First, I need to make a confession... I am a geek, a gamer, and a advocate for the digital natives. My two best friends both majored in computer science, one doing VERY well at a start up company right now for just having an undergrad. My relationship to technology is humbled due to the exposure from my tech friends. They also tell me all the time that their understanding of computer science is very limit compared to others in their field, this puts in me in awe. I am also humbled by the computer sciences discipline with the degree of mathematics, coding, and "language" that is needed to perform in the field.
Prensky and Wesch are rite on the money when explaining our generation, the digital natives, relationship to education, thought processes, and brain development. I find this quote from Prensky very relevant, "Children raised with the computer 'think different from the rest of us. they develop hypertext minds. They leap around. It's as though their cognitive structures were parallel, not sequential'" It can be argued that the digital generations are better equipped with conceptual memory and less adapted in working memory. I have an opinion, as many digital natives do, that education should teach concepts and processes and not facts, solely on the principal that the internet exist as an information search tool. It is going against human progress to deny the Internet's role in constructing knowledge.
The authors discussed video games that support brain development and can be used as educational tool. The copyright date on this article is 2001, the video game culture has change, immensely. I will comment on this quick only because it is very relevant in youth development.
My "self-care escape" hobbies is competitive gaming in Real Time Strategy (RTS), Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), and trading card games. Competitive gaming is a real culture, with real competition, go google around with keywords Esports or Major League Gaming. This article provides a very simplistic over view of competitive gaming http://blog.gamershive.com/fundamentals-competitive-gaming-part-2/
Regarding MOBAs, the previous linked article said that an international tournament will have $1.8 million dollar prize pool. For a different MODA, another article reports 18 millions views for an all-star game. http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/07/11/league-of-legends-drew-18-million-viewers-for-its-all-star-game/ Most these viewers are young digital natives, many in high school, who look up to these pro gamers as one would do for pro athletes and actors.
These competitive games have steep learning curves that separates the casuals from the pros. Competitive gaming have fundamentals such as game knowledge, hand-eye reactions, mechanics, in-game decisions/reactions, team dynamics, character roles, that can get very sophisticated; thus explains pro gaming.
On terms for YDEV: competitive gaming is real for many youths, and is a extracurricular activity that parallels areas in sports and performing arts, even though it may not yet meet formal criteria. As YDEV professionals, we need to support youths passion in the established gaming culture into a enviroment that serves youth development goals and outcomes.
A little extra
Here is one small example of gaming fundamentals http://passthejelly.hubpages.com/hub/League-of-Legends-10-Key-Fundamentals.
This guy is the RTS guru of Star Craft. See how popular he is and how in-depth his game analyze are. http://blip.tv/day9tv
I really like the quote that you took from the reading! Today kids talk in internet lingo and can make their way through video games like no other, especially educational ones. The only problem I see with technology being so prevalent is that children lose the social aspect of being a kid now everything is messaging on Facebook or texting. There is no real actual conversation like using a phone. Technology does have it's pros and cons, but it really does help our youth gain a lot of knowledge!
ReplyDeleteThe video games used must be educational though. My brother and his friends play minecraft. They are so addicted to it its crazy. Its like the game is turning the mind to mush. But then my sister plays this alphabet game and it is helping her learn her letters and numbers. So it really depends on the game weather video games are good or not.
ReplyDeleteI would first like to comment on tj's post before I talked about Rachels response. I myself did my senior project on major league gaming (sport or not) and found that the majority of the individuals at that level are much older and there for kids do look up to them like many children look up to pro athletes. I would also like to say that video game ddevelope many other skills as well such as hand eye coordination, focus, and problem solving skills. When Rachel sees her brother playing Minecraft she may see a game turning his mind to mush but I see a game where he get to utilize his creativity to build these amazing structures and use tools to explore a world much like we would in real life. Now nothing can compare to real life adventure but for some kids this is all they have.
ReplyDeleteVideo games can have a major effect on students, whether it is good or bad is a case by case study. Every individual will benefit differently from an activity. But to push the idea that video games are bad or they hurt a child's development is untrue. Although many games are not "educational" they can teach certain skills that are valuable. Teamwork is a major skill video games can push today. Most popular games involve some aspect of team play and this is thrilling for many students. They love to play these games and by working together in playing they are learning problem solving and other skills within a group setting.
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