Gaming is most definitely
the new paradigm in education. This has become obvious at the college level,
where institutions are implementing simulation gaming for courses like chemistry and anatomy. They are even using it to training doctors. This
is not a recent occurance, NYU (New York University) has been using sim/virtual game
technology for a while now. They call it
interactive virtual 3D; essentially it is a game. The first thing we think is “wow,
that’s really cool!”
As educators, we
are ready for the change. We may be overdue in fact. Students are bored with
textbooks and direct instruction. They want more and are able to absorb a lot
of information if it is presented in a digital and interactive format. I like
the connections that Clark Aldrich makes in his blog. He states that, “the ease
with which players in a new virtual environment move from exploratory behaviors
to more structured simulation structures also illustrates the connection among
virtual worlds, simulations, and games.” I think there is potential for real growth
in educational gaming in this respect. I can see the dynamics of Aldrich’s HIVE
theory in action when my son plays Minecraft. He started out small in
exploratory behaviors like setting up sheep pens, and moved into more structured
simulation now and is out to conquering the (virtual) world. I also believe it has to be constrained. Kids do
need a pop-up on their computer screen that tells them “hands off, shut me off
and go outside and play” (Ginsberg, NYTS video, 2012).
In the video from
the New York Times Schools for Tomorrow conference, Dr. Wadhwa was talking
about the expense of education. I was surprised by the Neuro-sky Mindwave Headset
he talked about that would be used to gauge emotion which equates to learning.
Schools are looking for ways to reduce costs and it seems as though one way to
offset costs is to develop course once and repeat often. In order for this
approach to be cost-effective, it would have to be repeated very often. It
occurs to me that we would be Instructional Designers and not teachers in the
classic sense anymore. Would teachers be needed? Or would teaching be delivered
via sims with bubble test modules that a school system can purchase?
I noticed that Dr. Wadhwa
is using an ipad for the discussion. Mobile technology is already taking over
computer information delivery. He mentioned that in India, people can buy a thirty-five
dollar tablet! Why do we pay so much in the US? The US the cell companies own
the lines, which forces us to pay far more than the rest of the world for cell
and data usage. And let’s not talk about the contracts!
I think the video
points out many, many good points about technology. I wonder how the ideas they
talked about will be implemented if people can’t work together now. Also, if
debating promotes learning, as mentioned in the video, shouldn’t we learn to
talk to each other face to face (a problem young people have that was also
mentioned in the video)? I am concerned that younger students are going to
become withdrawn and antisocial. The younger we place students in computer-based
instruction, the sooner we will lose them as great debators and speakers. How will
we deliver a sermon or inaugural speech in the future, by tweeting or virtual
3D?
I still think that
we need more research on kids to find out exactly how the brain is stimulated by
ongoing video gaming. I say this because it seems that boys are more absorbed
in gaming than girls, and it can be addicting for them. Also, one of the people
participating in the panel discussion is from Google… a corporation that has a
great interest in marketing their technology to everyone. I just wonder where the good ends and the disruptive (or worse) begins.
Resources
Aldrich, Clark. January
18, 2013. Virtual Worlds, Simulations, and Games for Education: A Unifying View.
Retrieved from http://www.clarkaldrichdesigns.com/2009/12/virtual-worlds-simulations-and-games.html
Livestream.com. August,
2012. New York Times Schools For Tomorrow Conference. Retrieved from http://www.livestream.com/nytschoolsfortomorrow/video?clipId=pla_f5879bc8-7e85-435c-be01-17737bd28c6b
NYU School Of
Medicine website. Jan 18, 2013. Retrieved from http://school.med.nyu.edu/
NYU School Of
Medicine website. Jan 18, 2013. Retrieved from http://communications.med.nyu.edu/media-relations/news/medical-students-nyu-school-medicine-use-interactive-virtual-3d-cadaver
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