Quote:
The evolving mission of QA is to support
children in developing their own sense of purpose as individuals, as members of their communities, and as knowledgeable citizens of the
world. Toward realizing this mission, the pro-
gram came to embrace seven social commitments and respective, abbreviated slogans that
underlie our design decisions:
1. Creative Expression-I Express Myself.
2. Diversity Affirmation-Everyone Matters.
3. Personal Agency-I Have Voice.
4. Social Responsibility-We Can Make a Difference.
1. Creative Expression-I Express Myself.
2. Diversity Affirmation-Everyone Matters.
3. Personal Agency-I Have Voice.
4. Social Responsibility-We Can Make a Difference.
5. Environmental Awareness-Think
Act Locally.
Globally,
6. Healthy Communities-Live, Love, Grow.
7. Compassionate Wisdom-Be Kind.
(Barab, Thomas, Dodge, Carteaux & Tuzun, 2005)
Response:
I really liked that this was a drive behind design decision making. I can understand why teachers responded to participating in this game because of these commitments. The article goes on to state "In fact, teachers remark that the most common reason they join QA is to be involved in a project that is connected to standards, that integrates technology, and that has meaningful social commitments" (Barab, Thomas, Dodge, Carteaux & Tuzun, 2005). I was also intrigued that this was an "evolving mission" which seems to imply that initially they weren't an important feature driving the design decisions.... that they must have sprang forth as a response to needing something (other than just academic excellence) to aspire to. I really admire the creators of this game to allow for an evolving mission, and for studying their "audience" before designing. The article states that they spent 2 years researching the trends that appealed to young people. Early in the article it states that it considers QA as an example of socially responsive design - and it addresses and collaborates with the community of learners who constitute its audience. I feel like one problem with educational software (and I am only mostly familiar with that which is available to the mass market) is that it seems to "dictate" what the consumer wants, vs. listening to the consumer.
Additional Resource:
Why Video Games Are Scoring Big for Social Good
This is an article that presents several (albeit brief) ways in which games are being developed for social good. I could see how the some of these games could be used in the classroom. I am particularly interested in the games that help describe and identify real-world problems, and could see this as a great way to study current events.
References:
Barab, S., Thomas, M., Dodge, T., Carteaux, R., & Tuzun, H. (2005). Making learing fun: Quest atlantis, a game without guns. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(1), 86-107. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30220419
7. Compassionate Wisdom-Be Kind.
(Barab, Thomas, Dodge, Carteaux & Tuzun, 2005)
Response:
I really liked that this was a drive behind design decision making. I can understand why teachers responded to participating in this game because of these commitments. The article goes on to state "In fact, teachers remark that the most common reason they join QA is to be involved in a project that is connected to standards, that integrates technology, and that has meaningful social commitments" (Barab, Thomas, Dodge, Carteaux & Tuzun, 2005). I was also intrigued that this was an "evolving mission" which seems to imply that initially they weren't an important feature driving the design decisions.... that they must have sprang forth as a response to needing something (other than just academic excellence) to aspire to. I really admire the creators of this game to allow for an evolving mission, and for studying their "audience" before designing. The article states that they spent 2 years researching the trends that appealed to young people. Early in the article it states that it considers QA as an example of socially responsive design - and it addresses and collaborates with the community of learners who constitute its audience. I feel like one problem with educational software (and I am only mostly familiar with that which is available to the mass market) is that it seems to "dictate" what the consumer wants, vs. listening to the consumer.
Additional Resource:
Why Video Games Are Scoring Big for Social Good
This is an article that presents several (albeit brief) ways in which games are being developed for social good. I could see how the some of these games could be used in the classroom. I am particularly interested in the games that help describe and identify real-world problems, and could see this as a great way to study current events.
References:
Barab, S., Thomas, M., Dodge, T., Carteaux, R., & Tuzun, H. (2005). Making learing fun: Quest atlantis, a game without guns. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(1), 86-107. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30220419
What a great article! It is very refreshing to see an atricle out there about the "good" in gaming.
ReplyDeleteI, too, admire the creators of this game for studying their audience and learning what was important and entertaining to students. In "Why Video Games are Scoring Big for Social Good", I liked the following:
ReplyDelete"As for when the tipping point will occur, Burak believes it all comes down to if and when games are accepted by the education system. “Right now, it's almost like students go to school and go back into a time machine,” opined Burak. “Someone will close this gap. I think when we see games in the classroom, we’ll have a major breakthrough.”"
This class is striving to get us out of the time warp.
I was also impressed with QA for focusing their game on the seven social commitments. All seven of the commitments are important social skills that our students need to learn about and be engaged in. This game is a great way to incorporate them into student learning. There are so many video games out there, but I have read about few that involve any type of social skill.
ReplyDeleteI think Atlantis Quest is important becasue it supports the development of community! I think student who act as a community online may also act more like a community in the classroom. I think this could be a pathway to solve issues of violence and bulling in school!
ReplyDelete