Jack Rack has Arrived

Jack Hutchinson Rackauskas arrived on September 1, 2007.

Art Inclusion Project Photos

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Art Inclusion Project Photos

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Art Inclusion Project Photos

Article from the Palm Beach Post

Best of the Class: Dennis Hollich
By Loretta Grantham
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Thursday, June 08, 2006

All Dennis Hollich needs to get off the ground, literally, is duct tape, plywood, roofing tarp and a leaf blower. The math and science honor student, along with a friend, used these items to build a hovercraft, a vehicle that travels on a cushion of air. Dennis Hollich is a senior at Dwyer High who's goal is to become an inventor. In the teens' case, the creation didn't travel — they didn't attach a fan to propel it — but Hollich was able to float above ground. "We were looking around on the Internet, and they sold hovercraft kits," he says, referring to his senior project. "Instead, we just did it ourselves for $30 at Home Depot." Hollich, who earned a 4.53 honors GPA while juggling a part-time job at Publix, is remarkably practical, which is why he wants to be an engineer. "I'm really good at math, but I like chemistry and physics because you can apply them to the real world," he says. Physics teacher Peter Thorne says the way Hollich applies himself in class makes him "one of my best students." "He constantly challenges me with in-depth questions during my lectures, which shows that he is trying to master the subject rather than just get a good grade," Thorne says. When the teen isn't carving out quiet time to study — he's ranked No. 2 in his class — he's striving to be loud. Very loud. Hollich is the only tuba player in the band. "The tuba is the heartbeat of the band, and Dennis has proven himself reliable week in and week out," writes Sandra Buck, booster president. The sousaphone standout is eager to march with fellow musicians at Virginia Tech, where he plans to study oceanic and aerospace engineering. "My goal is to improve things," says Hollich, who volunteers in the community and plays soccer, volleyball and tennis. "I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel, but to make it better." — Loretta Grantham
Age: 17 City: Jupiter High school: William T. Dwyer High College: Virginia Tech Plans: 'My goal is to use my gifts to design products to serve mankind as an engineer.' Quote: 'Dennis is an asset to our school and community. There are very few young men, if any, who could fill his shoes.... He is an inspiration to us all!' — Marie Maloney, math teacher

Madeline's First Birthday Present

In August of 2005, Madeline's Daddy went out to sea. At the end of April 2006, when he returned Madeline was asleep in her stroller. She awoke half way through the official ceremony and crawled out of her stroller. Before Mommy could catch her, she ran across the room filled with men in uniform and hugged her Daddy. The room was filled with the wives, husbands and children of the families who had just returned from a nine month deployment. They were all watching the Company Officer speak. The men and women who had just returned were standing at the front of the room, and had not yet been reunited with their family. My little bundle of joy broke the ice. Having a grand daughter is truly grand! Madeline turned one on April 5, 2006. She was four months old when her Dad left. She saw her Dad at Christmas time briefly. After such a long separation I think it is amazing that she could awake from a nap and pick him out of a crowd of a hundred or more people. She is definitely a Daddy's girl! Joy and much love to the men and women who are returning to Guam after such a long deployment.

Nana and Pap Pap Meet us at Virginia Tech

Dennis Is Going to Virginia Tech in the Fall of 2006!

Birthday Boy Opening his Presents

Vintage Studebaker tee shirt

VT Celebration for JP's Birthday

While visiting VA Tech, we celebrated JP's birthday at the hotel where we were staying. I took a picture of his cake and birthday presents to dateline the event.

JP's Sweet Sixteen Birthday Cake

Thoughts on War by Robert Olson

May 29, 2006 Memorial Day.

Lots of reasons to give thanks. Am I really thankful? Do I realize my best days are still ahead? Our days?My trip to Hiroshima Peace Memorial gave me a vision of stark realities. Inside the museum was the awful memory of war and hate, and where attempted world domination had led. Total destruction of everything for about a 3 mile radius. I mean everything. All men, women, children. All buildings, trees, flowers, everything God-made and man-made. Total meltdown. What 5,000 degrees centigrade will do in an instant. Radiation fallout. Genetic damage. Microcephaly of lots of babies developing in their mother's womb. Photos of unbelievable burns, skin and tissues melting from the heat. Lots of photos. Risk of nothing growing or living in a many mile radius for more than 75 years, or so the experts predicted. Don't expect a single bud to spring forth for years in Hiroshima's bomb path, experts said. What struck with me more than the horrors of war and the aftermath of the dropping of the first atomic bomb, was reality present just outside the museum.Life. Just outside museum's door. Human optimism just outside the door. Human initiative, just outside the door. Who planted those large trees lining the streets? Just outside the door. Who trusted their instinct for life more than the experts? Those trees must be about 60 years old. Must have been planted within months of the blast. Who built all those beautiful buildings, streets, and the lives that live just outside the door? Who started the beautiful European style Italian cafe just across the street from the bomb's ground zero where I ate today? Who rebuilt Hiroshima? One of the world's most beautiful cities that exists today? Why was I more prepared for the horrors of the A-bomb memorialized inside, and not quite ready for the rebirth of one of the world's most beautiful cities? Why had I underestimated God's regenerative powers, and the overcoming strength of human initiative, love, and ingenuity? The rebirth of Hiroshima. Hiroshima, a name synonymous with the atomic age, giving me a moment of great hope. Just exactly what do I think is impossible? Just outside our life's door? Our heart's door? In our lives? In my life? Very little any more. Life. Love. Relationships. Even in the life of collective mankind? That's how profound it is to see God's regenerative power and the effect of God's partnership with us. Do we focus too much on our destructive power? Is life really man-centered? It seems fitting on Memorial Day to dwell on memories. Memories of loved ones, those who have formed us in our mother's womb, formed and reformed us as we grew up. That have loved us and taught us to love. Isn't Memorial Day also about us realizing the good, loving, regenerative power near us and within us that is available to all of us; available to express within our lives and to others in the days ahead? After realizing the regenerative power of life in Hiroshima, what do we feel is possible within us? What is impossible? Doesn't it say in the Bible, "Nothing is impossible for those who believe". Do I believe that? After Hiroshima it is difficult to deny the reality and potentiality that life holds even in our darkest moments.
Love, Robert Olson

This is how our President sees the war.

As American Dudley Do Rights who are saving the world for democracy.

This is how the press sees the war.

As aliens in a foreign country.

This is how the American men and women who are fighting see the war.

This is how the American family sees the war.

as a much anticipated letter from home

as children who have missed their parents

as fathers and mothers with children

as young mothers with children

This is how the people of Iraq see the war.

This is how our brave come home.

A letter home...God Bless Preston and the work he does!

Mom, Dad and hot wife,

Thought you all would enjoy a picture of the Philippines... Turned outto be one of those great moments where the weather was great, the helicopter wasn't broken and there was a good place to land and just take in the sights... Too bad these moments are too few. All is well out here and glad to be done with the humanitarian/disaster relief effort after the landslide. It is March 1st so I can only think that Carl's should be opening soon for the spring... Hotter than all get out here near the equator and a blackberry shake would be glorious. Please write back and let me know how everything is going. I've heard through the grapevine that Madeline is walking and only a matter of time till she'll be asking to go shopping for a prom dress... Hopefully I'll get off this cruise before then!!! Love, Preston

Reading a Bible

Let early education be a sort of amusement. -Plato

In a playful context kids seem to have an almost infinite capacity for learning. It's very easy it's exciting.

We Learn

facts through questions, memorization, association, and drill.
skills through imitation, feedback, continuous practice, and increasing challenge,
judgement through hearing stories, asking questions, making choices, and getting feedback and coaching.
behaviors through imitation, feedback, and practice.
processes through explanation and practice.
existing theories through logical explanation and questioning.
reasoning through puzzles and examples.
language through imitation, practice and immersion.
progrmming and other systems through principals and graduated tasks.
observation through examples, doing, and feedback.
speeches or performance roles by memorization, practice, and coaching.
behavior of dynamic systems by observation and experimentation.
grammar through - how do we learn grammer?

digital game-based learning by prensky

I believe that learning comes from passsion not discipline.

Nicolas Negroponte, MIT Media Lab

Interactive Video Games

Today’s learners know something about a subject before they ever walk into a classroom, very rarely does a learner show up as an empty vessel. According to Prensky (2001, p. 75), it is very difficult to teach these students because you will be boring someone. He explains that the traditional form of teaching, which consists of the “literacy-oriented, industrially standardized tell-test system”, whereby you have an instructor, trainer or teacher who tells the information to their students and then they test their students, is over. He says that the biggest reason that the tell-test method is failing is that the world of the learner has changed so dramatically. Prensky (2001, p.76) explains this is because learners no longer see themselves “as receptacles to be filled with content; instead they see themselves as creators and doers.” Many educators have observed this same evolution in the primary classroom (Gee, 2003: Prenksy, 2001 & Simpson, 2005). In particular, Simpson (2005, p. 17) says the primary vehicle for this change is because “Kids today spend more time outside the classroom – exploring, questioning and problem solving – than they do ‘learning’ in school.” This vehicle according to a growing number of educators is the world of interactive video games. Many educators believe that these games teach concepts by totally engaging players in experiences. Because these changes have happened so rapidly, “the kids have totally outpaced their parents and elders in the new ways of the world.” (Prensky 2001, p. 39) Some cognitive psychologists have suggested that because video games are so explicit, lifelike and concentrated they have altered the way children prefer to learn and have created a completely new literacy among the young. (Gee, 2003: Prensky, 2001: Simpson, 2005) Since this development is so new, substantial study has yet to be done. Recent literature, (Squire, Giovanetto, Devane & Durga 2005 p. 35) acknowledges this fact, “To date, we actually know relatively little about the consequences of game play on the cognition of those who play them.” The purpose of this literature review is to examine what is known about how children learn through interactive video games and what is not yet known. In addition, a discussion about the probable areas of research will be defined.
Recent research (Simpson 2005, p. 17) indicates that over the past 10 years there has been a 300% increase in students being labeled with learning disabilities. Simpson suggests one possible reason for this increase is that our teachers are not capable of meeting the needs of a new generation of learners. The learners she is referring to are students who have daily access to interactive 3D environments. These children spend a significant amount of time exploring that environment and have skills and problem solving abilities to maneuver within it. She also cites that there is evidence indicating that the same students who are at a higher risk for failure in the traditional classroom setting spend 27 minutes per day more than their counterparts playing video games (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2002: Woodward, 2002). She suggests that the way our schools are currently set up, is disabling some students who given a different learning environment, might otherwise thrive. Simpson (2005, p. 17) points out that although research on the subject is still in its formative years, there is strong evidence to support this case. Most of these students are classified as bright and inquisitive and can do things with a computer that the average teacher does not know how to do. However, these are the very same children that are at risk for failure and are being labeled “lazy, apathetic, behavior problems, truant, disengaged, or suffering from a bad attitude. Simply put, they are not happy in school. They are bored. They aren’t challenged. They see no relevance in the subject matter. Some are dropping out and many are just waiting it out, apathetic and unengaged. I believe it is because of the video game.” Simpson (2005, p. 17)
According to Prensky (2001, p. 17), the immense changes in technology over the past 30 years, especially video games, have changed dramatically the way people think, learn and process information. The change has been so enormous that today’s youth have a different intellectual style and different minds from all preceding generations, so much so that most of the theories we have formulated about how people learn and think may no longer apply to how this generation thinks and learns. He points out that our whole learning system is breaking down because we are working hard to educate a new generation using tools that have ceased to be effective. The new generation of learners cannot just be told, they must learn by discovery, constructivism, interaction, and by having fun. He also points out that “Anyone born in the United States after 1961 almost certainly grew up with digital games in their life…and these experiences have produced major, although largely undocumented and understudied, effects on these people. As a result of growing up surrounded by this incredible array of new technologies, the under 40 generation’s minds have literally been altered. ‘Rewired’ is the popular term…” (Prensky, 2001 p. 39).
Gee (2003, p. 7) points out that because of interactive video games “good students and bad ones, rich ones and poor ones, don’t much like school.” The facts are that 92% of children ages 2 to 17 play video and computer games (Simpson, p. 18). She notes that “video games cross all cultural and ethnic boundaries. Not recognizing that these shared experiences exist, public education has failed to provide for the impact of that experience on student’s learning.” (Simpson, p. 18). As a result she notes this is creating a dichotomy whereby the world of teachers is coming in conflict with the world of students. Simpson (2005, p.18) explains that “The teachers are working within an environment where change tends to be slow, money scarce and bureaucracy plentiful…students are living in an environment where change is rapid, constant and anticipated. This generation of learner wants to be challenged. They want to have some control over the choices they make and the direction they take. The student’s are ready to be in the driver’s seat and in the fast lane.” Teachers on the other hand, do not want to give up the driver’s seat. According to Simpson (2005, p. 18) the number one request by teachers for professional development revolves around behavior management/control issues. Teachers are persuaded to use differentiated instruction, and many teachers are unsure how to meet the individual needs of so many students while still maintaining control. Conversely, Simpson points out that differentiation is an every day part of the video gamers life, every aspect of their life is individualized for them. She cites choices inherent in the play of video games, information gathered on the Internet and the ability to Google, and choices of music, just to name a few. The list is endless. So the kids don’t like school because the “have it your way generation” does not care for the “do it my way” philosophy of the traditional old school generation. It is interesting to annotate at this point that despite the fact that 53 million U.S. children in grades K-12 play interactive video games more hours than any other group in the world, interactive video play is 95 to 5 times more likely to occur in their homes (Prensky, 2002 p. 187). For those who argue that this is how it should be, a growing number of educators are arguing that the “computer games are such a powerful motivator for kids that we are crazy not to be using them in schools.” (Prensky, 2001).
The benefits of interactive video game play are impressive. Simpson (2005, p. 19) observes that interactive video games are always basically fair. In an interactive video game there is a problem that has a solution which directs the player to an end result. There can be many solutions to one problem. En route to the goal, all solutions count equally. Even though the solutions are rarely obvious, a correct answer will be useful in reaching the goal. Perseverance pays off and the answer is always relevant to the goal. Although you may be frustrated while attempting to find a solution, and you may need help in finding it, the solution is always there. Hints also known as cheats are built into the program to help you find your way. It is interesting to note that cheats are alright, because you are moving forward and gaining the knowledge to accomplish your goal. She contrasts this information with the fact that in schools the answer is given to you, it is not always relevant, and the goal is not always clear. She notes that in schools the message is “There is only one right answer and one right way to get there and cheats are not to be tolerated! Students rarely, if ever, associate fairness with schools.” (Simpson, 2005 p. 19) In interactive video games the player has the tools and the talent to be successful. Players can connect with someone who has the information that they need in order to move forward. Collaboration does not merit punishment and is completely acceptable. Children see themselves and their friends do amazing things such as save the world from terrorists, or beat alien invasions, create thriving civilizations and manage successful businesses. The list is endless. Children are given power and control over their destiny. She concludes that children learn by trial and error, and if this does not work, children know where to find the necessary answers and can access them at will. Games allow children who do not win to restart and to try again. The players all know that they will not make the same mistakes twice. In interactive video games failure is a learning experience, not the end result that it is in schools.
For those who would argue that these are only silly games and lack content, Gee (2003, p. 43) argues that video games are not a waste of time because players are actively and critically learning a new semiotic domain. He defines semiotic domain as a design space that recreates systems that are human cultural and historical creations. They are designed to engage and manipulate the player so that the player learns how to think about, and act on these sorts of identities in certain ways. These semiotic domains attempt to engage the player to think, act, interact, value and feel in certain and very specific ways. These learning strategies stress active and critical learning within the semiotic domain. While playing they are learning to experience these worlds in a new way. By doing this, they are gaining the potential to join and collaborate with a new affinity group. By accomplishing these tasks they are developing resources for future learning and problem solving in the semiotic domains to which the game is related. When a game is successful (e.g. popular and sells), he maintains that these games are crafted in ways that encourage and facilitate active and critical learning and thinking. He states “I am convinced that playing video games is not a waste of time.” (Gee, 2003 p. 48). Gee (2003) found that interactive video games to have the following learning principals:
Active, Critical Learning Principal- All aspects of the learning environment (including the ways in which the semiotic domain is designed and presented) are set up to encourage active and critical, not passive, learning.
Design Principle- Learning about and coming to appreciate design and design principle is core to the learning experience.
Semiotic Principle- Learning about and coming to appreciate interrelations within and across multiple sign systems (images, words, actions, symbols, artifacts, etc.) as a complex system is core to the learning experience.
Semiotic Domains Principle- Learning involves mastering, at some level, semiotic domains, and being able to participate, at some level, in the affinity group or groups connected to them.
Metalevel Thinking about Semiotic Domains Principle- Learning involves active and critical thinking about the relationships of the semiotic domain being learned.
One of the first people to observe and study this phenomenon is a professor of psychology of at the University of California in Los Angeles. Her studies may become the milestones in this area as Prensky (2001, p. 44) notes that her original ideas in her first book on this subject, Mind and Media published in 1984, is just now finding wider acceptance among the academic community. In her book she notes that video skills go far beyond the eye hand coordination skills commonly cited. She states that “Video games are the first example of a computer technology that is having a socializing effect on the next generation on a mass scale…(they) may have developed skills in iconic representation than the person entirely socialized by the older media of print and radio. The videogame and computer, in adding an interactive dimension to television, may also be creating people with special skills in discovering rules and patterns by and active and interactive process of trial and error.” Some of the ways she sees players demonstrating these skills is in the development of reading visual images as representations of three-dimensional space. She found that this is a combination of several competencies, including working in real time, collaborating with the computer by the use of a joy stick or other controller, developing multidimensional visual-spatial skills, and mental maps. Computer game skills also enhance thinking skills such as is found in the skill of mental paper folding (i.e. picturing the results of various origami-like folds in your mind without actually doing them. It is important to note that it is a cumulative skill; there is no effect from playing the game for only a few hours. According to Prensky, (2001, p.44) these types of thinking skills were found in other studies as well. Greenfield discovered because you play and learn the rules of the game as you go, video games develop the skills of discovery through observation, trial and error and hypothesis testing. Computer games require the process of inductive discovery that is the same basic cognitive process found in scientific thinking. You must be able to make observations, formulate hypotheses and figure out the rules of the governing behavior in a dynamic representation in order to think your way through the process. As a result video games skills transfer to and lead to a greater comprehension of scientific simulations, because players have an increased ability to decode the iconic representation of computer graphics. Finally, she found video game players are faster at responding to both expected and unexpected stimuli because they have developed strategies of attentional deployment. This is useful for the divided attention tasks, such as monitoring multiple locations simultaneously.
Historically, teachers have demonstrated that they have not been savvy in the use of new technologies. One of the pedagogy issues that was hotly debated during the 1936 Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) convention was whether to buy and use the new sound recording technology in movie making for educational films. During the silent movies, teachers used their voice to illustrate, define and teach. As you can well imagine, they did not give this up easily. Silent film supporters pointed out the value of this technique; personalizing the film and tailoring it to a specific audience, incorporating the teacher into the presentation, and the pedagogical theory of this era supported the teacher-narrated film. The educators were overcome by events, as the movie industry only made films with sound after a certain point. They had missed the boat and the choice was not theirs to make because no one was making silent films any longer (AECT, 2005). For educators, there are other compelling reasons why video gaming is of importance because “Video gaming is now often children’s first and most compelling introduction to digital technologies, and is presumed to be a door to a broader range of digital applications.” (Hayes, 2005, p.23) As every day passes, technology is more and more important in our world. Questions about how games operate are important for the design of future interactive learning systems. As educators we need to understand the theoretical underpinnings of how games function to produce learning so that we may fully utilize this powerful tool. It is not a question of whether or not video games will replace the traditional methods of teaching, traditional methods will always have a significant place in classroom. As a major teaching tool, interactive video games deserve the attention of serious research and study because it is an extremely effective and powerful tool for learning. Many games embody powerful learning principles, which teachers might want to follow. Interactive video games teach by engrossing students in experiences and by designing spaces that are conducive to learning. They are models of expert problem solving ventures, where children can find useful knowledge. It has become one of our most useful learning environments, and unfortunately it is not located in most schools. Contrary to common belief, games do not let players do whatever they want, but they solicit a particular way of thinking through the careful construction of rules, scenarios, and design elements. After numerous hours of play there is evidence that these games also alter the way our children see the world. Very few of these applications are being presently used for academic domains.

Written by Brenda Hutchinson 2006

Bibliography
Association for Educational Communications & Technology History Page. (n.d.) Consolidation Period (1932-1945) Retrieved September 5, 2005, from (http://www.aect.org/About/History/consolidation.htm)
Gee, J. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hayes, E. (2005). Women, video gaming and learning: Beyond Stereotypes. Tech Trends 49. 23-28.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital game based learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Rosas, R., Nussbaum, M., Cumsille, P., Marianov, V., Correa, M., Flores, P. et al. (2003). Beyond Nintendo: design and assessment of educational video games for first and second grade students. Computers and Education, 40, 71-94.
Simpson, E. (2005). Evolution in the classroom: What teachers need to know about the video game generation. Tech Trends. 49, 17-22.