EDLD+5364+Week+5+reflection

The use of video games is a fascinating way to think of teaching and learning. Video games are essentially assessments of learning, according to James Paul Gee. Gee states that students must take the problem provided and solve it by trial and error whilst along the way being guided in the right direction. Therefore, students eventually learn to navigate the game until they reach the solution(s). If along the way a wrong solution is provided by the student, they are guided by the game to the correct solution and failure is redirected in a fun and exciting way.

Learning by reading and observing facts is no longer acceptable to our society because of all the media stimulants we are presented with outside of school. School must embrace the excitement of media and integrate its curriculum into the course content. Media allows students to explore things they may never attain otherwise, such as being a doctor or scientist, and pretend what it’s like to do those things in a video game. The course content could be exactly the same as a chapter in a book but instead students are highly engaged and excited to learn about the subject in a multi-media environment.

Sasha Barab explains that games provide students with an immediate purpose in a situation that requires problem solving and tinkering with ideas to come up with the best solution. When you take on the role presented in a video game, you must learn everything about the role such as the societal aspects and the legal aspects so that you can immerse yourself in the game and solve the quest. This is the exciting part of learning in the 21st Century and will continue to evolve as technology evolves so it is critical for teachers and educators to embrace these digital tools in order to decrease the dropout rate in America.

Reference List: Edutopia.org (nd). //Big Thinkers: James Paul Gee on grading with games//. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from []

Edutopia.org (nd). //Big Thinkers: Sasha Barab on New-Media Engagement//. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from []