Reading: Nov 22 | Week 11: Serious Play Reading: Kurt Squire. “Critical Education in an Interactive Age,” Mirror Images. Pp. 105-123. I read this weeks reading with interest. The importance to bring engagement into teaching is important and I feel it is important to also to consider 21st century literacies and that offering video games as part of learning goes beyond the obvious linkages to popular culture. The focus on "nodes" of new media and the examples of Pokemon and the development of multimodal expertise and even second and third language acquisition expands ones consideration of what opportunities exist in areas historically looked at as "just for fun" or otherwise not developing any knowledge or skills. The shift in thinking is very relevant to todays environment and those environments in the future. Learners who have the capability to find and use information across contexts and modes and are encouraged to explore the possiblities are encouraged to learn from failure as well as success. That environment seems so much more conducive and supportive of developing a generation of innovators and if learning through video games begins that transition we should all be onboard.
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Readings:
Suzanne de Castell. “Mirror Images: Avatar Aesthetics & Self-Representation in Digital Games.” DIY Citizenship.Pp. 213-221. Alison Happel-Parkins and Jennifer Esposito. “Using Popular Culture Texts in the Classroom to Interrogate Issues of Gender Transgression Related Bullying.” Educational Studies 51(1) (2015). Pp. 3–16. The presentation this week on virtual reality, virtual worlds and avatars is mine. I have been interested in virtual and augmented reality for some time now and the potential for alternate realities to offer non-text based, problem based, inquiry based learning far beyond that which we have yet seen is of great interest. The readings this week were an exciting consideration in regards to the discussion on the reality that virtual worlds have been created by others, as well as the ability to customize your avatar being limited to what the developers have on offer. I agree that this is currently the state of being however for a technology still in its infancy I can't imagine why this limitation would exist for long. Once individuals become versed in the language of programming, the only limit is imagination. I think this is why I find virtual, augmented and mixed realities to be so intriguing. In a world where technology can offer out of this world experiences, we continue to be plagued by limitations. Limits on internet access in schools and workplaces exist to "protect" the system from viruses and hackers, that may reside within the system just as likely as outside of. If we could only ensure the good would outweigh the bad, just what is possible? How can technology provide greater understanding of the world around us? What effect could immersion in another city, another continent, another world have on a learner? Readings: Mandy Rose. “Making Publics: Documentary as Do-it-with-Others Citizenship.” DIY Citizenship. Pp. 201-212.
Deborah A. Fields, “DIY Media Creation.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 58(1), (Sept 2014) Pp. 19-24. Educause (2013), “7 Things You Should Know About Makerspaces”: https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7095.pdf The DIY and makerspace movement resonate with me as a movement towards individual thought. Today’s culture and education has moved so heavily towards a text-based and test focused environment that we have all but extinguished the inherent curiosity and creative thought. This is not to say that there are not individuals who are creative or curious but rather that these individuals often face challenges in going against the grain or in questioning “traditional” thought or “common” beliefs. The makerspace and DIY culture is a fitting mechanism to encourage and reward new ideas and out of the box thinking. That this ability to speak up offers a means to discuss social issues seems a natural repercussion of allowing and promoting individual thought and action. Providing a means for individuals to create, make mistakes, and be heard is key to the DIY makerspace movement. Dissemination of this movement into the education system may help to offer mechanisms to lessen the participation gap and enable all the opportunity to be heard through their choice of medium. Throughout the readings during this Pop Culture class, the use of inference, visualization, satire, etc, to share, promote or identify various issues of social justice, politics, racism etc in our world today have been highlighted. By providing these messages, thoughts, opinions in what is often viewed as a “less threatening” manner, the common thread of all is the ability to “say out loud” things that are otherwise off limits or socially questionable. The question that arises becomes, is it enough to make these statements through these comics, makerspaces, diy documentaries, etc.. Is that enough? Is it working? |
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