Technology in Children Education
what her own children do.
TECHNOLOGY
Let them teach you how
they engage with games and
INTEGRATING
other digital media. Let
"One of the reasons people
them talk about it; reflect
are
video
on it, because this is very
related
good for their learning. For
because
them to become meta-aware
they put you into worlds
about what they do, how
where you have to solve
they do it, why they do it,
problems. One thing games
what more they could do
don‟t really do is separate
with it -- that itself is a
learning and assessment.
good teaching tool. So the
They don‟t say learn some
first thing you‟d need to do
interested
games
in
and
technologies
is
stuff and then later we‟ll take a test. They‟re
is being an ethnographer of your own kids, with
giving you feedback all the time about the
respect for their knowledge and letting them
learning curve that you‟re on. All you do is
teach it, and for the diversity of kids' interests.
getting assessed, every moment, as you try to
The second thing you can do is that you can find
solve a problem. If you don‟t solve it, the game
the resources and other people all over the web
says, "You fail, try again," and then you solve it.
who are using a variety of digital tools in
Then you have a boss, which is a test, and you
different settings and schools. Your setting
pass the test. (Games are) part of the solution of
might be very restrictive, or your setting might
getting kids in school to learn not just
be very liberal, but you can go and find other
knowledge as facts, but knowledge as something
people out there doing it."
you produce. And in the modern world, you
produce collaboratively."
James Paul Gee
James Paul Gee is a Professor of Literacy
"How are we really going to reform schools
when the people going into teaching are not
really digitally savvy -- even when they‟re
young -- not as savvy as the kids? The first thing
Studies at Arizona State University, and faculty
affiliate
of
the Games,
Learning,
and
Society group at the University of Wisconsin–
Madison.
the teacher needs to do is to understand what
kids do and the range of it; she has to understand
EM Education Magazine