Another issue that must be considered when using video-games as teaching 
methods is the degree to which the game play is controlled by the 
intended learning.  In many games used for education, especially the 
"action" type game that is so engaging, it's very possible to play the 
game without any attention to the intended learning.  If the game isn't 
well designed, with careful control over secondary cues, a child might 
be very engaged in the game, but learn to play the game and not the 
lesson intended to be taught.

-- 
Denis Anson, MS, OTR
Director of Research and Development
Assistive Technology Research Institute
College Misericordia
301 Lake St.
Dallas, PA 18612
Phone: 570-674-6413
Fax: 570-674-8054 



Wendy Quinones wrote:

> All of these are serious concerns, and I especially share Steve 

> Quann's about the question of reading.  However, the sounds, colors, 

> action and physical activity involved in video games can be seen as 

> ways of engaging students' multiple intelligences in learning.  For 

> many of our students, who are not strong linguistically or 

> mathematically, these may be just the avenues they need.

>  

> Wendy Quinones

>  

> ----- Original Message -----

>

>     *From:* Craig Alinder <mailto:info at gaming-pc.net>

>     *To:* The Technology and Literacy Discussion List

>     <mailto:technology at nifl.gov>

>     *Sent:* Thursday, November 16, 2006 2:02 PM

>     *Subject:* [Technology 713] Re: handhelds and cell phones

>

>     I share your concern Tina. The intense interactivity of the sounds

>     and images of the latest games make them an overwhelming

>     experience that can take the player into another world. While

>     there may be advantages to this, when we teach, we teach things

>     that are of this world. Perhaps it is not so cut and dry. I mean

>     the human-created digital world, versus the natural world we walk

>     around in. Reality can easily blur, which is why many kids have

>     turned violent in immitation of popular video games that they

>     played. None of the educational games I have been exposed to do

>     have any violence, but do you think they risk a disconnection or a

>     disinterest in reality?

>      

>     Craig

>      

>     ----------------------------------------------

>     Craig Alinder

>     Escuela del Sol Montessori

>      

>     laser hair removal houston

>     http://www.laser-hair-removal-usa.com/texas.htm

>      

>      

>     ----- Original Message -----

>

>         *From:* Tina_Luffman at yc.edu <mailto:Tina_Luffman at yc.edu>

>         *To:* The Technology and Literacy Discussion List

>         <mailto:technology at nifl.gov>

>         *Sent:* Thursday, November 16, 2006 10:14 AM

>         *Subject:* [Technology 708] Re: handhelds and cell phones

>

>         Hi everyone,

>          

>         I guess my biggest concern about using games for educational

>         purposes is the addiction of some like War Quest. Yet, we need

>         to be open to exploring those games that provide academic

>         stimulus for our electronic younger population.

>          

>         Tina

>

>

>

>

>         Tina Luffman

>         Coordinator, Developmental Education

>         Verde Valley Campus

>         928-634-6544

>         tina_luffman at yc.edu <mailto:tina_luffman at yc.edu>

>

>         -----technology-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: -----

>

>             To: <technology at nifl.gov>

>             From: "Steve Quann" <steve_quann at worlded.org>

>             Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov

>             Date: 11/16/2006 08:38AM

>             Subject: [Technology 705] Re: handhelds and cell phones

>

>             Thank you Tina, Susan, and David:

>

>             So what do other folks on the list think? Does this have

>             legs? I think

>             most us see that there might be potential here, but what

>             are the

>             drawbacks? The one I hear most is the size/viewing issue

>             -mostly from

>             non-users. But I have to say as I walked down the aisle of

>             the train

>             this a.m. and saw someone viewing a video on an Ipod, it

>             looked pretty

>             clear and manageable to me.

>

>

>

>

>             Steve Quann

>             World Education

>             44 Farnsworth Street

>             Boston, MA

>             617.482.9485

>

>

>             >>> <Tina_Luffman at yc.edu> 11/15/2006 12:45 PM >>>

>             Hi everyone,

>

>             Steck Vaughn has come out with a handheld GED Study Buddy.

>             This tool

>             looks interesting for the new generation of students who

>             are so geared

>             to play with Game Boys and other video game units. These

>             handhelds use

>             cartridges for the 5 subjects of the GED exam. The cost is

>             not cheap*,

>             but if a program has money, I am sure these little units

>             will engage

>             younger students more than books. I have not seen any of

>             these Study

>             Buddies other than in the catalog, so I cannot comment on

>             the content.

>

>             *399/device, 50/cartridge

>             Thanks,

>

>             Tina

>

>

>

>

>

>             Tina Luffman

>             Coordinator, Developmental Education

>             Verde Valley Campus

>             928-634-6544

>             tina_luffman at yc.edu

>

>

>             -----technology-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: -----

>

>             To: "The Technology and Literacy Discussion List"

>             <technology at nifl.gov>

>             From: "Mariann Fedele" <MariannF at lacnyc.org>

>             Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov

>             Date: 11/14/2006 09:32PM

>             Subject: [Technology 700] handhelds and cell phones

>

>             Hi Steve and all,

>

>

>             Great question, although using handhelds is a promising

>             practice I

>             haven't heard of examples of them in the adult literacy

>             field.

>             Does anyone on the list have experience using handhelds

>             for instruction

>             with adult literacy students, with other student populations?

>

>             Regards,

>             Mariann

>

>

>             From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Steve Quann

>             Sent: Mon 11/13/2006 8:43 PM

>             To: technology at nifl.gov

>             Subject: [Technology 698] Re: Video games and education

>

>

>

>             Hi Marian,

>             This makes me think of asking if you or anyone on the list

>             know if

>             anyone is doing anything with handhelds, cellphones games

>             or not. I

>             know

>             David Rosen posted a site from England that was. Any signs

>             of it in the

>

>             adult literacy field?

>             Steve Quann

>             World Education

>

>             >>> "Marian Thacher" <mthacher at otan.us> 11/13/06 11:52 AM >>>

>             I wanted to share this exchange from the California adult

>             ed tech

>             mentor

>             list, as I'm wondering if others are using or thinking

>             about using

>             video

>             games and web sites like Second Life in instruction.

>

>             Marian Thacher

>             Outreach and Technical Assistance Network

>             P.O. Box 269003

>             Sacramento, CA 95826-9003

>             (916) 228-2597

>             www.otan.us

>             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>             In response to "merging games with learning", there is a

>             website ([

>             http://www.brainmeld.org

>             <http://www.brainmeld.org/>]www.brainmeld.org) in which

>             one of my

>             professors

>             from National University runs. It contains teacher guides

>             to using

>             certain

>             games in the classroom. These guides contain state

>             standards, goals and

>

>             objectives to using the games. My professor has published

>             the teachers'

>

>             guide that I wrote for high school Economics. It's called

>             "Create the

>             Empire of your Dreams". There are teacher guides for

>             younger students

>             as

>             well.

>             I thought some of you would enjoy looking through this

>             website.

>

>             Ronda Rafidi

>

>             Marian Thacher <mthacher at otan.us> wrote:

>

>              

>             Has anyone played around with Second Life [[

>             http://secondlife.com/

>             ] http://secondlife.com/]? It's a virtual world, totally

>             constructed

>             by

>             the

>             "residents." Talk about social networking sites! I haven't

>             really used

>

>             it,

>             and I don't have time to figure out how to build a bunch

>             of 3D stuff,

>             but

>             it sounds like great fun if you have time, and I've been

>             watching for

>             educational applications, so if you're interested in such

>             things, here

>

>             is

>             an article about a couple of education organizations that

>             are actually

>

>             doing things like holding a virtual summer camp on a

>             private island in

>

>             Second Life!

>

>             The School of Second Life

>             By Wagner James Au

>

>             For those who grew up on computer and video games over the

>             past thirty

>

>             years, it's no surprise that games have become a full-fledged

>             educational

>             tool, merging play with learning in a way that speaks to

>             the digital

>             generation's technical literacy. Adding heft to this

>             development, the

>             Federation of American Scientists recently published the

>             results of a

>             year-long study suggesting that games have the power to teach

>             analytical

>             skills, team building, and problem solving on the fly.

>

>             Among the most powerful platforms for game-based teaching

>             is Second

>             Life,

>             a virtual world superficially similar to online

>             role-playing games such

>

>             as

>             World of Warcraft or Sims Online but embedded with

>             numerous features

>             that

>             can make it an ideal pedagogical resource.

>

>             Read the article at [ http://www.edutopia.org/1709

>             ] http://www.edutopia.org/1709

>

>

>             ----------------------------------------------------

>             National Institute for Literacy

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