YOUNG PEOPLE THESE DAYS!!

Screen shot of my Youth Popular Culture Pinterest Board

I feel so old using the blog title, "Young People These Days," but I just couldn't help myself! The task was to source things that interest young people and 'pin' them to a Pinterest board. This was more difficult than I imagined it being. The scope for 'youth' is so broad that I could (and probably will in the future) create different boards for different age levels. However for this first board about Youth Popular Culture I have tried to pin things of interest for both younger (Primary school) and older students (Secondary school). The sources that I used to determine what is interesting to students were:

• talking to students 
• looking at catalogues from bookstores, toy shops, department stores 
• television advertising

So select the Pinterest board below to be able to access the items pinned to it.

Follow Margot's board Youth Popular Culture on Pinterest.

What did I discover?

When I look back over the board a few things strike me as worth commenting on and upon reflection probably not all that surprising.

1. So much of what interests our young people is tied up with consumerism. The merchandising around movies and books for games, clothing, video games is enormous.
2. The formula for appeal to youth is similar across all ages. Take Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for example and see how they flood the market from all directions such as movies, comics, apps, board games, toys, books, video games and so on. It's no different for Game of Thrones for 'older 'young people.
3. The connection between movies and books is striking. The popularity of the book or books in a series is enhanced by the release of the movie (The advertising helps!!!). The popular books seem to also be the popular movie releases (Eg. If I Stay, Game of Thrones, Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters, Frozen, the Box Trolls). Just take a look in a bookshop and see what books they are promoting to see the connection between them and the movies on release! A couple of interesting sites around books that have been made into movies can be found at Kids Read and Ranker and they are also on my Pinterest board. 
4. Curiously some things have remained popular for a long time such as Harry Potter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, Lego and Roald Dahl. Whether their continued popularity has had more to do with movie releases and associated merchandising explosion than with the literature itself is a good point for debate! (I suspect the former!)

If my Pinterest board represents those things that are interesting to youth right now, then it is imperative that I know about them and include them in a structured and purposeful way in my literacy program. Michele Anstey, quite some time ago, said that literacies are changing all the time, due to technology, social diversity and globalisation and that this requires 'not only the mastery of communication, but an ability to critically analyse, deconstruct, and reconstruct a range of texts and other representational forms' (2002). Anstey is still relevant today and we need to be aware of what our students are doing and plan for the teaching of skills and knowledge that will take into account the things that are important in their world.

References

Anstey, Michele. (2002) It's not all black and white': Postmodern picture books and new literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Mar 2002, Vol. 45, Issue 6

IS SCHOOL FOR LEARNING, OR NOT?

I’m not finished with my exploration of video games in the classroom yet!

Gee tells us that he was blown away by how difficult and complex the video games were that the youth of today were participating in, even more complex than tasks they undertook in school (2011).  In an interview with Derek Robertson (2009), he recalled a situation where he discovered students’ ability to use mathematical reasoning when watching them using a video game.  He had previously reported these students as under-performing in the use of this skill and yet they were employing it quite capably in order to play the game. Williamson (2009) argues that computer games require students to use a complex set of skills such creativity, problem solving, collaboration, systematic reasoning, use of computational ideas and so on. These are skills increasingly referred to for 21^st Century learners and ones that underpin the way in which video games work. It makes sense to utilise video games in education that employ these skills.

In the following video Big Think, draws our attention to the use of video games to simulate learning environments and to arouse curiosity for learning (2011). They assert that the challenge for us is to find the right way to fit games into the educational system.  This may be easier said than done!

The message from Big Think and James Gee is the same; that customised learning for problem solving and innovation is what we should be aiming for, but the current way our school system operates stands in the way of doing this. From the way our school day is timetabled to the testing and assessment regime employed by educational bodies, it is difficult to immerse students in learning situations where they solve problems in order to learn. Currently students are immersed in a system of learning where success is measured through a test at the end and yet we don't test students at the end of a video game. We assume that because they have reached the end of the game that they have mastered it! The reaching of levels in-between is the strong motivation needed to continue and learn more! Gee's (2011) "situated and embodied learning" concept empowers the learner. The learner is able to solve problems with what he or she knows and to learn and articulate their knowledge to others. The assessment is integrated with the learning, not outside of it. Until we change the practices of our education system it is more difficult for us to embrace the gaming world of our students.

So "is school for learning, or not?" Yes it is but we have to be mindful of the culture that our students live in and learn through, outside of school. If these gaming activities that they are immersed in are challenging them to use a complex array of thinking skills then we need to be providing opportunities for them to be challenged and think in creative and innovative ways. The use of games sends a message to students that their activities and their youth culture is valued and important but the teacher needs to plan for this appropriately. Williamson says the role of the teacher is paramount, 'the role of the teacher is to design a learning experience and to identify how a video game or a certain part of a video game can support that learning experience' (2011). No longer can teachers sit on the fence and say that they don't know what their students are doing with video games. As a teacher in the 21st Century we are obligated to know what the students are using and evaluate ways that they may be used in the curriculum so that the students can see the real applications for these skills in their lives and how they connect to their school learning.

Reference List

Big Think (2011) Playing games in the Classroom. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA7KuOyH3PQ

Wiliamson, Ben & Robertson, Derek (2009). Games and learning. Benefits and challenges of using computer games in the classroom.  Futurelab UK (podcast 14 mins) http://media.futurelab.org.uk/podcasts/becta_talks/games/

Gee, James. (2011) Digital Media: New learners of the Twenty-First Century (video 5mins 50secs) http://video.pbs.org/video/1767377460

MINING THE FUN OUT OF VIDEO GAMES

My interview with Dude11 revealed that he loves to play the video game, Minecraft. Not only that but he uses YouTube and cheat sites to learn as much about this game as he can to improve his performance and success.  He even purchases print based texts to deepen his knowledge and understanding of the game. It got me thinking of the educational value of Minecraft and how it could be used as a tool for learning? This game was obviously engaging Dude 11 in ways beyond the game itself to further his skills and knowledge of the game. But on the flipside I find myself wondering if it would be an invasion of a child’s own space, one that is for the world outside of school only. What if the enjoyment he derives from playing the video game, Minecraft, is cruelled, because we have used it as a teaching tool in the classroom? Would we, the educators, be overstepping the mark and taking away some last bits of fun and excitement, reserved for home time.

The following clip from the Idea Channel, created by America’s Public Broadcasting Service Digital Studios for YouTube, promotes the educational value of Minecraft and raises some interesting, thought-provoking questions for educators (2013). 

The Idea Channel’s host, Mike Rugnetta, asserts that the value of Minecraft is that it is a fun, inexpensive video game that promotes many of the characteristics that we want to develop in 21^st Century learners. It can be collaborative, engaging, allows for creative thinking and problem solving, enables students to be in charge of their own challenges and differentiates for the diversity of learners (2013). The difference between this game and other games is that it can be specialised to cater for a variety of learning and teaching situations and can be used across a variety of subject areas. Rugnetta states that despite the problems associated with cost to schools and technological issues of implementation, video games will be and should be used in schools. However he also asks the question, how far we should go in blurring the lines between entertainment and education and therefore, how far should we go in using video games in education?

At my school we have used Minecraft Edu to provide for an extension group of 'gifted and talented' students. The program has been used as an optional club-type activity for students to attend if they have an interest in this area. The students are given some direction to create for a particular purpose and encouraged to collaborate together to solve problems and create innovative worlds. Mostly, those students taking up the offer, use Minecraft out of school and have joined to further their interest and learn from one  another. An unexpected outcome of this initiative, is the discovery of some students who demonstrate higher-order thinking skills to problem solve quite complex situations. These students do not normally demonstrate these skills and are quite often less likely to complete tasks or demonstrate enthusiasm for more traditional tasks. However the use of Minecraft in this program has been limited and to be able to draw conclusions about the educational benefits is also limited. The students certainly did not view the use of Minecraft at school, as an intrusion on their out-of-school entertainment, however it was not used extensively to draw any further conclusions.

Williamson, makes the point that games are a major part of many young people's lives already and that their power as an educational tool is undeniable (2009). However I'm not convinced that we, as educators, are ready to adopt video games into our educational practice, simply because they are engaging and develop ICT skills and higher-order thinking skills. I believe that we would need to be clear about why we are using the game and how it fits with curriculum intentions. Undeniably there are educational advantages in playing Minecraft, whether inside or outside of school. We need to be aware of what our students are capable of doing in these gaming spaces and ensure that we are providing opportunities for the use and development of high-order thinking skills. 

As a result of this blog post, the use of video games as an educational tool is something that I would like to explore further.

Reference List

 America’s Public Broadcasting Service Digital Studios (2013). Is Minecraft the Ultimate Educational Tool? (video: 5 mins 56 sec). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI0BN5AWOe8

Williamson, Ben (2009). Computer games, schools and young people: a report for educators on using games for learning. Futurelab, UK. http://archive.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/project_reports/becta/Games_and_Learning_educators_report.pdf