Education and video games... two words I personally have never heard in the same sentence. Two of my fellow peers did a presentation on this very topic today. They certainly did a great job because by the time their presentation was finished my mind was racing with ideas. They made the argument that many children are playing video games daily so why not try to use video games educationally? It makes sense... why not try to teach children in a way that they understand, and more importantly, enjoy?
I am excited by the fact that education is evolving, and that education through video games is becoming a possible reality. I am a strong believer in taking all things technology in the world and showing students how to use them in a constructive manner, video games included. What better way to engage students than to let them play! Certain educational games require that students work together as a team to complete missions. This can create a sense of community and help students realize that each of their classmates has an important role and this could be translated to real life classroom situations.
But of course, my brain never lets me only look at one side of things... If we bring video games in to the classroom, other forms of instruction would seem almost unbearable to students. Things would get rather boring quite quickly. There is also the issue regarding how closely related the video games are to the curriculum. If the game isn't that closely tied to the curriculum, should you be using class time to play it? What about social skills? If our students were only playing video games and not interacting with classmates they lose a large amount of social interaction that is usually provided by the school setting. What about obesity?... What about the appropriateness of the games?...
I'm still not sure exactly where I stand on this topic, but like other technologies, I think it requires a balance. Video games as the main form of education would likely have many downfalls, but on the other hand, education without any sort of educational game would be unrealistic. The reality is, video games are a huge part of many children's lives. I think it would be beneficial for educators to tap in to this in some way to really make education relevant for students.
I am also a little unsure where I stand on the topic of video games in the classroom... I was very intrigued, however, by that teacher mentioned who used games not necessarily intended for educational purposes in her lessons (like Guitar Hero and so on). Last semester in Tech I found some great online resources on how to teach projectile motion in Physics using Angry Birds (brilliant stuff... google it up). I like the idea of using what students are already doing in their spare time and applying it to what they're doing in class. It almost feels like as teachers we are infiltrating students life outside of school without them even knowing it! Muah ha ha...
ReplyDeleteThat is so neat! Who knew Angry Birds was actually good for something other than taking hours of your time! Its awesome because it gives children something to relate to by using a game that they already love! It allows them to actually see how projectile motion works and I think this visual would really help them in applying their knowledge elsewhere! Thanks for sharing Jesse!
ReplyDeleteGreat reflection Allie - I too agree that we need to continue to find ways to engage our students, particularly using technology in meaningful ways (just not in a way that leads to weaker instruction because the technology is shiny). If we can continue to find ways to make learning meaningful and fun (like through video games), we are only going to be stronger teachers as a result. Great post!
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