Almost there.....

Last night, after an eye-popping, just-when you-thought-it-couldn't-get-any-better class, I went home to find my two children happily encsconced at the computer on MinecraftEDU building away and ready to share what they'd been working on.  I was pretty tickled to pull up presentations from class and share what others had done. Ben was already familiar with the MonsterLobe roller coaster-which he adores- and Joel's playground project was a winner as well and they spent time talking about what kind of playground they might create.  Both kids were as blown away as I was over Lexie's class's cells.  Kate even asked if the video with the student kicking open the gate into the cell was an infection happening!  That is such a powerful teachable moment, Lexie!  That's a keeper!
Both of them became immediately engaged in the idea of creating a Minecraft cell battling off an infection and started brainstorming ways they could do that!  Would the infection be Creepers? Would it be like another person breaking into the cell wall like in Lexie's video?  What would be the best way to show that?  Kate was intrigued with the science of cell biology and Ben, well, Ben was having an out of body experience coming up with battle choreography between good cells and infectious cells. Who would have what kind of armor and weapons.? Would TN be a possibility as well?  Not only were the possibilities endless, but they were darn engaging too!  The scientist and the warrior.
    We took a tour of the things they'd made in the world.  Both had added new things to the world. Of course none of them had anything to do with Harry Potter, but that's another blogcast for another day.  We visited Ben's new roller coaster, aptly named "The Death Drop" which consisted of a near vertical drop that managed to leap over a lava bed  and stop abruptly in a two block deep pit. It is the epitome of an ADHD crafting project-minimal amenities, if you don't set your mine cart just right, you get the vertical drop off the back. There's a pile of mine carts there in testament to that. Intense thrills that make you want more! Who knew a roller coaster could, or even should jump a lava flow?  Of course it's brutally short. After the lava jump the only thing to do is come to an abrupt halt.  Clearly this kid has not ridden a lot of roller coasters in his short, Alaskan life. The three of us spent time discussing and looking at real roller coasters and decided we could expand Ben's a little and make it more of a family project.  Kate wanted to go under water in a glass tunnel and then out again. She knew exactly how to do it too.  I don't know where she learned that multi-step sequence either.
At any rate, the three of us spent a few solid hours just enjoying each other's thinking and problem-solving.  Collaborative quality time in front of a computer?  Hmmmm..... This is not what I've read that children who spend a couple of hours in front of a screen are doing. I'll have to look into that.
    Kate got quiet at one point, and said, "Mom, I'm going to really miss MinecraftEDU!  I don't want this to end.  I love going in to see what other people have made and I really like the things I made too. This was so much fun, I just don't want it to stop."
Well, kiddo, neither do I!  Thank you for all your time, all of you! This has been fun!

First Presentations Reflection

It was great to see all the work that everyone has been doing (teachers and students).  It's interesting how each of us varied the assigned unit to and made it our own.  The fox trap unit was an example of using what you've already got to create something.  Looking forward to seeing some more creativity next week!  Thanks to all those who already presented...you were so brave, and I got some ideas on how to expand my own presentation.

I really liked Lexia's cell project.  What a fun way to take an abstract concept and make it meaningful for students!  They actually got to build a wall to represent a cell wall!!  I can't remember how I learned about cells but it certainly wasn't this way...I would remember, as I'm sure her students will.

April 21st Reflection

As expected, all of the presentations were over-the-top! I have discovered that one thing I like about Minecraft is the ability to make working parts like levers, lights, and movement. I also like how it presses kids into creativity. I look at their work and I can hear their brains thinking "hmmm....I wonder if I could add a water slide or maybe sand for safety?"

I loved the fox traps. The comments Chip made about city kids versus rural kids and their attitudes toward animals was so true.

I was most impressed though by the work that came from the intensive and special needs students. Someone remarked that their designs looked like a high school AutoCad class and they sure did. Another example of how technology is making a huge difference in the lives of students who learn outside of the box.

First Round . . .

The creativity was shining last night.  I thought that using Minecraft to teach cell construction was a brilliant idea.  The knowledge that some of those students showed in their presentation was impressive.  What a great job Lexie!   The foxtrap and the playground were so applicable to the student's lives.  Two more great ideas.  I really enjoyed the presentations from Sara H. class regarding the foxtraps.  They showed great thought and some passion even.  The video from Sara L's son was wonderful.   The budget was constructed and worked out with great detail.  And Heather and North, what wonderful work.  North did a great job presented, I would have been mortified at his age.  I am kind of sad that I didn't think out of the box more.  I did contact a charter school in the Valley that was going to work with Minecraft.  It was six weeks into the semester before I heard back.  Things were not going the way that they had hoped, but I did send them information from our class.  If they pursue the Minecraft class again, they will probably contact the instructors of this class.

Reflection on Presentations

Wow!  Those were all amazing!  I am worried that mine isn't going to be up to par in comparison.  I love how Ronna started from scratch and had the kids explore in Minecraft first.  Exploration is one of the steps a lot of people skip, but it is so important for the kids to do.  Sara H.'s Fox Trap was brilliant.  I loved to see all of the inventive ideas that the kids came up with.  It would have been neat to take it a step forward and see what they could use for raw materials in real life too.  Sara L.'s thing link was super cool.  I am not nearly as technologically savy.  I would love to learn more.  I thought the way she set up her presentation was so professional.  I was amazed at how much work they had to do with keeping to a specific budget.  With my project I could have taken it a step further and done that as well.  It gave me an expansion idea.  Lexie, those plant cells were fabulous.  Once again, seeing the creativity of the students is always the fun part.  Heather, your son did a wonderful job!  Be sure to take him out for an ice cream or smoothy (whichever he loves best).  I think I am going to have Kekoa get on and present with me next week as well.  They have done so much, it would be great for them to get that recognition for all of their hard work.  I really enjoyed doing this project and look forward to sharing the outcome of mine next week.  You all did such a great job, way to take the plunge as our first presenters!

Weekly Reflection

I had fun planning and creating a presentation to showcase our strategy, to leave the lobe alone.  Between the three of us, we came up with some really great ideas.  Each person took on a different role at the appropriate time (for example, the devil's advocate, as discussed by Colin), and for the most part, we were proud with what we came up with.  More time would've helped, but that's nothing new!

It was great seeing everyone else's ideas presented, as well.  My first choice is still to leave the lobe alone, but my second choice would be to cut it up (last presentation).  I find it hard to imagine a structure that could successfully stop or slow the lobe that wouldn't cause more/other problems.  However, as a few of the groups showed, a few brave souls could calculate the precise structure to stop/slow the lobe--I just wouldn't want to be responsible for that project (because I know I would miscalculate)!

My class is working away on their Mouse Mazes.  Time is running out, and some groups have had to start over regularly because their projects keep getting taken apart by others or falling apart.  The projects take up a lot of room, which we don't have in a room with 26 desks and students.  One group left theirs all put together to test the following day to find out the night crew had picked up it and stacked it!  I've started to put signs up to not disturb the projects, but it hasn't helped all that much because the projects are clearly interfering with the night crew's duty to vacuum and help keep the room clean.  Any ideas?

Weekly Reflection

This week really gave us an opportunity to explore all the different options.  As a group I think we did a good job of dividing the components of the assignment, so I don't think there is anything I would have change.  I think that what would have been nice would have been more time.  I would have like to research more about the cost of building the bridges.  We worked together come up with what solution would work best.  Lexie did a wonderful job building the bridge in Minecraft, while Karen and I researched the pros/cons of the bridge and discussed what we found. 

As much I enjoyed our proposed solution and all the others were very convincing, believe the most creative was Ronna's idea of using the Monster Lobe as a "tourist trap".  She did a great job by herself coming up with some wonderful.  It was a great way to the end the class with a good laugh.  Who wouldn't want a small piece of Alaska!

Piece of cake, piece of pi...

What do you get when you mix a bunch of math nerds with cake to the momentum of 31.25 fsMorgans? Solutions (yes, pun intended) that'll make you burst into song! Oh my, what a fun class.

I loved working with my team. Talk about smart people! Our solution groups felt a bit like James Bond...here is your mission...ok, solve this world crisis in 60 minutes or self-destruct with this message. Ready?...GO! But then, that's part of what makes it fun.

Our group worked from a nature-conservation standpoint. I mean, at the end of the day, who even knows if the lobe is going to make it to the highway, right? So, we developed a solution that would be based on building an alternate roadway that would detour 3-5 miles allowing transportation to continue uninhibited with minimal impact on nature. Based on the figures we were able to locate, we grossly over estimated. A 500 mile road to Nome is estimated at 500 million. We budgeted 1 billion for a 5 mile relocation of road and pipeline, ensuring that the revenue loss and everything else would be covered in the potential costs. Our presentation was started with a lovely song and led quickly to the point of protecting nature with a practical, minimal impact solution.

As with all the other groups, I think we just wanted more time. It would have been nice to better develop a more practical solution for the pipeline as well. We were totally absorbed in locating supporting details to support our solution and the time just, POOF, disappeared! It was fun to have such a colorful slide with all the details on it. I believe this is still my favorite solution. It's like a glacier...we should accommodate it, not destroy it!

If I had to vote for a solution, I'd stick with the one I worked. I don't believe that moving or blowing up or chopping the lobe into pieces will solve anything. There's already an FDL2 and who knows how many more. I think we need to come up with a viable solution that could potentially be applied to future lobes as well. Now, although I think opening a presentation in song tops the charts (another punny! haha), I have to give a shout out to Ronna. Talk about flare! I loved the used barge; icing on the cake.

4/14 Reflection - Lexie

I enjoyed class tonight, as usual.  It was fun to hear everyone’s presentation.  In my group, we spent time discussing what we were going to try and build.  We started off by thinking we would build something similar to an avalanche shed, but after a little research we changed our mind and decided it would be more cost effective to build a bridge with diverters placed strategically to protect the bridge (similar to what AEL&P built).  Once we knew what we were going to build, I volunteered to go into Minecraft and build a model of what we were talking about.  Overall I think that our idea is a viable idea, but it definitely needs more planning and research.

I would have to say that I would vote for the last presentation, I believe it was Ronna.  Mainly because it made me laugh, but also because she had some valid points.  I think that tourist would pay money to come and take away a piece of the lobe.  I also liked the idea about blowing it up!  When they build roads through mountains or around mountains, they have to blow part of it up and haul it away.  This might need more maintenance, but I think almost all options are going to need upkeep.

April 14th Reflection

I really enjoyed class last night. I realized that what I learned about myself in Chip's problem-solving class many, many semesters ago remains true....I love the logic and conversation behind problem-solving but I still do not have enough sophisticated mathematical knowledge to become an engineer.

I like the retaining wall idea. I think it is the most cost and time effective solution. However, I was in the "build a bridge" group and I still think that idea is worth further exploration as well. I don't know how much time we have before the Lobe reaches the road. 250ft. is not a lot of distance but 1cm/day does buy some time. That being said, I am not sure the road can be saved by a bridge but the pipeline could be. I don't support any plan that involves altering the pipeline. It has been in place for 30+ years and if it is disturbed the cost to the environment may be irreversible. It must be stopped somehow. That is irrefutable.

As far as our group presentation, it would have been nice to have had some sort of graphic like the first group did. However, we spent quite a bit of time defining and refining our solution and we did quite a bit of research, leaving little time to put together anything more formal. Lexie did an outstanding job building our model in Minecraft!

He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance.

This line is the last line in Frankenstein.  The Monster Lobe is a Frankenstein of sort.  We see it as destructive, but maybe it really isn't.

Until last night I thought the idea of building a tunnel/bridge was a good solution.  After last night, I am really jazzed about the cutting it up idea.  If it is cut up then the Monster Lobe could make some money.  Probably not as much as it will cost to cut it up, but still some money.

If I had more time last night, I would have created a more attractive slide.  I didn't even realize the slide was there until three minutes before the end of the study session.

I think I am onto something.  Think of the work that would be created for some of the young people in the state.  Think of the tourism that would be brought to Gate of the Arctic National Park (building a hotel from Monster Lobe blocks).  It is probably a pipe dream, but I like it anyway.