The world is rapidly changing, and according to Prenskey we now find ourselves at a point where those in older generations are "Digital Immigrants," meaning that they have learned to use technology as it has been introduced, but they did not grow up with it. The younger generation is composed of "Digital Natives," individuals who have grown up with technology as an integral part of their lives.
The concern that Presnkey expresses is that the educational system is set up by "Digital Immigrants" to educate "Digital Immigrants." He proposes that changes are made to the educational system to bring out the best in "Digital Natives. He wrote the following:
So
unless we want to just forget about educating Digital Natives until
they grow up and do it themselves, we had better confront this issue.
And in
so doing we need to reconsider both our methodology and our content.
First, our methodology. Today’s teachers have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students. This
doesn’t mean changing the meaning of what is important, or of good thinking skills. But it
does mean going faster, less step-by step, more in parallel, with
more random access, among other things. Educators might ask “But how do
we teach logic in this fashion?” While it’s not immediately clear, we
do need to figure it out.
Second, our content. It seems to me that after the digital “singularity” there are now
two kinds of content: “Legacy” content (to borrow the computer term for old systems) and “Future” content.
The shifts that Prenskey proposes are to use efficient and ever-changing technology to efficiently teach skills and ever-changing content. While Prenskey acknowledges that there is foundational knowledge and there are important skills that students must learn, the impetus of Prenskey's article is to push students forward into the 21st Century, either through the medium in which they learn or in teaching students how to learn technology, so they can carry that skill with them after they finish school.
Prenskey finished his article by promoting educational video games as a medium to teach all students what they need to know in a way that is engaging to students, efficient, and makes use of the technology students will need to know in the future. One of the examples he used was a video game that was developed to teach engineers auto CAD, an engineering computer program. He noted that the program was met with resistance, but use of the video game made it easier to figure out.
My Response
I am in full agreement with Mr. Prenskey that students in this age of technology need to be given the tools to use that technology in the future. They also need to be trained to be self-learners. Use of technology is the best way to accomplish both of these goals. Then Mr. Prenskey gets to the point about video games. I have been mulling this point over and this is what I have come up with:
The Good
A little about my background: I grew up playing video games. Whether it was Mario, Tetris, Contra, Sonic the Hedgehog, Command and Conquer: Red Alert, Star Wars: Rebellion, Goldeneye, Halo, Madden, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2, or Mass Effect, I've grown up around them, and still play games that I really enjoy.
When I was young, my parents allowed me to play video games, but they didn't see any possibility for them doing anything educational. From the list I have just mentioned, I'll mention a few ways I began to develop skills from these video games developed purely for entertainment:
-Motor skill development
-Problem-solving skills
-Working through ethical dilemmas
-Teamwork and Social Skills
-Strategy
-Efficient use of resources
-Working within a time limit
In addition to the skills I learned purely from games developed for entertainment purposes, I played many games that had either an intentional educational component, or the nature of the video game made it educational. I'll highlight my top 5 (and I'm not even getting into Funbrain and BrainPOP) :
5. PeaceMaker
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| http://www.peacemakergame.com/game.php |
4. Oregon Trail
Everyone who I know who has ever played Oregon Trail has loved Oregon Trail. One of the earlier video games developed for the computer, it's popularity has endured, shown by the fact that a new version has been developed that you can play on Facebook for free (I apologize if I just wasted your afternoon by showing you that link).
In Oregon Trail, you made the strenuous journey from Missouri to Oregon in the mid-1800's. This game was a lesson in history, geography, and basic economic management. Simple. Historical. Awesome.
3. Rome: Total War
Now, by the title, you might be able to guess that this game isn't one that is not for small children. But while portraying war on a battlefield, it is not as gruesome as many of the violent video games that are in existence today. Rome starts hundreds of years before Julius Caesar, and requires the player to choose between one of three Roman factions to conquer Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, before conquering the Roman Republic to create an Empire.
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| Battlefield Scene (http://tech.ebabble.net/rome-total-war) |
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| View of the Italian Peninsula on the Map (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nobmouse/) |
Who could forget everyone's favorite thief, Carmen Sandiego? Like Oregon Trail, Carmen Sandiego has an enduring quality about her, and also has a free facebook version.
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| https://www.facebook.com/carmensandiego?ref=ts |
In Carmen Sandiego, the detective (you) used history, geography, and trivia to track down and locate villains and arrest them. The ultimate goal was to capture Carmen Sandiego. The farther along in the game you get, the fewer mistakes you can make. The game was fun, but I also learned a lot playing it.
Oh, and it also had a TV show with one of my favorite theme songs:
1. Civilization
Civilization was the epitome of educational/entertaining gaming, in my mind. Its breadth is a little too much for some people, but it is a very good empire building game. Civilization gives players an opportunity to build their empire from day one, in the stone age, through a futuristic age where a colony is launched into space to settle on another planet. Along the way, players use scientific development, expansion, economic development and management, military prowess, and political instinct to attain victory. The scientific developments are real, and the civilizations are historical. Playing through this game was fun, but I also learned much about many historical peoples and places, as well as the major scientific discoveries throughout history.
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| http://www.civfanatics.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1123&c=19 |
Back to Business:
While that was a fun trip down memory lane for me, my goal was to show that video games can be a positive educational experience for kids, and if video games are developed for specific courses and a specific educational setting, they can create a significant impact to students. This idea is an interesting one, and I think it is worth seriously looking into.
The Bad:
I was an avid video game player growing up. I see the positive things that came from my gaming. That being said, I believe I can also be an objective critic of the fallacies of gaming as well. Mr. Prenskey didn't mention any drawbacks to using games as a teaching tool. Once I saw that he was the CEO of a company that makes educational video games, I wasn't surprised. Why would he say anything that had the potential of losing his company money? I have some concerns with the use of gaming as a teaching tool, and I believe all teachers should weigh these factors before implementing games in the classroom:
1. My biggest concern is that use of video games as engagement may turn the classroom into a place of entertainment. If this is the primary medium through which students are taught, they may not develop the ability to learn in a less engaging manner. They also may not be learning to do things they don't want to do, which is something they have to be able to do throughout their lives, especially if they work jobs as employees.
2. A second concern I have is the addictive factor in gaming. While not all students will become addicted, my personal experience is that it is easy to get trapped in the seductive embrace of an alternate reality. Especially when children's minds are developing, teachers and parents need to be careful of overexposure to these tools.
3. Since video games work within an alternate reality, students don't learn of the consequences of their decisions from video games. If you lose, you can always start over or load a saved game. In real life, you don't get second chances on many things, and you must suffer the consequences for them. Video games do not promote the skill of thinking through decisions and weighing out the best options before carrying out a course of action.
4. Quite simply, not everyone likes playing video games. If it is a tool that should be utilized in a classroom session, half of the students shouldn't be eliminated because of something like gaming. This is a factor that must be evaluated and weighed out by teachers.
5. This type of paradigm isn't cheap. Technology is very expensive, and development of the software necessary to carry out Mr. Prenskey's vision is extremely expensive as well.
Conclusion
While I agree with Mr. Prenskey's vision, I believe it needs to be carried out methodically and with a sober mind, so as to create the best environment for students to learn.
