Thank You Video Games

Throughout my life I have been “surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age;” so, by Marc Prensky’s definition I would be considered a digital native (Prensky, 2001, p.1). But as I sit in class and learn about blogs, webcasts/podcasts, flash animation, MMORPG, and the slew of new tech-y vocab, I start to wonder “how quickly am I becoming a digital geezer.”
1988 was a great year to be a 5 year old and as I opened my Nintendo Entertainment System that Christmas, my parents must have sensed a change in the wind. I vividly remember my Mom saying, “This is the last video game system you’ll ever have,” apparently she knew there were more consoles to follow the NES and, more significantly, that the digital age was upon us.
As I’ve aged, I continue to use “digital technology” on a daily basis. I own a cell phone, watch digital TV, own an IPod, and still enjoy video games but I feel a disconnect happening between me and some of the new technology. I just don’t understand the point of blogging. I do not feel the need to publicly write about myself nor spend the extra time staring blankly at a computer screen. My introspection is best saved for a notebook (one full of lined paper, not a laptop computer) that is kept to myself. I also feel that blogging has watered down journalism (which is obvious from my writing skills) and made a certifiable reporter out of anyone. Enough of my rant though; I’ve got to find a way to love the blog.
Since second grade, my classrooms have either had a computer in them or a lab nearby. Oregon Trail and Number Crunchers were the games of choice in elementary school followed by SimCity in middle and high school. In addition to the video games, TV’s and VCR’s (and later DVD players) became the norm in most classes. Broadcasting student-ran announcements, (using classroom TVs) was a standard during middle and high school. The use of the internet has been an acceptable form of reference since I was in 6th or 7th grade. In college, there were few activities that did not involve a computer. Hell, it’s even possible to earn college degrees strictly through online courses. Although, the integration of digital tools into the classroom has made great strides, Marc Prensky points out, “We need to invent Digital Native methodologies for all subjects, at all levels,” and this is yet to be accomplished.
The ability of our new technology to spread information has made learning more diverse, efficient, and available to more students. Using a computer a student can ask the teacher a question, finish their research, type their research paper, submit their assignment, and check their grade all without getting up (if there weren’t food, water, or bathroom breaks in between). The use of a PowerPoint presentation can diversify learning by mixing lecture notes, relatable images or graphs, videos, music, and games into an entertaining lesson (and isn’t our goal to be as entertaining as we are educational?).
These articles have reinforced my belief in using digital technology in the classroom. They also helped me understand that there are more digital classroom technologies than DVDs (and soon Blu-ray) and Wikipedia. Using blogs for more than opinion columns IS possible. Creating a class blog to easily share information with all students is going is common in many classrooms today and a fixture in all classrooms in the near future. I plan on incorporating digital technology into my classroom by making sure to include many games in the lesson plans, as Prensky suggested, “Why not make the learning into a video game” (Prensky, 2001, p. 5). There is no sense in fighting the proliferation of digital technologies that work themselves into the lives of our students and therefore into our classroom. It is best to welcome the advancements and learn how to use them effectively before we become digital immigrants. Even though I was told “no more video games,” the digital movement was just too strong for my Mom to keep at bay; I am confident my students will thank my Mom for relenting and helping me learn the skills of THE FUTURE…

Prensky, M. (2001). On the Horizon: Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Vol. 9. No. 5, October, 2001. MCB University Press