Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology Chapter 9 Reflection

What new thinking I took from this chapter on what does it all mean is what kids are really getting out of the media that surrounds them. One example of something positive out of kids getting into in depth shows like Lost and things of that nature was that some get into using discussion boards. That in my mind is neat because in order to do something like that you probably would need to be able to analyze what you have watched in great depth.  If you then decide to post something you have to be prepared to defend your ideas and it could open dialogues between viewers to lead to new thinking. Another thing that I like about his book and this chapter in particular is that it keeps coming back to dismiss the idea that video games have no value. As a person that grew up on games, I like some to the points that the authors bring up as value in them. I definitely can see how video games can lead to skills in problem solving and additionally in MMOs players having to work together and coordinate to achieve a common goal. From personal experience playing games that problem solving skills are quite evident, particularly in puzzle games and strategy games. In a long series of games that I play a lot, Metroid, puzzles and problem solving are a central part of the game. Not only in form of visual, but also in the form of scans of surroundings in which the player must research in order to find clues about how to solve puzzles or defeat foes. I also think the idea of parents getting into the technologies that their kids use is also a valuable lesson that I can take as a teacher. In order to understand what they are getting out of those things and how you can foster them getting more out of it.

How this new thinking will affect my future teaching is I think that I will have to continue to keep current on technologies and to what my types my students are using. As the book suggests they will most likely be on the cutting edge of what it is cool and upcoming so they in themselves are a great resource for me as an educator to use. Going along with that I will need to critically evaluate those new technologies to find what value I can use from them to either use in the classroom or at very least reference to students when presenting material to make it engaging for them.  As kind of a final note, that I will have no problem doing, is I need to keep on playing video games, just to keep up with this future generation of learners.