http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/fitness/2010-10-11-justdance11_CV_N.htm
http://i.usatoday.net/yourlife/_photos/2010/10/11/dance1x-topper-medium.jpg
The article, Video games help schools get kids moving, exercising more, raises some issues about how games are used and current teaching pedagogies (Hellmich, 2010).
Videogames like exergames have much potential in physical education due to ‘...their popularity and efficient delivery of information... Hayes & Silberman (2007)’ Trout & Christie (2007). With careful selection and implementation video games can be used to develop understanding on how the body works and the best ways to care and improve health and fitness, whilst engaging students in physical activity (Trout & Christie, 2007).
Trout & Christies (2007) discuss the uniqueness offered by these games for individualised learning and skills development. The students, k-12, were participating in the activity viewed on a single screen in each classroom, everyday and it was compulsory (Hellmich, 2010). This doesn’t allow children to be challenged or explore at their own pace. If current practice continues older students who have years of experience will be working at the same level as new and younger students who may have had less exposure. Squire (2005) proposes that for effective teaching practise teachers and schools need to allow for individual learning and exploration which is not happening in this example. Using rote learning techniques and introducing games as compulsory may turn students away games that are made compulsory and think of them as forced, homework and dull (Squire, 2005). Introducing new technologies into the curriculum with old pedagogies and nineteenth century teaching practises means that these new medias are just as likely to lose students’ engagement just as easily as their predecessors.
There appeared to be little thought into how the game would be implemented past the initial introductions to maintain interest. Current success may only be the result of the game being a novelty. Introducing the game was a start, and an idea highly controversial in itself with current teaching practises in most schools, but for education to move forward new ways of teaching need to be considered and schools need to change the way they think about teaching.
K.R., I agree with your point that introducing new media into classrooms alone is ineffective, since good teaching should be complemented by video games, not replaced by them.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that this article shows an attempt to use students culture to engage and motivate them physically, and for that teachers involved deserve praise. Although video games have far greater educational potential then demonstrated in this article, I believe important work in still being done in this class.
Simply using the Wii for a few minutes in the morning is effective in helping some of these children access and participate in popular culture in a way that they may otherwise not be able to.
The city mentioned, is in the state of New Mexico, one of the most sparsely populated in the United States. It has important Native American and Hispanic cultures, and is rated one of the lowest (43rd) for income per capita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico) . Not only does this make the city more likely statistically to be suffering from obesity, but the student population equally as unlikely to have great access to modern media and thus the ability to participate in participatory culture.
According to Jenkins(2008), the participation gap in technology, often found in places like the Las Cruces, must be addressed in schools so that children can equally participate in creation of popular culture. A few minutes of engagement with new media forms, with teacher support is still a valuable introduction to new media for students. Getting children to move and learn takes more then a few minutes of Wii each day, however, I am glad an attempt is being made to relate popular culture into the classroom to engage learners.
I agree that a far greater effort is needed by teachers in order to transform traditional schools and make them relatable and applicable to our students and their 21st century learning needs. However, I am thrilled that schools and the journalists alike them are finally opening their minds and taking a positive attitude toward what is often a taboo idea.