DJE#12

Chapter 5: Learning and Gaming


1 What is the main argument the author is making in Chapter 5.
Schools should structure learning like the way a person learns a video game.

2. What constitutes a theory of learning?
A setting at which learning takes place.

3. Why did the author struggle to learn to play Warcraft III? What needs to proceed before good learning principles?
Gee stated that he struggled to play Warcraft III because he failed to engage with it in a way that fully recuited its solid design and learning principles.  Gee also said the player must have the motivation for an extended engagement with the game for good learning principles to occur with the player.

4. How would have the authors struggle with learning to play Warcraft III been interpreted in school?
Gee believes that his struggle to learn how to play Warcraft III is just seen as a failure, and doesn't correlate to learning something further.

5 What kind of learning experience might be better suited for at risk students?
Video games is a great learning experience for at risk students and if possible if teachers can find ways to incorporate the content being taught in class into a simulation or video game that might work better. Brain Pop videos and games on smart boards are good examples.


6. Why does the school-based interpretation of "at risk" lead to bad learning?
It leads to bad learning because from what I see in my field expeience, at risk students are just working on simplier assignments and to me that doesn't show success. At risk students should have alternative assignments, not necessarily easier.


7. What do schools need to do to function more like a good game?
I think schools need to focus on making every activity or lesson plan connect to previous one's and provide more hands on activities and meaningful learning where students get the chance to really become a part of the learning experience and have their minds become completely engrossed in the lesson with maximum attention and involvement. If anyone has ever played or watched someone play a video game, that is exactly what happens to the players, and thats how you want your students attention to be like.


8. What is different about how good games and school assess learners?
Some students feel completely disconnected from the content being taught in school because they are disinterested do to either boring assignments, routine schedules, or simply not interested in what is being taught. In video games however, children have a task that they must meet, (a challenge), they form an identity with the player in the game, and they typically play games they are interested in. If teachers chould use meaningful learning, cooperative learning such as jigsaw grouping where every student in the group had a specific task in the group that they must master, and relate the topics to their interests, it provides a good learning experience.


9. What are the attributes of a fish-tank tutorial that make it an effective learning tool? How is it different than school-based learning?
The fish-tank tutorial allows students to assess their own learning styles by playing the game.  By doing that, the students will actually learn how they learn best, as opposed to in school, where teacher assesses the students and decide the students learning styles and how they learn best.

10. What is a sand-box tutorial? Why is effective? How is it different that school-based learning?
The sand-box tutorial is where students play the game without it counting, like a practice round for example. The player gets the chance to play and explore the game without it counting for anything. Its effective because the player gets the chance to explore the game without feeling the pressure of getting harmed, losing points, etc. Its different from school-based learning because realistically theire isn't enough hours in the school day or school days per year to allow students to explore every concept first and have enough time to teach every state standard.

11. What is a genre? Why is it important for good learning?
Genre means the type of something is. It is important for good learning because teaching new and different genres helps students require learning skills and knowing the types of things helps make students organize their thoughts and information stored in their long and short term memory.

12. According to the author, what do learning and play having in common?
Learning and play have many things in common. In many cases, player's do not know how to play the entire game before they start playing. A gamer will probably play a couple practice rounds and tutorials to get a feel of how to play the game and then start playing for real. Play as you go, practice makes perfect, etc, are all good phrases that pertain to this. Hands on activities and playing are fun ways to learn.


13. How are the skills test in good games different from skills tests in school?
The author states that the skills test in school are not developmental for the learner and not evaluative.

14. How does RoN support collaborative learning?
RoN supports collaborative learning by letting the players work in groups that consist of people who share their interest in RoN.


15. Match at least one learning principle of good games (on page 74) with each the following learning theorists you have studied in 3352:

Dewey-(22) They allow learners to practice enough so that they routinize their skills and then challenge them with new problems that force them to re-think these taken-for-granted skills and integrate them with new ones. Repeat.

Vygotsky- (5) They let learners themselves assess their previous knowledge and learning styles and make decisions for themselves (with help).

Piaget- (25) They ensure that the learners have and use an affinitiy space wherein they can interact with peers and masters, near and far, around a shared interest (even passion), making use of distributed and dispersed knowledge.

Gardner-(14) They give information via several different modes (e.g in print, orally, visually). They create redundancy.

Bandura-(1) They create motivation for an extended engagement.

Skinner-(15) They give information "just in time" and "on demand."