The past reading made me think about the role that video games may have in the classroom. In the past there has been alot of criticism about using video games and the cognitive effects it has on students. However the article lists some very important advantages of using games in the classroom for student learning. Gaming in the classroom can allow community building as students play together they will begin to support one another and teach one another. This in turn empowers students, they begin to see that they all have something important to teach one another as they all have different skill sets. This also allows students to value the skills each player holds and identify when they are in need of it. Being able to recognize someone's skills can transfer over in other school activities like sports and group projects. Moreover, gaming allows students to solve problems in an actual real time setting, be it solving puzzles for educational games or developing strategy for invasion games, students are now being asked to be quick on their feet and learn in real time. This makes games a great tool for feedback as well, as the reading stated, games tend to provide scores to students as well as video playback which allows students to reflect on their actions and develop strategy for next steps. Gaming can have drawbacks ofcourse the biggest of which is resistance from teachers and admin, but I believe if they see real results in how students learn given the technology many would be open to trying interactive games in the classroom. Cost is also a concern, which is something some teachers will not be able to control, especially when it falls on personal spending. It will be interesting to see where gaming goes in the next couple years.
Lang, P. (2008). Critical Education in an Interactive Age. Mirror Images: Popular Culture and Education, 338, 105-123.
Lang, P. (2008). Critical Education in an Interactive Age. Mirror Images: Popular Culture and Education, 338, 105-123.