Today, Sony announced some very fun news regarding both their Playstation 3 console as well as their Playstation move peripheral. For those unaware of the Playstation Move, think Wii for Playstation only with stronger accuracy and glowing orbs. For those unaware of a Wii (all 3 of you, though I highly doubt you're on the internet, let alone reading this blog), you hold a wireless connected peripheral or controller, whether by using Bluetooth (PS Move) or InfraRed (Wii) and the actions of that controller are then translated to the screen using sensors or a camera.
What Sony announced today is that they're allowing research centers, colleges and students have programming software for the Playstation Move to create content for educational and rehabilitative purposes. I'll post a link to Sony's official announcement, but in the classroom, those possibilities include but are not limited to virtual experiments in the science classroom where students are able to interact with chemicals or objects they couldn't safely do in a regular school setting. There could also be project based geometry classes where students use this technology to create architecture or structures using theories and principles used in Geometry. There's also all of the great ideas demonstrated in the video at the Playstation Blog website.
I hope this idea takes off and we get a lot of fun new uses (and excuses) for bringing gaming into the classroom.
Sony Playstation's Official Release Statement: Playstation Move.Me Available today
Musings of a teacher who games, or a gamer who teaches.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
The RPG effect
Hello all, and welcome to another exciting post of Gamer:Teacher! Last week was full of happy and disappointing surprises. Most of which non-school related so I won't burden you with those details. On the bright side, I have been able to get some great gaming in as a stress relief/coping mechanism (sound so depressing when you say it like that). Among that, was an XBox Live Arcade game titled Bastion. In this game, you take your character through beautifully painted environments on a traditional RPG tale. Boy wakes up, he's the only one still in his town, no one met at the emergency spot AKA the Bastion, boys journey is to collect pieces to reopen the Bastion to find his people. Cut and dry story. But what really grabbed me about this story was how the boys actions were reacted TO by the narrator. Instead of the narrator ( who we later find is called simply "Stranger") voicing the story and the actions the boy WILL take, the narrator instead outlines what options are available and then reacts to the decisions the player makes.
For example, as I explored the first world, I would often stray from the path I was supposed to take to instead explore various other outlets. The narrator would then say things like, "The boy then walked around for a bit" or when I would destroy the blockades that weren't necessary to my path, the narrator would say, "The boy rampaged," While playing the game, I thought this was so novel and genuine. The designer of the game was interested in how the player wanted to play the game instead of telling the player where to go and how to handle situations. Then I thought, "Why aren't more classrooms like this?" Yes, you are seeing this as more teachers embrace Bloom's Taxonomy and Higher Order Thinking strategies, but not at a rate that reaches the most students. Its like that wonderful saying, "A teacher should be a guide on the side and not the sage on a stage."
We as educators shouldn't be telling students where to go and what to do with their education (Understand I am not saying that the students should have free-reign over the classroom). We should be designing pathways for our students to take that allow them to stray from the main path we have placed for them. We should expect that students want to explore and engage their education their own way. We should let them leave their desks at the risk of them falling, but know that we can always provide them an extra life.
Well, that about sums it up. I hope you've had your fill of me this week (and parenthetical statements). Until next time-
Gamer:Teacher
For example, as I explored the first world, I would often stray from the path I was supposed to take to instead explore various other outlets. The narrator would then say things like, "The boy then walked around for a bit" or when I would destroy the blockades that weren't necessary to my path, the narrator would say, "The boy rampaged," While playing the game, I thought this was so novel and genuine. The designer of the game was interested in how the player wanted to play the game instead of telling the player where to go and how to handle situations. Then I thought, "Why aren't more classrooms like this?" Yes, you are seeing this as more teachers embrace Bloom's Taxonomy and Higher Order Thinking strategies, but not at a rate that reaches the most students. Its like that wonderful saying, "A teacher should be a guide on the side and not the sage on a stage."
We as educators shouldn't be telling students where to go and what to do with their education (Understand I am not saying that the students should have free-reign over the classroom). We should be designing pathways for our students to take that allow them to stray from the main path we have placed for them. We should expect that students want to explore and engage their education their own way. We should let them leave their desks at the risk of them falling, but know that we can always provide them an extra life.
Well, that about sums it up. I hope you've had your fill of me this week (and parenthetical statements). Until next time-
Gamer:Teacher
Thursday, July 21, 2011
First Post: Here's the Gist
Lifted from my EduBlogs.org account, I feel more comfortable using and posting this on Blogger. Here you go!
Hello all and welcome to my first blog post! I have been wanting to create a blog for a while and that this was as good a time as any. As you may have noticed, I named this blog “Gamer:Teacher” and for good reason. For one thing, I am a certified Secondary Social Studies (alliteration=winning) in the state of Louisiana. I finished my student teaching up this last semester at a wonderful middle school in South Bossier. I currently am seeking employment in several parishes as well as several states. Nothing against the people of Louisiana, but the heat absolutely sucks.I am based out of the Northwest region so those of you who watch TV, think more “Billy the Exterminator” and less “Swamp People.” Secondly, I am a gamer. I have played games since I found out what thumbs were for and see no end in sight. In fact, as I write my first post, I am engaged in a multiplayer game of Battlefield Bad Company 2 Conquest mode.
As one may be able to guess on what I’ve written thus far, I love to game. As one who works in a classroom setting can guess, students love to game. According to a survey conducted in 2008 by the Huffington Post 97% of American children play video games. And I hate to tell you friends, but it isn’t going any where. Your students will be playing them for longer than just the foreseeable future. So, that’s where my blog comes in.
I will try and post at the minimum weekly updates that discuss both what is happening in the world of education as well as the world of video games. I will also sprinkle in some ideas on technological incorporation into the classroom. So please check back, and if you have any questions or comments, I’m open to them.
- Gamer:Teacher
Hello all and welcome to my first blog post! I have been wanting to create a blog for a while and that this was as good a time as any. As you may have noticed, I named this blog “Gamer:Teacher” and for good reason. For one thing, I am a certified Secondary Social Studies (alliteration=winning) in the state of Louisiana. I finished my student teaching up this last semester at a wonderful middle school in South Bossier. I currently am seeking employment in several parishes as well as several states. Nothing against the people of Louisiana, but the heat absolutely sucks.I am based out of the Northwest region so those of you who watch TV, think more “Billy the Exterminator” and less “Swamp People.” Secondly, I am a gamer. I have played games since I found out what thumbs were for and see no end in sight. In fact, as I write my first post, I am engaged in a multiplayer game of Battlefield Bad Company 2 Conquest mode.
As one may be able to guess on what I’ve written thus far, I love to game. As one who works in a classroom setting can guess, students love to game. According to a survey conducted in 2008 by the Huffington Post 97% of American children play video games. And I hate to tell you friends, but it isn’t going any where. Your students will be playing them for longer than just the foreseeable future. So, that’s where my blog comes in.
I will try and post at the minimum weekly updates that discuss both what is happening in the world of education as well as the world of video games. I will also sprinkle in some ideas on technological incorporation into the classroom. So please check back, and if you have any questions or comments, I’m open to them.
- Gamer:Teacher
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