web2.0_pedagogy_PSU

Many games are designed for player to take on certain identites to role play. However, does these identites really engage people is another question. Sometimes it might be because there are not many choices.

Those who are familiar with playing video games what are the range of roles and who would be most likely to identify with those roles? Since I have sons it may be that they and their friends play games that do not have roles I identify with or desire to try out but its more than gender, it is also age, and difference in interests.

This thinking came up when i was playing the games in G4C. I questioned why do I want to be a refugee or other identities? When students are introduced to differnt games, do they really want to take the identities the game designed to play? From my experience, fantasy identity is most popular. The popularization of these games, such of World of Warcrafts, can explain this. Even avatars people who created in SL are fantasies. ideal self is a fantasy.

what are the potential and limiation of avatar creation in art education?

Both of these-anonymity as well as the possibility of causing a stereotype, prejudice, and preferential treatment depending on avatars' appearances-could be main limitations of avatar creation in the SL.

Akrasia This is a must-play game. I LOVE this game. It is a piece of artwork that is very thought provoking. It didn't present the intent directly, but the meaning of the game is emerging though the play. At first, you might need to spend some time to figure out what happen, and from my experience, even if I knew the goal is to find the exit, I would enjoy just play in the joyful environment. This reflects the psychology of addiction (and a lot of other things also applicable). I think the game is a good lesson content itself. It not only can function as a way to motive students, but also can provide a lot of dialogues and discussion after playing the game. BTW, This reminds me an art piece "Game, game, game, and again game" http://www.secrettechnology.com/gamegame/gamegame6.html

Your comments really interested me in playing this game. I have tried to get this to open on my computer without sucess. The profiles I was able to access, and the demos were beautiful.

Energyville This is a sample game about energy planning. The objective is clear and direct. I found the game not so attractive to me, because although I can choose different energy to use in my city, there are many restrictions too. This is in fact the reality for considering energy source. My score is very poor ranked in compare to other people. I think through playing it many times, people will be able to learning from the mistakes and learn how to balance energy source. In a course content, since this game provide information about energy source, it can be a good way to teach these knowledge. Students can participate in challenge with peers. This will be more fun than reading a textbook or listening to a lecture.

Energyville: I also played this game. This game was based around economics, the environment, and fuel usage. It was pretty effective with communicating its view, but I think it would have been better if designed a little differently. There was a lot of text and information to be gained from this site, which I found very useful. It explained pros and cons about each of the different fuel sources and how much it would challenge your city. I didn't have a good sense of how much money I had and was more concerned about meeting demand with supplies. I found the game fun to play and was able to take away a lot more concrete information form this game then the other game. I felt like this game was directly providing knowledge, while the other game I played was indirectly teaching me something. This could be incorporated into a unit about economics, environmental science/art, social change, globalism, etc. Since this game provides direct facts and information, this game could fit into any structured educational environment. Students who play the game, as long as they read, will be able to learn impact from fuel use, what is using most fuels in cities, and possibly solutions. I agree that this would be a great supplement to reading a text book.

Ayiti: The Cost of Life. It is based around the idea of poverty in Haiti and how difficult it is for families to get past it. I played this game three times, and every single time I lost, my whole family died. I could not get past the 3rd year without having my whole entire family die. I created different strategies each time. The first time, I thought education was so important, so I tried to get the three kids in school for at least 2 out of the 4 times the seasons changed. The family ran out of money, then got too sick to work, and they ended up all dying. The second time, I decided to split up the family, have one child go to school and the other 4 work. This strategy worked a little better, but same result. Last try, I worked everyone and tried to create enough money for the family to live off of, but unfortunately, once someone is sick, you cannot seem to make them better without a few seasons in the hospital, which is expensive. I am interested to see if someone else who plays this gets a different result! Anyways, I thought this game was fun, but frustrating. It really did show how difficult it can be to get a family out of trouble, especially with 3 children, living expensive, health concerns, and education. Since I played 3 times and failed all of them, I would say it is very effective in communicating its view. This game could be incorporated in a unit about social change, human rights, poverty, living conditions in 3rd world countries, etc. Students could play this game and get a broad idea on what it could be like taking responsibility for a family. I think this may be a good introduction to what people in other areas could be facing since learning is indirect.

Right, Ashley. I also could not win if even one of family member studies continuously. I could win when I focus only on family's health and economy.

This game reminded me a little bit of Oregon Trail which I played in grade school. The user is placed in a situation to make a set of decisions that simulate the reality of a person in a particular situation. By faming learning in this way the student might "own" some of the issues in a way that will cause them to remember the facts presented. I think a summary would be helpful so that the student could review the key understandings about poverty and hunger.

I am not sure this is a game I would use to tach about homelessness. It has a lot of stereotypes and does not get to anything thing on the causes of homelessness.

This game does do a good job at showing the importance of goats and it was fun and engaging. It would be a useful tool when discussing what is important to the livelihood of people in high poverty areas.