Long time, no post
My response to reading Edutainment for the College Classroom by Don Marinelli and Randy Pausch:
The following response highlights many of my mental shortcomings and enhances my "nerd mystique." Viewer discretion advised for anyone who may have thought I was "cool." :)
I've been playing video games for 23 of my 28 years. Not only are they a diversion, they're also a boon to my learning style.
"If you are suprised that your students do not understand the comcepts of metaphor and foreshadowing in fiction, they are equally suprised that you do not understand the terms 'power up' and 'level out.'"
Here's what video gaming has taught me: critical thinking, creativity and cunning. Can't get your character to climb over that wall? Go through it. Can't complete your entire CEP812 project in four weeks? Find someone to collaborate with, and develop a plan to turn in that highlights future planning to continue the project to completion. Video gaming illustrates how there is always more than one answer to any given question.
The author highlights Sim City. Sim City provided me with one of my first truly enlightening civics experiments. Odd as it sounds, becoming the "mayor" of my own town made me more interested in the local politics happening around me. Suddenly I was working on political campaigns and joining peaceful protests. If my Sims could uprise against me for not building them the parks they wanted, why couldn't I participate in a protest of the City of Kalamazoo trying to ban the homeless from Bronson Park?
Mind you, video games are not the answer to education. Some may not benefit from them at all! But, the author's statement that "like it or not, our students will continue to spend a fair amount of their time playing video games" is most definitely true.
If you're interested, MSU has a GREAT department on campus called MindGames which studys the effect of gaming on students and their education. For example, did you know that females tend to prefer simulation games over the typical adventure ones? I think this MindGames is SUCH an interesting concept, and I would love to make enough contacts to become involved with it at some point. Check them out at http://mindgames.msu.edu
The following response highlights many of my mental shortcomings and enhances my "nerd mystique." Viewer discretion advised for anyone who may have thought I was "cool." :)
I've been playing video games for 23 of my 28 years. Not only are they a diversion, they're also a boon to my learning style.
"If you are suprised that your students do not understand the comcepts of metaphor and foreshadowing in fiction, they are equally suprised that you do not understand the terms 'power up' and 'level out.'"
Here's what video gaming has taught me: critical thinking, creativity and cunning. Can't get your character to climb over that wall? Go through it. Can't complete your entire CEP812 project in four weeks? Find someone to collaborate with, and develop a plan to turn in that highlights future planning to continue the project to completion. Video gaming illustrates how there is always more than one answer to any given question.
The author highlights Sim City. Sim City provided me with one of my first truly enlightening civics experiments. Odd as it sounds, becoming the "mayor" of my own town made me more interested in the local politics happening around me. Suddenly I was working on political campaigns and joining peaceful protests. If my Sims could uprise against me for not building them the parks they wanted, why couldn't I participate in a protest of the City of Kalamazoo trying to ban the homeless from Bronson Park?
Mind you, video games are not the answer to education. Some may not benefit from them at all! But, the author's statement that "like it or not, our students will continue to spend a fair amount of their time playing video games" is most definitely true.
If you're interested, MSU has a GREAT department on campus called MindGames which studys the effect of gaming on students and their education. For example, did you know that females tend to prefer simulation games over the typical adventure ones? I think this MindGames is SUCH an interesting concept, and I would love to make enough contacts to become involved with it at some point. Check them out at http://mindgames.msu.edu
posted by Jessica at 7:23 AM
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