Lesson Plan

Since I am going for Secondary English Ed., I thought it was important to take the useful information in this class and apply it to my classroom.  The first thought that popped into my head was the whole creation of the avatar.  Too often on the first day of school teachers ask the students to tell the class things about them.  But why limit them to what they are when they can talk about what they want to be.  Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to have the students create their own avatar and explain why they did what they did.  For example, I would give them different characteristics, classes, and goals to choose from.  Or maybe I would let them make it up.  Either way, I would want them to create their ideal self or how they see themselves.  Although it is interesting to find out their hobbies, interests, and facts, I think it is even more important to see them through a lens that they create for you.  If a 8th grade boy creates an avatar that has the ability to be invisible because he likes to be alone, this shows me that he likes to be independent and that he is more of an introvert.  Everything they choose is for a reason and I think it would be exciting to see what exactly they choose.  Another thing I would like to try as a lesson plan is for each student to read a novel of their choice independently.  Instead of writing a paper on each book, why not let them create a graphic novel in 10 pages or less.  It would be a nice way to get students to summarize and give them boundaries and freedom at the same time.  They would pick out important quotes to use, they would create the mood and tone through their drawings, and they would be able to tell the story by effectively summarizing.  I don't think I would make this the only choice as a project; but I think it would definitely be a choice among several.  The last lesson that I thought of was doing video game journals that are similar to these blogs.  Those students who play video games would be asked to make journal entries when they play at home and hand them in every so often.  It is a good way to break up regular homework and it would be a good way to get them to become better writers.  I think it is important for teachers to look at their subject in different ways.  The most important thing that I learned in this class is to not be afraid to do something different.  I think that is sort of a life long lesson and hopefully I will not be afraid to try new lesson plans and techniques in my future classroom.

Final Fantasy X...Again! Planning the DC trip

      Final Fantasy X has been an absolute horrible experience in terms of almost everything. At first I was doing okay besides the fact I didn't know how to save. Now, I am just awful at fighting things (big surprise I'm sure). I spent a total of 6 hours just figuring out what I needed to do to get off this boat that I have been traveling on. I talked to Dr. Mortimore and she told me to use a walkthrough. I would've done that sooner but I felt a little guilty using that as a supplement. I wanted to try and figure all of this stuff out on my own. However, I caved in and looked up one that has been sort of helpful. All I needed to do to get off the boat was to go up on deck and talk to the one girl again. I did that once but I didn't realize I had to do it again. So I finally did and then came a lonnnnnnnggggg cut scene revealing some information about the main character's father. Finally, I thought, I can get off this stupid boat. Of course not! This huge shark/whale/dolphin starts coming at my neck and is taking the boat with it. Here I am playing another hour or two trying to kill it. It kept telling me to target its fin which took me forever to figure out how to do. Then I killed it! I was triumphant and accomplished. I thought I could finally save my game...but no. Another octopus and its sidekick dolphins comes and attacks me. So this is where I stand. I can't kill it, I can't save my game because there are no spheres, and I feel defeated. How am I supposed to progress in this game if I can't save and kill boss's?!
        Moreover, planning the DC trip has been fun but stressful. As a future teacher I thought it would always be nice to plan a field trip; however, now I know that it is not so easy. I think that it is hard because you can never get a feel at who is going to actually go, who wants to go, and who says they aren't going to go but then shows up. I tried making the event page but only so many people responded to it. Finally, I resorted to a class email. That way I know everyone read it. I feel bad annoying people but I really want this trip to work out. I also learned that you can't get everyone to be excited about something. I suppose with a class of thirty it is impossible that everyone will want to go. The actual planning wasn't too bad. I didn't have to do much but go on the website and use my background knowledge of DC. As for the actual exhibit, I am a bit skeptical of it. I hope it keeps me interested and that I learn a lot of new things. I don't have a clue as to what it is all about even though I caught a glimpse the other week.
      The last thing I am going to mention is my overall feelings toward the class. At first I was not about it at all. As much as I ended up liking it I still find that it is pretty difficult. It is not a class where you can do work and receive a grade for the work you do. It is a hit or miss which is actually scarier. An A or an F on an assignment is a huge deal and these video games are killing me (literally). I hope I start to do better in these games because I really want myself to enjoy the class to the full extent.

Evan and Heather to the Rescue...and Indy Game update

So once again I found myself stuck, dead, and frustrated as I stared blankly at the WoW screen.  I might as well just stare there since everytime I become alive I die 10 seconds later.  Luckily for me, Evan and Heather were playing that night as well.  After much guild talking and me complaining we decided that we should team up and that they would help me on my quests that I kept failing to complete.  Heather, who was a few levels up from me, would help kill a lot of these monsters as I would try and get what I needed from them.  Evan, who had a million more levels than me, would constantly change his form, kill things with just one hit, and taught me things that I never knew.  Still, it was really hard trying to understand what they were saying, particularly about trading, so we decided to skype.  This was a good idea and a lot got accomplished after that.  I think I leveled up twice that evening and they both stopped what they were doing just to help me.  Finally, WoW started to actually become fun and my frustration lessened.  That night we ended up on WoW for 5 hours and didn't get off of Skype until around 4 in the morning.  WoW is starting to become a lot more clear and I learned more that night than I have throughout the gaming portion of the class.  Being able to actually talk and be together on the game was an easy way to communicate and get tasks done.  Heather and Evan were a big help that night and I am glad that they could teach me.
      As for my Indy game, I absolutely hate it.  First of all, I had the hardest time learning how to save on the PS2.  Here I was spending hour after hour on this game and then once I quit, I would have to start all over from the beginning the next time.  I am not blaiming this on the game because this was user error and stupidity.  How could I forget to get a memory card!?  I used PS2 before but I forgot that these were essential to saving.  However, the actually game itself is a pain to play.  First of all, there are too many cut scenes.  Every 3 seconds I would walk 2 feet and then the cut scenes would start and go on for about 5 minutes each.  My patience is running dry at this point and I am pretty bored waiting for this to end.  Then there is the whole story line.  How are there so many final fantasy games when the first one was called FINAL FANTASY?! Obviously, it is not final!  Nonetheless, the story line is confusing and the battling technique just seems terrible.  You just stand there and keep picking an attack and hope that hits gets your opponent to lost points.  Once again, not impressed. Also, I feel like the creators expect you to know so much more than a beginner does.  I am not sure why you have to switch characters, why some use magic, why you might need to use a creature, what are these nodes they teach you about, why you need to stand by sometimes during a fight.  Honestly, I had to use google and find some answers in order for me to complete tasks.  I am definitely having a better experience on WoW then I am on FF