Makey Makey Meets Frogger

Makey Makey is a unique way to turn just about anything into a controller or key that tells your computer what to do. The kit consist of a USB cable, alligator clips, and a circuit board. Our group was able to play Frogger and Guitar Hero with some simple modifications. We struggled at first since the instructions were deliberately not given to us but we pressed on with trial and error. Our professor was placing us in a real world scenario where we could be placed in a group and instructed to come up with a solution to a problem. This happens in the business world every day. Our group utilized the below four items to get Frogger to move across the game:

1. Blue - Attached to foil - Forward

2. Gray - Attached to banana - Left    

3. Green - Attached to foil - Back

4. Red - Attached to play doh - Right

One participant in the group was the ground and she got Frogger across in 19 seconds. Our group was the first to accomplish the task given to us. The Makey Makey board requires no special tools and it was very easy to use.

Class Guest Robyn Hrivnatz from Microsoft

We had a interesting speaker from Microsoft Robyn Hrivnatz. She is the Marketing and Educator Programs Manager at the company. Her background is in education and computer science. She expressed that she misses the classroom at times. Some of the ways she stays connected on social media is by utilizing Linkedin, Skype, and Facebook. In business she mentioned you need to understand your competition. The following main points were made:

1. Connect to the customer

2. What is the customer asking for?

3. Instant communication to customers

4. Feedback

  Skype and OneNote are her favorite pieces of technology. She told us to search out to our peer community and professionals in our field in Linkedin. It should not look like a resume. You can build your own personality and your social profile should reflect your interest in the field you are applying for.

 What the Future Holds

The book the Connected Educator made some good points about the future of Education. New technologies that make it easy to connect and collaborate online are challenging traditional structures of many institutions. Connected learners today gain knowledge different than their parents did. Connected educators should not change the way they teach or lead but change the way they learn. Below are the four core components of Learning 2.0:

1. Knowledge - Utilize connected learning communities

2. Pedagogy - Empowering students to chase their passion 

3. Connections - PLNs

4. Capacity - An ongoing process through which to enhance the individual's or group's ability to identify and meet development challenges.