IWBNet09 – John Short & Learning Games

Session summary:
John's forte was the development of Learning Games, based on Powerpoint and some more sophisticated Flash based content. He took attendees through some of the games including "Battle Of The Sexes" (useful only in co-ed schools), "Millionaire" and several others. He also talked through the use of these games as templates for students to create their own versions, easily tying these platforms to whatever learning was current in their classroom. There are a number of examples on John's website at My Interactive Classroom. He also talked through his pedagogical stages of IWB use - which you can find here in a comment on Lauren O'Grady's blog.

Presentation format:
John let his games do his talking for him by getting audience members involved in the games. He was witty, informative and flicked onto a new example before the audience could get bored, which is an excellent tactic for any classroom.

Summing up:
In my mixed bag experience at this conference, John's session was a standout.
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6 thoughts on “IWBNet09 – John Short & Learning Games

  1. Maria Paladino

    I have to agree. I also attended one of John’s sessions at the conference and found that he was one of a few that touched on the learning potential of the IWB as the instrument which acts as a vehicle as opposed to IT being THE instrument that will bring about learning. He came across as being very passionate about “Pushing the Boundaries with IWB’s’, which was the theme for the ’09 conference. This thread may have been missed by some of the presentations offered. But that is my opinion.
    Maria

    Reply
  2. Henrietta

    I too agree, John Short’s ideas on the potential for true student interactivity with the smart board to be a stand out presentation. I also found Grahams tips on blogging and design to be very helpful – hence this response.

    The more I use my smart board though the more it worries me that the opportunities for true student centered learning are hard to create. My class are so eager for the chance to ‘play’ with the board that learning can go out the window while they wait their turn.

    Reply
  3. Graham Wegner

    @Maria. Thanks for leaving your thoughts here for others to read – it is a privilege to work with you on a daily basis and that is why I strongly believe that educators such as ourselves need to be more open and willing to share our experiences, hit and miss, in order to foster this professional dialogue that can be so powerful.

    @Henrietta. I’m glad something I said at the conference was of use. So often, educators doubt that they have something valuable to offer others and the risk I take by offering my perspective in forums like presentations hopefully means that others will look for ways to offer their professional expertise. That’s why I pointed so much at other teachers of mine (Meyer, Elias, Shareski, Woodward and Mercer) because I strongly believe that we can gain so much from conversing and learning from others. And you don’t need to go to the expense of a national conference to do so.

    Reply
  4. ray cilia

    Hi
    I went to this same conference and I am trying to find John’s website to buy a bank robber software he made.

    Anyone help

    Ray

    Reply
  5. Kerri

    Hi Graham,

    I have had one of John’s powerpoints for ages but I’d like to investigate his other resources too. His website doesn’t appear to be operating. Do you know if it’s migrated elsewhere?

    I’ve tried Google, but no luck there either.

    Sad,
    Kerri

    Reply

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