Television as Technology

I was wondering about many of my other classmates posts on the lines of television and the thought of TV as a popular technology that almost all kids can relate with. Unfortunately, I think the use of TV on that level is limited. Sure, they might watch all of the same shows and tv might be a very good communicator, but it seems to me like this would be the same argument that was used in one of our articles previously in the course. They talked about how we always assume that children are "technologically advanced". However, just because they use technology does not mean they are gaining skills for using it towards educational purposes. Unless we filter and funnel that learning in a way that benefits them in the future, they become people who can play video games and watch tv without relating these skills back to real life challenges and implementations. I'd warn against using TV until we've figured out a really good way to channel their attention and ideas into positive outcomes.

Video Game Technologies

I mentioned this in our latest forum posts for class, but the thought of video games as a useful tool for students. We always criticize children that have a tendency to just sit in front of a video game screen all day. However, some of the video games we have today are incredibly complex and can be used to teach wonderful things. I am most experienced (though I have not played in a year or so) with World of Warcraft. The systems involved in this game are complex. One has to navigate a world that has a lot of threats to the character and one of the best way is forming alliances with friends and others that play the game. People use a trade system, battle together, and typically use online conferencing technologies to improve such efforts. I wonder if we aren't overlooking one of the more interesting possibilities in teaching when we write off games like this. When one gets to the "end game content", things really get interesting. Players must form groups as large as 40 people (each person with a specific task within the group) as they take on computer generated content. The tasks can range from simple to incredibly difficult and requires the proper coordination, execution, and effort from all 40 group members. They react to new changes in the content and must adapt their play style to how the task is forming in front of them. This kind of interaction could possibly be used for educational purposes, I think, but how we use and direct such technologies would also be important.