Discovering The Awesomeness Of Multiplayer Video Games - Interview With Seann Dikkers PhD
In 2011, 97% of youth in American played some type of video game each week! Gaming is trending across all generations with millions of people “running into” the world of video games – including the young as well as the elderly. Video games, for example, are being used in senior care homes to refresh memory, build hand-eye coordination and foster social interaction through games of Wii Bowling. VIDEO GAME IS JUST ANOTHER FORM OF MEDIA. Dr. Dikkers regards video gaming the same as other media such as movies and music. It has become part of our society and just like heavy metal music, is not the causal factor of violent behaviors. In fact, as game play increases violent behaviors decrease. Seann examines digital game design and teaching and learning. What can we learn from video games to provide a meaningful experience in classrooms? GAMERS REGULATE THE GAMING ENVIRONMENT. Seann shares that this happens in digital spaces where people gather to do fun things and the human nature is to produce systems within the social group to manage abhorrent behavior of individuals. Dr. Dikkers adds that there are websites, such as Common Sense Media, that adults can access to obtain reviews of games. TEACHING ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING & PARENTING IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Seann shares that many games are about ethical decision-making and each decision has an impact on the overall storyline. This is common among role playing games and those are actually the games that Dr. Dikkers enjoy playing side-by-side with his children so the video game is a medium for a social relationship and discussions about choices and consequences. HOW DO SCHOOLS ADOPT GAMES? Dr. Dikkers indicated that this question is the center of current research in gaming in educational setting. Teachers are learning digital literacy. To facilitate expansion of teachers’ gaming knowledge base, he urges educators to watch how games are designed, such as World of Warcraft, to look at what roles students are given and what missions they are given. Lesson plans could follow how game designers capture the attention of children and then build the child’s skills. Seann shared that schools are able to set up intra-district servers to house games in order to allow students to game with each other, but not with the entire outside world. He re-iterates that Minecraft is a very popular game to use in schools and can be the medium by which to foster curriculum about math, reading, science, problem solving, etc. MINECRAFT FOR EVERY STUDENT. Dr. Dikkers talks of working with schools that now have Minecraft video game accounts for all students. He notes a public school in Oregon, Wisconsin that focused on teachers learning technology and designing lesson plans integrated with technology. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN. On Twitter @SafetyPhD and SUBSCRIBE to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel https://youtu.be/qG1N_MejPLY and iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 and SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 and The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread comments or questions & also to emails. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host and guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show is curse free and adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse and debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. *A comprehensive post devoted to this show is available on Dr. Perrodin's Blog.
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