Immersing gaming & other technological skills

Jane McGonigal is an incredibly persuasive speaker. Although I still have my doubts about pushing individuals to play games even MORE, she made me think twice about the arguments against gaming. She stated that gamers are "super empowered hopeful individuals" who have the following four traits:

1) urgent optimism, where they desire to tackle an obstacle with success

2) social fabric, where they tend to like people better after playing a game with them

3) blissful productivity, where they are actually happier working hard at playing games than relaxing and hanging out

4) epic meaning, where they create these epic resources such as the World of Warcraft Wiki.

I mean, honestly, who would think video games really have that much going for them, except for the fact that there is a lot of problem solving and quick thinking involved.

Linking these games to the 21st century digital era is the idea of collaboration and critical thinking. We do need to teach 21st century skills. Weigal, James, and Gartner's article argues that when you immerse technology such as social networking tools, multiplayer games, and fan communities into classrooms, you offer highly active and social learning experiences. You also provide ways to engage with each other, with information, and with the world. If we are to prepare students to be active, knowledgeable citizens in the workplace, they need to be able to use these technological skills even if they are basics. Gaming may not be necessarily the way to do it all the way, but I have definitely learned some positives about allowing teenagers to play games to a certain extent.

This newly way of thinking about technology reminds me of my cousins. They are constantly on the computer all day playing games. Even during family gatherings without computers they have their itouch or iphone doing something. Yet despite the fact that they are literally looking on the screen all day, their ability to multitask is impressive and their grade scores are still tremendously high. They can access anything they want to on the internet and can easily unlock a code or trouble shoot anything we ask. Despite not being the best at things like drawing or cooking, they have these technological skills that I believe will help them in the real world. Even when we talk about politics or news, their critical thinking skills are incredible!

How video games can save the world! And how games can connect us in our real world, thru books.

Jane McGonigal is a researcher out in San Francisco who has made it her life's mission to show how the time (3 billion hours a week, globally) people spend gaming could be harnessed to solve very real world problems. Here is her TED talk from 2010 that explains what she means by that. She also has a written a book on the subject. (And was on the Colbert Report earlier this year.)

She has just announced a new "game" that will take place during one overnight at the New York Public Library on 42nd St. Definitely check it out - and let's discuss how something like this could be created that connects books & games in our classrooms!

Evolution, Not Revolution

When it comes to technology in today’s society there are many different opinions and views that people hold, so why would it be any different in education or in the classroom? There are tons of people today who consider themselves “crackberrys” and there are still believe it or not tons of people who refuse to own a cell phone. Other forms of technology these days include a lot of social networking sites such as facebook or twitter. Some people say it’s an invasion of privacy and others welcome the chance to connect with friends and colleagues. No matter which side one takes each person is entitled to their opinions. As a teacher it is hard to think that young students have or are exposed to many of these social networks and technologies, however after I read Using Technology in the Classroom Today, I seem to understand the role of technology a lot more. When I was in school it was about typing, power point, and research. Today technology can and should be used in so many more areas not only because it can be but because of what it can accomplish. Klopfer states that “it is crucial not only to seek to mitigate this disconnect in order to make these two “worlds” more seamless, but of course also to leverage the power of these emerging technologies for instructional gain” (p. 3). Today teachers need to look at technology and the media and use it to motivate and engage students! For example, almost every high school student and beginning middle schools students are spending their nights on facebook. Instead of banning or judging this teachers must use it as a medium to connect with their students. During a class discussion, a fellow classmate spoke about how he gave his students characters from a story and they created profiles and completed assignments as that character on a facebook page. This is the type of bridge between words that Klopfer is talking about. Teachers need to partake in the beginning of the technological evolution in classrooms and not a revolution to ban it. Learning can only happen (in my opinion at least) when a student is motivated and engaged…thus this is the dawn of a new way of teaching to help students connect and learn through a happy and relatable medium.

Social Networking

The MacArthur Study says that children use online networking to extend the friendships that they already have in their "offline world". While I do agree that many children join social networks for this very reason, I don't think that children are necessarily aware of boundaries and precautions that should be taken online. A child's intention might be to extend their friendships, but often times it ends up being a contest of who has more friends. This leads to the problem of children accepting friend requests from people they may not know, or don't know very well. Children are also not always aware that not only their "friends" can see their information, pictures, etc. I definitely DO think that technology and even social networking sites can be useful for children. I think that it is extremely important, however, to really explain in depth some "rules and guidelines" that should be followed when children are using such sites. I think children also should be informed as to possible dangers and should have a good understanding of what precautions to take when interacting on these social networks.

Importance of Play --> Technology

In my Child Development class last term at Bank Street, I learned about the importance of play for children. Through physical play with each other, children learn social skills (cooperation, negotiation, sharing, etc.) that are fundamental for their development. I will be the first to admit that I hate technology – it scares me, and I yearn for the days when you had to write letters instead of e-mails, and had the chance to run around at a park with friends, instead of getting together to play games on our DX. Even though I am not that much older than my students (2nd and 3rd graders), I can definitely feel how our understanding of technology in our lives creates a generational gap between ‘What Ms. Do wants us to do in school’ – read, write, do math in our journals, play outside and ‘What we want to do in school’ – go on the computers, play (reading) games on the PlayStation, etc.

Our readings this week (and our time in this class) have definitely reshaped how I look at my teaching. While my breakthrough last semester was the importance of play for children (why I will never take away my students’ recess), Klopfer, Oserweil, Groff, and Haas have shined another light on the development of such social skills through play in the context of technology. In their study of the 7th grade teacher, Ross, they showed that his use of the game DIPLOMACY becomes a vehicle to teach his students “the skill of negotiation….show to solve problems collaboratively, and …. be mindful of their actions/impact on others.” Like our readings and many have mentioned below, technology is going to evolve. Instead of pushing against it, I must embrace it to effectively teach my students.

Internet: How do we invest in friendships?

After reading the MacAthur Foundation Report on Digital Media and Learning I was suprised to learn that "Most youth use online networks to extend friendships that they naviagate in the familiar contexts of school, religous organizations, sporths, and other local activities. They can be "always on," in constant contact with thier friends, via texting, instant messaging, moblile phones, and Internet connections...The majoirty of youth use new media to "hang out" and extend existing friendships in these ways." This information bothers me becuase I feel that children are missing opportunities to develop real friendships. How do we teach children to see other people as trustworthy? How do we teach children the power of investment when it comes to friendship? It is not very easy to nurtue a friendship with someone you can not see or feel. I beleive that this is an impotant issue children face when making friends on the Internt. Also the chances of dishonesty are very high in an internet friendshiip. While making friends on the internet one has to be extrememly careful.

Benefits of integrating technology into curriculum

There is no question that technology is taking over the lives of children more and more each day. As teachers we cannot ignore this. In his article Klopfer explains, “Undoubtedly, without these recent technologies (i.e. digital games, Web 2.0, etc.) in the classroom, strong lessons can still be achieved, but there’s a sharp disconnect between the way students are taught in school and the way the outside world approaches socialization, meaning-making, and accomplishment. It is critical that education not only seek to mitigate this disconnect in order to make these two “worlds” more seamless, but of course also to leverage the power of these emerging technologies for instructional gain.” This quote resonated with me as I read on. The school that I work at has been making strides towards technological integration in the classroom. They promote the use of games and networking sites as a means of educating young students. Since I have started working at this school I have taken their challenge and integrated technology into my own classroom. I have used blogging for book club, games for math instruction, web quests for social studies, etc. Integrating technology into my curriculum has been extremely successful. I have noticed that students of all ages are more eager to learn when computers are involved because they feel a sense of ownership and expertise with technology. They also believe that learning with technology is fun and exciting, much more so than traditional lessons and education. Another benefit that I have found with using technology and gaming as a means of education is that educational games used in the classroom expand the repertoire of games students can play at home. I am currently a Kindergarten teacher and since the first day of school it has been evident that the majority of games my students are exposed to are violent in nature and in my opinion mindless. Our math curriculum is primarily game based, where some of the games are created in the classroom and others can be found on the internet. We have created a class page where parents and students can go to access the games we teach in school and use them at home. I have heard from parents that their children are much more inclined to play educational games at home than ever before. In my opinion, there is nothing better than keeping children engaged and interested in learning and the use of technology is an easy way for educators to sustain this love of learning.