I'm Heather Summers. I'm from Fairmont, WV, but I live in Morgantown. I'm a math teacher at North Marion High School. I plan to learn a lot from this class. Hopefully, I can learn how to make an educational math game, so that my students won't be bored with lectures (especially my Algebra Support students). I used to be a big gamer, but since I started college, I'm definitely not a "gamer" any more. However, I like to play sudoku and logic games on my free time.
I believe that most video games, like Grand Theft Auto, are a waste of time. I do know that some games are quite entertaining and educational. My school actually has a Globaloria class, where students create educational games as a summary at the end of the year. I believe that, like everything, some things must be in moderation.
Three major events that occured the year I was born:
January 24: Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed in Florida.
February 15: The nine year Soviet occupation of Afghanistan ends when the Soviet Union announces that all of its troops have left the country.
June 13: The wreck of the German World War II battleship Bismarck is located 600 miles of of the coast of France.
Heather it is great to have a class with you again and here that you are doing well. :)
ReplyDeleteI think that we were born in the same year? 1988?
I think that you made a great point in saying that video games are great educational aid - but they are that. Teaching and other activities must be completed to teach all of the content. Video games are great for a supplemental activity - they are not going to teach all of the necessary skills, but they could be inspired in the learning process by using video games.
Heather, I also agree that games such as Grand Theft Auto or any violent, fighting/shooting game is a waste of time. I just don't see the point of them. However, I do like the educational games that I have observed while student teaching. They were very motivational and effective for student learning.
ReplyDeleteI would have been a toddler when those events happened, so I don't remember them, but I have heard a lot about Ted Bundy.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGames, even violent ones, help students develop spatial intelligence and problem skills. Also, research has found that there is no correlation between violent video games and violence in the real world.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't let my kids play violent video games. I think they are creepy and I like you Heather, just don't see the point when there are plenty of non-violent video games kids can play to develop spatial intelligence and problem solving skills.
Games can be a great educational aid. My 8-year old daughter has been playing Minecraft. It's boxes and seems extremely tedious to me; however, she has learned how to create very sophisticated designs.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, one of the things we did each night after dinner was watch the news. I remember seeing about Ted Bundy's execution.
Hello Heather! We had a few undergrad classes together before we were old married ladies ;). I think we were born the same year- 89? I don't "get" violent video games either.
ReplyDeleteThere is a saying, "everything in moderation, including moderation." I like the sounds of the gaming class. That will relate well for another course in the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that most violent games are a waste of time because they have no basis in reality, unlike educational games that can teach a skill to students.
ReplyDeleteI remember the end of the Soviets in Afghanistan because I like Rambo as a boy and the 3rd movie was about the Soviets in Afghanistan but the Soviets left before the movie came out.
Greetings Heather!
ReplyDeleteI also seemed to have more time for gaming before starting college. I did not have to work nearly as hard to make it through high school.
I agree some games are a waste of time. I also cannot see the point of Grand Theft Auto other than teaching someone to steal cars and beat people up. I also agree that some games are educational and entertaining. These games can be useful for teaching skills such as reading or math. I find it interesting that your school has a class where students learn to create educational games. I feel if the students are creating the games then it will me more suited to their interests than a game designed by an adult. Like you said all things in moderation.
If my searching is correct you were born in 1989. I started kindergarten in the fall of 89. I cannot say I remember any of your events but I have at least heard of them.
Thanks for sharing!
Heather, I have similar views as you toward gaming. I agree that there are some games that kids shouldn't even be playing. Everything in moderation seems to be a recurrent theme in attitudes toward video games. I do not remember any of the events you talked about, though they are interesting. I remember learning about Ted Bundy though from my friend at college that was really into serial killers and criminal stuff. I don't really like thinking about serial killers. It freaks me out.
ReplyDelete