As new as this conversation seems to us, the journal Educational Leadership devoted its entire issue back in 2009 to
much of what we have been discussing.
One article that struck a chord with me in particular was the one on gaming by James Paul Gee (
bio) and Michael H. Levine. James Gee was a name that I heard back in my grad school days as the scholar would would one day revolutionize the way academia looks at gaming. A lot of his work focuses on video games, but he has also written on a wide range of other topics.
My biggest take away from this article was that games (they mostly talk about simulation type games) create a real-life (almost) environment for students to learn vital skills. From the text:
Our innovation-based global age requires us to retool foundational literacy skills and link them with other competencies -- such as critical thinking, collaborative problem solving, and media literacy... Learners see how language is used in those [virtual] worlds; they also learn how to use that language and other symbol systems - such as those in math and science- to solve authentic problems. (Gee and Levine, 2009)
These learning systems, and educational ones inspired by it (such as webquests and live-action role-playing games) encourage students to make their own learning happen. I also really like that, while the teacher is no longer the "sage on the stage" the article really emphasizes that the teacher's responsibility is to teach the skills in language, not in the technology.
It still left me wondering if most of this isn't just a flash-in-the-pan deal. Especially when in the introduction the authors seem to be focused on "integrating the informal media that young people love." They also mention that many of these games allow teachers to track a student's progress, but they never really go into how.
So, what do you guys think? Do video games now have a place in our classrooms as well?
- Gee, James Paul and Michael H. Levine (2009). Educational Leadership, 66(6), 48-52.
