Dreamscape: ELA Skills Game for Elementary Students

     In my quest for finding enticing games for my 6th graders while teaching remote last year, I came across Dreamscape. I wanted to get my students to play a game that would benefit their educational skills, yet be fun. In actuality, I thought about Prodigy the math game that all the students in the elementary school play. I searched just that, "Prodigy for ELA". I read all the reviews and teachers were giving it a good score. I decided to try it. First of all, I check the teacher dashboard because I wanted to be sure it was data-driven. I was impressed because it never had a live teacher dashboard, where you could see student progress in real-time. This was useful when students said they were done with eh online assignment and I asked them to play, I could see who was signed in and completing the task. 

    When I played the game, it moved a little too slow for me. However, I remember my students saying it reminded them of other games they had played in the past and they enjoyed it. The gist of the gamer is that in order to advance in-game progress you must answer a reading comprehension question. The questions are based on the standards for the grade level. The students must read a passage and then answer one question to unlock the next move in winning a battle. This is a sample passage I came across. 

    Then you answer the question to go along with the passage. I love that the questions and passages have the options for a read-aloud, which is great for my accommodations and ELLs. The students even have the option to return to the passage to read it over. This is one of the strategies we use in class to close read. The game reinforced this strategy which keeps consistency with my instruction and leads to structure and less confusion. 

        Once you answer the question correctly, you are able to use your fighters and train your fighters. You gain points and perks to continue fighting. The is also a streak bonus. If you have a question answering streak, you get additional points and opportunities to train and attack. After 10 correct questions, you advance to the next level. 

    

    The game also allows for multiply player mode. Students in your class can play together defeat each other or team up for certain battles. For them to be able to advance together in the game they must continue answering questions. For bigger events, such as playing with friends, the passages and questions appear more often. It shows to the opponent whether or not you got it correct. However, the questions are different because the questions are catered to the student. The more the student plays, the better the game is at detecting their reading level and poses appropriate questions. This is a great feature because all students can play and participate and are victorious as they learned and get exposed to questions. You can have students join the game by having them enter your class code. This helps keep the game safe and avoids the need to play with strangers in-game. 

    Students can also monitor each other progress on the class leaderboard. They can see who is ahead with obtaining the most shards. This helps create friendly competition, yet keeps the student motivated to continue playing more to rise to the top or stay at the top. 

    As a final reflection, I would say this game would be more liked at the lower to mid-elementary levels. For my 6th graders, it was hard to get them to enjoy it because they had access to the internet, various popular video games, and they did not have to answer questions and read passages to progress. However, it makes a great tool to use in an RTI class as an incentive or for a group that is struggling with comprehension. This also makes a great station for a center, this way when students rotate they have to get to play and you get student data to help you drive your instruction. 

Please let me know your experience with ELA games. Have you tried Dreamscape? Is there another online game you play for ELA skills? 

Here is the link to the game for your review: https://www.playdreamscape.com/ 

From Fully Remote to In-Person Instruction: A Teenager's Device and Technology Usage

    In the past year, we have learned to rely on technology more than ever. We use it for communication, work, remote education, and even shopping. For many educators, the shit to remote instruction was challenging. However, students had an easier time adapting and have enjoyed this new acceptance of the reliance on technology for everything.

    I wanted to fully understand the perspective and thoughts of a teenager post-remote instruction and get a glimpse of their technology use. I wanted to know if his technology reliance had changed. I decided to interview my 16-year-old cousin. He was fully remote from the Covid 19 shutdown of march 2020, until this September 2021, when he returned to in-person learning. He is the middle child of three boys and lives in a household with two working parents. Here is the interview I conducted with him.

1. What technologies are most important in your life? Which do you prefer and why? 

The technologies that I find most important in my life are my phone and probably my laptop for school. I prefer my phone more. I don't really use my laptop. I use it for school work. The phone, you can communicate way better with other people. Obviously, you can call and text it's just way more, it has a big variety. You can do almost as much you can do on a computer on a phone, so that's what I would prefer a phone. 

2. How often do you use these technologies and what for?

For those technologies, I use my phone every day and my laptop every day. I use my laptop for school work mostly. I only use the computer, well my laptop I mean, for school I don't really use it for anything else and I use my phone sometimes for school too. My phone I use for Tik Tok and Youtube, just social media in general.

3. Are you allowed to use them in school?

Yes, I am allowed to use my phone in school and my laptop. My laptop I use for school work so it makes sense. My phone I can't really use it during class time, but I can when I finish my work or during free classes.

4. How often would you say you go on your phone?

I would say I go on my phone a lot. Whenever I am not worrying about something else. Like whenever I am not doing schoolwork or playing basketball or just using a different electronic, I am probably just on my phone.

5. What kinds of things do you do or play while you are on your phone?

When I'm on my phone I'm mostly on Tik Tok and Youtube. I just watch videos that all I really do. I don't really do much on it, besides those two things. 

6. If you had to encourage or persuade others to use that app, what would you say to them?

If I was to encourage someone to watch Youtube, which is what I mainly use. I would tell them it's a good app to watch so many varieties of videos you can watch whatever likes you have are on there and you can find almost anything on Youtube, it can be helpful for many things. \

7. For my class, I have been exploring the benefits of using technology for students. Can you tell me what are the benefits of using the phone or other technology?

One benefit I would say of using technology is I learn things I wouldn't have learned without it. Just my laptop I would say is just good for school work. It's easier quicker better for research

8. Another question I have been wondering concerning my class and research is the attraction of technology for students. I find that students love their devices more than anything else. Why do you like your devices?

What I would say I like about my devices is they keep me entertained when I'm bored. Like all those times when I am sitting around just waiting for something or not really doing anything, I use my phone to keep me entertained. 

9. This week for my class I was looking at how games can influence students positively. I was looking at how playing video games made students successful this past school year because they had gained skills and were able to apply them in the virtual classroom. Do you play games with your devices? 

I don't really like playing games on my phone. I use to play a lot of Xbox, but I don't really play it as much anymore. I have one game on my phone but, I don't really play it, so.

10. I know that you love your devices for entertainment. Technology is so important and I have been learning about the advantages of using various technologies for education. What kinds of advantages do you have by using your devices?

One advantage I would say for having a cellphone or using my phone is that I have the capability of just calling people where I'm at and I can search things up when I don't know and it's great to have at times. 

11. You mentioned it's great to have at times, meaning not all the time. What are some disadvantages? Do you feel like you miss out on other stuff because of your use?

A disadvantage I would say of a phone or any technology has is it's a big distraction at times it can make you lazy, it's easy to get addicted to them at times because of how entertaining they are. I wouldn't really say I missed out on much due to technology. I would say I try to do as much as I can and not let technology interfere with what I want to do. 

12. Do you take any safety precautions while using your devices or do your parents? 

I wouldn't say I take safety precautions with technology, but I would say I have down my screentime which has led me to be more active and more healthy in general. My parents don't monitor what I do on my phone or how much I use it. they trust me enough to do what I want with it and use it however much I want. 

13. You mentioned 'downing your screen time', do your parents put a restriction on your device Can you use your devices at any time? 

I use my device any time I want. I don't really have any restrictions on it. I just use it anytime I want. 

14. Do all your friends use devices? What about your brothers? Do they use them too much?

All my friends do have devices and they do use them. My brothers, they have devices and they use them too. My younger brother uses his computer a lot for gaming. He uses it probably the most out of everyone. Just cause he enjoys it and he does it with his friends too online. 

15. How much time do you get to use your devices at school? 

In school, I would say I use my device whenever I have free time. Like whenever I finish my work or like, let's say we have a substitute and there is really no work our teacher gave us. I use my phone. It can be from like 30 minutes to like a couple hours in school, because during my free periods too.  

16. Another concern with the technology for education, is using it too much and for too long. How long do you use your devices?

I would say throughout the day I use devices in general for like nine hours, I would say. Pretty much every period in school and when I get home I use it when I am not out playing or just when I'm bored. 

17. Do you use your devices more now that we have been going through a pandemic?

During the pandemic, I used my phone so much more and technology so much more, but since school has started up I haven't really been using it so much more. I've been playing way more basketball, so I don't use it as much. 

    After conducting this interview, I learned so much from adolescent technology use. Although my cousin is just one person, I would like to think his answers and perspective on technology use are representative of the majority of teens. He uses his technology for school, research, and entertainment. He has shifted from the use of a video game device. which perhaps is because he finds other more popular interactions with technology that involve communication with friends and staying current through videos and social media. Given the information he provided about his younger brother, who is 14, it seems that he is more into video games. I feel that after a fully remote school year and his heavy use of technology at school, he personally tried to do without when he can for a balance. Although his use is not monitored, nor does he have restrictions of use at school or at him, he chooses not to overdo it. When I put together this interview I was not expecting many of the answers that he provided. I thought he was going to say he gamed all the time, he used technology for everything, and he did not feel a need to take a break from the screen. Surprisingly, he uses his phone to communicate, stay current, but also to look up information he wants to know more about. He uses it as a tool. This tool transfers just as well to the classroom when he says that he uses it for research. He knows how to use it and when to use it. The application of this skill is both useful in life and in his education. He is viewing videos or reading digital text to satiate his knowledge on various topics, whether teacher assigned or self-assigned.