Blog #11: Gaming in Affinity Spaces
Until I thought about it, I never really considered myself a “gamer,” in the sense that I sit in front of a computer screen with a headset for hours trying to master level after level while communicating with people online. Yet, I do find myself on my phone playing Angry Birds occasionally while a significant amount of time passes. The point is, online gaming has become a gigantic part of popular culture for all sorts of people. Kids especially love gaming. Teachers are recognizing this, and it is even being engrained into school curriculum. On the topic of gaming, James Paul Gee states that “For humans, real learning is always associated with pleasure, is ultimately a form of play” (Gee, 2013, pg. 316). With the vast number of educational games that are available, gaming is quickly becoming a welcomed new literacy.
The game I have chosen to focus on is “Kahoot.” Currently, I
use it with my first graders to help me assess their knowledge of the basic ELA
skills I am teaching them. The site already has a vast library of games already
made to choose from, but I enjoy creating my own games for the kids; it helps
me steer the instruction the way I need it to go (plus I like to add little specific
things to make my kids laugh occasionally). I create the questions along with
the multiple-choice answers, and I can also add graphics and even short videos as
visual aids. The students seem to have fun playing the games, and even get
excited when I mention we might be playing that day. Their enthusiasm, in turn,
inspires me to continue creating the games that cover more topics, and also
motivates me to search for even more games to play with the class. Quiz games
like Kahoot can work in almost any grade or with any subject. It is an easy way
for teachers to make the content area a little more interesting.
The adoption of gaming into learning spaces continues to be
studied and built upon. Matthew Coopilton mentions that it “adds urgency to
educators’ efforts to implement decades of research on game literacies learning
inside and outside of the classroom” (Coopilton, 2022, pg. 223). Expanding on
this further, he adds “Critical literacies scholars interested in gaming have
begun to call for studying how critical literacies might move beyond… critique
towards also imagining future worlds free from [social] oppression. (pg. 224). The
Kahoot games I make are simple: they are helping my first-graders with their
reading skills. Yet if gaming continues to evolve in this way, it could lead to
some astonishing and unifying breakthroughs in education. I for one am eager to
see—and perhaps even utilize—whatever results from this.
References:
Coopilton, M. (2022). Critical
game literacies and critical speculative imagination: a theoretical and
conceptual review. Gamevironments, 17, Article 17. https://doi.org/10.48783/gameviron.v17i17.196
Hi Joe!
ReplyDeleteI was a huge gamer growing up. I grew up with all boys, so I just followed whatever they were doing. Even after getting a little older, I played games alone. This died down in high school and my undergraduate years. However, my brother bought me a Nintendo Switch last June for my birthday. It is safe to say I fell in love with playing games again! Whenever I have free time, my boyfriend and I play various games together. I think this helped me understand kids more, too. How can they not love it if I do?!
Anyways, Kahoot is a great educational game. I also like to use it in "simple" ways so that students don't feel a huge amount of performance pressure knowing the class will know their score. Next year, I want to prep more Kahoot and Blooket games that adhere to my specific curriculum so I can incorporate it more often. It is a great way to get kids engaged and working!