrect. In the second step, I began to hypothesize the result that appeared from first step. For example, how I solved the requirement questions or why I did not solve the question correctly. Based on that, I played again with that hypothesis in mind. Depending on the result I began to re-think the hypothesis again.
 * Describe a recent learning experience that involved using the probe, hypothesize, re-probe, and rethink cycle?

= Journal #3 =

First when I read this question, it comes to my mind the school time when I study English language as a second language here in the U.S. Usually in the beginning of each term, the teachers assessed our ability and learning skills before they started teaching us the lessons in order to see what are each student’s weakness and strengths and teach us based on that. I think it is very helpful if teachers focus on teaching their students based on their needs rather than teaching them what are in the textbooks regardless of whether students need to learn them or not. For example, giving student handouts to complete questions on a given topic in the beginning of the course, and then teacher reviews student’s answers "just-in-time" in order to introduce and teach students the topic or adopt learning activities based on misunderstandings in the students’ answers. In short, they ignore the information student already know or overlook information they do not need to learn.
 * Give an example of 'Just in Time' information presentation in a classroom activity?

Based on my understanding to these concepts, I would come up with an example that I remember when I studied English language. In reading and writing class, teachers usually stared the class with introducing to us keywords of the subjects matter as well as unfamiliar words, which I think would be subdomain, before they started to teach us the subject, which is the real domain. I think they do that in order to have better understanding of the subject matter.
 * In a content area of your choice, how might you incorporate teaching in a 'subdomain' of the 'real' domain?

When we teach students particular concepts, we, as teachers, should link the lesson learned with real life examples and allow them to experience the concepts they leaned instead of just having them learn the concepts verbally. For example, when we teach student how the plants grow, it will be effective and helpful if we allow them to experience that after presenting the subject by letting them grow plants by themselves in playground of their schools for example.
 * Describe a technique that you might use to help students 'transfer' early learning to more complex problems.

My learning experience would be when I came here to the U. S to complete my studying and get my master degree, it was challenging for me to get used to a new culture. Especially that I have never traveled to places out of my country, so I do not have any experience with other cultures. Therefor, there are many challenges that I faced here in the U.S that has challenged my cultural model. One of these challenges would be studying in American universities that incorporate both boy and girl. It was like strange for me because I am not used to studying with boys. In my country universities do not mix gender. There are male universities and female universities. However, that challenge gave me a good experience on how to deal with different genders.
 * Describe a learning experience you've had where one of your 'cultural models' was challenged?