Share what you've learned about Genius Hour so far. Share your 'Genius Hour' question. Discuss your goals and motivation.

I found myself struggling when it came time to choose a Genius Hour topic, not because I couldn't think of any, but because I thought of too many!

Initially, I considered using the Genius Hour project to motivate myself to finally learn the guitar - something that has been a personal interest I haven't pursued yet despite owning a guitar. I also thought that learning to play the guitar could benefit me in the future as a teacher. Growing up, I had multiple teachers who incorporated music into their lessons in one way or another, often through the use of guitars, piano or drums.

The more I thought about it, the less I felt like learning the guitar was the ideal genius hour project. While it would be fun and beneficial, and it would be interesting to see just how far I could develop over the limited time we have for this project, it simply felt lacking.

The topic that I have chosen instead focuses on looking at what made edutainment (educational + entertainment) video games in the past either successful and unsuccessful, and comparing this to the games which exist today. Certain games in this genre were widely renowned, while a very large amount were considered simply poor quality media which failed to balance education and entertainment in a way that engaged children - or, which engaged children but then failed to teach them. You can click here to view my Google Slides proposal.

What classroom activity from our first two lessons might you use in your own classroom? How would you adapt it? What planning and management considerations would you have to make?

A class activity from our first two lessons I would consider using in my own classroom is the About Me Pinterest board. While I have never really been a huge fan of Pinterest, it was interesting to see what things people chose to add to their boards and get a quick overview of their interests. I think this would be an excellent opportunity for students to begin getting to know each other, and for me as a teacher to try and pick up on trends I see across the boards which I could then incorporate into the classroom.

BagoGames (2012, June 17). Minecraft . Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/kz45RR

For example, if I see a popular game (such as Minecraft) popping up on multiple boards, I could look into incorporating it into class learning as several teachers have done in the past.

I would plan to give the students time to complete this assignment both at home and in the classroom as not all students have access to computers at home. I would give them examples of what they can add to their board (such as sports, games, books, animals) but encourage them to add whatever is meaningful to them. I would have them send their boards to me, and I would encourage (but not force) them to share with each other.