Teacher Development Programme @ Pasadena ISD

As part of the SEA trip to the SEEC conference and thanks to the work by Seth Fewell of Pearl Hall we (Mike Grocott and Richard Healey) had the fantastic opportunity to work with teachers from the Pasadena Independent School District focusing on Games Based Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning.

A pdf of the presentation is available in Resources/Stuff to Download.

As part of the presentation we considered the reason to change/develop the way we deliver teaching and learning, then looked at some aspects of Games Based Learning in particular the success we have had using Playstation's Little Big Planet, the free games creation software Scratch and also a fantastic piece of "virtual physics lab" software Algodoo. We started the session looking at the use of Playstation Portables (PSPs) in the classroom. We have been using these devices over the last five years and compared to such things as iPads and smartphones they are an old technology. However the key issue we wanted to emphasise is that it is not only about the technology as important as this can be, it is about meeting learning outcomes as effectively and efficiently as possible. We also focused on the needs of the autonomous/independent learner, how can teachers develop resources to support these learners. 

We shared with the teachers a list of software that we have used effectively with teachers and students and whilst it not exhaustive, it is reasonably comprehensive and most importantly they are tried and tested in the classroom. This can also be downloaded.

Here we are in action!! A big thanks to all the teachers that attended.