After reading Gee's book, I see many of his points being raised in this article (which would make sense since he is a co-author):
* Video games are a lot more socially-oriented than people give them credit for. Whereas schools "largely sequester students from one another and from the outside world," games "bring players together ... in the virtual world of the game and in the social community of its players"; aside from multiplayer gaming, players are encouraged to "read and write FAQs [and] participate in discussion forums" so that they may gather (as well as dissemeniate) information amongst their peers. This creates a much more social experience when it comes to learning about the games that they play, moreso than simply memorizing facts that are detached from any meaningful situation that might interest potential learners (which comprises the type of learning that is going on in our school systems).
* Game players have an opportunity to "explore new identities" by taking on the personas of the characters found in video games ... While these personas usually take the form of something outside of the realm of reality which the players themselves actually inhabit (wizards, space marines, professional athletes, etc.), such scenarios can also be applied to learning skills that may factor into the players' future job experience; the authors give the example of children playing the game "Madison 2200" and taking on the role of an urban planner, giving them the opportunity to look at problems from the perspective of someone fluent in the practices of urban ecology ("video games [make] it possible to 'learn by doing' ... [and] expose novices to the ways professionals make sense of typical problems").
* "Educational" video games can be used to provide students with "an opportunity to see the world in a variety of ways that are fundamentally grounded in meaningful activity" [emphasis mine] ... Again, by "placing" potential learners within a virtual world where they can experience and navigate their way through particular scenarios, it can provide them with the opportunity to acquire skills in a way that is meaningful for them ("Player learn biology by working as a surgeon, history by writing as a journalist, mathematics by designing buildings as an architect or engineer, geography by fighting as a soldier, or French by opening a restaurant ... More precisely, these players learn by inhabiting virtual worlds based on the way surgeons, journalists, architects, soldiers, and restaurateurs develop their epistemic frames").
* Unfortunately, the authors point out that gathering the type of information necessary to construct these games "requires more work than is currently invested in most 'educational' video games" ... We must remember that the video game industry is a for-profit business first and foremost, and the ultimate goal for the various companies is making money, not revolutionizing the American school system. Sadly, this is why a vast majority of "edutainment" games are horrible, because resources aren't being used to create a truly immersive experience (games like "Diner Dash" and "Cooking Mama" may offer rudimentary instruction in the culinary arts, but for someone to be able to "learn French by opening a restaurant" will involve a more pronouned focus on the ability of the player to "inhabit" the viewpoint and skill range of a true restaurateur).
* This quote sums things up nicely: "When knowledge is first and foremost a form of activity and experience - of doing something in the world within a community of practice - the facts and information eventually come for free ... A large body of facts that resists out-of-context memorization and rote learning comes easily if learners are immersed in activities and experiences that use these facts for plans, goals, and purposes within a coherent domain of knowledge."
The school experience shouldn't just be about memorizing facts and then regurgitating them (without actually understanding the context of what they mean or how they can be applied in real life) in order to get an "A" on one's report card; teachers should make the information "matter" to their students, and video games may provide the opportunity to do just that.
No comments:
Post a Comment