Hey guys,
I was a little disappointed with the shortness of our Socratic seminar on video games - I feel as though not everyone got the chance to share their opinions and we didn't really get to tap into this idea or issue very much at all. To be honest I left it feeling disappointed and taken aback.
That being said, I know I was one of the people to say "no way" to using video games in the classroom, and I am here to tell you that I have not changed my mind. I wanted to explain some of my viewpoints a little more. My two big issues are TIME and RESOURCES.
Yes, video games develop complex, rich narratives and characters. Yes, they can tell us a lot about plot development, character development, setting, and multiple genres. I don't dispute that at all. I also don't dispute that it would be fantastic to be able to have students create their own video games in order to develop these literary elements. HOWEVER, realistically, whose school can provide that in an English classroom, let alone at all?! My school has a Game Design elective where students interested in developing video games can spend a whole semester doing so - and it takes that long to introduce students to those concepts, if not longer. How on earth is something like that supposed to fit in the context of a regular classroom? The reason we might feel more comfortable having students write a story to show literary elements, or even create a short film to do the same thing, is because those activities take MUCH less time than creating a video game. Not to mention that I haven't the first idea where to start, and would bet that only %2 of my students would even know how to use that type of software. Even if I was offered training on it, I have to be honest and say that I am way too busy in my classroom and extracurriculars to take on something that huge. Maybe that makes me the "bad guy" but I just frankly don't have the time.
Second - RESOURCES. Many of my colleagues find it hard to get into a computer lab just to have students TYPE A PAPER or LOOK SOMETHING UP, much less use software to play and/or create a video game. I am lucky enough to have a smartboard and laptop cart in my classroom, but I am of a small population. It doesn't seem fair at all to ask teachers to do things like this when they have to schedule a computer lab months in advance for even the smallest of tasks. There is enough pressure put on teachers to incorporate technology without throwing something completely new into the mix. And if we try to ask students to use video games at home as part of their assignments, this is really excluding a lot of students, especially in lower socioeconomic districts. I feel guilty enough sometimes when I ask them to type something at home knowing that many of them don't have access to a computer.
And, my final point, or I guess concern, is this. Yes, a lot of students play video games. Yes, they can identify with them. But it is my personal opinion that some things should be kept purely for entertainment. Bringing video games into the classroom might engage some students, but it would also lose a lot of them. Let them play video games for fun, let them learn skills at home without having to think about it in a school context. I think that allowing kids to keep some things personal and social ONLY is important for their intellectual development.
I like video games. I think they're fun and they can really help develop critical thinking, no doubt. But, I have to say that using them in a classroom in anyway is so pie-in-the-sky that realistically, I doubt I will ever see it happen in my teaching career.
Sorry, game lovers!! :(
I generally agree with everything you have said. Then again, my stance on this is quite clear. While you said that you DO use video game-type materials in your classroom already, my concern still exists. It is not that I am opposed to this idea.... as a matter of fact, I love being proven wrong (don't ask why).
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Maybe I need to play a non-sports video game for the first time in my life. In a perfect world, yes, I could see this being of use. In reality, I wonder. However, as Dr. Shea pointed out today, technology is changing by the second, so it would appear that I just have to suck it up and learn to use it.... which really isn't that painful of an idea.
I completely agree with what you said about the lower socioeconomic areas.
My experience is the opposite. Instead of leaving out students who are from lower SES, we are inviting them to the literacy table. We are entering their worlds and showing them the power of story and with it critical thinking and narrative ways of understanding. Perhaps we are afraid of our own limitations rather than those of our students. :)
ReplyDeleteI would agree to that assessment. As always, I am open to anything. Who doesn't like learning something new?
ReplyDeleteI agree with almost everything you just said.
ReplyDeleteSo, here's my other problem with video games in the classroom. I feel (and maybe you do, too, as a teacher) that we need to "explain" ourselves when it comes to showing movies. Even though we have solid purposes in using this media to enrich our students' learning experience, it almost seems to me that we take a "guilty until proven innocent" approach towards using films in the classroom.
So, the question I have is...how can we provide evidence that using a video game is better than using a film? Can't we use a film to do BASICALLY the same thing?