Learning through gaming - Conclusion

What have I learned through gaming?

I believe I have learned an enormous amount about myself, my children and how children learn in general. I have walked in their shoes and have experienced the emotions they do albeit in a more conscious manner.

Frustration:
In a classroom, a teacher will try to make students feel at ease and make the learning environment as pleasant as possible. A teacher will attempt to tap into all the different learning styles and use as many senses as possible. I have now encountered psychosocial moratorium. I have reached a level of risk that I would otherwise never been able to handle. I am going beyond my comfort and safety zone. What if I could create such an environment for my students? Would their learning be:
- more memorable
- deeper
- placed into long-term memory storage
- be seen as fun, not learning but be actual valid learning

Time on task:
In classrooms, time is very valuable. Many skills must be taught. Every activity must relate back to specific goals, related back to curriculum, related back to the Core Content Standards. Time matters. Every task has a purpose and must be accomplished in an efficient time frame. Class time cannot be wasted, it is too valuable.
Was the education I received from Sims 2 Deluxe valuable and worth the time I put into it?
I found it very difficult to find the time to play the game. The learning curve was huge in the beginning, but became smaller as I did more research and raised my confidence (= got help). In the back of my mind, I game myself a time frame to accomplish progress. In the end, I progressed and arrived to a point of comfort in the game. I felt my time on task was worthwhile.

Adults and gaming:
Gaming has tremendously changed over the past ten years. Now the gaming industry targets different groups. Today, games target athletes, girls, adult males, adult females and the elderly. Now gaming affects more social groups and age groups in our society. What is the effect of gaming on adults?

In the past, my opinion of gaming was that it was a waste of time. Now that I have actually attempted to play a game (for more than 5 minutes) and to understand how the game worked, I have a different appreciation for gaming. I now see gaming a relaxation tool, similar to television. What is the value of relaxation to an adult? In the adult world of schedules, work and home life, adults take very little time for relaxation, or personal time. Why? Mostly because there is always one more thing to do…..laundry, run to the pharmacy, check email, pay bills, go to a sporting event, walk the dog, …………….
Adults can greatly benefit from relaxation and escaping the “real world”. I stand corrected, playing video games (hand held, computer or platform) can help a person relax and ground themselves.

Learning:
It is always important to be an active learner/student. Students learn in many different ways, and by different means. Is it important for students to know they are learning?
In my opinion, it does not matter if they know they are learning at all times. Proof is, learning in video games is unnoticed.
I learned there are innumerous "unofficial" resources among children, on the web, in the bookstore, etc... Do we use them in schools? Actually, most schools block these sources and how many teachers allow students to use each other as resources? Many are adapting though.


Education and gaming:
Education is constantly changing. The era of sitting in rows and working individually has given way to work stations in the back of the classrooms (centers), lit circles, and enormous amounts of group work, where students learn from each other. It can be concluded that gamers have much success in this type of classroom setting because gaming is based on many of the concepts. Through socialization, gamers improve. An argument can be made that not all students are gamers. However, gaming has changed greatly in recent history. Gaming platforms are changing, targeting the athlete and the girls, whereas 20 years ago, non-athletic boys were targeted. A large amount of children across social groups and ages are gaming now.

There are many differences in education compared to 10-20 years ago. Today, many children have behavioral (anxiety, depression), education, social issues and physical limitations. Gaming allows children to start a game on an equal plane. A non athletic child can win an Olympic race. An athletic child can win at Big Brain Academy. A child can defeat or outperform a parent. Children succeed in games where they might not in the “real world”.

I believe that if teachers looked at the core of gaming and the skills required to succeed in gaming, they would be able to reach children that they would otherwise never reach.
As a teacher, I have found that understanding the processes of gaming has helped me understand my students. I have found, over my 12 years of teaching, that students have changed. I have found that students:

- are unable to understand time parameters
- don’t aim for perfection on first try
- expect to take “retakes” on assessments
- want to be entertained
- do not see the need for ongoing studying
- only do required work, they do not over and beyond

The reality is that students are still expected to reach a level of mastery in the various subjects. Proof of this is grades are still assigned; reading levels determined and state standards are still enforced by establishing Core Content Standards and by having students take state assessments.

Obviously gaming cannot be blamed for all difficulties in education. However knowing about gaming explains many behaviors in students. In games, it is always possible to start over if a gamer is unsatisfied with the way the game is going. Also, gamers pause the game, as often as needed, for many reasons: to do more research, to do other activities, to get help, etc…Then, the gamer picks up where he/she left off, renewed, recharged and better informed. While gaming, it is very easy to lose track of time. I was shocked to see that I had spent 3 hours gaming on a Saturday night. My shock was not only “real time” passing, but I had time reference in my game! My Sim had already gone to work for a week, thrown a party, learned how to cook meals, slept…things that in real life would have taken more than 3 hours. Time perception is altered in gaming. How can children adapt to real time when each game has a different form of time?
I am still trying to understand why students do not understand the need for studying? I am not “blaming” gaming, but I think that by looking at gaming, the environment where most children spent the majority of their time outside of school, can give a clue as to why students don’t think to study or review notes? I have found that children do not see the research they do as real “research”. When I tried to explain to my children that by talking to each other and looking up cheats they were researching they disagreed.
My conclusion: the key to learning is to not know you are learning. Make learning fun and interactive and children will succeed.

This school year, one of my goals was to add more “games” to my curriculum. Why? I found that certain students weren’t studying, something extremely necessary in a World Language classroom. Albeit my games were made of paper, Velcro or resembled “jeopardy”, students experienced success and had fun. Grades improved and the end product was that students, who in the past had been unsuccessful, were now able to converse, write and progress in French.

Some might argue that instead of instilling value and strict teaching techniques I am giving in and using an easy way out. To those I say: “What is my goal?” My goal is for my students to succeed. I am still encouraging them to study, and my standards are the same. I have not changed my tests. I continue to discuss study methods, additional resources, etc… However, in modern times of multiple social activities for students (including gaming) I have found a way for students to succeed by using skills that they excel in.

Conclusion:
It is important to look at the structure of gaming and its benefits. Gaming encourages children to be creative and thoughtful. Gaming encourages children to think outside the box, not simply follow rules. Gamers succeed by breaking rules, finding alternate outcomes, pushing the limits. As technology pushes us to re-invent ourselves as a society, gamers already understand where we are going and are adaptable. Had I not had the experience of gaming, I may have become a dinosaur in a world I didn’t understand. Now, I understand that some discomfort is acceptable, if not encouraged. By embracing the challenge of gaming, I am opening myself to learning from a student, who is the “sage” in the gaming world. I accept role reversal and challenge what I believed to be the norm. Gaming has made me more adaptable as a person, parent and teacher.

I hate technology

OMG...I spent an hour finishing my "final thoughts" on blogger.com. I kept hitting save draft.....IT DIDN'T SAVE ANY OF IT!

I hate technology!

OK, I went back!

So, I caught some grief from my fiance about quitting the Sims game. He told me I could try to do something different with my Sim. He suggested woohooing (of course) or going out. I told him it wasn't worth the time, blah, blah, blah...he told me I was full of it.

I started to play the bass fishing (I could reel in the fish) so then I decided to go back to Sims.

So I played for about 1 hour, trying to make her happy. I was doing OK...well, not really. Her happy meter went to orange and she wasn't following all my directions: putting on her pj's, cleaning up when I told her to. I couldn't figure out how to please her. I had a party, had her relax and watch tv, gave her a bath, etc....
At any rate, my fiance called me over to watch him fish salmon (it was cool) for no more than 5 minutes. When I went back to the computer where my Sim was..................I SAW A FIRE AND THE GRIM REAPER!
What the heck happened. I tried to click on the grim reaper and a pop up told me the household was dead and there was nothing I could do. However, I could now have another family move in, since the family was uninhabited now!
Well, I'm a quick thinker....I exited the game and DID NOT SAVE!!!!! aHA!
When I reloaded the program, Sophie -my sim- was still there.
I excaped death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so, now I know how bad it can get! Holy Cow is all I have to say!

OK, so I guess I have no-where-near mastered this game. Obviously I need to work a heck of alot more to keep my sim alive!!! Lesson learned!

Risk taking

Well, I (finally) started a new file on Sims. I now have one Sim, a female, who looks like me, except better physically and mentally. I improved her face including her nose ( I have nose issues), her body type and yes, her personality. As I've mentioned before, I disagree with the Sims description of a Leo, so I made her a Gemini. According to Sims, their personalities seem more outgoing and happy! I figured out I could pick out various outfits for "Sophie". I chose her turn ons and turn offs....(weird). Then it was off to buy a house.
I bought a small house, she's alone, so it didn't need to be big. I purchased all the necessary furniture which covered basic necessities. I didn't forget the dresser, so she could change clothes, the counter in the kitchen so I could put a sink in it, a TV so that she could relax and of course the fire alarm and security system so that my house wouldn't burn down or I wouldn't get robbed.
I then went into active mode. I did turn on "free-will". I'm not positive what that does, because I still had to feed her when she was hungry, etc...
At any rate, I watched her "needs" and "desires". I got her a job. I made her interract with people that cam to her door, I guess they were her friends. I made her eat, relax, go to the bathroom. She even journaled.
Honestly, I now find the game boring. I feel as if I've mastered it. The sad truth is that I'm not interested in playing it anymore!!!! I feel as if I "get" the game and that I've created a completely feasible scenario (one Sim) and am no longer challenged by it.

I've actually gone as far as to go to the store and buy Bass Fishing for Wii, and am looking forward to playing it. Why? Because it looks DIFFICULT! How crazy is that? 13 entries ago I couldn't figure out how to play Sims. I was frustrated, I felt guilty about abandoning my family, I didn't get the goal. Now, I don't care. I want another challenge. I keep thinking:"maybe I should try Sims Castaways?". At first I couldn't even imagine trying Sims castaways. I thought if I couldn't handle regular Sims how on earth was I going to try to survive on an island if I couldn't in a regular town!!!

The conclusion I come up with is that I tapped into every resource I could to learn everything I could about Sims. I "figured" the game out, and was able to feel "satisfied" about what I set out to do. Now, I know how to figure out video games. I know that I need my resources or I will be frustrated, angry, worried, feel alone, confused and want to give up. The thought of starting over with Sims Castaways does not feel as overwhelming as the first Sims did. I have more knowledge, I know who to go to if I need help, and I know that within about 10-15 hours of playing I will improve. I won't master the game in that amount of time, I know I have not mastered Sims Deluxe 2, but I understand the game and feel that the game is no longer challenging. The attraction is gone!!!

I can now understand why my children lose interest in their numerous video games. "It's boring", they say. At being asked "Why is it boring?", they answer: "it's too easy!"
Well, that made no sense a month ago. My logic was, you just got the game. You hated the game the first two times you played it. It's been a month. Now, the game is too easy. What happened? What do you mean you want to sell it and buy a new one?

Ok, so now I get it! The challenge now is playing Bass Fishing. It looks REALLY challenging. I have no resources (I doubt my kids have ever played it) and am not that good at the Wii. Am I insane? I'll let you know once I've tried the game. Perhaps "Sophie" from the Sims is exactly my speed, and maybe I'm gettting too cocky thinking I can handle more! We shall see!

Nintendo DS in schools

It's funny how timely certain articles are. I just got my Edutopia newletter by email which has a poll about the value of computers and games in the classroom.
The articles talks about schools around the world using these games to work on children's cognitive skills. An example being schools in Japan using them for Japanese characters and math. Other schools working on daily "brain training". Fascinating stuff.
Thus establishing a philosphy of using technology to better education. Yet another article (I paraphrase) discussed the amount of money spent on technology and its lack of use for a variety of reasons. How true! A school district will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to catch up with technology, having as many computers as possible in the back of the classroom, the latest software packages, a professional looking website, ......to what end?
Are all the above what teachers need? Are all of the above what students need?
Quite frankly, is there one answer for students and all school districts?

I have been truly puzzled about technology in the past few years. For one, I am in what one would consider a pretty advanced district both pedagogically and technologically. For another, I've been encouraged (strongly) to implement technology into my curriculum.

So now, I have the tools: the equipment, the training (webquest, professional development for whatever software I want to learn, someone to help me develop projects that implement technology in my classroom). I create projects that challenge my students, but are very time consuming. I am so proud of what my students create: a seemless blend of French language, culture and advanced skills in technology, including building French storefronts from autoshapes, using free-flow animation, imbedding sound files. I am beaming as I am being observed during this lesson. I think: "Wow, I created this project idea, my students executed it with perfection. I did it!"
Conclusion from my observation: Is this the best use of the students time or could they have created the same thing (dialog in a store) in less time in your class?

Honestly, I truly felt as if the wind was knocked out of me. I had to really think this through. What was my goal, what was my method and what was my outcome. And in the end: Was it all worth it?

I felt very strong about my "technology infusion project". I still do. My students learn so much more through this project than they would have just sitting in the classroom writing down a dialogue on paper. Of course the project could have taken two days. However, that is not the point!
I could write a 10 page paper about why I created such a project and why the outcome benefit my students beyond the French classroom.
- My students can listen to themselves and hear their accents.
- My students can think about how to create a human being with shapes rather than stealing on image of Google.
- My students can demonstrate what a true French cheese shop or Patisserie looks like on the inside.
- My students know how to properly address a "vendeuse" and to be polite as you enter and exit a shop. Some even went beyond and created the entire "village" with it's roundabout in the center, and it's town center.

Yes, I did type out my lesson plans as to what my goal was and by what means I will get to that goal, but the outcome was far beyond what I even fathomed. My students had no sample, just a guideline. They reached beyond my expectations because they are visual. They were on a keyboard, with software they were familiar with. They pushed their own limits because they were engaged. I taped into their interests.

Yes, I believe the project was worth it. Beyond anything I could have had them create with paper and pencil. Quite frankly, my students enjoyed that project. They did not mind speaking French with a funny accent. They are proud to play it over and over again for their classmates. They are PROUD of their work!

So, Yes, I fought to explain my stand and my justification. Conclusion, "find another project for next year. Remember," says my supervisor, "it's about French not technology!"

I am speechless!....well, generally not for long!

Yes, technology can be used efficiently and well. Technology can bring meaninful education to students. Yet, there are a multitude of ways this can be accomplished.

I believe that at first, for some, infusing technology may seem artificial (!) and difficult. It may seem as a unatural/difficult fit. However, by allowing the students to take the lead and giving them a gentle nudge, they will find a seemless flow between technology and whatever topic a teacher presents. Teachers, comfortable or not with technology, must trust that students can take the lead and create. That is how a 21st Century teacher should teach, as a facilitator, not an all knowing sage!

More gamer research

I told a few students about the class I am taking and the video game aspect of it.
We discussed the Sims (EVERYONE has played the Sims! Apparently it is very particular style of game compared to other games!). They laughed at the fact that I needed so much help!
Conclusion: Either I dropped in their esteem because I couldn't function without help in the game OR they have a higher esteem for my intelect because I couldn't figure out something "so simple".
I gave up on the conversation and went back to teaching French...something I think is "easy as tarte"!

New Job!

It is official. I got the Media Specialist job as of Sept. 2008.
Woohoo.....(not the Sims Woohoo, the real life woohoo).
I am a little worried because I've been teaching World Languages for 12 years. I must make the transition from classroom to schoolwide instruction. Many people have high hopes for the Media Center. I truly hope to accomplish that and more.
Unfortunately, my school is not a video game and I can't get a fresh start if I mess up, so I have to plan and organize and research and...be a thourough student before I take on this position.
Wish me luck!