There have been three presentations so far, including my own presentation. But I was really interested to see what the Hip-Hop and Literacy class was going to do for their presentation, because that was the initial group I wanted to join. I have a strong understanding of music, being raised in a musical family; so I was really interested how Hip-Hop or in more general music cause be used to teach literacy.

I really liked how we had the chance to compare poetry and song lyrics to a song and find what literary devices were used in both the poem and the song. There are so many similarities that are used, and would make it a fun easy way to learn different literary devices. For instance, we looked at a song that had a ton of alliteration. It was a fun way to see alliteration in use. As a college English major, I have had a couple English classes in my life so I had a firm grasp, I hope, in what literary devices were used in the poem and song lyrics. But as children, just learning these literary devices I really believe songs can make it an easy and fun way to learn and use these literary devices.

In use, we had the chance to create our own song, which we could incorporate our knowledge of literacy, and what we had learned from the presentation about literacy. It would be a creative way of teaching students to use what they have learned about literary devices, or any other form or lesson they are being taught, whether it be math, science, or history.

I have been working with the article group involving gaming and literacy, and we have as a group become particularly interested in the community and cooperation that gaming brings to learning. Although our group’s “focus” is on video games, we also have looked into other varying types of games, that aren’t video games, and how they can have an effect on students and learning. One example is with the USC film students and a game they play as Freshman. Its a card game they play that goes on throughout the year, and helps get students meeting people, and getting involved through different parts of the school. Although it is not a video game, it is an interaction game with the community and with the people around you.

These types of games can be played anywhere and everywhere throughout school. Although, USC’s game is quite complex, and takes a whole year to complete, some games can be manipulated into small lessons or activities. On a personal level, playing a game is fun, and learning through a game is a great way to learn. It keeps my motivated, and strive to do better because i’m competitive and want to win. I don’t like to lose. And if winning makes me work at solving a problem, or reading or writing, or whatever it may be, the game has motivated me to learn. I may not think i am doing so at the time. But it is happening.

Also working with others is another great point, that video games, or just games in general teach extremely well. Me being a quiet person, makes it difficult sometimes to contribute to a group, because I don’t want to be that vocal person, so in many cases i choose to work by myself in some cases. But when there is a game or an activity, with a group effort working to try to achieve the same goal, it makes it easier for me to contribute. I don’t have to be super vocal, but i may be able to offer more assistance to an area of my strengths. And if i feel that way i’m sure others do as well, and games i believe make it easier for people to come together and work together because at times help is needed from someone else that can do something better.

Gaming has opened my eyes to so much, and how it can be used in learning, and I look forward to learning more in the coming weeks.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-amiic5k7Mk

 

I have been reading more and more of James Paul Gee’s book, What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy, and I have been opened to a whole new look on video games. I have grown up playing all different orts of video games, but have been “slacking” in my gaming these past recent years. But James Gee, makes me almost want to put down his book, and pick up a game and start playing it, because he has me convinced video games are vital tools that we should use for teaching.

Our group has explored each of the chapters and the different principles James Gee has pointed out throughout his chapters. But I want to focus on one aspect that our group did not discuss, and probably wont which is fine, but it is a passage that caught my eye in particular.

James Gee writes in chapter 2, that video games are tools that can help you understand a concept in an easier way than maybe reading it from a book, or reading a list. For example he used the example of basketball. I, personally, love sports and can tell you most things about any sport you want to know about. It is a love of mine, but there are definitely people I know and talk to daily that don’t know sports like I know. James Gee explains “a textbook that contained all the facts and rules about basketball read by students who never played or watched the game.” (22-23).

Thinking about it, learning the game of basketball, from reading a book, or a list of the rules would make it extremely difficult to learn the game. But James Gee, thinks paying a video game is an easy way to explain a foreign concept to students and make it easier for students learn the concept, or game of basketball. James Gee has a solid point, because video games force one to interact with the game, and will help teach the gamer something new. No matter what the game forces the “gamer” to do, there is still an interaction between the gamer and the game, and something new is always being learned by the gamer.

It all is a genius way to teach people new concepts, instead of just reading and writing in a book like in school, but learn in a new format such as video games. I am convinced video games in fact do have a strength in teaching students in school, and may make it easier for some students to understand new concepts, and it forces students to engage in a fun, interesting, new way of learning.

Alright so todays post is about what I found interesting or confusing about Street’s paper What’s New. There was a lot going on in this paper and I will admit that there were a lot of things going on that I didn’t quite get or understand, or maybe it just went in one side of the brain and out the other, or whatever that old expression is. But that was something I did get out of the reading. What is new. What is changing. How is it changing. From the old to the new.

One specific part of the paper I enjoyed reading about was the idea Street had on teaching. Street said we had to come up with new “positive proposals for interventions in teaching, curriculum, measurement criteria, and teacher education in both the formal and the informal sectors…” (82). The question is asked, what do we as teachers need to do in order to teach the future children in our society. What is the right way? Is there a right way? It really makes you stop and think, what should our teachers be pursuing in the curriculum to teach children. It is difficult because children all learn differently and need to be taught in different manners, so there needs to become a balance between all of these different learning techniques and brought into one for every child. But with the way literacy is changing, and with everything “new” it is difficult to pin point the one answer or one specific type of teaching that should be pursued.