BLOG #1: Gaming in the Classroom
The article I read in the March/April 2012 edition of Learning and Leading talked about the advantages some children can gain from creating computer games during a Saturday school session in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. The program is designed to engage kids in mathematics and academic content through project-based learning. The students are allowed to play a few games when they first enter the computer lab each Saturday morning, but they also learn how to create their own games that they can share with each other. The program is funded by a grant from the Vermont Department for Children and Families Youth Justice Unit, which is in accordance with the government's STEM initiative to promote education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
By understanding technology operations and concepts, students learn how to understand and use technology systems and use selected applications effectively and productively. The opportunity to create their own type of game is actually an instructional operation, although it may seem like they are simply playing. Creating a game involves making a storyboard, creating characters, and coming up with certain themes that fit the game. The educational research involved in choosing the appropriate characters for your game is one way the students become engaged in research and information fluency. The students also engaged in system-based thinking, creative problem solving, design aesthetics in art and illustration, as well as digital media literacy as they build their individual games.
Overall, I think the gaming program is an interesting approach to teaching children about new technology. My initial thought was that it could easily turn into a pastime and fall out of the educational realm, but the article has proven otherwise as it shows the learning and comprehension skills necessary for the program. The article mentions how some of the adults initially struggled through the first levels of the game while the students quickly grasped the concept. We live in a time when technology is all around us, and new generations will continue to be more and more reliant on computers and software to teach young minds. When I was a kid, we played board games and had chalkboards...now kids have smart phones, smart boards, and virtual lives that help them learn.
http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20120304/?pg=38&pm=2&u1=friend#pg38
McCarthy, E. (2012). Learning on Saturday. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(6), 36.
I enjoyed reading this article. I think this is a great way of incorporating technology into learning. Students enjoy these type of learning games because it doesn't seem like learning to them. They are focused on playing the game all while they are learning something. I also like the fact that they are given projects in which they have to create games for others. These are great ways of utilizing technology for the greater good in the educational system.
ReplyDelete