Nuances of Language & Mediating as Liberating
I was immediately struck by the many connections that I could make to Subramaniam's work, the first of which occured on the second page after I read this section:
| "The number of teachers interested in using games is somewhat dependent on how the word 'game' is defined. When described as interactive simulations, the number is considerably higher than when the word 'game' is used" (p. 479). |
What stood out for me in this was simulations because Subramaniam gave three contexts where computer technology is liberating, one of which was simulation:
- a visual, simulation or interactivity support student construction of knowledge
- it is used as a resource to build concepts to build knowledge
- students develop conceptual understanding of visual, simulation or interactivity
When I read Subramaniam's article, I never even considered digital games as simulations, yet, when Becker spelled it out, it made perfect sense. This is only one instance in teaching when one name or label we place on something is not as popular as another, either with students or teachers.
To exemplify this, at the beginning of Language Arts 7, I immerse students in the art and analysis of comic books and graphic novels. I have presented on this topic on numerous occasions. Teacher immediately tense when they hear comics or GNs, however, when I frame it as storyboarding or graphic organizers, terms they are familiar with, you can see the tension releasing from their shoulders. In this comparison, I believe that simulations are analagous to storyboarding and graphic organizers while digital gaming is as foreign and intimidating as graphic novels.
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.