Urgent: Games Needed In Our Schools/Sustainable Development Lessons

            From parent to child, teacher to student, there has always been a generation gap. Kids do things differently, say strange words and wear weird clothing that their predecessors cannot puzzle out. With every gap comes a bridge. There have always been things such as books, classroom lectures, and communicating face-to-face that each generation had in common.

Then came the digital natives. They get their information online, through reading, listening, and watching. They do not process our lectures, preferring to learn through games. They text each other when in the same room. The students of today learn and communicate differently.

Marshal McLuhan believed that the medium is the message, changing the way we learn. The alphabet gets us to think in a linear fashion, focusing on the use of the eyes. The book is an extension of the alphabet and through the depravation of the other senses (especially the ears), man became desensitized; he became civilized. With the technological age, all the senses are being used and man is no longer desensitized. His focus is away from the written word, moving towards a more complete experience.  

This is a pivotal moment in history, especially for educators. When books first came into print, teachers had the opportunity to use this new wealth and help the next generation move forward. Well it is happening again. Technology is the new wealth and we can choose to try to force our students to hold to the old ways, or we can move forward and embrace this change.

Digital natives already know how to learn and they do it well. How many times have you asked a teenager to help you with a piece of technology? I recently asked my 13-year-old nephew to help me with my iPod. He solved my problem in under one minute. This is evidence of learning, and of problem solving, and a lot of it is self-taught. If teachers can tap into this, there is no limit to what these students can do.

The average college graduate has spent over 10,000 hours playing video games. This is about the same amount of time it takes to become an expert at something.  Many high school students are on their way to becoming experts in the field of gaming.  In role-playing games like World of Warcraft, students spend a lot of their free time playing, researching, and using their critical thinking skills in order to improve their stats in the game. This process can be transferred to helping students learn content material.

There are games out there that have already begun to bridge the gap to education in relation to curriculum. Myst is a game that aids in developing literacy skills. It can be used to build vocabulary and creativity and also has fun activities like brain puzzles. Teachers have successfully incorporated this game into classes. They find it beneficial as it engages students and helps them to use their senses when reading and writing.

The Institute for the Future has made virtual-games that focus on real world issues, asking the gamers to provide solutions to these problems. Huge issues like the oil shortage and world hunger are tackled. These games are empowering as great ideas can receive seed funding, and great thinkers can receive mentors who are specialists. Essentially these games are being used as a medium to a better future. Gamers have changed their habits, extending what they learned during play and applied it to everyday life. Many have kept these habits, thus reducing their carbon footprint.

         I believe that these are great but what teachers need is a game that fits with our curriculum content and goals. It needs the curriculum content in the game, or a way for teachers to tailor the game by inserting this information. The game needs to bridge the gap between disciplines, to join science and math with English and history for a more complete education. If this can be done, it will help bring creativity back to the classroom. Subjects are a construct that was created for the classroom but the real world is not categorized into separate disciplines. Ken Robinson believes that most creative ideas come from a combination of disciplines. Imagine the creative potential if we as teachers could constantly make connections between subject areas. 

         That is why I like role-playing games. They can meet these requirements. Content could be inserted into the games as challenges. A game on solving murders in ancient Rome could incorporate history and science in the journey to solving the crime. (BBC has made such games.)

         If all schools had just one game that incorporated curriculum across disciplines, it would be the start of a snowball. Students would identify with the medium. Their interest in the game would be a motivator for doing homework disguised as challenges with immediate gratification scores. Students would enjoy school and become more engaged when in the classroom as they would be knowledgeable on the topics.

         There are many positive side effects. Through the gaming blogs, students would be able to communicate with other students who are using the game. This means the classroom has just expanded to include all those using the game. What if everyone in Canada used this game? What if we gave it to third world countries to use? Through the ensuing communication, what would our world gain? Of course all of this is speculation, or is it? 

         While thinking about these questions, please take the time to visit the following sources. Many of the ideas you have read came from them. I have also created a video and podcast on my idea to create a role-playing game specifically for our schools. In addition, I have prepared a series of lesson plans incorporating games. Feel free to try them out. All you need are computers and the internet. The first lesson was compiled by myself and two other individuals. The second lesson I created on my own.
Lesson 1: Sustainability in Grade 12 World Geography
Lesson2: Sustainability Using Games

Also, if you have access to Netflix, there is a movie called The Ecological Footprint which is a 30 minute film where "A scientist outlines an accounting tool that he co-created to measure Earth's supply of natural resources and how much of that supply we are using." This is Netflix' description of the video. Another film called Radically Simple (35 minutes long) is about "Crusading author, engineer and sustainable living advocate Jim Merkel (who) demonstrates and exemplifies a less resource-intensive lifestyle." Then there is Broken Limbs, Thirst, Homeland, Think Global Act Rural, Araya, and Swim for the River are some other films that touch on this topic, all available on Netflix.

         I thank you for valuing my writing enough to read it this far. I leave you with a few quotes.

“It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted.”

Linda Conway

“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. “

Carl Jung

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

Benjamin Franklin

Sites referenced:

Marshal McLuhan (video)

Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky

Gaming Can Make a Better World by Jane McGonigal (video)

Games Mentioned:

Myst 

BBC History Games

World Without Oil

Urgent Evoke