Video Games and Education

I think that video games can be incorporated into schools withut taking the place of traditinal instruction. From our readings we have learned that wideo games are a strategic story that we have to figure out. If bringing video games into the classroom, they would need to be a game that is challanging. When I was in frade school, we would go to the library a couple of times a week and play the computer game "Oregon Trail." It was a game that made you make health and money decisions while traveling along the Oregon Trail. I loved it because at the time I just saw it as playing a video game, but now that I look back, I realize that it was teaching me how to prioritize and watch my spending. i believe that as a teacher you have to be very careful when incorporating video games into your lesson plans by making sure that the information tou are trying to convey is pertinent to the lesson.

I actually feel that the majority of principles that Gee mentions about video games are lacking in education. I think that sometimes 'identity' is lacking in education because the intensity of identity is dependent on how into the subject you are. For example, most students aren't into learning about shakespearean characters, but if there was a video game that incorporated those characters where they could build their own character, I think that would beneit a student alot more. Identity also ties in with being more hands on. It is a lot more interesting to create a character rather than just read about them in a book. 'Interaction' is also definately missing especially when it comes to homework. Yes, in classrooms you interact with teachers and other students, but that is mainly only through discussion. The word 'game' always sparks and interest in someone's brain, so when an interactive game is incorporated, students will show more interest. Video games also require 'on-demand decisions.' When playing a video game there are times when you have only two seconds to make a decision or else you will die. I feel like this not only relates to decisions in the classroom but also decisions that you will face in everyday life.

I feel like video games and education can be a good mix. As a teacher, I feel that you should lay out the rules and the idea behind incorporating these two areas. Speaking from a students perspective I feel like students will enjoy class a lot more, and teachers will see a suprising improvement in the amount of comprehension their students have for a subject.