Gaming. I know very little to nothing about gaming. The only video game I ever played and actually “beat” was Endless Ocean: Blue World for the Nintendo Wii.
I loved this game and would play for hours. It had everything I loved: the ocean and all the information that follows.
I had other games for the Wii, but the are all movement games. Just dance was a favorite.
Then, one Christmas I received an Xbox with the Kinect. Again, all my games are pretty much dancing games:
A few sports games
All those games have movement in common. I have never been one to sit and play games for hours. I get bored.
My brother on the hand, is a true gamer. Has owned every console since he was 5. Still plays them to this day. I don’t see him giving up his games any time soon.
I do sometimes watch gamer videos on Youtube. Mostly I find them entertaining even though I don’t actually play any of the game.
How can I incorporate games into the classroom when I don’t find them that fascinating myself?
How can I also teach students balance when I have witnessed students literally and physically fighting over a game?
I have used educational games in my classroom previously. But it was more of a tool to teach a skill. I had a list of online games that were related to English and were interactive. I am not quite sure that counts. Also, I haven’t used them in almost two years nor would I even know what games work best. Two years is a long time in the technology world.
In the article, Social And Emotional Benefits Of Video Games: Metacognition and Relationships, it mentions collaboration and gaming with others. I am not saying this doesn’t happen, but as I mentioned in my question, I have seen quite the opposite. I have seen students who do very little more than play video games, that are social, in EVERY free moment they possibly have. Nothing else matters to them.They would get mad at their friends if they weren’t online to play at this exact time. I know this might be a little extreme, but it was rampant in the middle school.
I know the issue isn’t gaming; it goes much deeper.
But I don’t know how to solve it.
I have students who have used Minecraft to complete a project for me. I had absolutely no problem with it. It was used as a tool to SHOW learning. For that, I have no problem.
Ms. Marcum's Mission 