All posts by Peppar

Digitalisering, Digitalisering i skolan

Do we have to have an above average intelligence to be good learners and what is intelligence?

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When I was around 16 in secondary school in Sweden, it was very popular to test one’s IQ by doing logical IQ tests. We found several books with tests in the library and soon we realized that the more tests we did, the higher IQ we got. I.e., we trained on tests and then we “competed” with others in the school and scored very good. This made me question these IQ tests and I am still very skeptical of the results from them. Instead, I like the idea of looking at intelligence from the perspective of being able to solve problems via abstraction and generalization. I.e., how to take acquired knowledge to new domains. 

In the Swedish school system, until 1994 the mathematics subject was divided up into a common and an advanced group. I was in the advanced group initially and during my final year (9:th grade) they made an advanced-advanced group with about 5-6 members which taught even more advanced math at secondary school level. Even though this was about 35 years ago, I still remember these sessions because they gave me a huge confidence boost. I have for many years argued that we should bring this system back as many children are not challenged in the mathematics subject. Should we help boost the confidence of these children and what does it do to the children in the common group? 

When I was young, I was always pushed to study and my mother and relatives, and friends of the family pushed me to study hard. Not studying at university was out of the question. At least for them. I especially remember one time when my mother asked me why I only got 49 out of 50 on a test. I took that rather negatively then but now looking back I remember it more as a joke, so I guess it did not do much damage and instead it has become a standard joke with my own children (21 and 15). 

I see myself as a very good learner. I have trained all my life to learn new things and I really love learning. What has changed over the years is how I gather information and build up knowledge. When I was young, books were the predominant form but these days, I have a really hard time reading a non-fiction book from cover-to-cover. My mind always triggers on various details, and I go off to check or expand on that thought which leads to new interesting things to read. Instead, the approach I like to take to learning is to look at problems and find the information and knowledge needed to solve that problem as a combination of all available sources (not only written text). I see myself as a good learner as I tend to be very fast in my learning, and I very quickly understand new things (technical and otherwise). 

Too conclude, I want to say: “A day that you haven’t learned something new is a day wasted.”  – Prof. Peter Parnes (that is me!)

Digitalisering i skolan, Research

How do we Learn?

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I am currently taking a course at Coursera called What future for Learning and I thought I would share some reflections. Here is the first text.

How do we Learn? 

How we learn and how we teachers should support this learning for students has been in my mind for a long time. I have been a teacher at university level for 26 years and my personal teaching methods have changed a lot over the years. 

How much time should we spend on summative vs formative examination? I teach mainly advanced project courses and here a combination of both is very good. The students get assignments where they must reflect on their learning during the course, learn from each other via continuous group presentations and peer reviews of each other’s writings together with verbal presentations in the middle and the end of the course and a written report at the end. At the same time, I am often a guest lecturer in other courses and here I get asked to give the other teacher quiz questions for the final examination and I find this tough. Creating good quiz questions is hard. E.g., it should not be something the student could just easily search for on the Internet but rather be a question that triggers reflection and thought and this is something I would much rather do via a written assignment.  

One pedagogical idea is that the students should get variation in their learning. There is no template for learning that suits all, neither teachers nor students. As a teacher, I want the students to reflect on their learning and go back and see if they could have solved a task differently. 

In this first part of the course, What Future for Education the key things I take with me is how the course and assignments are set up. Already in this first week, we as students get a high variation in tasks and how the material is presented. There are videos but also transcripts if I prefer to read instead (even if the transcripts are not perfect unfortunately). There is a longer text as well as other students writing via the Paddlet and forum. All this helps me learn via variation and triggers me to reflect as the material is just not one big homogeneous mass. 

Finally, I reflect that for me personally as a student the most attractive way of learning is that I can do it anywhere thanks to “modern” tools. These days, I have a really hard time learning from books (the old, printed type) but rather, I want to have different resources with me electronically. E.g., if I am waiting somewhere, then I can take 5-10 min to read, watch or listen to something or write something in a journal (electronically of course). Learning should be possible to be done anywhere and anytime. How does this rhyme with today’s school system where students are supposed to learn a specific thing at a specific time and at a specific place? 

Food

Recept: Peters Surdegspizza i Ooni-ugn

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Här är mitt recept på surdegspizza i Onni-ugnen. Jag använder en Karu 16 med gas och extra lucka fram för att få extra hög värme.

Ingredienser till 4 pizzor

  • 100-250g aktiv surdeg (jag kör lika mycket surdeg till 8 pizzor också för det blir så mycket med 2dl matning).
  • 410g ljummet vatten – Har kan ni prova att öka till 420 eller 430 men det ger en lite mer svårarbetad deg när pizzan ska formas.
  • 530g Tipo00 vetemjöl
  • 16g gott salt
  • 16g god olivolja

Gör degen

  1. Blanda ut surdegen i vattnet.
  2. Blanda i mjölet. Degen kommer att vara ganska lös.
  3. Låt vila 30min.
  4. Tillsätt salt och olja och blanda ihop tills du inte ser/känner saltet längre.
  5. Låt vila 45 min. Vik ihop degen ca 4 gånger. Upprepa 3-4 gånger.
  6. Ställ i kylen och låt vila 24h.
  7. Ta ut degen och dela i 4 klumpar på 250-260g (väg hela degen och dela på 4 för rätt mått). Dreva ihop klumparna till fina runda degbollar och lägg i burkar. Strö lite mjöl ovanpå. Det gör inget om de rör varandra i burken.
  8. Ställ i kylen och låt vila 24h.

Gör pizzor

  1. Koka en tomatsås på hela tomater på burk. Smaksätt med basilika, salt, svartpeppar och vad du nu gillar. Reducera den så den blir ganska torr. Blöt sås gör det svårare att grädda pizzan.
  2. Sätt på Ooni-ugnen. Den ska värma minst 15 min och vara 400+ i mitten på stenen.
  3. På en mjölad bänk ta ut en degklump och tryck ut den med händerna med fingrarna på båda händerna formade till ett v. Vänd på degen flera gånger. Låt gravitationen hjälpa dig genom att lägga den på knogarna en kort stund.
  4. Lägg mannagryn på en träspade. Borsta av degen med en mjuk borste. och försök borta av undersidan också genom att vända pizzan.
  5. Lägg pizzan på spaden och kolla att den rör sig fritt genom att skada på spaden lätt. Om den inte rör sig så lyft lätt blås för att den ska lossna. Häll dit lite mer mannagryn.
  6. Dags för påläggen. Låt inte pizzan ligga efter du börjat lägga dit såsen för då blir det svårare att grädda.
  7. Smeta ut tomatsåsen med en sked.
  8. Lägg på riven ost.
  9. Lägg på topping efter smak. Se nedan. Obs inte för mycket.
  10. Låt pizzan glida in i ugnen och vänd den flera gånger. Jag brukar ta ut hela pizzan med en metallspade och vrida den med handen och sedan stoppa in den igen. Kanten ska växa och få precis lagom mycket färg.
  11. Plocka ut och servera direkt! Njut!

Förslag på topping

  • Tomatsås, riven ost, mozzarella, en skvätt olivolja och lägg på basilika efter gräddning
  • Tomatsås, riven ost, lök, grön paprika, bacon
  • Crème fraiche eller fast yoghurt, salt, peppar, tunt skivat päron
  • Tomatsås, riven ost, skivad zucchini
  • Tomatsås, riven ost, skinka, ananas
  • Tomatsås, riven ost, tunt skivad lök, en god salami i tunna skivor, peperoni (Fontanas starka på burk är bra).
  • Tomatsås, riven ost, soltorkad tomat, peperoni och en skiva tomat i mitten.
  • Fast yoghurt, färsk rabarber i småbitar, socker eller sötströ – grädda och ät kall.
  • Etc. etc. etc. experimentera själv!
Digitalisering i skolan, Föreläsningar, Research

Creating interest for STEM through Computer Game Making in an Informal Makerspace Learning Environment: Luleå Game Create

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On 210525 I present the following abstract at Design for Learning 2021. The conference is held online.

Presentation

Abstract

This abstract presents the results from an informal learning process called Luleå Game Create where children, ages 7-15 and accompanying adults got a gentle introduction to computer game creation in a Makerspace [1] setting at Luleå Makerspace where special focus is given to gender equality [2].

Luleå Makerspace was founded in 2013 with the goal to provide an open learning environment [3] for people of any gender and background to realize their ideas, i.e. go from idea to prototype using modern tools and learn from each other. The Makerspace provides a creative environment where learning is done through either unstructured personal interactions or via organized workshops [4].

Luleå Game Create

Luleå Game Create is a series of informal workshops run during 2019-2020 where the participants learned how to create computer games. The format is based on that a workshop leader shows how to create different types of games and the participants get to make the games their own via various choices. The technical platform used is Unity, a professional game development engine [5].

Material for each workshop is designed with two parts; 1: pre-made digital libraries to help game creation, and 2: detailed instructions on how to create the game and highlights different features. The instructions are shared openly and can be used by the participants after the workshop [6].

The length of each workshop is 2.5 – 3 hours and the participants can either loan pre-setup computers at the makerspace or bring their own devices which they have to pre-configure at home. During the workshop much focus is placed on that everybody can follow along and participants are encouraged to help each other. Some of the children participate on their own and some together with an accompanying adult. Each workshop has between 10 and 15 participants and the workshops do not build on each other even though they might be divided up over two sessions.

Focus is placed on gender equality with the long-term goal of raising interest for studying STEM and Computer Science subjects among young girls [7]. All workshops where open to both genders except one where together with the company Star Stable, a horse game was created.

Discussion and Conclusions

Luleå Game Create has run during 2019 and 2020 and so far about 75 participants attended the workshops. The feedback has been very positive with an overall grade of 4.5 out of 5 and 9 out of 10 say that they have gotten an increased interest in creating computer games and want to learn more.

Requests for future topics include various details related to creating games but also other maker skills such as modelling for physical fabrication using 3D-printing and laser cutting.

For the non-girl specific workshops, the gender balance is about equal between the children but surprisingly biased towards women among the adults (i.e. mothers and relatives) which has led to that a specific workshop for adult women is being planned. This is very positive as adult role models are important.

During the pandemic the series moved online using Zoom instead but unfortunately with less interest from the earlier participants.

References

[1] P. Blikstein, Digital fabrication and ‘making’ in education: The democratization of invention, in: J. Walter-Herrmann, C. Büching (Eds.), FabLabs: Of Machines, Makers and Inventors, Bielefeld, 2013.

[2] Sylvia Walby, The European Union and Gender Equality: Emergent Varieties of Gender Regime, Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 11, Issue 1, Spring 2004, Pages 4–29, https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxh024

[3] Tomko, M, Schwartz, A, Newstetter, W, Alemán, M, Nagel, R, & Linsey, J. ““A Makerspace Is More Than Just a Room Full of Tools”: What Learning Looks Like for Female Students in Makerspaces.” Proceedings of the ASME 2018 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. Volume 7: 30th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology. Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. August 26–29, 2018. V007T06A036. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2018-86276

[4] Kajamaa, A., & Kumpulainen, K. (2020). Students’ multimodal knowledge practices in a Makerspace learning environment. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 1-34.

[5] Unity: Make real-time 3D projects for Games, Animation, Film, Automotive, Transportation, Architecture, Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction. Visualize & simulate industrial projects in 3D, AR, & VR. https://unity.com/

[6] Peter Parnes (2019-2020). Instruktioner för Luleå Game Create #1 Hoppspelet – en lärarledd workshop i Unity. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L2e5eP8BhoOfzFNWAlUeDO4b_FxqO4Rcev00dQlrbnA/

[7] Ashcraft, C. S. (2013, March). Girls in IT: the facts-a comprehensive look at the latest research on gender and technology in K-12 contexts. In Proceeding of the 44th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education (pp. 740-740).

Food

RECEPT: NAANBRÖD i OOni

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Ingredienser

  • 15g färsk jäst
  • 50g ljummet vatten
  • 40g rörsocker
  • 600g vetemjöl special (ca)
  • 5g bakpulver
  • 6g salt
  • 130g mjölk
  • 170g yoghurt
  • 2st ägg
  • 25g olja
  • vallmofrön eller annan topping (obs blanda inte i degen)

Recept

  1. Blanda ut jästen i vattnet.
  2. Tillsätt alla andra ingredienser utom mjölet och toppingen och blanda ordentligt. Jag använder maskinhjälp.
  3. Tillsätt det mesta av mjölet och prova dig fram tills du får en bra deg.
  4. Lägg över i en bunke och täck med en blöt handduk. Låt jäsa i 1-1.5h.
  5. Starta din Ooni.
  6. Gör 8 bollar av degen och låt jäsa under en blöt handduk i 10-20 min.
  7. Kavla ut degklumpen på mjölat bord och gör den till den form du vill ha. Rund eller avlång…
  8. Borsta av överflödigt mjöl på båda sidorna.
  9. Lägg upp på en bakspade.
  10. Pensla med vatten och häll på topping, t.ex. vallmofrön.
  11. Grädda på full effekt i din Ooni-grill i ca 60-90s. De bör svälla upp som bollar i värmen. Vänd flera gånger. Baka bara på ena sidan då fröna annars blir brända.
  12. Repetera för de resterande bröden. Är ni två så blir det lagom tempo att göra nästa medans det första gräddas.
  13. Njut!