Week 7 - Gaming Technology and Academic Development

Educators should do their best in matching the technology their students use to what will be used in the classroom. This is not ever easy and usually can't be done due to school resources, but the school and teachers should try their best. In my opinion, online chats and instant messaging provide very little value when in the classroom setting. While in a computer lab though, chat rooms could be useful by allowing students to still communicate with each other, without having to get out of their chairs and move around the room, while maintaining the noise level in the computer lab so that they do not distract themselves or others. In certain situations, instant messaging can be distracting because the teacher will not always be able to see what they students are writing and some students would get off track. Also, they distract from real instruction because face-to-face communication is vital for understanding some subjects. Text-based communication can benefit students because it gives them a tool with which they can communicate with each other very easily such as when they are at home working on their homework and need help from the teacher or one of their peers. Face-to-face communication is vital though, because technology cannot replace the role of a teacher when giving instruction in a class. Using podcasts can enhance learning in a very positive way, even though it is just a newer version of passively delivering information. Podcasts can be accessed by everyone and are useful for short explanations of material which the student can watch quickly and visually pick up information. In my experience, videogames can be a very powerful tool for learning, but in most cases videogames can be destructive. Academic videogames can be a great tool for studying, because it makes it fun for the student to learn, but sometimes this is counter-productive because the student should also be studying using the book and other materials the teacher provides. Thanks to videogames, my reading and writing skills have sky-rocketed through the roof and has allowed to understand concepts I originally had no idea of. While I do agree with some parts of the article, overall I would have to say that using videogames for a learning tool can be very destructive. I would let my kids play videogames as long as they are keeping up with their studies, but I will also encourage them to go outside and explore life because while you may be experiencing something through a videogame, the great thing about life is that you can go outside and actually experience "reality" for yourself.