Ed 632 Week 11 Second Life

SECOND LIFE

My first foray into Second Life was a book chat a few months ago for a class that I was taking. We met at the Anchorage School District's Ed Tech Island. It was really fun to meet with other people in this virtual world and discuss. However, I had a really had time keeping up with the conversation. By the time I had typed a reply, someone had changed the topic. That was a little frustrating. There are many virtual worlds to visit. Some are educational and some are for mature adults. There doesn't seem to be a lot of controls for young children. I spent most of my time flying and searching and not finding a lot of useful places to gain information, but I must not know where to go. I tried: Virtual Native Lands, Health Info Island, ISTE Island, CNN iReport Island, and the Learning Experience Island. Since it takes some time to learn how to navigate, I google "Second Life video tutorials" and watched a few to get me started. They were very helpful. 

Second Life:

• provides an opportunity to create an alter ego for yourself
• allows you to socialize in many different imaginary worlds
• allows you to collaborate with other professionals in a virtual setting
• provides you the opportunity to spend real dollars creating a virtual life
• allows you to meet other avatars/people
• can be intimidating as you learn how to navigate
• has many places that would not be appropriate for schools
• has great potential for education if quality and control can be improved

Right now, I don't see myself using Second Life with my students. There are too many inappropriate places right now. However, I do like the idea of meeting with other professionals for discussions.

Ed 632 Week 10 Gaming

GAMING

Why do video games capture kids' attention for hours? Many video games require players to master skills in demand by today's employers; games are based on challenge, reward, learning through doing and guided discovery. This is in contrast to "skill-and-drill" techniques used by many schools. James Paul Gee says that we often give too much verbal information ahead of time. He says that video games give verbal information "just in time" when and where it can be used and on demand as the player realizes he or she needs it. The Summit on Educational Games 2006 by the American Federation of Scientists says that games use strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change. Why aren't educational games as engaging? Most games are not compatible with the 45 minute class period. Many take hours to learn to play. However, games have a violent, addictive side too. In the middle of David Perry's talk, he plays a video about gaming addiction that is disturbing. I read each entry on the class blog, but I didn't find a lot about the effect of violent video games on behavior. Personally, I can't help but believe that a steady diet of virtual violence can not be healthy.

According to the Media Wise Guide to Online Gaming, 8.5% of gamers are pathalogical players who have trouble paying attention in school, have poor grades, and more health problems. They are more likely to have the games in their bedrooms and spend twice as much time playing games. This guide had some suggestions for parents: allow for one hour a day of gaming, avoid first-person shooter games, do not put games in bedrooms and homework/chores come before games. This guide has an interesting self-test for gamers to see if they are possibly addicted. It is called the "I'd rather" test. There are also resources for parents to seek help if they believe their child is addicted.

According to game designer, David Perry

• 43% of gamers are female
• average age of a gamer is 30
• 83% of games have no violent content
• gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry
• gaming is no longer for the single player---most games are now done online with multiple players

What does this mean to me as an educator?

I agree that most educational games are dull and boring compared to the commercial games. (see the Summit on Educational Games 2006 to see many reasons why). Hopefully, there will be a move toward more engaging educational games in the near future. I can see myself recommending the Media Wise Guide to Online Gaming, to parents if they mention concern over the amount of time their children are playing video games. I feel strongly that the violent video games are detrimental to children; however, I understand that others may disagree with me.

Ed 632 Week 9 Social Networking

Social Networking

The main point that I took away from this week’s materials is the eternal battle over safety versus creativity. Over and over again the message for parents was one of supervision, yet I know many parents do not know how to monitor what their children are doing online. The articles about the risks and rewards of social networking from the National Institute on Media and the Family were an excellent summary of what parents should know. For teachers and school districts, the dilemma is how to allow social networking for education and limit the liabilities for inappropriate content.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

• allows for learning and creativity
  
• is feared by parents and teachers because of losing control over content
• can be dangerous for students and teachers if unsupervised
• is how students spend a large percentage of their time outside of school

As a teacher, I can see the educational benefits of using social networking in the classroom to allow for creativity and collaboration. However, I fall into fear over how to monitor the content. I would feel safer using social networking on the Intranet rather than the Internet, and even then I would need to monitor every post. As an educator, it is imperative that teachers teach students what is appropriate for Internet postings. Teachers need to be careful what they post, even in personal blogs, because it could affect their classroom and their career.