The video game Gardens of Time is a great representation of educational technology. Gardens of Time is a Multi-User Virtual Environment style game which allows players to interact socially, focus on simulated environments with community oriented tasks, utilize problem solving and comprehension skills, and develop goal setting strategies. All of these gaming characteristics blend together to identify and support the evidence that video games contribute a great deal to the learning processes.
Video games are action-and-goal-directed preparations for, and simulations of, embodied experience. The game Gardens of time embodies the experiences of typical life in the sense that you must complete tasks to earn money, you must create a plan for spending wisely, and then use your earned resources to build your garden and improve your reputation. Completing these actions allows the player to have a culturally embodied experience; a simulation of real world experiences.
Video games can be open-ended, allowing for goals and projects that meld the personal and the social. The object of the Gardens of Time video game is to earn money, build a society, and expand your neighborly reputation; all projects that are based upon setting personal and social goals. It is important to find fun and inventive ways to teach children how to create realistic and resourceful future plans. The adventures and scenarios within this game require the player to resolve realistic problems, and be a cohesive part of the surrounding environment.
Video games, such as Gardens of Time, create opportunities for cross-functional affiliation. Regardless of the theme or skill level, playing video games requires a multitude of mental, emotional, and physical abilities. The skills learned from simulated forms of practice can generally be applied and implemented into real life scenarios. Simulation technology, although not entirely realistic, is relevant and cross-functional to all academic fields and content.
There are many controversial issues surrounding the use of video games as functional learning tools. Video games are great for providing learning experiences that motivate and challenge children, while at the same time relating to and engaging them in the educational processes. Incorporating video games into the classroom is a great way to inspire kids to take action and participate. Instructional quality is not based upon the method of teaching being used; it is based upon the level of student learning being achieved. Adding technology into the curriculum, relevant to the material being studied, is a great way to maximize classroom enjoyment without sacrificing the quality of learning. It is social context, not design that makes the use of video games, as educational tools, so debatable. All video games, in some way or another, are conducive to the learning processes. It is the stigma that is created by uninformed societal beliefs that often leads people to the viewpoint that video games are insignificant to and inappropriate for educational use. As the educational system and technology continue to evolve, hopefully more people when begin to realize how much of a contribution to the cognitive and developmental processes video games have become.
I have a five year old who is living proof that the Gardens of Time game contributes to the learning processes. Every time I get the computer out to play the game, I find her sitting as close to me as she can possibly get. She loves to help find the hidden objects, decorate my garden, spend money, and visit the neighbors. She understands that the Garden of Times game is a simulation of real experience. In fact, she made the comment that earning money and decorating my garden was just like using my debit card to purchase items at the store for our home; proof that a connection has been made. Also, proof that learning, on many different levels, is taking place.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Double Entry Journal #1
Quote one:
Video games don’t just carry the potential to replicate a sophisticated scientific
way of thinking. They actually externalize the way in which the human mind works and
thinks in a better fashion than any other technology we have. (Gee, 6)
I absolutely agree with the statement that video games externalize the workings of the human mind, but I do not agree that it does so in a manner better than any other technology. Although playing video games, containing the proper content, can be very informative of and conducive to the developmental and educational processes, there are other forms of technology that involve the use of reading, problem solving, comprehension, and cognitive skills that also reveal extensive amounts of information about the human thought processes.With the ever-changing and growing use of technology, I believe it is impossible to categorize any one particular form of technology as being the best; all of them contribute so greatly.
Quote two:
I have argued for the importance of video games as “action-and-goal-directed
preparations for, and simulations of, embodied experience.” They are the new
technological arena—just as were literacy and computers earlier—around which we can
study the mind and externalize some of its most important features to improve human
thinking and learning. (Gee, 12)
I find the evidence that video games can be used for improving the thinking, learning, and developmental processes to be very interesting. The more research I do into the topic, the more curious I become about the extensive details. I knew that video games could be useful for understanding the mind and how it works, but I had no idea just how much in depth scientific information they could reveal. I look forward to learning more about the developments and benefits of technology in regards to education; existing and future.
Quote three:
The cutting edge of games and learning is not in video game technology—although great graphics are wonderful and technical improvements are important. The cutting edge is realizing the potential of games for learning by building good games into good learning systems in and out of classrooms and by building the good learning principles in good games into learning in and out of school whether or not a video game is present. (Gee, 21)
I strongly agree with the idea that the cutting edge of learning is not based solely upon video game technology, but most importantly on the incorporation of video game learning principals and systems into individual lessons, content, and classrooms. Scientifically speaking it has been proven that video games contribute to the understanding of the human cognitive and developmental processes, but they can also be very useful for making the learning processes an exciting, inspiring, and engaging experience. Teaching lessons that involve gaming characteristics can reach into the minds and hearts of even the most stubborn and withdrawn students. Every individual in the world, not matter how diverse, enjoys playing games.
Gee, J. P. (n.d.). What Are Video Games Good For Learning?
Resourceful Link:
I chose to link to an article titled Video Games and the Future which discusses the way video games and technology have changed the way present day individuals learn. Like the article we read by James Paul Gee, this article highlights the importance of looking beyond the regular classroom into the future of technology and video games; the regular curriculum based upon a technological foundation. Shaffer and colleagues suggest that video games help people learn by integrating thinking, social interaction, and technology to create a new way of learning.
Because we are living in the technological age, it can only be expected that individuals who choose to enter the teaching field will on a regular basis be incorporating new technologies, such as video games, into the classroom curricula. I do not think that the good old fashioned methods of lecturing, reading, and writing will ever disappear entirely, I am certain that technology based learning has become the new face of the educational system. I have taken several courses throughout my years of study involving the use of Instructional Technology, but as fast as the technology is growing and instructional processes are changing, keeping up with the next new innovation will be a lasting challenge.
Video games don’t just carry the potential to replicate a sophisticated scientific
way of thinking. They actually externalize the way in which the human mind works and
thinks in a better fashion than any other technology we have. (Gee, 6)
I absolutely agree with the statement that video games externalize the workings of the human mind, but I do not agree that it does so in a manner better than any other technology. Although playing video games, containing the proper content, can be very informative of and conducive to the developmental and educational processes, there are other forms of technology that involve the use of reading, problem solving, comprehension, and cognitive skills that also reveal extensive amounts of information about the human thought processes.With the ever-changing and growing use of technology, I believe it is impossible to categorize any one particular form of technology as being the best; all of them contribute so greatly.
Quote two:
I have argued for the importance of video games as “action-and-goal-directed
preparations for, and simulations of, embodied experience.” They are the new
technological arena—just as were literacy and computers earlier—around which we can
study the mind and externalize some of its most important features to improve human
thinking and learning. (Gee, 12)
I find the evidence that video games can be used for improving the thinking, learning, and developmental processes to be very interesting. The more research I do into the topic, the more curious I become about the extensive details. I knew that video games could be useful for understanding the mind and how it works, but I had no idea just how much in depth scientific information they could reveal. I look forward to learning more about the developments and benefits of technology in regards to education; existing and future.
Quote three:
The cutting edge of games and learning is not in video game technology—although great graphics are wonderful and technical improvements are important. The cutting edge is realizing the potential of games for learning by building good games into good learning systems in and out of classrooms and by building the good learning principles in good games into learning in and out of school whether or not a video game is present. (Gee, 21)
I strongly agree with the idea that the cutting edge of learning is not based solely upon video game technology, but most importantly on the incorporation of video game learning principals and systems into individual lessons, content, and classrooms. Scientifically speaking it has been proven that video games contribute to the understanding of the human cognitive and developmental processes, but they can also be very useful for making the learning processes an exciting, inspiring, and engaging experience. Teaching lessons that involve gaming characteristics can reach into the minds and hearts of even the most stubborn and withdrawn students. Every individual in the world, not matter how diverse, enjoys playing games.
Gee, J. P. (n.d.). What Are Video Games Good For Learning?
Resourceful Link:
I chose to link to an article titled Video Games and the Future which discusses the way video games and technology have changed the way present day individuals learn. Like the article we read by James Paul Gee, this article highlights the importance of looking beyond the regular classroom into the future of technology and video games; the regular curriculum based upon a technological foundation. Shaffer and colleagues suggest that video games help people learn by integrating thinking, social interaction, and technology to create a new way of learning.
Because we are living in the technological age, it can only be expected that individuals who choose to enter the teaching field will on a regular basis be incorporating new technologies, such as video games, into the classroom curricula. I do not think that the good old fashioned methods of lecturing, reading, and writing will ever disappear entirely, I am certain that technology based learning has become the new face of the educational system. I have taken several courses throughout my years of study involving the use of Instructional Technology, but as fast as the technology is growing and instructional processes are changing, keeping up with the next new innovation will be a lasting challenge.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Introductory Posting
About me:
My name is Lora Bross. I currently live in Weston, WV. I am a full time graduate student, working towards a Master of Arts in Teaching with a specialty in English, and a full time mother of a beautiful 5 year old little girl. From this class I hope to learn more about the role of games within the educational processes, as well as gain a better understanding of the effects of gaming on the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of students formal and informal lives. Also, I hope to learn more about creating educational based games that are both exciting and resourceful. I personally am not a gamer, but I do occasionally sit down with my daughter and play on her Leapster Explorer. The Leapster Explorer is a learning game system which focuses on techniques such as reading, comprehension, spelling, colors, and counting. My position on kid's and video games is conflicted. I believe playing educational video games can be a very informative and inspiring experience; however, the video games that are filled with noneducational and violent aspects are in my opinion, especially in underage children, damaging on multiple levels.
Link:
Embedded below and also in my gadget list is a video from YouTube concerning the effect's of violent video games on children's learning and development.
I have selected this video as my resource because the subject of the effects of violence in video games on children's learning and development is a highly debatable topic. Although most violent video games are clearly rated and intended for older age groups, too often younger children are easily and readily getting their hands on them. Because there is no way to guarantee that younger children will not be influenced by the violence of the video games intended and rated for the Mature audience, it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children are not being subjected to the intensity and brutality found within the adult intended video games that could impact their children's learning processes in a negative manner.
Three major world events that happened during my birth year include:
*January 1, 1981: Greece joins the European Common Market as its 10th member.
*April 12, 1981: The U.S launches the "Columbia" on the first orbital space shuttle mission STS-1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
*December 26, 1981: Saudi Arabia and Iraq sign an agreement in Baghdad ending their 60-year-old border dispute
My name is Lora Bross. I currently live in Weston, WV. I am a full time graduate student, working towards a Master of Arts in Teaching with a specialty in English, and a full time mother of a beautiful 5 year old little girl. From this class I hope to learn more about the role of games within the educational processes, as well as gain a better understanding of the effects of gaming on the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of students formal and informal lives. Also, I hope to learn more about creating educational based games that are both exciting and resourceful. I personally am not a gamer, but I do occasionally sit down with my daughter and play on her Leapster Explorer. The Leapster Explorer is a learning game system which focuses on techniques such as reading, comprehension, spelling, colors, and counting. My position on kid's and video games is conflicted. I believe playing educational video games can be a very informative and inspiring experience; however, the video games that are filled with noneducational and violent aspects are in my opinion, especially in underage children, damaging on multiple levels.
Link:
Embedded below and also in my gadget list is a video from YouTube concerning the effect's of violent video games on children's learning and development.
I have selected this video as my resource because the subject of the effects of violence in video games on children's learning and development is a highly debatable topic. Although most violent video games are clearly rated and intended for older age groups, too often younger children are easily and readily getting their hands on them. Because there is no way to guarantee that younger children will not be influenced by the violence of the video games intended and rated for the Mature audience, it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children are not being subjected to the intensity and brutality found within the adult intended video games that could impact their children's learning processes in a negative manner.
Three major world events that happened during my birth year include:
*January 1, 1981: Greece joins the European Common Market as its 10th member.
*April 12, 1981: The U.S launches the "Columbia" on the first orbital space shuttle mission STS-1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
*December 26, 1981: Saudi Arabia and Iraq sign an agreement in Baghdad ending their 60-year-old border dispute
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