To "Pod Launcher" or Not to "Pod Launcher"

Technology is persistently encouraged and incorporated in today’s classroom in order to increase the learning and engagement of students. According to Eyyam and Yaratan (2014), students performed better academically and showed positive attitudes towards the use of technology when it was used in their mathematics class in comparison to students who did not use technology. One form of technology used in the classroom is an educational online game (EOG). With the immense amount of websites that offer EOGs, sometimes finding the right EOG may appear to be a daunting task. Relating Pod Launcher, an EOG, to my content area of middle school mathematics and creating a rubric to evaluate the characteristics of Pod Launcher has assisted me in my decision to integrate Pod Launcher as a form of technology to be used in my future classroom.

Pod Launcher is a game packed with mathematical concepts and information about the solar system. This makes it incredibly relatable to not only my content area of mathematics, but also to middle school science. Pod Launcher includes mathematical concepts such as understanding the relationship between percent, decimal numbers and fractions, scientific notation and proportions. For example, I could have students use the blast power and other given information of the first 5 planets to find the blast power for the remaining planets by creating and solving proportions. Now although I was able to find a way to academically engage students into finishing the mission, having a clear set of expectations of what an ideal EOG is can also help when choosing one for a lesson.

Creating a rubric to evaluate the characteristics of Pod Launcher as an EOG has given me some insight into whether or not it would be appropriate to use in a lesson. One reason creating this rubric was beneficial is that it sets clear expectations for both Pod Launcher and future EOGs I may consider (Andrade, 2000). Identifying the characteristics of an ideal EOG

Being able to relate Pod Launcher to my content area and create a rubric to evaluate if it meets my expectations of an ideal EOG has helped me in the decision to incorporate Pod Launcher into a future class lesson. Although Pod Launcher is considered “below standards” by my rubric, the ability to engage students academically by providing prompts to motivate critical thinking encouraged me to overlook characteristics of Pod Launcher that make it not ideal (i.e. graphics). EOGs are one of many technologically powerful tools that I will definitely use in my future classroom.

References

Andrade, H. G. (2000, February). Using rubrics to promote thinking and learning. Educational Leadership , 57 (5), pp. 13-18. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications /educational-leadership/feb00/vol57/num05/Using-Rubrics-to-Promote-Thinking-and-Learning.aspx

Eyyam, R., & Yaratan, H. S. (2014). Impact of use of technology in mathematics lessons on student achievement and attitudes. Social Behavior and Personality , 42 (Suppl.), S31-S42. http://dx.doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2014.42.0.S31http://dx.doi.org/10.2224/sbp. 2014.42.0.S31