Education Weekly recently posted on its website an article discussing the need for k-12 schools to implement more technology into the classroom. While there are many concerns, most of which I will not discuss here, it seems to me that teachers are simply behind their students. In fact, I feel as if most schools simply do not allow access to technology because they are afraid or don't understand it. It just seems backwards to me to have a world where every person (more often the young people) is connected at all times, but when a student steps into a classroom he or she is forced to disconnect. Maybe it makes sense that they disconnect from learning as well.
With that said, I feel as though classes designed to teach students how to productively and responsibly use current technology to reach educational goals would be a great first step. And with that said, wouldn't it be fantastic to design a class that would infuse the use of video games into a stagnate, novel driven curriculum?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying let's burn books and start playing games. I'm simply saying, let's meet our students where they are. It seems to me that for our students to reach academic success in a digital world they need to see that teachers and classrooms embrace the real world, not shut it out.
Not a day goes by that I don't hear a group of students discussing Call of Duty or Halo. So, why not turn that conversation into learning? Honestly, I don't hear them talking about Of Mice and Men or the Odyssey while sitting at the lunch table!
Just a thought! Take a look at the Education Weekly article at: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/12/08/14digital_ep.h30.html
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