Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology
Allan Collins and Richard Halverson, the authors of Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology, talk a lot about video games. They point out that biggest generation gap in technologies has to do with the use of video games. Yes, parents provide their children with television, computers, and iPads, but don’t understand how they use them. I think this also directly relates to teachers. We supply iPads and computers, but are we using them effectively? I hear many teachers complain that children are playing too many video games. The biggest craze seems to be Mine Craft; almost every one of my fourth grade students is playing it. Halverson and Collins argue that these games develop sophisticated problem solving and communication skills in virtual worlds. Instead of criticizing these games we should be discussing strategies and asking critical thinking questions. If we do this, we can then appreciate and understand the value in game playing. Many of these games incorporate Common Core Standards (speaking and listening, understanding mathematical skills and applying them).
They also suggest that we encourage students to join online communities that share the same interests as the students. For example, I have a child with a passion for quads. He rides them, fixes them, reads about them, etc… I would like to introduce him to an online community of mechanics. This could extend his interests to the history of car, the production of cars, or even inventing new, environmentally safe cars. I also found a community through LEGO in which kids can virtually build structures with other children.
The CITEd Research Center (Multi-User Environments for Education - http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=159#ref) provides an explanation of how educational MUVEs, Multi-User Virtual Environments can be used in the classroom. These types of communities encourage students to learn deeply about a subject they care about.
MUVEs are designed to support inquiry-based learning and conceptual understanding. Usually there is no one “right” way to perform the task or solve the problem. Instead, several solutions are justified, although, as in real life, some solutions may be better than others. Importance is placed on the logic of students’ reasoning. Unlike MUVEs designed purely for entertainment, students using educational MUVEs often must gather information offline, and usually there is a final product that they must submit, such as a report or a video diary of their experience.
One example of an educational MUVE is the River City Project, described as “a multi-user virtual environment for learning scientific inquiry and 21st century skills” (River City Project, header). The virtual environment is a nineteenth century American town that is plagued by disease. Students work in teams to develop a hypothesis regarding the disease’s cause. They can interview citizens of River City, read relevant documents, visit the hospital, and review photographs.
These communities also enhance 21st Century Skills. The children are collaborating and communicating with others to either complete the task or to create a virtual environment of their own. They are critical thinking and being creative in order to find solution to the problem in the ways that they think feasible. Teachers can provide support, but the students are to find a solution with their peers.
I investigated the River City Project MUVE, although that is a bit to high level for my students. Quest Atlantis looks interesting and engaging for the children in fourth grade. An objective in the curriculum at our school is to discuss the first people to settle in Connecticut. I wonder if a virtual environment could be created and the students’ task would be to expand communities to other parts of the United States. This type of activity would meet curriculum standards and 21st Century Skills. Collins and Halverson also describe an example in which the children create different displays centered on dinosaurs. The children work together to create one exhibit. The exhibit may contain a written description of a dinosaur, a computer generated timeline showing when different dinosaurs lived, and a simulated world in which you could find dinosaur bones. The children need to communicate and collaborate effectively in order to create an exhibit that their peers will enjoy. They will think critically in order to share information that is relevant to the topic. This seems like an ideal way to get children to use real world skills. The topic is chosen by the children so they will be engaged!
Gaming and virtual environments provide students with many opportunities to make big decisions and use complex strategies while collaborating and communicating with the peers. These games and environments require the children to use real world skills to complete tasks. It will take some time to learn to effectively and efficiently use these programs in the classroom. However, it will be an excellent change to the classroom and to an education that will be further preparing students for their future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Interesting point Alicia. I saw a TED talk by a game programmer who had a similar outlook on video games. Here's a link to her talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html
I also saw recently that Mine Craft was being used to have students demonstrate understanding of the math concepts of area and volume. Students were asked to use the game to build objects that had a certain volume. Because the entire game is made up of equal sized cubes, it made the concept of cubic units to measure volume more concrete. I don't know if you could use it in your classroom, but I thought I'd pass along the idea!
These are all great ideas to get the students involved online. I think these ideas prove how important it is to teach students how to be digitally responsible online. Chances are that they are going to see people acting inappropriately online in these type of gamer communities. I think student will think twice before they join in any inappropriate postings. I love the idea of students being able to join in online communities where they can share their hobbies, interests, and learn from others. I think if taught how to use these sites for the common good, parents and teachers will complain less about how much time they spend online. I think most of the worrying comes from fear and panic of what they are doing and saying online. Hopefully, we can all work together to educate parents on the positive side of being online.
Post a Comment