Quote: "Using games such as Civilization III in social studies is complex and requires a willingness to think creatively and expansively about the curriculum."
Response: Utilizing video games in any type of education is complex. We have learned about many situations where integrating technology in education is a positive experience for students, but studies also show that there needs to be strong teacher support, creativity, and the ability to think outside the box. Providing access to the technology is not enough, there must be context added to and built upon for gaming and technology to be an effective learning tool.
Resource: Fireaxis Games, the company that makes Civilization III and other similar games. The company was born in 1996 at a high technolgy point in time where games were exploding. The company has undergone many changes, including merging with another company. They continue to develop additions and changes to their series of "Civilization" games.
The development of an "educator" component under their communities is currently falling short of what is needed to make the game easily integratable into education. The company utilizes quote from educators, such as Dr. Kurt Squire, University of Wisconsin, Madison, but these quotes are fluff for the company, not actual not actual support for the teachability and context usage of the product. The company would serve itsself well if it were to offer an educators forum and curriculum support for the inclusion of their games in education. Developing curriculum support would help to lessen the complexity of utilizing this particular game in the classroom setting.
Works Cited
Kurt squires civworld. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.firaxis.com/educators/index.php?page=COMMTF07
Lee, J. K., & Probert, J. (2010). Civilization iii and whole-class play in high school social studies. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 34(1), 1-28. Retrieved from http://dhpp.org/images/researchpubs/lee article 34.1.pdf
I really like the idea of having a forum and curriculum support where educators can go to learn about how to incorporate the Civilization game into their classroom. After reading about the game, I think it would be a great, interactive tool to use for teaching social studies. However, I would be a little wary of using it myself because it does seem very complex to use; it covers very broad topics, so I would be concerned if I could use it to teach a specific content area. Having support resources would encourage me to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that having access to technology is not enough for a teacher to use it effectively. Teacher training in how to utilize technology for educational gains is crucial. It's really awesome that a gaming company is supportive of figuring out how to use their games in a classroom context. Great Resource. I think Abigail's comment about having that resource to encourage her to use it rings true for me too!
ReplyDeleteI think the creators are afraid that if they support teachers to use the games kids might stop playing them. It might make the game become "uncool".
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