In the 1999 Columbine High School school massacre, an argument made regarding the teenaged shooters was that in addition to being bullied by other students while in school, the two were influenced by violent video games. I watched politicians and parents stand at multiple podiums requesting censorship and regulations on video games as they have in the past with music, movies and comic books. All of this is done in the guise of helping parents shield their children from “objectionable” content. Those images of scared parents and policy makers are stamped into memory and resurface each time my child inquires about access to a new video game. I’m sure this is how many caregivers/parents feel when the news combines a story of school violence and gaming. I’m lucky to share parenting with a partner who is an avid gamer. Between the two, I’ve figured out how to incorporate my parenting with video game decision making and exploration. Up until three years ago, I remained ignorant of how to negotiate the language of gaming into our lives now with a child who is of a generation of a fast tech.
The question I asked myself was no longer “is this gaming “bad” for my child” instead it was “How can gaming help connect her with other parts of her world?” and “How can I become a part of it?”
Learning new tech access requires learning its language. Language learning requires proactive immersion within culture and community. In order to understand a the language of Minecraft, Roblox, and Animal Crossing (a few games my 8-year-old plays) I needed to immerse myself within the culture. I began watching YouTube channels of specific gamers whom my child finds most interesting. Watching with her I am able to question and infer information while observing gamers play in simulated worlds on private servers. As with all languages, this kind of immersion helps with language nuance comprehension. It’s exciting to learn about WWW.EDUCATIONARCADE.ORG as I know I’d need more training in this new tech. I need a tech language coach and to truly commit to being with these worlds as I develop my understanding of these new tools. I didn’t even think to consider that “media” included this Blog by which my thought processes are shared.
My favorite thought from The Education Arcade Article (Klopfer, Osterweil, Groff, and Haas) is:
“Ross sees these habits of mind, or conceptual knowledge, as the greatest outcome of the learning experience. “The conceptual knowledge is critical because if you can grasp that, then you can transfer skills and morph into using the technology of today , in the classroom today other domains, roles, and work more easily. With digital games, students get to experience the concepts versus passively watching a video on it.
My challenge now will be becoming an immersive multi media tech learner so that I can utilize these tools in ways that are enjoyable for both myself and the students with whom I engage. It seems I’ll be the student in class while I learn from those in class who speak this language best.