Blog 7

In chapter 24 of Marc Prensky's "Don't Bother Me Mom- I'm Learning!” he describes four methods that teachers can use to incorporate games into classroom learning sessions. These four methods were to bring games played outside of class into the classroom through questions, discussions, etc, then to use the principle behind good, complex games to make some or all of your teaching more game-like, and therefore more interesting and engaging to students, next was to play in class a game specifically designed for education, and lastly play a commercial, of an off-the-shelf game that was not specifically designed for education, in class, either as a whole class or as individual students playing separately. One of the methods that I think would be quite interesting to try and do in class is to play a game that doesn't have to be related to class and then try to form a discussion about it and how it can be incorporated towards working on an essay for instance in this writing class. For example if were to play a game like Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare and then write about the technology that is being used in this game in form of a paper, it would not only be interesting but fun and a great learning experience. Also if you think that maybe Call of duty 4 Modern warfare isn't a good example and maybe its too made up then you can try and play a different War game by the same makers such as Call of Duty World at war which is basically a game about world war 2 and a lot of what’s going on in this game are staged around real scenarios and real environments with guns and weapons that were used in world war 2. That would not only be highly educational but incredibly fun. Another way that you can strike the attention of a class and provide a good learning experience based on games is if you wanted to incorporate music. Games like Guitar hero and Rock band not only help you develop a good hand-eye coordination but it teaches you about different kinds of bands and styles of music which if another essay was to be assigned, students can write about what they learned from these music games and what kind of bands did they like and how does the music they play challenge there skills to be able to drum like an actually drummer or to shred a plastic guitar as though it were a real one based on music genres and popular bands. Using games in class would be a great learning experience because there are just about a game for every category possible.

Blog 6

The Truman Show was a quiet interesting film that made me think about things in regard to the how a television network can play god on a series and how some of the reality shows we see today are fixed for drama and other elements that give them a higher rating for their show. Take a show like the real world where random people are put to live in a random house with each other and have to adapt to their environment and learn to live with each other. In a way you can say that the producer of the real world is playing god by setting up this environment for the cast of the real world to live in. But the differences between the Real World and the Truman show is that, what ever happens while the real world's cast is in public is not fixed and there is always chance for the unexpected to happen for example a fight between a cast member and a random person at a club or something of that matter, would not be a fixed situation. In my Opinion, Christof of the Truman show plays god just about 100%. With the power to control the weather to controlling life all around the main character Truman Burbank who thinks he might be living a regular life but is unaware that he is being watched by the real world as he lives in a staged world set to revolve around him and doesn't know it. Christof refers to the real world as a sick place and that Seahaven is the way the world should be and also that he's given Truman the lead to a normal life. In a sense it would be normal for Truman but, what do the people who are watching this man who is unaware that he is part of a set think about what kind of lives they are living and how they can relate to what goes on in Seahaven? There is no one playing god in their world as Christof is pretty much doing for Seahaven. If I were in Truman’s position and was presented the choice to remain in Seahaven, a place where I would have been promised that I would have nothing to fear or to enter into another world that I know little about, I would leave to this new world because after realizing that my life was part of a show and all my decisions are staged I would feel as if I were a ginny pig for an experiment that could one day turn to a reality by some sort of conspiracy by the government. With that being said when Truman finally exits Seahaven, what I think he would expect to find is a completely different world where everything that happens is based upon free will and not some creator of a show who makes everything happen accordingly to how he wants it to.

Blog 5

In my own words I'd have to describe modding as a way to adjust a game's interface to your own preferences. Although there is a whole another definition to modding as to the way Prensky explains it. Using mods in a game are tools that you can download for specific games to make your life easier. Modding on the other hand can mean taking a game and flipping it upside down with all the things you can add to it. For example if you take a simple game like Super Mario brothers and add more monsters or warp pipes to the game, that would be an example of altering the game to perhaps to make it more entertaining or just called modding. In Don't Bother Me Mom- I'm Learning Mark Prensky quotes the creator of the Sims on page 120 and Will Wright( the creator) talks about how mod authors not only make new stuff for the game but tools for the content. The things you can learn from mod can be endless. From modding you can learn basic code and how to script in games or you can just expand your imagination and put it on a stage of your favorite games by modding and displaying your creativity. Also modding can be benefitial because what you think you or your kids know about moddings, Other people are looking for modders to start projects that will eventually turn in to a game or just people who are looking for modders to mod something for a company. If you learn how to mod and get really good at it and understand the concept, with this knowledge pursuing a career in modding is highly possible. I'm not sure what effects modding would have on a game like Wii fit but i can assume that eventually somewhere in modding games, modders just wanted more and things like the wii and eyetoy for playstation were made. With these types of games out there, this opens up a new door to video games. Games like these where one needs to be active in order to participate and achieve goals in a game make being healthy and having a good time doing it highly achievable. Thats a whole new level of gaming and modding its self that is yet to be explored, although its present but can advance in many more ways in the future.

Blog 4

One of the claims that Marc Prensky writes about in page 104, is how a 10 year old named Tyler that he interviewed plays runescape and worked with friends to make money and treasures made a business mistake. Tyler crafted the wrong item and realized that many people had this item and so he didn't profit. The reason that this is important and can be a claim that kids are actually learning from video games is because Prensky says that this is an example of supply and demand. In page 104 Prensky continues to break down his interview with Tyler and sorts out what aspects of this game are related to business and managing business and how kids playing mmorpg games like these learn how to do everyday thing and are not aware of the term for whats going on but are on a level of fully understanding the concept. The reason being is that the way these games work to get money and such things like treasure is that there is an in game economy that players need to be aware of so they can become wealthy in game so they can advance and get better equipment. Tyler and his friends play a free version of runescape that lacks additional levels and subtleties accord to Prensky. But there is an expansion to the game where players pay 10 dollars a month for the full version of the game and when Prensky asked tyler why doesn't he get that instead of just playing the free version. Tyler replied that his mother would get mad because he would be too addictive and he wouldn't get his money's worth. So according to Prensky at the end of page 105 getting your moneys worth is the greatest economic lesson of all.

"The Good News"

In Chapter 2: The Really Good news About your Kids' Games , Marc Prensky argues that there are real world benefits to playing video games. Some of these benefits are that young children that play video games have and understanding of Customer satisfaction, knowing prices on building things for example a playground , city planning and learning about industrial tax rates, and Net worth for houses. According to Prensky playing these games for hours that kids find entertaining have a learning factor in the process in order to completing the game. For example Prensky uses the game "Sims" to show how a second grader who played this game was aware of industrial tax and how a preschooler was aware of Net worth. He claims that a pre schooler was smart enough to get the fundamentals to this game yet being though basics of what you learn in school, prehaps how to color and knows more then an average 8th grader now a days. I Don't believe this is true but something that Marc Prensky does claim is how a kid who played an mmorpg managed a 200 person guild or clan and how that can help him in the future. I can relate to that because i've managed guilds in my mmorpg playing saga and taking down information from many sources , in this case to players it becomes second nature. Another thing about how Prensky dishes out this information is that he is very persuasive in his writing he gives alot of valid reasons why games can really be good for your child but some of the ones listed are really easy to tell that they are a bit farfetched. Furthermore as emotions that prensky uses in his literature to sort of grab the audience would be excitement. This is his way to of showing how satisfied you will be with the results of your childs time spent playing video games.