Week+5+Reflection

__** Week 5 Reflection **__

Our educational system focuses on providing a strong foundation in the basics of reading, math, science and social studies. Currently our schools are raising students who know facts but cannot use those facts to solve problems. In the Edutopia.org interview with James Paul Gee, he indicated that if our students are to survive outside of low, level service work, they needed to be innovative and creative (Edutopia.org, nd). In today's business world, knowing facts is no longer enough. Our schools need to stress collaboration where a group of students creates a solution to a problem. The use of videos games is one way for the students to develop the skills of collaboration, innovation and creativity. Mr. Gee looked at "textbooks" as tools to play the "game" of the subject (Edutopia.org, nd). For instance, in playing a video game where the students must have knowledge about chemistry to succeed, when they came upon a task that required additional information, they would refer to the textbook for an explanation. It is this process of playing the game that engages the students to delve deeper into the subject and explore the areas that interest them.

Sasha Barab echoes this idea of using video games and new media for students to learn information (Edutopia.org, nd). Instead of lecturing students, they are playing a game to learn the information. This allows them to demonstrate the skills they are learning and yet applying the knowledge to solve a problem. Use of games helps them explore real world jobs and careers. The new media has become a place where students can produce media items about subjects they are passionate about. They will learn the tools. How the community sees them and their work is what places value on the students' work. They put themselves out there for others to see and comment. This helps the students to improve on what they have created.

The main idea that I really latched onto in Mr. Barab interview was the lessons students learned from gaming (Edutopia.org, nd). In a game, you have a role to play that is important. To do this role, you need to learn a lot of information about the role in order to be successful at the game. If you have successfully completed the game you are appreciated. If you fail, you go back to figure out what went wrong and try to improve on the lesson. In doing this, the students are learning how to handle adversity. Students spend time to transform the game situation; they get to feel like they have accomplished something. Students are allowed to fail, to tinker, and to learn. It is the lesson of overcoming adversity and succeeding that seems lacking in our students as they participate in the traditional classroom. Maybe using video games and new media, putting themselves out there through publishing their work and requesting comments from others, and taking the risk of being “accepted” or “rejected” is were our students can develop their self-esteem?

Edutopia.org (nd). Big thinkers: Sasha Barab on new-media engagement. Retrieved on October 5, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-sasha-barab-video

Edutopia.org (nd). Big thinkers: James Paul Gee on grading with games. Retrieved on October 5, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-james-gee-video