Presentations
Katie
Beau
James
Hans
Spencer
---------
1 - Katie - Proposal: Bridging the Digital Divide in Low-Income Schools
Considering the nature of the project, it is somewhat hard for me to make a ton of comments and where things can be shored up. However, I did have one thought on the topic in general.
Based on my own impressions of where things stand and some of the texts we've read, I think addressing the digital divide in the context of schools only goes so far. Katie seemed to be focusing on giving kids, teachers, and, to a lesser extent, parents, access to and knowledge about computers and cyberspace, but it was all offered in the context of schools, libraries, business-like skills, and "the man." This isn't some anti-government or big brother thing, but more an authority thing.
Most of my (elementary) education was in a school in a rural community of about 1,500 people, but computer classes were a big part of the curriculum (Basic (on Apple computers), LOGO, Oregon Trail, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, etc). This undoubtedly generated an interest in computers, which translated to computing at home and further exploration at home, but it eventually turned into touch-typing, word processing, resume writing, publication creation, simple web-page building, etc. And that's where it fell apart, there was no discovery or real skill building in 90% of the activities in class because it was all really derivative and under the constant gaze of teachers. Those activities in that context didn't really add to my fluency or grasp on technology.
I learned way more about the internet, software, computer repair, script writing, and other interesting skills while I was playing around with computers at home. Anything that deviated from the lesson plan while at school was quickly curbed and gave me (any my classmates) a very limited impression of what computers were really for. I know this proposal is intended to be a tool to get a school to adopt or expand programs, but I think getting computers in the home where kids can really experiment is critically important. Clubs and open lab nights are great, but they can also be very limiting. Katie may want to consider incorporating a school issued laptop initiative into the plan for more drastic change. As we saw in the recent school laptop spying thing, the watchers can watch at anytime and activities can still be restricted, but being invisibly restricted is a completely different experience (which may lead to learning through circumvention attempts) than having an authority figure hover and correct all the time.
Back to top
----------
2 - Beau - Gaming: Myths and Facts
Sorry Beau, I know the Konami code, but didn't speak up. Anyway, I think this should focus on how gaming has irrevocably changed culture. Traditionally, culture shaped gaming, but gaming no longer just mirrors reality. Reality increasingly adopts lessons and ideas from gaming (and fiction as a whole). Overall, I think Beau has everything sorted out.
Back to top
----------
3- James - Gaming From Birth
There was a lot in James's presentation and I didn't get it all down, but I'll post what I've got.
First off, Pac-Man (and Mrs. Pac-Man) didn't get all strong when he ate the fruit (that's only for bonus points). He could only eat ghosts when he got the power pellets.
Game mechanics aside, I THINK (because my notes suck), my take away was that society (and parents more specifically) should not vilify and completely separate kids from games because the rates of game playing are increasing. In addition, gaming, like literacy, has the potential to fundamentally change (and improve) thought processes. Gaming isn't a fad like the pet rock and has already changed society and digital/video gaming is critical in understanding our world as it moves forward; taking gaming away (maybe) is like keeping a kid from reading certain genres.
On a Pac-Man related note, Pac-Man meets Saw:
PACMAN: THE MOVIE TRAILER from Therefore Productions on Vimeo.
Back to top
----------
4 - Hans - Social Networks Bridging the Chasm? (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Horatio from CSI: Miami)
Some of the things that Hans discussed were kind of in opposition to things I was planning for my own paper, so I've got a bunch of questions written down that would be largely unhelpful to anyone else. Anyway... I think the idea of the inverting pyramid of production and people's roles shifting is a good focal point. That, combined with personal experience might help demonstrate how social networks are breaking down traditional hierarchies online and that's helping bridge the divide.
Back to top
----------
5 - Spencer - Do Games Make Better Soldiers?
I think this will work as long as everything is kept in the present and the argument doesn't start looking too much at what may come. I say this because the emotional stress and whatnot may be better emulated in more immersive gaming experiences down the road. A chart of stresses was used as a reference point in the presentation, but I imagine some of those stresses aren't represented in the simulated war environment of training camps. It's training camp just a more high-impact game? Through more immersive systems, many of the physical (and some emotional) stresses noted in that chart could be effectively emulated or "imported" into the virtual experience (e.g. tear gas exposure).
Virtual simulations/games may never match reality, but neither does physical/"real" training. War is war, training, no matter how real or virtual, is still a simulation of what one might encounter.
I feel like arguing this point is going to be a constant battle about why one simulation is less valuable or warranted than another. Especially when we consider efforts in "remote" and mechanized warfare. And this is why I would shy away from talking too much about future ramifications.
I think the context of soldier training might be a good way to explain how gaming can be a good teaching tool, but it is only successful to a point. We reach a point where real-world ramifications shatter what is applicable, learned, or expected in simulations and virtual spaces.
Back to top
No comments:
Post a Comment