EDLD+5364+Observations+Week+5

Several of the videos and readings for this week dealt with the concept of using games in education. From Paul Gee saying  “Video games put you into worlds where you have to solve problems. All a video game is is problem solving. A video game is just an assessment“ (Gee 2009) to Sasha Barab pointing out that times have changed as we as a society are "in a point where it is not so much about getting information as it is about using information to accomplish particular ends” Barab (2009), games in education are all the rage. While I agree that the digital natives we teach are used to video games, I have to wonder what is the moderating factor in all this? Can we truly expect students to take their education seriously or will anything we do in school always be judged against the entertainment value that video games have?

As an English teacher, I have to wonder about the literacy and writing skills that these future citizens will have. Games are very egocentric. I win. I keep trying till I win. Writing for an audience requires students to keep that audience in mind. I'm not sure how students who have spent their lives being edutained by games will be able to express to the world something that is not all about them.

Barab, S. (n.d.). Big Thinkers: Sasha Barab on New Media Engagement. Retrieved Oct. 5, 2009, from edutopia.org: []

Edutopia.org (nd). Big thinkers:James Paul Gee in grading with games. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from []