How do you think this approach can be applied to education?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
WoW: The Possibilities of Education
How do you think this approach can be applied to education?
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How do you think this approach can be applied to education?
Mr. Rein,
ReplyDeleteI saw this same video and finished reading an article about how a school in New York, Quest to Learn, is incorporating educational video games into their curriculum. Not only are students playing/learning through these games, they are also creating their own games. Many of the games students create and play are based on their personal learning styles.
The New York Times article I read, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html?_r=2&ref=magazine, quoted a student saying he is not bored at Quest to Learn like he was in his traditional classroom. The goal of Quest to Learn is to create students who are innovative, creative, use higher order thinking skills, and can problem solve.
This was a great article that mirrored what Jane McGonigal said in the video referenced above. Educational video games have the potential in meeting the unique learning needs of students who are not intrinsically motivated to learn through the traditional lecture and textbook format. I think we will see more educators utilizing educational video games as they learn more about the game's effectiveness.
Billie
Mr. Rein,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this video adds a whole new perspective to what can be accomplished through gaming. I especially like how she calculated how many hours of gaming it would take to correct some of the problems in our world.
Isn't TED wonderful? I did a search on Games at the TED website and found a bunch of videos you might like to watch. Here is the link
http://www.ted.com/search?q=gaming&x=0&y=0
I look forward to hearing you write about the other blogs that you follow.
Z
Mr. Rein,
ReplyDeleteI, too, believe that gaming can be a powerful tool. I think about the implications in a post-secondary classroom. Not only would this be catering to their "learning-style," be done on their own time, and additionally, students could even create their own games for use with younger students. Also, this video speaks to the emotional work that could be accomplished while gaming, game-therapy perhaps? (From the video:, Jane explains that gamers do not feel as confidant in real-life as they do while playing games). Could this be a tool to use with students with behavioral disorders? Could educators find a way to yoke reality with the game to make that connection with the "epic win" and real life? I think this is just the beginning.
Thank you,
Shelly
Mikael,
ReplyDeleteI believe gaming can also be very powerful as long as there is a balance between what is gaming and what is reality. I have to admit I'm still on the fence about what gaming can accomplish as far as learning is concerned. Don't get me wrong I believe it can be greatly beneficial. However, I feel that in most cases students fail to see the lessons and concepts they should grasp and simply do things to move forward in the game. This is an aspect of gaming that would require teacher-guidance.
I do greatly agree with others that gaming can help increase student creativity. Many students (as mentioned) feel "free" when they are gaming, and are able to go places with their mind that they otherwise may not. This to me is the most positive aspect of integrating gaming into the classroom.
Jarod
I also think that gaming will be something very powerful in our future as teachers. Students love playing computer games, so why not incorporate these things into the classroom. I know a lot of people see it as they are having fun so they are not learning, but the fact is that they are being made more and more educational. Isn't it great that learning can be fun. Huh!
ReplyDeleteMikael,
ReplyDeleteI think that gaming in education can be a good and bad thing. Students tend to play educational games only to get through the game and may not be learning anything. I have been reading "Failure to Connect" in another class and it talks a lot about how teachers and parents need to watch what kind of games and software they buy for their children and students. The software and games need to be appropriate age level and also have a great deal of learning and educational emphasis. It can't just be "fun." I also agree with Jared when he says that gaming helps with student's creativity.
Colleen