Duolingo is a video game learning support tool that I use quite frequently! On Duolingo, users can learn new languages through gamified learning. I have been using the app to help me learn Spanish over the last 10 months or so.
I’ve found that Duolingo incorporates Merrill’s principles quite well. The app allows users to practice their language reading, writing, and speaking skills in bite-sized lessons. By practicing these three language skills together, learners can practice and hone their knowledge in real world-like scenarios.
I think building an application for Historia could help improve the game! In addition to automating some of the repetitive tasks of the game, some graphics could be added to help further immerse students. I think some data visualization could also be added to help students keep track of their data.
CSC411: Information Visualization, a course on how to create effective data visualizations offered by the Computer Science department at UVic, implements constructive alignment and backward design quite well. Throughout the course, students iteratively work on a final project within small groups. This allows for the students to apply and practice the skills that they learn throughout the course.
I like the balance of active and passive learning in EDCI 337. I appreciate how all passive learning in the course is followed by multiple active learning activities. Having questions to answer, activities to complete, and blog posts to write after finishing the required readings for the course allows me to apply my recent learnings!
I have found that the balance between active and passive learning has varied quite a bit in the courses I have taken for my Computer Science degree. The curricula of many math and algorithm focused classes involve a lot of reading and listening. I find these classes to be a bit difficult for me, as I am someone who likes to learn by working through many problem sets or coding problems.
My K-12 learning experiences involved a lot of active learning! I had the opportunity to be in a french immersion program throughout K-12. My french immersion teachers had my class and I complete many activities to ensure that we would be successful in learning French!
I think the assignments in CSC130: World Wide Web and Mobile Applications, a course that teaches students how to program websites, are a great example of scaffolding in learning. During the first half of the semester, the student learn how to write HTML and CSS code, which helps them create static webpages. Once they are done learning the basics of HTML and CSS, the students make a static website using the skills they’ve recently learned. The students learn how to use JavaScript, which allows programmers to add dynamic behaviour to their websites, during the second half of the course. At the end of the course, students create another website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
My H5P object can be found at https://h5p.org/node/1465080
My lesson plan can be found here https://snorrie337.opened.ca/2023/11/25/module-4-learning-plan/ !
Hi Samantha, I used to use Duolingo to learn Spanish as well. As you mentioned, duolingo allows users to practice four important aspects of the learning language which are Reading, Speaking, Writing, and Listening. I really like how you include your insights based on what you learned in your computer science major.