Part of my focus on video games is to explore and learn more about how video games can be used for learning. I know there has been a lot of research on this and the one expert I would like to learn more from is James Paul Gee. He has written a book, published in 2007 called What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. I read this book while on vacation in Massachusetts and I really enjoyed it.
James Paul Gee was born in 1948 and works at Arizona State University as a Professor of Literary Studies. He was not a gamer but decided to become one after watching how much his son became absorbed in a video game and he wanted to find out more about the video game world himself. It was interesting to read about his experience and how he connected it to learning. Most of the comparisons of learnings in a video game with learnings in school were in the science field so it was applicable to my understandings.
He identified 36 learning principles of video games. He organized these into 6 different learning theory areas - Semiotic domains, learning and identity, situated meaning and learning, telling and doing, cultural models and the social mind. I liked this organization and I enjoyed learning about his experiences with different types of games. This information seems to justify what I know about what we learn from playing video games. However, I am looking more for how we can actually bring video games into school and use them for learning.
Lately it appears that Dr. Gee is running a course on Coursera and has summed up the learning principles under only 3 categories of learning - Empowered learners, Problem-based learning, and deep understanding. Here is a the video for How Games Teach:
James Paul Gee was born in 1948 and works at Arizona State University as a Professor of Literary Studies. He was not a gamer but decided to become one after watching how much his son became absorbed in a video game and he wanted to find out more about the video game world himself. It was interesting to read about his experience and how he connected it to learning. Most of the comparisons of learnings in a video game with learnings in school were in the science field so it was applicable to my understandings.
He identified 36 learning principles of video games. He organized these into 6 different learning theory areas - Semiotic domains, learning and identity, situated meaning and learning, telling and doing, cultural models and the social mind. I liked this organization and I enjoyed learning about his experiences with different types of games. This information seems to justify what I know about what we learn from playing video games. However, I am looking more for how we can actually bring video games into school and use them for learning.
Lately it appears that Dr. Gee is running a course on Coursera and has summed up the learning principles under only 3 categories of learning - Empowered learners, Problem-based learning, and deep understanding. Here is a the video for How Games Teach:
My next book will be to read Reality is Broken - Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal.
