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rhondabrwn -> RE: Trying to Contact Old Man of the Sea (8/28/2005 11:25:05 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Tankerace
I wish when I was in school we got to learn by wargames. I remember in my US History class in High School learning how John Wayne took Iwo Jima all by his lonesome [:D] Though I didn't help by providing the VHS tape, but eh....
Obviously, I agree!
The key to using movies as a vehicle is not to just run it as entertainment to keep the kids occupied, but to accompany it with extended commentary to expose the inaccuracies and highlight the reality. I believe that the integration of visuals and information coupled with a hands-on gaming experience will really create some learning that is going to "stick". I know that I've learned a significant portion of my own historical knowledge from movies and games (as well as documentaries and books, of course).
Example: you can't really appreciate a movie about the Battle of Waterloo without knowing what is going on... otherwise, it's just a lot of guys in neat uniforms marching around and shooting at each other. Play a wargame on the subject, read a bit of historical background, and THEN watch the movie.... now it makes sense and the visuals reinforce your newfound knowledge about the event.
I've got a former boyfriend who recently got his doctorate in Instructional System Technology and he has joined the faculty at Utah State (not too far from here). His thesis was on computer education at Point Barrow, Alaska with the Inuit children. He is anxious to assist with my project and thinks he will have the academic clout to write some grant proposals to help me get computer equipment for my school. Of course, he intends to publish on my approach which could help "spread the word" if it works out as I hope.
In academic IST circles, there is a lot of interest in "gaming" as an educational technique, but it tends to be focused on structured educational games that reward finding some piece of information or meeting an objective by displaying an arcade game as a reward. Personally, I think they will find that the amount of actual learning is modest for the amount of time actually spent (or else the kids will just get bored with the whole thing). I bought my kids every "educational" game that came down the pike when they were little, but the "game" that actually resulted in learning was the game called "Microsoft Office"!
I'm sure you can all tell that I'm excited and just getting more enthusiastic every day as I learn more about my kids and their academic strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, I just wonder where to begin... there is so much that they need to know about the world.
Thanks for all the interest and support!
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