Why and How to Incorporate Technology into your Classroom- For the technologically un-inclined!
You may be approaching this article with caution if you, like me, feel generally uncomfortable with technology. However, you know how important it is both to your administration and more importantly, to your students, so you are putting yourself out there and trying to grow as a teacher. Way to go! That’s exactly where I’m coming from, so I hope the thoughts and ideas you find here will be not only helpful in your classroom, but accessible to you as a fellow ‘technologically-challenged’ person in the age of all things S.T.E.M. I also hope that you will not only gain a few key buzzwords to toss out to administrators and in job-interviews (though that’s always wonderful) but some practical ideas you can actually take away and apply in your classroom. Regardless of your or my reservations, it is worth it to jump into the world of digital gaming. It would appear that is the direction of education and it seems best to try to at minimum keep up! Notice Ash’s commentary, ‘Digital games for learning academic skills change depending on each student’s ability and course of action. Such games provide personalized feedback in real time—something a traditional classroom often doesn’t offer.” (Ash, 2013) While we may disagree to an extent, we certainly can benefit from the variety of assessment possibilities offered by digital games used by our students. You may be wondering how gaming can relate to education. Here is a thought from James Paul Gee, as seen on the YouTube video Games and Education Scholar James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy. He states that a video game is ‘just a set of problems that you must solve in order to win’ and that there is “this cultural phenomena that people are paying for a long and hard and difficult thing that has to be successful in teaching them to play it because it would go broke if it doesn’t...” Further, and perhaps a little unsettling, is he feels many games (such as Civilization) are ‘more complex than what any kid would see in school.’ In his final conclusion, he compares education as he has seen it, and where he sees it may go. “We really have two school systems…a school system for the 21st century and popular culture where people are thinking about complex systems and learning…kids are producing their own knowledge….and a school system that is…giving you the basics of numeracy and literacy.’ In light of this commentary, how does a teacher choose games that indeed to allow students to solve this ‘set of problems’ in a way that satisfies the curriculum, the administration, the students, and the teacher? Hirumi’s Playing Games in School offers a great set of specific criteria that guide the teacher in selecting games that are appropriate for the students, supportive of the curriculum, and accessible to the teacher. Chapter 11 offers such things to look for as a game that could provide a ‘fresh approach’ or ‘introduce terms in a more realistic approach.’ (Hirumi, 2010). From personal experience in the virtual world Second Life, it was a whole new experience practicing household vocabulary in a virtual world set in Spain while doing a scavenger hunt for items. When you decide to search for and incorporate a game into your classroom, make sure that it is accomplishing the curricular goal(s) you desire, while motivating the students with clear and sharp audio and graphics, giving feedback for you as a teacher, and, easily overlooked, but I thank Hirumi for the reminder, has easy to follow directions. These are just a few of the tips you may find helpful in adding games to your instruction. A final but related thought in this age of inclusion is how using digital gaming can create access for your students that struggle for a variety of reasons. “People with disability can take advantage of the [virtual] technology for social, educational, and personal purposes.’ (Stendal, 2012). So while it may add extra challenges (especially if you struggle with basic technology in the first places as I do) to find a way to include your special education students, it can be extremely effective in allowing them to reach their full potential in a way that traditional instruction may not. Furthermore, Stendal paraphrases researchers Lewis, Thrus, and Woods by ‘ICT in special education settings gives students the tools to follow and participate more fully in the educational environment (Stendal, 2012). Is this not the goal for all of our students? So let us fearlessly venture forward into the world of online gaming!
Resources:
Ash, K. Digital Gaming Goes Academic. Education Week. 2013.
Hirumi, A. Playing Games in School:Video Games and Simulations for Primary and Secondary Education. International Society for Technology in Education. 2010.
Stendal, K. How do people with Diability Use and Experience Virtual Worlds and ICT: A Literature Review. Journal for Virtual Worlds. Vol 5, No 1., 2012.
Education Scholar James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy, Youtube.