Technology in Education, A Personal Take

This is probably my most controversial post yet, so it's fitting that I write it on the eve of a long holiday weekend, to ensure that no one reads it. I even tried to disguise the title a bit, so no one would even know what it was about. So, why all the secrecy? Well because the topic of this blog is the bane of every adult's existence - video games.

If you didn't immediately report me to some kind of blogging authorities then great, you might be open minded enough to make this work. First, a bit of a refresher of where we stand with video games in the year 2021. We've come a long way from the days of Mario, Zelda, and Oregon Trail (great game by the way). We've even moved past trying to sneak a peak at the back of the Leisure Suit Larry box while your mom was looking the other way in Blockbuster. We now live in a world where video games span the gambit from complex, seemingly living worlds with endless options to highly strategic and competitive competitions. Ok, so now you're bored because I'm talking about video games instead of education, but what if I told you - they can be spoken about in the same breath? Glad you've recovered from that mini-stroke you had after my last sentence and decided to keep reading. I meant what I said, video games and education can go hand-in-hand, if you know how to use them wisely. We're going to examen two different ways to use video games in an educational environment. I am quite sure there are many more, but these are the two categories within which I have experience.

The first category is probably the simplest and the most closely related to something you've seen before - using video games related to classroom content. This is the traditional way of using video games in class and you may have even experienced it yourself as a student. In the late 90s and early 00s there were a plethora of "learning" games that were released each year. Many of them were released by Humongous Entertainment, creator of the Freddi Fish franchise of games that taught children everything from phonics to critical thinking. There were even licensed learning games like those created within the "Arthur" universe. These games, I would argue, were not actually video games, however. Instead, I would suggest that they were learning environments disguised as video games. There is nothing wrong with this, I believe many ideas surrounding modern "gamification", are really learning environments disguised as video games. However, it's not the same as what I would suggest the next logical step is - using a video game to teach content. If you said out loud, "let me stop you right there." I don't really blame you, but let me give you some examples. I personally have taught about the Medieval period (and specifically about feudalism) using a game series called Crusader Kings. Students had spent weeks reading about the Medieval period and about feudal contracts, but when they played the game they were able to experience what it was like to actually live in the Medieval period and be obligated via a feudal contract to do something. There is no textbook, presentation, or lecture that can do that. I could provide more personal examples, but I believe in sharing good resources so feel free to check out Hey Listen Games, a website dedicated to sharing lesson plans for various subjects using video games.

The second way to use video games in the classroom is as a community building exercise. eSports is a growing industry - as I write this the Dota 2 International is taking place, a tournament with a prize pool of over $40,000,000. You didn't read that wrong and it's not only that, you know that annoying website your teenager is watching all day? Yeah, it's probably Twitch, where professional gamers stream their gameplay for hundreds of thousands of viewers. What does any of this have to do with education? Well, one of the hardest (and most important) things for a school to do is to make students feel welcome, but not just welcome - part of the community. Some students do this via sports, but many students find it hard to find their place, one alternative is eSports. Edutopia recently had a great article about how eSports provides a positive outlet for students who can often find themselves without a social group. Students at my school participated in a Spanish High School eSports league, known as IESports (since changed to junioresports). Our school has two main flaws in community building. First, that students often come and go as they need at our school (the school is designed to be kind of an educational half-way house) and second, that we're far too small for traditional sports teams. What was the perfect solution for a school full of video game obsessed boys? eSports. The results were immediate - students began arriving early to practice, staying late to discuss strategy, and most importantly provide positive feedback to each other. In short, they made friends.

If you're one of those anti-video game people, I probably didn't convince you with any of this. I will, however, admit that you're not exactly my target audience. My goal would be that someone who had previously considered using video games in their school took that next step. The conversation with your principal WILL be awkward, but the results are worth it - I promise! Besides, isn't it awkward when you ask for a "sick" day the day after a holiday? But you do that anyway, don't you!