My Gaming Experience

I definitely wouldn't consider calling myself a true gamer, but I've learned a lot since starting to play games back in February.  After meeting in our first class I was pretty excited to learn that I would have to play video games for a graduate course.  At first I thought this would be an easy task (and it was, compared to writing a research paper), but it was more complicated and involved than I initially thought.  I learned that playing a video game requires strategy, technique, research, determination, and time, lots of time.  It would be a scary thought if I truly calculated how many hours I devoted to playing Fitness Dash, and the other games I started playing too.  

Playing Fitness Dash has taught me three thing: to use all possible resources, to find a strategy that works and go with it, and patience.  I was having difficulty moving along to other levels because I wasn't acquiring enough points.  After a certain level of frustration and feeling hopeless, I ventured onto gaming sites that gave tips and pointers to use for my game.  The advice is from other gamers who were once in my same situation.  They suggested to color-coordinate characters and the item they were using.  Once I followed the tips, I found I was quickly moving up in levels and feeling more confident with myself as a game-player.  Even though I found a technique that worked, I still had to work for my goal.  I've spent anywhere from 5 minutes to 60 minutes just on one portion of a level.  Some days I had the patience to keep trying, other day I would quickly close my laptop and walk away.  

Currently, I have completed all four levels of the game and I am on the last tug-of-war championship game.  But surprisingly I have lost the drive to complete this last part.  When I first got to this tug-of-war game, I played it twice for about 30 minutes each and still couldn't beat it.  That was about a month ago, and I haven't tried it since.  I think in my mind I feel I have already beaten the game, like I've gotten this far to the end I don't need to technically finish it.  But I will, one day when I'm bored.  I know there is a little part inside me who has to finish the game to prove to myself I can.

Other possible reason I have lost interest in finishing Fitness Dash is because I have started playing a handful of other video games.  Since Fitness Dash was a Time Management game, I wanted to try other genres of games.  I found a Hidden Object game that I already beat called Dream Day Wedding New York City.  Now I have moved on to the sister game Dream Day Honeymoon.  I also am in the middle of playing a Strategy game called Wandering Willow.  In addition, I purchased the Wii.  

All-in-all, learning to play a video game was an enjoyable task.  It taught me how to find answers that I need, how to strategize, and how to be patient.  I see playing video games as another way to unwind from the day and to entertain myself.  If I don't feel like reading a book or a magazine, playing a vide game is another fun way to pass the time.

Waking Life

When I first started viewing the Waking Life clips on YouTube, I wasn't sure what I was watching or what the purpose of it was.  I had to fully watch the clip on existentialism once to even try to grasp what I was viewing, and then two additional times to try to understand it better.  Once I started to piece the puzzle together I realized this was a cool new type of media/literacy.  It's a mix between a video podcast and animation.  I wondered who was speaking.  I assumed it was a professor, but was it a real teacher giving a lecture that was taped for the purpose of this video or was it created for the video?  

Regardless, he had a message.  I like the line, "You life is yours to create."  It reminded me of a book I just finished reading, I Am The Messenger.  The main character is instructed by an anonymous person to carry out various tasks and deeds to help out strangers, neighbors, and friends.  In the end, the character rediscovers his purpose in his life and finds new meaning.  

Though, I don't necessarily think we were assigned to watch this for the message but more for the way in which it was delivered.  

I'm not sure if this video/animation has a name, but I found it very mesmerizing.  I couldn't take my eyes off of the computer screen.  Not only were my eyes following the characters movements, but the surrounding too.  I even noticed the sounds in the video.  For example, when the main character and the teacher were walking outside, I heard all the sounds I would expect to hear if I were walking outside.  That's not always true with cartoons.  I also enjoyed watching the characters facial expressions and wondered what they looked like in real life, assuming they are based on a real person.  And I think they were.  I'm assuming this scene or interview was taped in real life and then animation was added to it.  I wonder how long it takes to create this and who is involved in it.

This new form a media is extremely creative and I think it will grab viewers' attention.  After watching the clip, I noticed a Charles Schwab commercial that used the same technique.  It was a clever and innovative way for the company to advertise their business.  I hope this new form of media catches on and others will also use it to sell a product, convey a message, or just entertain. 

Effects of Video Games

Video games can tend to get bad reputations.  To every positive in life, there is a negative opposite.  Same applies to video games.  There have been studies that link playing video games to improving social skill, problem-solving skills and spatial skills, for example.  And then there are cynics out there who are trying to link video game play to obesity, violence, and desensitization. You can't win over everybody.  But like anything in life, everything must be in moderation.  For example, eating dark chocolate may help lower blood pressure, but of course if you pig out on chocolate, it's not going to have a positive result.  I kept this in mind while I was reading the articles for this week.  

I wasn't 100% surprised when I read that there was a correlation between playing video games and children obesity.  But which one is the cause and which is the effect?  I thought it was interesting in the conclusion of the obesity study that the researchers played devils advocate on their own work.  They questioned if the direct correlation to girls playing video games and obesity was because the girls were already overweight and therefore casted out by peers, or if weight was a direct cause from playing too many games.  

I'm definitely guilty of sometimes choosing to play Fitness Dash than go to the actual gym.  But in my case, I am an adult, I make my own decisions, and I am aware of the consequences of my actions.  However, some children are not aware of the consequences.  They choose to do what is fun at the moment and they sometimes don't know when enough is enough.  Some kids can get caught up in playing hours upon hours of video games each week.  Think about all of the other activities they are missing out on.  This is how video games get bad reputations.  I think the parents need to step in and limit playing time and when playing can occur.  After sports, after homework is done, after "family time" is when video games should be played, and for a limited time.  I think parents need to step in and know their role in their child's development.

Learning Spaces

What are learning spaces?  What I gathered from our readings this week and from researching the topic on the internet, I see learning spaces as a place that supports both teachers and learners in an educational setting, but not a traditional classroom.  The time and place is something that the learner chooses, at their own will.  This creates a more relaxed and comfortable learning environment, and therefore may increase the motivation to learn.  

In Jones's article, he discusses three learning spaces: mobile phones, iPods, and video games.  It is crazy to think a device that was once invented to make phone calls can now teach you to speak French.  A device originally used to play music is now used to listen to professors lecture or to listen to books.  And video games that were once purely for entertainment purposes can teach you about WWI.  It's amazing how technology has changed over the years.

The other day I was on iTunes and wanted to see what podcasts were available.  I found that most were language learning programs.  I think this type of learning space is a great way for young students to learn a new language.  Most kids today already own an iPod and use it recreationally on their own.  To have them use this device in an educational, but still modern and "cool" way, I think students would be acceptable of the idea.  I remember in college having to go to the Language Lab to listen to outdated cassette tapes of Italian.  It was a depressing and dull place and I dreaded having to go there once a week.  If I were able to use my iPod, at any location of my choice, I would have been more motivated to practice Italian.  

I think the main hurtle that we face with using these new learning spaces is to get old teacher the "digital immigrants" on board and learn how to incorporate them into the curriculum.

Bring On Donutville!

I am now on the last level of Fitness Dash!  My gym members are getting prepared to battle the people from Donutville in a tug-of-war game.  It's interesting because my blog last week showed that I was getting bored and frustrated with the game.  Since last week I made two changes or realizations that have helped me in the game.  One, I finally hooked up a mouse to my laptop. Previously, I was just using the mouse pad on my laptop and felt restricted and slower because of it.  Now I am able to maneuver my character much easier and I'm not straining my wrist anymore.  So, I've gotten a lot faster.  And two, I realized an easy way to earn more points.  Gym members are dressed in either red or yellow clothes and when you place them on a mat, a machine, or in a shower that matches their color, you get extra points.  I knew this before, but wasn't using this strategy to my advantage.  Now, I make decisions based on matching colors.  So whereas before when I thought you needed to move faster to move to new levels, I have learned that it is strategy that helps you move further in the game.  I'm glad I came across this discovery because now I feel like I'm back in the game and I'm excited once again.   

Continuing Fitness Dash

Not much has changed since I last wrote about playing Fitness Dash. I have successfully moved on to the third level but I find myself getting slightly bored with the game. I think it is the genre of game that I find boring. It's a Dash/Time Management game. I find that the only way to move to higher levels is to move quicker. I often find myself thinking, 'If this is the speed needed for a 3.1 level, how much faster do I need to move to beat the 4.9 level?' Obviously I'm sure that game design considers how fast a human is capable of moving their fingers.

Feeling frustrated and slow, I decided to see what other gamers suggested. I found a forum on PlayFirst, the website where I purchased the game, that had a few tips that have been helping. For example, one gamer recommended that before you put gym members on machines you should put them on the stretching mat and do the same after the workout. I thought this would make the members' workout longer and upset them (upset members can steam off and leave the gym causing major point deduction) but I found that they are happier and therefore you earn more points. I also learned from another gamer not to forget to give members bottles of water, even if they don't ask for it. It keeps them hydrated and you earn more points. Even though I have been slightly bored and sometimes frustrated with Fitness Dash, I still find myself excited to sit on the couch after a long day of work and play for a little bit. My attention span usually maxes out around 30min, so it's a nice quick break from the everyday world. And of course the appeal to be successful at something always draws me back in.

Identity Play

I think that identity play is mostly beneficial, though there can be some limitations. In our reading this week, Gee made a strong argument supporting identity play and I agree with him. The identity gamer builds a bridge from their real world being to their virtual being. This allows the gamer to take full responsibility for their character's actions and values. They can choose whether they want their virtual character to have a good or evil reputation. Identity play is also a way for gamers to take risks with lesser consequences. It allows the gamer to be proud of success and learn from mistakes, just like in the real world.

The gamers has instilled much time, thought, and energy into their virtual character and therefore the game is automatically more meaningful and compelling to the player. Gee believes that in identity games, the more effort a player puts forth, the better experience they take out of the game, not to mention the better the reward will be. Success is earned.

As beneficial as identity games can be, there are limitations to them. Certain identity games may cause characters to be faced with moral discrepancies that result in bad behavior. A mature gamer will realize that these poor decisions and behaviors are acceptable only in the sense for the goal of the game. However, it is when gamers cannot distinguish the difference between for the good of the game and real life situations that bad values can be taught. Like when Gee gave the example of the young boy who said the dark sonic was the "good guy".

I have been doing some research for one of my other graduate courses and I came across an article that explained how a middle school language arts teacher introduced the video game Morrowind to teach her students about decision making skills and consequences, "Increasing student engagement by using Morrowind to analyze choices and consequences" by Maya Kadakia. She found that by using the identity game students were able to make decisions that they would not normally make in the real world. They did not feel not threatened by consequences and therefore where able to be more creative. After making decisions for the game character, students analyzed their choices and applied them to everyday situations. The teacher felt that by incorporating the game into her curriculum her students not only understood the concept better, but were more actively involved and motivated to participate in the class.

To read a real-life example of how a teacher incorporated a video game into her classroom and met success is very inspiring and uplifting. Like Gee says, the best way to learn something is to do it and practice at it. That goes for teachers learning how to use video games in the classroom too!

New Literacies

In Lankshear and Knobel's article they talked about four new literacies that have been gaining popularity, including: fanfic, manga, online chats, and blogs.  The students we teach today are living and excelling in this multimodal digital world in which they live in.  They grew up not knowing any other way.  So as teachers, coming from a different generation, we need to get educated on these new literacies and incorporate them into our classrooms.  By doing this students will stay up-to-date with new developments, they will make real-life connections and applications, and most importantly I think, they will stay motivated to learn in the classroom.

Of the four, I feel that only three of them are appropriate to integrate into the classroom, fanfic, manga, and blogging.  I am confident that most of my fifth graders already visit online chat rooms and/or IM at home.  Therefore, I don't want to overexpose them to that particular form of literacy.  Also, this form of communication lacks face-to-face interaction and uses language, abbreviations and symbols that I think should be avoided in traditional classrooms.

Blogging could be used in the classroom, though I think it has a stronger impact when used with older students.  Similar to what I am doing for my grad class, as a fifth grade teacher, I could assign students to post a blog reflecting on a novel we read in class or in response to a discussion topic I have proposed.   Actually, this type of literacy would be perfect for my current fifth graders.  They are crossing the line between spitting back factual information based on what they read (like what they did in 3rd and 4th grade) and just starting to learn how to form opinions and reflections on what they read.  This type of literacy would help them practice reflecting.

Fanfic would be a great tool to use in my classroom for aspiring creative writers, if not all of my students.  I think the appeal to using fanfic is that students interest levels are high.  They can pick the character, book, TV show, movie, etc. that they want to continue writing about, so it is interesting and relevant to them.  This new literacy goes beyond assignments that I have used in the past like 'write a new ending to the book' or 'continue writing a last chapter to the book'.  This would be a great alternative to your traditional, and sometimes boring book reports.

Lastly, manga would be a form of literacy used to inspire the artists in my classroom.  I could have students create and illustrate their own manga comics based on a book we read in class or a topic we are discussing.  Or we could read existing manga comics and discuss them, reflect on them and determine the message or theme of that particular comic.  I think there has been a popular trend of Japanese culture influencing American children recently.  There is Yu Gi Oh, Hello Kitty, and these little Japanese erasers that my fifth grade girls are obsessed with.  So to bring it into the classroom would excite the students. 

The four new literacies mentioned in the article can all be incorporated into the classroom to enhance the curriculum and teaching approaches.  With an open mind, teachers can present the same curriculum but in different, more creative ways.  As I was reading the article I was connecting the four new literacies to multiple intelligences.  By using these new literacies in a classroom, you are just using another tool to teach to your diverse learners.

Adults and Video Games

It seems that there is a fine line between parents who support video games and parents that are opposed to video games. In Gee's book he was using the example of a grandfather believing that playing video games is a waste of time because there is no content to be learned. I think that most closed-minded parents or adults may initially agree with this belief. And I think certain adults are opposed to video games out of pure ignorance and not being educated enough. I think it is important that adults get educated and properly informed about video games and learn the pros and cons to playing them before forming opinions. Some may think that if it can't be learned by reading a book, like for academics in school, then learning isn't occurring. And that is why certain adults are opposed to video games.

On the other hand, some adults feel that learning does occur while playing video games. Playing video games can enhance communication skills, problem solving skills, and behavioral skills. It is an active learning process, not passive. The idea "learn from doing" is a great example of how playing video games can be useful. For example, if a 3rd student was playing a game and he was stuck on a level, he may use outside resources to find strategies or suggestions that will help him move to the next level. He may not realize it, but he was communicating with other gamers, deciding how to solve the problem, and becoming a member of a new semiotic domain. These same skills he used to play a video game may be the same skills he will use to work on a group project in college or a presentation for work. Like Gee says, the skills you use in one semiotic domain may carry over into another domain.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of video games. Though, there is a difference between people who are educated on video games and still don't agree that beneficial, and people who are ignorant and know nothing about video games and still think they are not educational. Over the past several years, my opinion of video games began to change. Even after reading just the first two chapters of Gee's book, I am already a believer that video games are educational and meaningful.

Fitness Dash

I have started to play the video game that I will be focusing on this semester. I am playing Fitness Dash. It is a game that I downloaded from Play First and I play it on my computer. Fitness Dash is a "sister" game to the popular Diner Dash. I chose Fitness Dash because it seemed user friendly, easy to play, and has cute graphics. It is a great game for a first time gamer who happens to be a female. Plus, I enjoy working out and going to the gym so I thought this was appropriate to play.

In a nut shell, the player is Jo the Jogger and she is the owner of a gym in DinerTown. The ultimate goal of the game is to get the people of DinerTown back in shape and go through a series of competitions with local towns like Donutville in order to win the ultimate championship. In order to prepare the people of DinerTown, they will attend your gym on a daily basis and your job is to make sure they get a good workout, while keeping them happy, and taking care of the gym itself. As you go up in levels, your tasks become more tedious and you need to work quicker.

Right now I am on level 2.8 (the game starts on level 1.0 and I believe it goes to 5.0). So far I have been able to move fairly quickly through the levels. A typical day in the gym consists of having regulars visit the gym. You need to place them on the appropriate machine based on if they want a cardio or weight workout. Throughout their workouts, gym members may want a towel, a water bottle, OJ, or to change the channel on the TV. Once their workout is done, you bring them to the shower area, clean up the dirty machines and get new members on the machines. This continues throughout the day. Jo may also encounter some problems in the gym like leaky pipes in the shower area, an ice cream boy who may tempt members, and faulty machines that need maintenance. Jo needs to work quickly to keep the gym running properly and her customers happy. After completing mini levels, you can upgrade machines, the decor of the gym, and Jo herself. Once you make it to the end of a complete level, there is a Tug-of-War competition with one of the local towns. In order to win that, you have to make colored blocks into groups of four. It is similar to the game Tetris. Obviously, the higher the level you go the more difficult it is to move on. I have been stuck on level 2.8 for the past few days!

Since playing this game for the past two weeks, I have realized some pros and cons to the game. I like how the game is easy to play and the directions are not intense. I like the cute graphics and feel that it is a female-friendly game. I like how there is a level map that shows you your progress and how close you are to your next goal. However, I have found this game to be extremely focused on quickness and agility. It is a game about speed. And since I am using my laptop mouse, it is sometimes frustrating to try and move quick enough. I don't like how being quick is the only way to move up in the game. I was hoping for a game that incorporates speed, decision making skills, and gaming skills. Fitness Dash seems to only focus on speed.

So far I have been enjoying my experience playing Fitness Dash, and video games in general. I used to think that video games were meant for males or young boys. But Fitness Dash has shown me that girls can play video games too and have fun.

How I Learn

  I have realized over the years that the best way for me to learn is by doing.  My learning style is similar to Vygotsky's "Zone of Proximal Development".  I learn best when I have seen a model do something the correct and then I try it.  A good model helps set the standard and allows me to create high expectations for myself.  It allows me to get a sense of what the end product should look like.  And with practice I become better at the skill.  For example, I had the technology teacher at my school show me how to create my own class web page.  After he showed me once, I looked at other teachers' pages, played around with mine, revised it a few times and eventually created a class page that I am proud of.  

 Besides learning from a model,  whatever it is I am learning needs to have value in my life, it needs to matter to me.  If the content does not relate to me or I don't make connections to it, it is very difficult for me to learn it.  I may memorize something but that does not mean that I have learned it.  It's like learning a new language.  I can memorize vocabulary and verb tenses but if I am not speaking the new language on a daily basis, it doesn't sink in, or the learning process is slow.  

This is how I learn best.  Now imagine if I were a student in a class of  25.  I know that the way I learn is probably a little bit different than the other 24 students.  Schools today need to teach a variety of strategies so that they can apply to various learners.  Teaching Multiple Intelligences is a great way for a teacher to cater to students' strengths.  Because I learn best by seeing a model do something first, learning communities would be helpful for me.  I think that schools today do a significant job teaching all learners.  The more a teacher knows his/her students, the more able he/she is to cater lessons to meet the needs of different learning styles.   

New Beginnings

Good Morning,

I am Natalie V. and this is my first time blogging, ever! Though, I have to say, I am pretty excited about this class. I can already tell I am going to learn so many new and interesting things about technology. I can't wait to broaden my horizons, personally and professionally. Though, I am a bit terrified because this entire class is based on media forms that I am not familiar with, but it's that what learning is all about.

I am currently teaching 5th grade in Haworth, NJ. I am attending Montclair U to earn a Masters in Reading. This is my fifth graduate class so far. I live in the best city in the world, New York and I enjoy cooking, traveling, reading, and working out. I can't wait to see where this class takes me.

Happy Blogging!