Gardens of Time / Journal Entry #1

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.