Resources
Articles:
Website:
The Mud Connector
- Bartle, R. (1996). Hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades: Players who suit MUDs
- Burn. A. (2004). Potterliteracy: Cross-media narratives, cultures, and grammars. Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature, 14(2), 5-17.
- Delwiche, A. (2010). Media literacy 2.0: Unique characteristics of video games. In Media Literacy: New Agendas in Communication. Tyner, K. (Ed.). New York: Routledge, 175-191.
- Ito, M. (2009). Media literacy and social action in a post-Pokemon World. A rough transcript of a keynote address for the 51st National Federation of Advanced Information Services Annual Conference, February 24, 2009, 1-17.
Website:
The Mud Connector
Response
MUDS- a computer-based text or virtual reality game that several players play at the same time, interacting with each other as well as with characters controlled by the computer.
These are mainly text based games although there are some that incorporate graphics. The specific ones I investigated more did not have a lot of graphics other than the main game page. There does not seem to be very much action happening in these games. The website was out of date by a few years. I am sure there is an underground following of MUDS but for the most part not a whole lot of action happening on the site. This type of game creation could be used in a classroom to get students to work on writing. You would be forced to explain yourself well if you are limited to text only. I personally did not find this kind of game appealing.
Unique Characteristics of Video Game
The article argued that video game literacy is different than just media literacy. Video games got a bum wrap to start. Many focus on the negative side of video games but much can be learned by playing them and creating them. Many people are playing games and they have an interactive component that you do not get from watching a video or listening to audio. The game reacts and changes based on how the player interacts with it. You cannot passively play a video game. The author argues that people should be creating games to really understand how to interpret them. Today there is a push to bring back coding into schools like when I was a kid. I remember learning to move the green turtle around the screen. In high school I also had to program a game as a final project. Learning to code is not apart of the curriculum in Alberta. Instead students are more apt to consume digital content as opposed to creating content. This needs to change. Our students need to understand how these digital content is created and works so they can understand better how to interpret their messages.
I am interested in the Hour of Code, MinecraftEDU, Gamestar Mechanic and Scratch for ways to get elementary students involved in learning to code and create their own video games. I have been learning about how other teachers are using Minecraft in the classroom to have students create worlds and screencast their explanation of why and how they created it. Below is an example of a Harry Potter minecraft world being narrated as they play and a Hunger Games Song - A Minecraft Parody of Decisions by Borgore (Music Video). Minecrafts open and creative format allows you to create just about anything on any topic or subject. The only limit is your imagination or the limits you place on your students...
These are mainly text based games although there are some that incorporate graphics. The specific ones I investigated more did not have a lot of graphics other than the main game page. There does not seem to be very much action happening in these games. The website was out of date by a few years. I am sure there is an underground following of MUDS but for the most part not a whole lot of action happening on the site. This type of game creation could be used in a classroom to get students to work on writing. You would be forced to explain yourself well if you are limited to text only. I personally did not find this kind of game appealing.
Unique Characteristics of Video Game
The article argued that video game literacy is different than just media literacy. Video games got a bum wrap to start. Many focus on the negative side of video games but much can be learned by playing them and creating them. Many people are playing games and they have an interactive component that you do not get from watching a video or listening to audio. The game reacts and changes based on how the player interacts with it. You cannot passively play a video game. The author argues that people should be creating games to really understand how to interpret them. Today there is a push to bring back coding into schools like when I was a kid. I remember learning to move the green turtle around the screen. In high school I also had to program a game as a final project. Learning to code is not apart of the curriculum in Alberta. Instead students are more apt to consume digital content as opposed to creating content. This needs to change. Our students need to understand how these digital content is created and works so they can understand better how to interpret their messages.
I am interested in the Hour of Code, MinecraftEDU, Gamestar Mechanic and Scratch for ways to get elementary students involved in learning to code and create their own video games. I have been learning about how other teachers are using Minecraft in the classroom to have students create worlds and screencast their explanation of why and how they created it. Below is an example of a Harry Potter minecraft world being narrated as they play and a Hunger Games Song - A Minecraft Parody of Decisions by Borgore (Music Video). Minecrafts open and creative format allows you to create just about anything on any topic or subject. The only limit is your imagination or the limits you place on your students...
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The issue of getting girls involved in coding is also a topic I am interested in. There needs to be more choice in messages and content of games. Getting girls involved in creating games would address current gaps that exist from a female perspective. Currently it is a male dominated field. Computer and video game creation is a form of literacy that I have not explored in my classroom yet, but I see the possibilities and how students could use it for learning.