Has Real Become too Real?

For this assignment, I read the articles about real versus virtual experiences. Joe Frost mentioned that some schools have started to eliminate or limit recess or have completely abandoned outdoor play. It was not entirely clear what the reasons were for this occurrence. At our school, we encourage even the older students to have some outdoor play, whether after lunch or during physical education class. Many are from heavily urban areas, and sometimes their only outdoor play is during these times at school.

I liked how David Becker differentiated between gaming for fun/recreation and gaming addiction. The latter is governed by those activities consuming much more time than originally planned, and the individual continuing to engage in those activities despite adverse consequences. I think that the definition of this addiction could be extended to social media, the Internet, television, music, and other things that become detrimental in excess. For some of my students, I sometimes feel like smashing their smartphone, iPod, or gaming system to bits, not because I don't think they should have those things, but because they haven't learned how to use it wisely or because they have let it completely consume their lives. Becker's idea of looking at the emotional motives that cause this addiction and examining alternative ways to satisfy those needs was an excellent one. Some of these emotions can possibly be channeled into educational pursuits, athletics, or manual labor.

As for utilizing gaming in education, the articles didn't have a lot of specifics on schools that were actually doing this. In my opinion, games can be a part of the curriculum, but they should not be the only thing. When I have used educational games for classes, I have found that, as with so many other things, some students enjoy them a lot and some students don't like them. Real experiences, digital experiences, and teaching for different learning styles should all be part of what successful schools are using.