Gaming in Education 2 - Final Reflection

I've never really thought about using mainstream video games as educational tools. However, after reading both of Gee's articles, I can definitely see the connection. It's alamost insane that schools teach students to memorize and not how to actually use the information in the real world. Students can learn so much more and actually retain that information by actually physically using it. Games are a great way to actually physically use information from the classroom. With that in mind, I played three different games to find what a player/student would get out of the game.

Brainiversity

Brainiversity is a really fun "educational" game. I say educational in such that it works on spelling, math, and memory skills. The player is timed and has to answer as many questions possible in the time correctly. The game isn't the usual work done in school, but rather put to a much more fun atmosphere. However, I could see where this game could get old after a while.

Third World Farmer

Third World Farmer is an online game where the player conducts a family in a third world country to try to survive for as long as possible. This game is a great way to add a hands-on feel to what the third world reality is really like. The player controls what crops to plant, animals to buy, barns and other buildings to build, and to choose when to give medicine to a sick family member. They also choose if the children go to school or not. If the player is lucky, in one year a family member won't die or the family won't be robbed if they made any money at all.

Call Of Duty

When most people look at the box of Call Of Duty, they probably think it's just another violent game. However, there is a lot more to it than most people think about. In the online portion of the game, the player creates or is put on a team of other actual people. At that point the team strategizes how to use the environment around them and the best course of action to take to beat the other team. It also teaches how to quickly think of another strategy once the other team starts to penetrate or be in the lead. If the strategy the player and team doesn't work, they work together to get past the frustrations and work cooperatively on planning a new one. There are many choices that can be made as a team and with the environment. On top of this, the game also teaches communication and people skills, even in a virtual world.


Connecting "playing" with technology and school-based learning is a great idea. It brings freshness and the new age to the classroom. Most children can relate and learn a lot from video games that they probably don't realize. For most, including myself, school and fun don't usually coincide. It also helps relieve the students from just memorizing, to actually use the concepts learned and use them in a real world like situation.

Another aspect some people may not realize is that some topics are difficult to actually teach without students being able to physically see how the topic works to understand it.

There’s a website (http://www.brainmeld.org) that educators can use as a resource on how, why, and different guides, depending on grade level, to games that can be used in the classroom. This seems to be a great resource on getting educators started with games. There is lots of information and a message board to ask questions or state ideas.

Podcasting

Podcasting in schools sounds like a great idea. It's a good way to get students involved with classroom topics in a much more fun manner. As drawn out in the second article, a simple podcast could be a whole year's worth of material that's been worked on (such as in an English class where there could be creative writing, research, interviews, etc.) that at the end of the year could be put together into a podcast. This could later be shown to parents to show progress or what their children have done all year.

However, in higher education, some implications exist. Classrooms become less of student projects, such as the example above, and more listening to a professor or teacher. Podcasts would be great to listen to as last minute cramming on the walk to class or great for learning a foreign language. However, podcasting should not be the only tool that is just used for online classes. It becomes dry and boring and students will deter away from it.

Also, teachers/professors cannot assume that every student has access to a computer or to an Apple iPod that can play these podcasts. Some, like myself, have never had any interest in watching/listening to such tools. This may because I have never had to use podcasts before so I do not know their positive values they can add to education.

I do see where Podcasting could be a great value to a classroom. Although I have never used them, I can see the benefits that could arise from such a tool. It really is a great way to get students and teachers involved in different ways.

Digital Divide

After reading the article on Digital Divide, I can see why there can be a real issue. Teachers are needed to positively impact/address the divide. They are needed to teach computer literacy to all children. Even those with computers at home may not know how to actually use the computer outside of video games and painting. Teachers need to teach students how to effectively use Word and PowerPoint as well as researching information on the internet, creating websites, and so on. Also, those students without access to computers are also at a disadvantage.

As mentioned in the article, people need to know why to use technology. Just because it is sitting in front of them doesn't mean they will actually use it. Teachers need to also teach why students will want to use technology and how it can benefit them. Without this, the technology will go without use or very limited use.

Some examples could be such as in a math/statistics course, having students hand draw graphs and then teach them how to design the same graphs on the computer and how much easier it is. The same could go for an english teacher teaching how to write some sort of assignment on the computer and other uses for Microsoft Word (such as designing a brochure, calendar, etc)

Virtual Environments

Virtual environments are a great way to keep up with technology in the classroom. Technology consumes a student's life and virtual environments could be a great way to really connect with students.

The MUVE (multiuser virtual environments) could be a great way to really teach students how things work. Instead of lecturing how a space ship works and takes off, perhaps the students could virtually take part in building and launching a ship on their own.

Another great attribute is that with such a huge video game industry, students participate in these games and learn a lot of knowledge (such as how to build an empire) without even realizing they are learning about history. Or as mentioned in the article, Everquest has 77th largest economy in the real world. It's not only a game, but a link between the real and virtual worlds. The same goes for Second Life where many companies advertise as well as people promote political candidates.

There are still some limitations. Not all students have access to computers and not all teachers know that much about technology. Some schools may only have enough access for a class to visit a computer lab once a week or less. On top of this, teachers will need to know how to use virtual environments effectively. Not all students will have the same technology knowledge and teachers don't want to overuse this tool. At that point, students will not be as interested as before.

Digital Storytelling

Before researching the listed websites, I had no idea what Digital Storytelling was. However, once looking into it, I believe I have a much better idea. It seems to be a really great tool teachers can use to get students to actively participate inside and outside the classroom.

Digital Storytelling is a great way to get students interested in the classroom. With how much kids watch tv, play on the internet, listen to ipods, etc., a regular classroom lecture bores them as well as pushes them away from actively participating. Digital Storytelling seems to bring new life and connects what they know with their daily life (such as DVDs, computers, internet).

Digital Storytelling is also a great thing to incorporate in student's projects. Not only do they learn the material in detail, but they can have fun with it at the same time. The students can use the tools they know how to use as well as learn new ones as well as present their opinion and humor. They can have their own time to teach the class and feel as if they have some control in their education.

On top of learning the topic taught in the classroom, students will get experience as to what movie making is like. They can research a topic, create storyboards, create a layout, and shoot a movie.