April 29, 2007
Summary of the first half of the long article

This article was loaded with information, most supporting the use of video games, among other technology in the classroom to meet the needs of the “New Media Culture”. Being the digital immigrant that I am, I had mixed feelings as I read this article. I do agree that more and more, students need to be comfortable with the new and various kinds of technology.

I also believe that it is important to address the three core concerns described in the article. Especially the inequalities that exist as expressed with the participation gap concern. Indeed, even way back in 1997, when I was a Junior in High School and did not have a working computer at home, I felt like I was lacking, while my peers could research on the Internet and type up their assignments at home, I had to handwrite everything. My other option was to spend many hours after school in the computer lab, which meant I was missing after school sports, or drama activities, which I loved. So I do understand and strongly agree that it is essential for teachers to help bridge the gap between the students who have much technological support at home and those who do not!

The second concern described is the transparency problem. If students are set free to use anything and everything they find online without guidance and direction, there is the danger that they will take everything at face value, and treat it as fact, without examining and thinking critically about what they see and read. I find that this same principle applies in the extreme with my kindergarteners and TV and movies. Many times a student has argued convincingly about something being a fact, based on a cartoon or movie they had seen! The line between reality and fantasy is fuzzy at the least for young children, and they need to develop critical thinking skills in many areas as they grow. Technology is definitely an important area to help students develop a discerning eye and ear.

Finally the ethics challenge is described, in that Internet consumers and producers can be one and the same. It is important for students to learn basic ethical guidelines to be able to honestly participate in online communities. Just recently I read an article in my NEA magazine about Imposter MySpace profiles. Some students have set up fake profiles impersonating a professor or teacher they were angry with. One teacher was even contacted by the police before the record was set straight and the fake profile removed. Students need to learn from the beginning the importance of online ethics (as well as the consequences of flagrant lies).

I was happy to read in the section on “Rethinking Literacy” that the author acknowledges that students need to incorporate their new literacies with the traditional skills taught. Students still need to learn to read! But in this technologically savvy society, they need additional skills in order to collaborate and network with the new vehicles available to them.

The article goes on to discuss a list of eleven core skills needed to participate in the new array of media avenues. We read through the first four skills: play, simulation, performance, and appropriation. The skill of play I definitely value as a Kindergarten teacher. Young children thrive when they are allowed to play and experiment in order to learn. The physics video game Supercharged sounds engaging and purposeful, and electromagnetism is likely not easy to simulate in a real life hands-on experiment. Yet I still personally believe that educational video games should be used only when a true hands-on activity is not feasible. A hands-on experiment where students can see, feel, touch, smell and even taste the materials will always be more powerful that a virtual simulation.

Simulation of real life activities is also an important learning tool. I still remember my 7th grade math class when we had exactly $500 to spend and needed to practice writing checks as we made our “purchases”. I learned a lot about money management and check writing through that process. In 10th grade we also each chose two different stocks to invest in, I chose Hershey’s and Nordstrom and did quite well. It is amazing how little else I remember about that 10th grade Economics class!

I see performance as one danger of video games. There are too many violent video games out there, and while their creators will say that they are just games, children who still believe all that they see and who identify strongly with cartoon characters and book characters, also will adopt the identity of their video game characters. So as they karate kick and “kill” their opponents, at the very least they are becoming less sensitive to violence, and are internalizing the ideals portrayed. I realize that this article is promoting educational and useful video games, but it is essential that parents and educators understand the dangers of non-educational and violent, even racist games. In Newsweek I read about a video game created (I do not know if it has been discontinued due to the highly racist content) where the goal was to kill Mexicans as they attempted to cross the border, and extra points were given to kill “breeders” which were pregnant women! Imagine what a terrible impact this game would have on young children’s impressionable minds.

Appropriation must be taught carefully. I think students must understand the difference between appropriation and plagiarism, and always understand the need to ask for copyright information and to site sources. I think there are great opportunities when students use a classic and rewrite it with an urban twist; it helps students understand the classic story and connect with it at a deeper level.