Hello all -
By this time next year I will have met all my educational goals - - - -well, almost. That is I will have achieved a Masters, but there is still another degree I want. But after 6 intense years of school I just may take a semester off.
I currently live in Fairmont and work at the Frank & Jane Gabor WV Folklife Center on campus. I am a Graduate Assistant there and love the work I'm doing. It is a fun and challenging environment, with great staff & faculty. I love the interactions with students! It is the type of setting that I hope to be able to teach in, someday!
I hope to work in the museum field, where I will be able to apply technology (including gaming) to the context. I believe strongly that history and museums need to put more effort into bridging the gap between generations. Young people today are dependent upon interaction to engage. I hope this class will show new ways to do just that.
According to my children I am not a gamer, according to my mother I am. I am currently enjoying (perhaps that's not the correct term) FarmVille2 on Facebook. I have gone through brief periods of addiction to Facebook games, and I do FB regularly. I have played various other games, who remembers Atari? I was pretty good at Centipede. I have a WII, although it is not hooked up. It's here for when the grandkids come to visit.
I have mixed reactions to gaming. The rule in my home regarding games was simple, no blood, gore, or violence, Mom & Dad were the judge on that! We rented games before we purchased! As computer gaming was in its infancy we required the kids to spend an equal amount of time on Mavis Beacon teaches typing as they did on computer games. As a result, all 5 of the kids can type - correctly!
March 2, 1965 - The Sound of Music opens at the Ravoli Theatre in NYC.
March 8, US Marines arrive in South Vietnam. The first US combat troops to arrive. I remember watching the fall of Saigon on the news.
March 25, Martin Luther King Jr. completes the march to Montgomery, AL. It was a year of turmoil for civil rights, but there was hope for a better future.
This article in Science Daily discusses how the affect of video games on children is not all black and white.
I found the article you linked to very beneficial. I agree that video gaming effects have both the positive effects and the negative effects. But there is also alot of gray area. I think that you would enjoy the video that I posted on my blog because it discusses much of the gray area of video games and how it can truly be an educational experience even when it appears that it is not.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I like reading about both sides of the argument and getting different perspectives. I can definitely see the benefits of educational video games. I agree with your rules about no blood and violence; I just don't see how those can be good for kids.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't born yet, so I don't remember those events.
I like your rule of same amount of time on Mavis Beacon and games. Typing is such an important skill. It needs to be taught at a young age. How do we expect children to take online writing assessments without basic typing skills? But, I'll get off my soapbox.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to say - I do not remember 1965. However, that is the year my mother graduated from high school.
I found that article too while I was researching - I really liked how it showed both negative & positive aspects of gaming. I love the rule about equal time typing as gaming. Right now, my 8 year old has to earn video game time, but I let him get on typing website as much as he likes. I think I might start that rule in my house (I bet he'd learn how to type a lot faster that way!).
ReplyDeleteI wasn't born yet in 1965, but I love The Sound of Music!
Watch The Sound of Music many times! A childhood ritual!
ReplyDeleteYou sound like my mother-in-law with FB games. She also goes through brief addiction periods ;).
ReplyDeleteI was not born in in 1965, but am also a fan of The Sound of Music!
I like the policy that your parents had for gaming with the typing instruction used to balance out time on games. I will pass on that advice to my 3 sisters that each have 2 children.
ReplyDeleteI was not born in 1965 but those are good events to present the year to others.
I like the idea of renting video games before purchasing them. That is a great idea for parents!
ReplyDeleteI love the Sound of Music. I think it's fitting that you mentioned Martin Luther King Jr. since this is the time of his holiday.
Hi Jane! (That was hard to type because I kept typing my name out of instinct)
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a very busy lady but that’s the way I like it because time flies when you are having fun.
I find it interesting that your Mom says you are a gamer and your children think you are not. I guess I could be at times considered a gamer because I go through periods where I get addicted to Facebook games. This is usually when there are not classes to entertain my mind. It usually doesn’t last long because I lose interest when I realize there is no actual point. I remember Atari and Centipede. I have enjoyed both games at times.
I like your household rule of Mom and Dad are the judge. I feel it is important for children to be monitored. They are exposing their minds to new things and you want those experiences to not include violence and gore. I also feel renting games before buying them is a good plan. That is a great way to test the game before you and your child owns it. It is great that you made your children learn to type. It is so important in today’s society. Congrats on your children’s typing skills!
I was not even a twinkle in my parent’s eyes when you were born. Therefore I do not remember any of these events but I have heard of all of them.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jane,
ReplyDeleteYou sound like you had similar views on gaming for your kids as my mom had for me and my sisters. We never had a gaming system except for my brother's old Atari! Which was awesome (or so we thought). Thus, we thought playing video games at other kids' houses was so exciting. But I am glad I didn't have any other game systems as a kid anyhow. I wasn't alive the year you were born, but wow, that was such a turbulent time, and I obviously have read all about the events that happened the year you were born.