YouTube, The Big Bang Theory, World of Warcraft, The Sword of Azeroth! available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEkmO3gQQAs (embedding code not available)
The Big Bang Theory is a popular comedy about a group of four very intelligent friends who are physicists, scientists and engineers. The show presents the stereotypical ‘nerd’ and explores the interests which are widely believed to be in their domain. In this clip, the lads, Sheldon, Howard, Raj and Leonard are playing a computer game and demonstrating the kind of engagement that educators can only dream of. This presentation gives rise to many questions around video games in popular culture, and video games in education.
Firstly, the characters in the clip are all highly intelligent, at the top of the education ladder. Is it being suggested that this is the only type of person who engages in gaming? Schleiner (2001, quoted in Mitchell and Savill-Smith, 2004) says “at its most extreme, a new type of subject/player is emerging, who takes her or his game play very seriously. This person is often called a ‘gamer’”. It would be interesting to find out more about the ‘gamer’ – his or her typical academic ability and demographic for example. Anecdotally, at a local high school, the teenagers who report an extreme interest in gaming vary greatly in their academic ability. Bruno, quoted in Mitchell and Savill (2004) reports that "teacher defined 'at risk' students display strong preferences for non-directed time-consuming activities such as wathing television and playing computer games".
Secondly, does the clip suggest that gaming goes hand-in-hand with higher order thinking skills? And if so, which comes first, the skills, or the interest in the game? That is, do students who are capable of higher order thinking skills find themselves drawn to video games, or is it the other way around – does engagement in video games stimulate participants into engaging with higher order thinking skills?
Thirdly, the clip demonstrates the kind of knowledge base that gamers develop – how to get the Sword of Azeroth. While acknowledging that the strategy, team building and problem solving skills involved in achieving this goal are essential in the 21st century (one only has to consult the current curriculum provided by the Queensland Studies Authority) how can this knowledge be usefully applied in the real world? In an ideal world video games could tick the boxes for QSA curriculum content and still retain their interest for teenagers.
Finally, one note on the issue of online identity. Amusingly, Sheldon states “I am no longer Sheldon, I am the swordmaster”. The swordmaster is a ‘rogue knight elf’ ruthlessly opportunistic, immediately attempting to take advantage of his victory by selling the prize on eBay. The character of Sheldon is not as ruthless as his online persona. The ethical educator would not want to encourage students to participate in online activities in such a way that their own personality is squashed. In one jurisdiction’s recent implementation of the 1:1 laptop scheme, rules around online identities were clearly identified.
Reference:
Mitchell, A. & Savill-Smith, C. (2004). The use of computer and video games for learning: A review of the literature. Retrieved 18 October, 2010, from http://gmedia.glos.ac.uk/docs/books/computergames4learning.pdf
The Big Bang Theory is a popular comedy about a group of four very intelligent friends who are physicists, scientists and engineers. The show presents the stereotypical ‘nerd’ and explores the interests which are widely believed to be in their domain. In this clip, the lads, Sheldon, Howard, Raj and Leonard are playing a computer game and demonstrating the kind of engagement that educators can only dream of. This presentation gives rise to many questions around video games in popular culture, and video games in education.
Firstly, the characters in the clip are all highly intelligent, at the top of the education ladder. Is it being suggested that this is the only type of person who engages in gaming? Schleiner (2001, quoted in Mitchell and Savill-Smith, 2004) says “at its most extreme, a new type of subject/player is emerging, who takes her or his game play very seriously. This person is often called a ‘gamer’”. It would be interesting to find out more about the ‘gamer’ – his or her typical academic ability and demographic for example. Anecdotally, at a local high school, the teenagers who report an extreme interest in gaming vary greatly in their academic ability. Bruno, quoted in Mitchell and Savill (2004) reports that "teacher defined 'at risk' students display strong preferences for non-directed time-consuming activities such as wathing television and playing computer games".
Secondly, does the clip suggest that gaming goes hand-in-hand with higher order thinking skills? And if so, which comes first, the skills, or the interest in the game? That is, do students who are capable of higher order thinking skills find themselves drawn to video games, or is it the other way around – does engagement in video games stimulate participants into engaging with higher order thinking skills?
Thirdly, the clip demonstrates the kind of knowledge base that gamers develop – how to get the Sword of Azeroth. While acknowledging that the strategy, team building and problem solving skills involved in achieving this goal are essential in the 21st century (one only has to consult the current curriculum provided by the Queensland Studies Authority) how can this knowledge be usefully applied in the real world? In an ideal world video games could tick the boxes for QSA curriculum content and still retain their interest for teenagers.
Finally, one note on the issue of online identity. Amusingly, Sheldon states “I am no longer Sheldon, I am the swordmaster”. The swordmaster is a ‘rogue knight elf’ ruthlessly opportunistic, immediately attempting to take advantage of his victory by selling the prize on eBay. The character of Sheldon is not as ruthless as his online persona. The ethical educator would not want to encourage students to participate in online activities in such a way that their own personality is squashed. In one jurisdiction’s recent implementation of the 1:1 laptop scheme, rules around online identities were clearly identified.
Reference:
Mitchell, A. & Savill-Smith, C. (2004). The use of computer and video games for learning: A review of the literature. Retrieved 18 October, 2010, from http://gmedia.glos.ac.uk/docs/books/computergames4learning.pdf
I think that video games can deliver opportunities to participate in higher order thinking. However not all video games can be seen in the same light. There are so many products that house under the banner of the term ‘video game’ that it is unwise to assume they all can offer these skills. Bourgonjon, Valcke, Soetaert & Schellens (2009) research suggests that in an educational setting if students don’t perceive a video game as useful (offer opportunities for learning) they will not be engaged in the game. So I think that players need engagement and higher order thinking design simultaneously for there to be success. The dilemma for educators then is how to check if a video game has the ability to offer higher order thinking and also be engaging at the same time. Rice (2007) has devised a rubric and assessment procedure for educators to select useful video game resources. These games will be beneficial in delivering higher order thinking skills to students rather that just choosing less effective video game ‘fluff’. Since video games are emerging as a poster child of a new educational approach they need to stimulate learning in meaningful contexts, empower students self-regulation, integrate several knowledge areas, present ill-structured problems, encourage inquiry-based and discovery learning (Bourgonjon, Valcke, Soetaert & Schellens, 2009). So using a rubric is a great way to make sure you are ticking all the boxes literally when faced with resource selection.
ReplyDeleteAssessing Higher Order Thinking in Video Games
JOHN W. RICE
http://www2.potsdam.edu/betrusak/566/Assessing%20Higher%20Order%20Thinking%20in%20Video%20Games.pdf