Educational Engagement

Another Friday afternoon spent playing Sly 3. I am starting to get bored with this game. I feel like the different jobs are not becoming more challenging. They are just frustrating to me because I cannot remember all of the skills that I have learned throughout the different levels. Again the music is the only thing motivating me to continue play. I think the music draws me in so much because its the only part of the game I am interested in besides the graphics. The fast up beat nature of the music intrigues me to continue exploring throughout the little community. The slow creepier music of slow beats is also keeping my attention on the game because I am waiting for it to speed up again. When the music speeds up I know that I (Sly) am heading in the right direction. The music in other games that I have played also play a large role for me personally. One of my favorite games Mario Kart has some UNREAL music. Each of the different race courses has a different tone and type of music. I think one of the most important aspects of Mario Kart is the music because it blurs out the background and places full concentration on the course and just making it that one extra lap. The difference is that there are specific noises in Mario Kart that signify when you are doing amazing, or when you have a speed up. This is encouraging.

Collins and Halverson stated in their book Rethinking Education in the Age of Technologythat “people around the world are taking their education out of schools into homes, libraries, internet café’s and workplaces where they can decide what they want to learn, when they want to learn and how they want to learn.” Videogames are allowing this new knowledge revolution be able to take place. There have been many videogames created over the past decade that are intending for the learning of different skills. Many children are learning how to add,subtract,multiply and divide from computer games. Some are even mastering different skills and knowledge about different topics before they are even able to speak. Children born in this new technology dependent era are gaining an immense amount of information via digital games. Adults too are taking advantage of these resources. You can even learn an entire new language from a CD ROM inserted into your computer! This fascinates me that people have 1. invented educational programs that are easy to use and accessible and 2. these programs really work! Engaging in learning has taken on a whole new genre with the help of the digital world.