smoreno – Multiliteracies in ELA Classrooms

Ready Player One – Games in the English Curriculum

As a self-identified gamer, I am willing to say that I am thrilled to discover the incorporation of “gaming” into the educational curriculum. I believe it is a fitting that the gaming sphere should be incorporated into education considering the different types of learning that is discovered in video games. When I was a child, my grandfather bought my sister and I a Nintendo; however, my sister found no entertainment with it, but I discovered the different interactive functions of the game. It was Super Mario Brothers the original edition. The game was the foundation of the start of my educational building: the foundation being the problem solving skills and quick thinking strategies. As the years progressed, I challenged myself with more difficult games, pushing my capability to do so. I can’t recall where I have seen it (perhaps in the Anthropology of Education course at SFU), but James Paul Gee states in a video about the evolution of video games in the education system that this genre pushes children to progress through harder levels. The more difficult the game, the more problem solving and quick thinking the player has to do in order to achieve the completion of the level. With how complicated games are becoming, it requires more thinking and problem solving to complete certain levels and/or missions. Games have evolved from the side-scrolling platform to a range of genres that children can choose from. In my case, I do enjoy the occasional retro games (Super Mario Brothers, Castlevania, Mega Man etc.), but at my age I enjoy a good first person shooter (Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead) or a Mass Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) such as World of Warcraft (WoW) or Diablo 3. In this case, these games require quick thinking, multitasking, problem solving as well as additional traits that can be incorporated when playing these types of games. What is profound is the interaction ability and challenge and consolidation capability Gee mentions in his article “Good Video Games and Good Learning”.

I believe that is a fascinating feat for players to “become” their character. From experience, as I play my Pandarian Hunter on WoW, I escape into a world of fantasy and I become the character. Through this game, I help create the story, as Gee states that not only are the players the “readers” but we are also the “writers” as well. We create our own narrative and it is through WoW that I can create my story. There is also the sense agency and responsibility when playing the game: I am in charge of the strategies I use in order to complete different quests and raids that I partake. The quick thinking does come into play. There are also times that I find my gaming to be pleasantly frustrating. With the mistakes I make, I can see what I have done wrong in order to correct it for the replay, just as Gee states. Gee mentions WoW for the class specialization aspect. Having only played the game for three years, I can see the complications of the different classes. In order to play my Pandarian Hunter, I have to know the specializations, the weapons and armor needed, how I need to reforge and gem my gear as well as consider the rotation and cooldowns I need while I am in raid. If I were to play my Night Elf Monk that would be a different situation where I would need to research the specialization for this class. This is a great learning tool for those that are entering the game, as they are able to use the various gaming strategies that Gee mentions. With the cross-functional teams, WoW incorporates the methods of collaboration and control in which teammates must work together in strategic and defensive methods in order to “down” a raid boss. Not only are the members helping one another, but also communication is passed on and knowledge is transmitted to one another to help better their characters and their class.

The incorporation of video games in the education system is a fascinating and exciting concept that should be intergraded in the secondary curriculum, particularly in the English department. The story lines of each characters would be great study and this form of text would engage students further for the English classroom.

–Stephanie

YouTube – Breaker of Information and Privacy Act

Having looked at the certain links from this week’s reading of the Copyright Act and Freedom of Information and Privacy Act, the first idea that came to mind was YouTube. As teachers, we search for various videos and music that we try to incorporate into our lessons as a way to tie in the ideas we have in mind for our students to grasp or go beyond what we had planned for them. There is that possibility that we could simply find the original source and use that within the walls of our classroom or resort to using YouTube. Most of us have used this website to show the clips that we need to show in order to tie reference or show additional information, but YouTube is possibly the only site I know that can show pirated clips without receiving any sort of punishment. There are times where I have found entire cinematic classics on it and it will be there for days before it’s taken down. Why then isn’t the act pushed on YouTube?

I did not discovered YouTube until my senior year, I thought this was a great website to watch an assortment of videos without thinking of the repercussions of the Copyright Act and the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act as any other teenager would not care for such rules. I thought it was remarkable that I was able to access videos without any harassment or do exclusive searching. It was with a click of a mouse and I was able to find what I wanted. This proved helpful throughout my BA as I did presentations using YouTube clips and not asking for permission. I didn’t realize at the time about the Copyright Infringement and the huge impact it had on YouTube and it’s users. There were times where I was able to find videos one day, then suddenly they were taken down because of this infringement. It then makes me wonder, as educators are we still able to use this form of text even though it breaks the law? Am I susceptible of using a product that clearly breaks the law? Or does the 10% increment, like it does for photocopying texts, come into play? It is something that I have puzzled over before starting my practicum considering the amount of YouTube clips I wanted to use and show my students. I must admit, I still use YouTube clips for explanation or to provide further interest or discussion with my students.

–Stephanie