This article highlighted an alternate approach to learning
that would probably be very beneficial in related and reaching my future
students. The article details a West
Virginia school district that has taken advantage of a website called,
Learn21. I think this methodology is a
great way to reach the population of reluctant learners that are often
uninterested in school material. By
reaching your students interests, video games, a teacher would be able to
facilitate learning without the usual backlash.
In my personal experience, my younger brother become entranced with his
Xbox the second he gets home. If the
effort that is used to play these video games could be applied to learning, the
students potential would be immeasurable.
Although Learn21 has begun to meet the needs of virtual educational
games, I would really like to see popular games like Call of Duty and others
becoming integrated in the educational setting.
It is completely possible and beneficial to relate these video game
experiences within the classroom regardless of the discipline. It is a similar situation when the television
began to become integrated in the classroom.
If teachers are able to mimic that movement, video games can be cross-curricular
and connect activities of “fun” with “educational”.
The article
continues to discuss the implication of students creating their own games. The
concept of creating a computer game is exciting enough that it could easily
encourage students to do the required research for the game without the usual
disengagement. Students are able to again,
own their knowledge. This process doesn’t
fall into the typical classification of a boring assignment because it has
reached the students interest while upholding and reaching the standards.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI think online games are a great way to get students to learn material nontraditionally. Not all students learn from simply reading a book or completing a worksheet. When there are tests and quizzes, playing games can help students remember content and truly prepare students to do well on an assessment. I think West Virginia may be on to something that could benefit the rest of the country. LEarning material can be fun with games and very beneficial in closing some of the testing gaps. I am excited to see what the future brings with online games.