As video games have become an important economic and cultural force, scholars are increasingly trying to better understand the ways that engagement with games may drive learning, literacy, and social participation in the 21st century. In... more
As video games have become an important economic and cultural force, scholars are increasingly trying to better understand the ways that engagement with games may drive learning, literacy, and social participation in the 21st century. In this book, the authors consider games and just as importantly, the social interactions around games, not in terms of how they should be managed or incorporated into existing educational structures, but for what they tell us about the forms of learning and literacy that are already instantiated within the use of these media. To this end, this book delves deeply into James Paul Gee’s (2004) productive and influential concept of the affinity space — briefly defined here and in this book as the physical or virtual locations (or some combination of the two) where people come together around a shared interest or “affinity.” The most prominent examples discussed in this volume are online fan sites organized around video gaming, where fans share everything from game play strategies to fan fiction to complex technical modifications of the game itself. With investigations of learning and literacy practices within affinity spaces around The Sims, Neopets, World of Warcraft, Civilization, and other contemporary video games, the authors set out to uncover how learning and literacy are fostered and challenged by the forms of engagement that typify gaming culture. By explicating how and why engaged fans of digital media do what they do in online spaces, the authors hope to cast a light, like Gee did, on the promise of these media and the problems facing current educational systems.
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From amazon.com: Today, virtual worlds abound, avatars are every day occurrences, and video games are yesterday’s news. But today’s games are not just a pastime for millions – they are also a technological focal point for new forms of... more
From amazon.com:
Today, virtual worlds abound, avatars are every day occurrences, and video games are yesterday’s news. But today’s games are not just a pastime for millions – they are also a technological focal point for new forms of learning.
James Paul Gee and Elisabeth Hayes are leading researchers in the field of gaming, and here they argue that women gamers—a group too often marginalized—are at the forefront of today’s online learning world. By utilizing the tools of gaming in ways never before imagined - actively engaging in game design, writing fan fiction, and organizing themselves into collaborative learning communities - women of all ages acquire the tools to successfully navigate the complex social, cultural , and economic problems of the 21st century.
Women are leading the way to a new understanding of online learning techniques, from cultural production to learning communities to technical proficiency in the latest software. This book draws on case studies about women who “play” the Sims, the best selling game in history, to argue for a new general theory of learning for the 21st Century.
Today, virtual worlds abound, avatars are every day occurrences, and video games are yesterday’s news. But today’s games are not just a pastime for millions – they are also a technological focal point for new forms of learning.
James Paul Gee and Elisabeth Hayes are leading researchers in the field of gaming, and here they argue that women gamers—a group too often marginalized—are at the forefront of today’s online learning world. By utilizing the tools of gaming in ways never before imagined - actively engaging in game design, writing fan fiction, and organizing themselves into collaborative learning communities - women of all ages acquire the tools to successfully navigate the complex social, cultural , and economic problems of the 21st century.
Women are leading the way to a new understanding of online learning techniques, from cultural production to learning communities to technical proficiency in the latest software. This book draws on case studies about women who “play” the Sims, the best selling game in history, to argue for a new general theory of learning for the 21st Century.
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The impetus for this timely publication was several recent developments with potentially significant implications for the field of adult basic education (ABE), including new federal adult education authorization, the release of a new... more
The impetus for this timely publication was several recent developments with potentially significant implications for the field of adult basic education (ABE), including new federal adult education authorization, the release of a new version of the GED test, and new content standards for ABE curricula. Turning Points is a volume in the long-standing series, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, and reflects the standard format for the series: a collection of short chapters, written in an accessible style, on a significant topic for adult and continuing educators. In this book, editor Alisa Belzer has recruited a group of contributors with an impressive range of experience in the field to address the question of “where the field is in relation to where it has been and to where it might go” (p. 5), particularly in light of the new federal legislation, research findings, and changes in content standards and assessments. In Chapter 1, Belzer sets the stage for this discussi...
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This design case describes the development of three analog games intended to introduce middle-school-age girls to core computer science (CS) concepts. We describe the learning objectives, game mechanics, and narrative elements of each... more
This design case describes the development of three analog games intended to introduce middle-school-age girls to core computer science (CS) concepts. We describe the learning objectives, game mechanics, and narrative elements of each game, and some key problems and decisions that we confronted during the design process. Our design process was guided by two key goals and assumptions: (a) the games should help players develop a situated understanding of CS concepts through engaging them in computational thinking (CT) practices associated with each concept, and (b) game mechanics and story elements should be meaningfully integrated with and supportive of the games’ learning objectives. We discuss several challenges that we encountered in the design process, both in identifying CT practices that lent themselves to game mechanics, and in finding ways to embed mechanics into stories in a meaningful way. Data from gameplay sessions suggests that, on the whole, girls found the games engagi...
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In this chapter, we expand upon Seymour Papert’s notion of “learning culture”. Specifically, we describe how the traditional expert-novice relationship between parents and children has changed over the last decade with children taking the... more
In this chapter, we expand upon Seymour Papert’s notion of “learning culture”. Specifically, we describe how the traditional expert-novice relationship between parents and children has changed over the last decade with children taking the role of an expert when it comes to technology. We propose that successful participation in 21st century for children starts with collaborative intergenerational experiences at home around technology, and video gaming in particular is a promising context for parents and children to work as partners and develop the dispositions that can be “transfer” to other contexts (e.g. workplace).
Este artigo descreve como o jogo de computador The Sims e o mundo virtual Teen Second Life foram usados como pontos de partida para o desenvolvimento dos interesses e das capacidades de meninas em relação às tecnologias de informação. A... more
Este artigo descreve como o jogo de computador The Sims e o mundo virtual Teen Second Life foram usados como pontos de partida para o desenvolvimento dos interesses e das capacidades de meninas em relação às tecnologias de informação. A trajetória de uma menina é usada para ilustrar o modo como a experiência com os games serviu de catalisador para promover sua paixão pelos computadores, envolveu-a em aprendizagens proativas e permitiu que ela passasse a ver a computação como uma potencial escolha profissional. Discute-se o papel do reconhecimento público, das comunidades de fãs e das mudanças nas ecologias de aprendizagem nas famílias em relação à tecnologia de informação e comunicação. O artigo conclui identificando estratégias e perspectivas ligadas ao uso dos games na aprendizagem das meninas no campo da tecnologia. The Sims as a catalyst for girls' it learning This paper describes how the computer game The Sims and the virtual world Teen Second Life were used as starti...
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The use of computer-based, or digital technologies in adult basic education (ABE)is increasingly widespread, along with the proliferation of instructional software designed specifically for adult literacy learners. Some advocates claim... more
The use of computer-based, or digital technologies in adult basic education (ABE)is increasingly widespread, along with the proliferation of instructional software designed specifically for adult literacy learners. Some advocates claim that computer- based instruction offers learners a wider range of engaging, motivating, and presumably more effective learning opportunities. More significantly, another argument for incorporating such technologies into ABE is that
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The purpose of this study was to investigate how women who create custom content for The Sims2 acquire IT-related skills and knowledge. Interview s with twenty-six women suggest the importance of interest-driven learning, opportunities... more
The purpose of this study was to investigate how women who create custom content for The Sims2 acquire IT-related skills and knowledge. Interview s with twenty-six women suggest the importance of interest-driven learning, opportunities for horizontal as well as vertical le arning, and the opportunity to develop "loose ties" with an extensive online socia l network of other Sims fans.
This research investigated the "learning ecology" of the virtual world, Second Life. Study goals were to: (a) determine how the design and social dynamics of one virtual world support as well as constrain various types of... more
This research investigated the "learning ecology" of the virtual world, Second Life. Study goals were to: (a) determine how the design and social dynamics of one virtual world support as well as constrain various types of learning, and (b) suggest implications for the use of virtual worlds in adult education.
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This interactive session presents early research findings resulting from a game simulation currently called Gamestar Mechanic through which 70 middle and high school-age players learn to design video games. Gamestar Mechanic is an RPG... more
This interactive session presents early research findings resulting from a game simulation currently called Gamestar Mechanic through which 70 middle and high school-age players learn to design video games. Gamestar Mechanic is an RPG (Role-Playing Game) style online game through which players "take on" the behaviors characteristic of professional game designers (e.g., designing games, accounting for variability change within a
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EJ515596 - A Comparison of Small Group Learning Approaches in Adult Literacy Education.
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The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive way to view systematic differences in groups of low-literate adults through the creation of a typology based on deterrents to participation in adult basic education. Information... more
The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive way to view systematic differences in groups of low-literate adults through the creation of a typology based on deterrents to participation in adult basic education. Information about such deterrents, obtained from 160 low-literate adult basic education students with the Deterrents to Participation Scale - Form LL, was used as the data base for the research. Through the use of disjoint cluster analysis, six types of low literate adults were identified according to their scores on five deterrent factors. The typology provides a basis for the development of strategies and programs to meet the needs of specific subgroups of the low-literate population in adult basic education.
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Abstract: As video games have become an important economic and cultural force, scholars are increasingly trying to better understand the ways that engagement with games may drive learning, literacy, and social participation in the... more
Abstract: As video games have become an important economic and cultural force, scholars are increasingly trying to better understand the ways that engagement with games may drive learning, literacy, and social participation in the twenty-first century. In this book, the authors consider games and just as importantly, the social interactions around games, not in terms of how they should be managed or incorporated into existing educational structures, but for what they tell us about the forms of learning and literacy that are already instantiated ...
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EJ515596 - A Comparison of Small Group Learning Approaches in Adult Literacy Education.
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EJ515596 - A Comparison of Small Group Learning Approaches in Adult Literacy Education.
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... of the accountant who plays Civilizationthe popular turn-based computer strategy game in which ... Examples include creating and sharing game content, authoring stories, creating and managing ... of a broader set of rules... more
... of the accountant who plays Civilizationthe popular turn-based computer strategy game in which ... Examples include creating and sharing game content, authoring stories, creating and managing ... of a broader set of rules constituting the particular role-playing game, such as ...