A second blog? I need a second blog? Who knew that my journey into reinventing my teaching practice would bring me here?
Melanie McBride, I hold you fully, well ... maybe not fully ... responsible for this outcome.
Back in January, my students decided that the unit we were studying would be an excellent basis for a video game. I agreed and set out to determine how we could accomplish this. My first thought was to go to the top. I want game design? I might as well speak with the experts. I tried contacting a prominent gaming company in Toronto for advice, but alas, my email was ignored. In hindsight, this was probably a wise decision on their part. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
I came across an interesting article by one Melanie McBride, a Canadian educator, researcher and writer focused on situated emergent learning, transmedia and affinity culture in virtual learning environments and gaming spaces. Perfect, I thought, she can point me in the right direction. I contacted her, requesting some advice on teaching my students how to design video games.
And so began a lengthy series of emails between Melanie and myself in which she very patiently helped me understand why my approach to this task was incorrect.
Melanie was adamant about three things:
1. Introducing game design into my classroom without having experienced the culture and world of gaming myself was bad pedagogy.
2. I needed to talk with my students who are gamers and let them teach me what it means to be a gamer.
3. I needed to become a gamer.
And so it begins. I've decided to become a gamer. My game of choice is Minecraft. This blog will document my learning process, insights and discoveries as I enter this alien world. I hope what I learn will be helpful to others.
Melanie McBride, I hold you fully, well ... maybe not fully ... responsible for this outcome.
Back in January, my students decided that the unit we were studying would be an excellent basis for a video game. I agreed and set out to determine how we could accomplish this. My first thought was to go to the top. I want game design? I might as well speak with the experts. I tried contacting a prominent gaming company in Toronto for advice, but alas, my email was ignored. In hindsight, this was probably a wise decision on their part. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
I came across an interesting article by one Melanie McBride, a Canadian educator, researcher and writer focused on situated emergent learning, transmedia and affinity culture in virtual learning environments and gaming spaces. Perfect, I thought, she can point me in the right direction. I contacted her, requesting some advice on teaching my students how to design video games.
And so began a lengthy series of emails between Melanie and myself in which she very patiently helped me understand why my approach to this task was incorrect.
Melanie was adamant about three things:
1. Introducing game design into my classroom without having experienced the culture and world of gaming myself was bad pedagogy.
2. I needed to talk with my students who are gamers and let them teach me what it means to be a gamer.
3. I needed to become a gamer.
And so it begins. I've decided to become a gamer. My game of choice is Minecraft. This blog will document my learning process, insights and discoveries as I enter this alien world. I hope what I learn will be helpful to others.
