Using Video Games to Inspire Narrative

[Ashley Hennefer]

I've always sought unconventional educational settings, both as a student and an educator. As I come closer to my goal of being a librarian, I have been fortunate to serve in a multitude of academic atmospheres. For the time being, I consider the city of Reno to be my classroom. As a Graduate Writing Center consultant, my classroom is essentially the University of Nevada Reno campus, as well as several local high schools, where I have had opportunities to work individually with students. As a library assistant, I use the inherent benefits of the library facility and its learning resources to aid the scholars with whom I work. As an editor, I seek out tools on the internet to help me communicate with my staff writers around the world. I am fortunate to have such a diverse "classroom," and part of my educating paradigm is using a community's established resources to serve the needs of students - whether they be children in the K-12 system, university scholars, or simply citizens looking to further their knowledge.

 

Because of this perspective, I am very passionate about innovative learning tools. As I embark on my thesis research for my Master's degree, I am constantly learning about the under appreciated benefits of video games. When well facilitated by educators, technology in its many unique forms can be successfully integrated into any classroom setting. A gamer myself, I have had first-hand experience with the learning potential of gaming, and I hope to share my thoughts and research with other educators.

 

I will be focusing specifically on two types of games - role-playing games (RPGs), and open-world sandbox games. I will be providing more information on these terms as the project progresses, and hope to make gaming terms not so alienating for teachers. I believe that these types of games can be used to help struggling and/or reluctant writers create narrative. The games I plan to cite specifically are very "literary," and can be used alongside actual literary texts (books) to actively engage students in discussions about what a narrative is, and how to compose a story of their own (both fictional and non). It is no secret that adolescents are often immersed in gaming outside of the classroom - it's time to address that and give creative technology a chance to have a lasting impact on students.

[Gia Maraccini]

Hey Ashley!

 

I am so excited to see your demonstration!  I agree with you that students are very much into video gaming and I am totally in the dark.  I often times see students bring video game characters into their writing and become confused because I don't have any schema for what they are talking about.  It will be wonderful to have some instruction on the types of games.

 

I am also very excited to see how we could use those video games with writing.  This is not always true, but I sometimes find that my lower level readers and writers are the same students who spend lots of time playing video games.  It would be awesome to try and link their love with my love and help develop their literacy skills. 

 

It is not often that teachers sit through an entire class and don't have the schema, or velcro as I call it, to attach their new learning to.  We forget how hard it is for students to sit through the teaching of new schema all the time.  I am excited to sit through your presentation and see how it feels to be a student learning something totally new.  I am sure that I will have some new insight and empathy for the learners sitting in my classroom.

 

Good luck!

 

Gia

[Megan Garijo Pruitt]

This sounds great, Ashley!  I like your writing style!

[Laurel Topken]

Hi Ashley,

Your project sounds fun.  When my son started spending more time on the computer digging through the internet, I worried that he wouldn't be reading as much as I would like him to.  I found though, whether he was playing a game or looking up something that interested him, he was reading quite a bit.  I am a big fan of finding new ways of getting students to read and write more; if this comes from the use of computers, then let it be. As you said, if the game is moderated right, education will take place. 

 

As a fairly new graduate, I had an opportunity to attend a teaching orientation at UNR on using computers and games in the English classroom.  I think that Tom Black is still in the program.  He put this lecture on specifically looking at games such as World of WarCraft.  Using imaginary wolds and identities became a safe place for his students to write.  He is using this idea for his disertation.   He would be a great source to contact.  If you don't already know him, he is easy to get along with and very helpful.

 

Laurel

 

[Ashley Hennefer]

Thanks for the recommendation, Laurel - I will definitely get in touch with him!

Laurel Topken said:

Hi Ashley,

Your project sounds fun.  When my son started spending more time on the computer digging through the internet, I worried that he wouldn't be reading as much as I would like him to.  I found though, whether he was playing a game or looking up something that interested him, he was reading quite a bit.  I am a big fan of finding new ways of getting students to read and write more; if this comes from the use of computers, then let it be. As you said, if the game is moderated right, education will take place. 

 

As a fairly new graduate, I had an opportunity to attend a teaching orientation at UNR on using computers and games in the English classroom.  I think that Tom Black is still in the program.  He put this lecture on specifically looking at games such as World of WarCraft.  Using imaginary wolds and identities became a safe place for his students to write.  He is using this idea for his disertation.   He would be a great source to contact.  If you don't already know him, he is easy to get along with and very helpful.

 

Laurel