Technology in the classroom is not a new concept. Pencil and paper, calculators, & overhead projectors are just a few technologies’ that have been used in schools for years. However, today’s newly designed technology is creating unlimited possibilities for knowledge and is changing the way some teachers are educating their students.
One method which is beginning to be utilized is that of computerized games within the classroom. In their essay, Matthew Koehler’s and Punya Mishra explain how computerized games are less complex and easier to learn than commercial games (Koehler, M. and Mishra, P). They can be beneficial, as they add a sense of excitement to the learning process and it takes them away from the pencil and paper and puts them in front of a computer. The essay also mentions that educational games require much less social interaction than the games students will typically play at home (Koehler, M. and Mishra, P). This should result in more concentration for the student, as social interaction will typically result in distractions in one form or another.
Another aspect of computer gaming that could be significant is how students feel in front of a computer as opposed to a blackboard.
In the Prensky essay, 21st Digital Learning, one student explains how kids today grow up in front of a computer. It is where they feel most comfortable. Some teachers believe these games can also help with growing problem of student boredom within the classroom. If a child is engaged in what the game he or she is playing and actively participating in the learning then boredom is out of the question, or at least for the moment.
An article written by D.D. Gluttenplan in the New York Times, also argues that gaming in the classroom is a positive learning experience for youngsters. The essay explains how computer games offer a chance at a reward rather than guaranteed reward, making students happier to stay motivated as they want to learn and achieve the goal.
Although there are many positive aspects of educational gaming within the classroom, there are still teachers who will not allow it. Whether it is because they feel it doesn’t work, see it as a distraction, or feel limited with what they can do with it, computerized educational games are not the standard today. Koehler and Mishra explained a study in which game designers struggled with the length and complexity of games as they had to fit school criteria for time and content. Educational gaming is still a method to be examined by teachers of all levels as technology continues to evolve even more.
The theme of my digital story will represent how early childhood education students experience today’s educational online games. As the narrator, I will gather audio from a group of K-5 students on their current usage of computer games in the classroom. I not only want to discover what games they are playing, but how they feel about them as well. My feeling is that some will have a stonger opinion on the subject than other's but I feel a wide-range of students will make the discussion that much better. Some of the questions I plan to ask are:
Do you play computer games in the classroom? (Explain them)
How often do you play?
How does it differ from gaming at home?
Which is more fun, home or school?
Are you able to socialize when you are playing in class?
The storyline will appear as an audio documentary in which I am narrating and speaking with a dozen or so early childhood student on their views of online gaming in the classroom. Multimedia recourses will include a recorder and computerize editing software to put the documentary together. I may also add sound effects, music, and possibly even pictures if I were to put it on YouTube or another video sharing site.
Guttenplan, D. (2012) Harnessing Gaming for the Classroom. New York Times. January 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/world/europe/harnessing-gaming-for-the-classroom.html?pagewanted=all.
Koehler, M. and Mishra, P. (2008) Introducing TPCK. Handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) for educators. Edited by AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology. New York : Published by Routledge for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. pp. 3-29
Prensky, M. (2008) Young Minds, Fast Times: The Twenty-First-Century Digital Learner. Edutopia magazine.June, 2008.
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