Quote:
...shooting games like HALF LIFE require players to apply certain motor skills; puzzle game such as MICROSOFT MINESWEEPER require players to use logical-thinking skills. This context-oriented feature of games limits the trans-formative effect between individuals' gaming experience and the individuals' daily practices, including education. Therefore, choosing games that can help learners connect their gaming experience to authentic learning tasks is important for educators.
Explanation:
The quote I selected from the passage is more of a paragraph,but what stood out to me is what is in large font; I wanted to include the context from that quote. This stood out to me because it helped remind me the importance of game selection. It is important for an educator to select a game that can help build authentic learning experience. I have witnessed and been guilty of incorporating technology/games just because "it's the 21st century and we're supposed to;" however, the game or technology did not fit that educational task at hand. Teachers need to be careful not to select a game "for the heck of it" or to say, "Hey, look at me in my 21st century classroom!" It is important to remember the driving force in selecting games: making connections to experience authentic learning tasks.
Additional Resource:
Article on how gaming can improve information literacy. (note: I found this through the FSU library page so you may need to log in with your UCA)
How Gaming Could Improve Information Literacy
I have been putting a lot of thought into gaming and the effects different games have. Until recently I hadn’t really considered all the different skills and techniques involved. I’d say Microsoft Minesweeper is defiantly a game that falls into the skills category and is one of the first computer games I ever played. It took some time but I remember mastering level 1, the easy level. I however lost interest in the game before I mastered the intermediate and hard levels.
ReplyDeleteI would like to incorporate more technology into my classroom but I don’t have the resources. I have found several games on Scratch that my students would enjoy and would also help reinforce some of the concepts that have learned. I think there are a few of them that would also enjoy making a game in Scratch.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the article Sarah! It gave me a great idea for the final project in the Information Literacy course. I think I'm going to have participants design a research project in the form of a mystery to solve and teach future students information literacy skills along the way!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you - game selection is so important. That is something I have been struggling with. I very much want to incorporate games and other media into my class lessons but I have been struggling to find the right games and the right context for this. I know using games in the classroom is a newer idea and so fully formed lesson plans are harder to find, but I keep hoping to run across that goldmine. I also struggle with the amount of time I have to plan a lesson using games, because I don't have a lot of free time to really play a game through to make the connections on how it could be incorporated into my lessons.
ReplyDeleteI agree - simply requiring a game be played does not create a 21st century classroom. I have the same complaint when I see people using Smartboards as nothing more than "chalkboards". There are so many articles about gaming and literacy! Everyone is sharing so many good ideas.
ReplyDeleteI just commented on Abigail's blog about how authentic learning is something students crave to motivate them to want to succeed in education. They want to know why it matters. I also love your comment "It is important to remember the driving force in selecting games: making connections to experience authentic learning tasks." This is so true. I would love to be able to get more computers into the school, so that students can experience gaming. It's hard to incorporate technology when its limited in the school system.
ReplyDeleteSarah I almost selected this same quote. I believe that too many educators can not or do not want to see the benefits of using games in the educational setting. And some that do want to use games - use them in the wrong way. It is important that they game meet the context and teach the students a valuable skill rather than being a time filler or basic activity.
ReplyDelete