Week 5: Assignment #2 Philosophy of Games in the Classroom


               I believe that using games in the classroom is highly beneficial to both students and teachers. In order for a student to successfully play a game, they need to be able to read and understand the text explaining how the game works. Many games also provide immediate feedback that helps students understand the rules of the game. If a student is unable to read, they may not fully grasp the goal of the game and may be unable to complete it.
              From a teacher’s point of view, we can use gaming to help cultivate students’ new literacy skills. This can be accomplished by the students playing games and also by designing games themselves. When designing their own game, students utilize new literacy skills by identifying a problem and by locating, evaluating and synthesizing information. They practice developing their literacy skills as well as use ICTs to share their creation with their classmates.
              Using games in the classroom can be a very productive tool for both the teachers and students. Aside from promoting both literacy and new literacy skills, it can also engage students in a way that they weren’t engaged before. When students get to play or even design their own game their motivation level increases. In my future classroom I plan on incorporating gaming literacy into the curriculum for as many subjects as I can.  

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