Eclectic Technology

How do we learn? New research continues to inform us and we should help our learners discover that making some shifts in their practices may lead them to being more successful learners. This post provides "fifteen steps towards a better brain."

Four of the steps are below.

* Laughter boosts brain function.

* You can improve your memory with one simple step.

* Bilingual brains process information better.

* Higher vocab increases cognition

Some of the steps in this post may be new to you. Each is explained in more detail in the post, and every step includes at least one (or more) links to additional information.

As you read through think about what you can do in your classroom to help your learners and yourself "build a better brain."

Quandary, a free online game for players ages 8 - 14, won the Game of the Year Honors at the 2013 Games for Change Confernce. This game provides players an opportunity to help shape a new society "while learning how to recognize ethical issues and deal with challenging situations in their own lives."

The websites goes on to state "Players develop skills such as critical thinking, perspective-taking and decision-making. Quandary provides a framework for how to approach ethical decision-making without telling players what to think."

Why use Quandary with your students? This game is designed to help students learn skills in:

* Problem solving

* Communication

* Information literacy

* Global awarenes

* Collaboration

* Creative thinking

There is a teachers page available which provides additional resources including a Game Guide, a sample lesson plan, an opinion tracker as well information on how the learning outcomes match to standards in both the Common Core and the Partnership for the 21st Century.