Evaluation of first weeks with Didactor

We have now been using the platform Didactor for some weeks and suddenly we needed some results to publish in a report. Of course we were about to ask for feedback but not so soon. Anyways, the feedback are now in and as students rarely understands completeness and only looking for what's best for themselves the feedback has been a bit negative. 

Thoughts of the students

The negative voices mostly because you can't be lazy anymore. You can't sleep during classes and doing else stuff and you must attend the classes. In the long run, when you look back at your education it's not a bad thing even though, at this moment, it of course can be very negative.

Also, everyone does not learn in the same universal way, but that's not something new, that problem we (teachers) always have had. Most funny, even though they tell us they hate the tool (Didactor) they learn and learn more and they are more active. Last but not least, they have a much better awareness of their knowledge, their self-evaluation and if they have passed the course or not.

In the evaluation we've been asking lots of questions, these maybe are the most interesting:

Prior knowledge

Self-assessment before

Self-assessment afterwards

Enjoy (using a new tool)

Motivation

 Activity

Proficiency after the course

What unintentional learning occurred?

• Information retrieval
• Languages (Finnish, English, Swedish)
• Use your computer (1:1 program)
• Be able to plan and be proactive
• Collaborate
• Problem solution
• Social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram)

I feel that my knowledge after the course is

Thoughts of the teachers

We the teachers has listen and are changing our ways (more variety) but will keep use didactor. Previously, students just been happy to pass the course, now they want to have more knowledge and higher ratings.

• We have never been so present in our courses
• It was a long time ago it was so fun to teach
• Entire groups come through the courses (higher throughput)
• Higher skill levels generally in the groups
• Less stress on the students (will I pass the course?)
• Less negative stress on teachers (has been replaced by positive stress)

I've learned more than needed

"Congratulations! It worked!"

First thoughts: "Huh? What is she talking about????"

So I had my niece to explain what she was talking about because I didn't got it. And she remind me about how I helped her put up a special course, just for her, in the awesome tool Didactor. And as you know by now, a neat little tool which provides 14 edu games in one platform.

Before using my way of learning, this test was one of them she had been stressing about as one of the most boring and difficult ones. According to her I had succeed making her not even understanding the subject, master the test but also made learning fun. In fact, I managed to make the learning so fun she admitted she had learned more than needed.

Taste the words: "more than needed"...

But still, congratz to me? 

All I did was to provide another way to learn, which turned out to be a funnier way to learn. She also told me even though many scored very good on the test, she was one of the few with full points. And that surprised her, because she had been practicing the opposite way than her classmates. She had have fun while she was studying, she didn't felt she had done any practicing. 

Instead of practice drawing pictures of a muscle, she had drag-drop text to a picture. The day before the test she (and her mother) had got anxious of this solution, my way of gamificate her learning, therefor she had started to practice the traditional way just to be safe. And she started with the hard ones, to draw pictures of something. She was very surprised she could do it without cheating! And that it actually been working!

Didactor

So here's my view of the course, sorry about the Swedish but you get the clue.

And if I choose to look at one student (she has agreed to became an example) I've a lot of information like "average time per task", "times performed" and "total time spent".

What comes to the memory, the last task, with a zero percent score it has to be something within the program itself, how it counts. When I click on one of her tries I can see she has been trying (and managed to solve the task) with 53 tries. 

A small step for man one giant leap for mankind

Close.

Or I maybe should re-write it and give you an updated version of it.

A small step for students one giant leap for (our) school.

What have happened?

Some colleagues of mine has started using gamification with support from one of our principals, who eagerly awaits a result of those courses.

But of course, I havn't yet told them the name (gamification) of what they're doing, we can't rush into scary things like such words. They think they're using games, I believe they use game mechanics in class.

Didactor is such an awesome tool, with 14 game generators in one web platform! And without have it a second thought what triggers the students my colleagues are amazed, surprised, excited and totally blown away of the students results, feedback and commitment!

Gone is the photocopier, with scissors and glue to make last minute exercises. In goes web-based teaching and self-correcting test. This is one of the benefits without losing control: as the teacher makes the exercises we also do the keys. With other words, we still have the control! ...and that's something very important to a teacher.

Yesterday they, both my fellow teachers and the students, had their debut using Gamification. Both parties were blown away! None of the students got tired and fell asleep, all were active throughout the day. Teachers were finally almost force them home, because they "just would beat the record"...

My niece that I try the same thing on, put it so well: 

"Learning without really thinking about it!"

Because it's FUN.

Both colleagues was so surprised they couldn't stop talking about the experience, and this is what they told me:

"I am so excited that the students were eager, I hope it lasts!"

"A big Thank you! Without your efforts I would not have even heard about Didactor!"

And this one was the best, the comment that gave me chills:

"It was my best day in years!"

Never underestimate the power of game mechanics! 

Conversations with the youth

The other week I was back home in Sweden, met my family and of course talked with my nephews about school. Well, not exactly what happens in school, but how they perceive school. 

Have the Swedish school managed to use the new technology in a, for the young, attractive manner?

That was an interesting talk, I must say. It was the counterpart to their schools tech ambition with advanced technology that usually only can be found at a University.

By the way, both two nephews had an ongoing punishment of the modern parents attitude to games: computer games banned!!! 

Hey parent! I got news!

They are playing anyways, they've smarphones as they play on instead. Same games by the way... ROFL

If they anyway play videogames, why don't use that interest to something useful? Education for example...

Okay, I was curious, so I kept asking until the nephews whispered: "don't tell mum, I play a lot, even during class when it's too boring..."

Interesting.

They behave in the same way as my students...

Coincidence?

I think not.

So why not using that interest and use it in education?

And you don't have to use as much video games as I do in education, you don't have to start with gamification, but what you could test is to go out of your comfort zone and test something new.

For example, use a plattform as Didactor and see what happens.

I felt so sorry for my niece (16 yo) that I made a special course, for a test, using the tool Didactor and three funny things occured.

1. She loved this way of learning (games) and said she was only sitting for "like 5 min" (actually 45 min).
2. Her classmates got deadly jealous
3. Her mother, the teacher and member of tech working group, thought it was interesting but a bit too advanced. To log in.

And by the way, a colleague of mine has started using Didactor today in the practical nurse education, and as a result using games in education she has halved todays lessons... and they already on their way to do the first test, three lessons before the scheduled time. She was surprised, excited and overwhelmed! My colleague reported two things

1. The students loved it!
2. Learning is fun!

The other one, my nephew 13 yo, told me his school has such an advanced robot the other one is at a University. They trying to make code to it. It feels a bit to start in the wrong end... 

Really? 

13 yo and start with a University technology? 

When he loves Minecraft? 

Sounds like computer craft would be a better choice for the target audience...

Yeah and how could I forgot?

What do I know? "You're not even qualified teacher!!!"

No. Not yet. I'm working on that part...

And in addition, that was a pretty lame excuse for not listening to the young people...

About Didactor
Yes, I know there's a couple of other platforms which do exactly the same things but as I tend to go for the KISS-way I rather pay to get a working solution with a clean nice interface and a low learning curve. Look at paragraph 3 above, starts with "her mother, the teacher..."

Keep It Simple Stupid.