Good Video Games and Good Learning
I liked this article. It connected video games and learning in a very understandable way that I had not thought about. The idea of viewing things traditionally seen as such opposites in a way that brings them together showing similarities appeals to me. These ideas are new, and I will have to think more about them, but I can see more value in video games now. The difficult question is how to apply the learning techniques found in the games to the classroom. I don't have an answer for that one...
James Paul Gee
I enjoyed watching a video as opposed to more reading. This guy had a lot of interesting ideas. I like them. But because I like them, I want them to happen. Because I want them to happen, I wonder how they could happen. Then I get depressed. Because I don't see any of the broad changes he mentioned happening anytime soon. This makes me want to go teach in another country...
As a mentor of mine used to tell me, "small steps, Jeff...small steps." I guess that I might say something similar to you, Pete, as you think about the significant issues that Gee raises about schools as they (often) are and consider how we might move in the direction of incorporating some of these ideas/orientation. You're quite right to suggest that schools tend to be change-resistant institutions but perhaps another way of seeing things might be to ask yourself (as you get to know the environment of your classroom and school better) "where could I make *small* changes that might have an impact?" One thing that you'll have going for yourself is the luxury of experimenting (and possibly failing--welcome to the profession!!) with company to help you make sense of things. Allow yourself to take advantage of the opportunity...
ReplyDeleteI am normally rather optimistic and I guess things will come around, but the current environment is so crazy with performance based assessment (high stakes exams and the like) that the freedom or motivation to experiment is not encouraged. Small steps are right but I wonder how much will tolerated. On the one hand educators have themselves to blame because so much stuff that was tried failed or at least the failures make the headlines. We area kind of stuck, or so it seems. Of course, tomorrow ...
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