By tapping the power of video games and the compelling nature of social networks and online interest-driven communities, it may well be possible for civic educators to foster desired forms of youth civic and political activity and development.
I feel like this has already sort of happened. Almost every influencer, artist, or celebrity encourages registering to vote and empowers the youth to educate themselves on social and political issues.
Even when a mobilization is clearly centered on a policy issue, young people are often drawn through their participation in activities that tap personal interests and affinity spaces.
There were many protests at my high school lead by students who wanted a better high school experience. Teachers would sometimes get involved but it was primarily the students who protested unfair wages and insufficient budgets.
Young people are connected to their peers 24/7 through text messages, a diverse array of social network sites, and mobile apps that provide new platforms to pursue familiar practices of negotiating status, popularity, and romantic relationships.
Our devices allow everyone everywhere to know what we are up to 24/7 we are also able to maintain constant communication with friends and family regardless of distance or time.
Part of what it takes to connect with an affinity network is to learn and in some cases help shape the norms, rituals, and codes of conduct that structure participation, including within activities aiming for civic and political outcomes.
It is easier to get involved in a community if you are helping to build the community rather than jumping on after everything has been established.
Building on these frameworks, our view takes into account the fluid nature of young people's engagements, where new interests and affiliation are explored, abandoned, revisited, or brought together in ways that are not fully captured by a notion of “transition” from one role or activity to another—hence our use of consequential connections instead.
This may not be entirely related but this one group of friends I am in has a group chat on every social media platform available where we tend to hold different conversations in different group chats, but we will also revisit topics from group chat to another.
The rise of participatory politics provides new opportunities to support connected civics, which is socially engaged and embedded in young people's personal interests, affinities, and identities.
Connected civics is directly related to participatory politics (almost synonyms for each other) but more of one will lead to more of another.
Paradoxically, the games that seem the simplest are usually the most complex
There are so many examples of this but I find the most complexity in 16-bit indie games like Stardew Valley where there is just so much to know and make that it becomes paralyzing
metacognitive
awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes
Game-based learning, on the other hand, applies to using actual digital video games as a classroom tool—although traditional non-electronic role playing and board games work exactly the same way, but perhaps not as efficiently—and there are a slew of video games, digital applications (“apps”), and adaptive software platforms that can be used for instruction. Some are great, while others are not so helpful.
Gamification - Turning something educational into a game (duolingo)
Game-based learning - Learning from a game
News stories abound: digital games make kids hyper, violent, stupid, anti-social. It’s not only that people are generally wary of the unfamiliar, we also live in a culture of heroism and progress that casts every innovation as a revolution. Rather than celebrating modification and iteration, we divide the world into what’s cutting-edge and what’s obsolete.
We are quick to dismiss the new because we see it as a threat to the present. Sometimes the unfamiliarity can hinder teachers from embracing the new technology. For example cell phones are often regarded as a negative thing that prevents kids from socializing but used properly cell phones allow students to be even more social than they once were.
When designed well, games evoke a sense of transformation and change, as players push against the limits of the rules in creative and powerful ways.
This suggests that games inspire or push players to fight against the rules rather than follow them. I feel like this inspires divergent thinking which is incredibly important. It is important to be able to break the mold in a sense to create something new rather than conform to the way things already are.
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing is a great example it is incredibly collaborative, people often build off of each other's ideas and similar to Bully by Rockstar they are very firm in the idea of free will a very non-linear storyline allowing people to take what they want from it without necessarily getting the same experience as everyone else who plays it.
How does gaming act as a point of entry or departure for other forms of knowledge,literacies, and social organization?
Many games are incredibly focused on historical accuracy and continuity so it is very possible to learn a bunch from a video game with just history in mind. However, I feel like gamers learn more communication skills from gaming (specifically online games) that really helps them later in life when working in teams whether on a sports team or for a project at school, or even at work.
The games get better and more sophisticated all the time and ata rapid pace. Much of what I have to say here will simply get “truer” as thegames get even better.
I feel like we are at a place where video games are beginning to feel real. Violence and gore have gotten to a point where they feel real and AI is getting super advanced. For example in The Last Of Us Part 2 the AI was so advanced there was a guilt attached every time you snuck up behind someone and took them out. I feel like it is easier now than ever to get wrapped up in a video game and really immerse yourself.
The student described how his role (the water chemist) gave himaccess to particular data (E. coli levels) that generated alarm. His part-ner’s information—that there was a broken refrigerator that could havecaused food to spoil—changed his thinking.
The student was able to learn additional information from his partner and was able to alter his thinking despite his evidence of present E. coli.
New information technologies make information availablejust-in-time and on demand and are reshaping how we interact with information,but schools remain in a print-based culture, and a growing number of students aredisaffiliating from traditional school. New methods of instruction are needed thatare suited to the digital age.
At the school I work at students are pretty much never allowed to use any form of technology during class. Phones are restricted and there is only one chrome book cart that can only be used one class at a time. I feel like students are really behind when they go off to standard high schools where more technology use is encouraged. The school should really focus on getting kids well versed in technology before they enter the "real world."
For the present moment, askingand working through questions of ethical practices may be more valuable than the answersproduced because the process will help everyone to recognize and articulate the differentassumptions that guide their behavior.
This suggests that just having the conversation is useful regardless the conclusion it arrives to.
If anything, these traditional skills assume even greater importance as studentsventure beyond collections that have been screened by librarians and into the more open spaceof the web.
There isn't always going to be someone there who can help you find information so it is important to develop the skills necessary to find the information on your own. This also goes hand in hand with being able to determine what information is trustworthy and accurate.
They need to think critically about information that can be found nearlyinstantaneously through out the world.They need to participate in the kinds of collaboration that new com-munication and information technologies enable, but increasingly demand. Considerations of globalizationlead us toward the importance of understanding the perspective of others, developing a historical grounding,and seeing the interconnectedness of economic and ecological systems.”
We need to be preparing fully functioning members of society who are able to analyze the information around them quickly and form opinions on the environment around them.
. Beck and Wade conclude that gamers were more open to takingrisks and engaging in competition but also more open to collaborating with others and morewilling to revise earlier assumptions.
Gamers spend a lot of time working together in online games which is probably a huge contributor to their willingness to collaborate and adjust their mindset.
In any given period, excep-tional individuals will break all the rules and enjoy off-the-charts success—even at surprisinglyyoung ages.
You have to break the mold and introduce divergent thinking.
Contrary to popular images of the socially isolated geek, almost all geeking out practices we have observed are highly social and engaged
I feel like Reddit is a good example of this. Not all subreddits could be classified as a group of people motivated by a hobby but it can surely unite people in certain fanbases. I mean this year the Wall Street collapse was initiated by a bunch of investors on Reddit. Geeks are very social and very connected.
As Derrick makes clear, looking around online and searching is an im portant fi rst step to gathering information about a new and unfamiliar area.
One of my friends has a policy that you are not allowed to ask her the question if you haven't Googled it first. I often take for granted how nice it is to be able to Google things you do not know. I was having an issue with one of my guitar pedals and I was struggling to figure out how to map my blocks to the stomp, it was a whole big thing, I looked it up and was able to find the solution to my problem. The internet is such a useful tool and it is kind of crazy to think that we have access to the world through our cellular devices. I think it allows children to establish independence and gives them opportunities to figure things out without the help or parents and teachers.
In response to these regulations, teenagers develop work-arounds, ways to subvert institutional barriers to hanging out while in school
When there's a will there's a way. It is near impossible to prevent kids from communication with each other one way or another. It is cool that their drive came from a very wholesome place and the the schools regulations taught them the skills necessary to push back.
Sites such as MySpace often extend this kind of music-driven sociability online,
Bon Iver made their claim to fame through MySpace it was a very influential platform in the music industry.
Oh, what you doing?” “You wanna do this?” “All right. So, I’ll be over there in ten minutes, fi ve minutes.”
I grew up with a little bit of both. I lived far away from friends at school so contact with them was restricted to online means. I also had friends in my neighborhood who I only bumped into at the park and only really made plans with in person.
Luis’s social interactions around his fi lm-making grew as he became more committed to claymation as a medium
Having regular access to people with similar interests can shape your own desire and drive to pursue your hobbies/career paths. Having people around you who speak in a specific way can also shape your vocabulary and mannerisms around your interest.
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It is interesting to see his progression and how he advances his use of technology as he grows older. I feel like this also helps prove that videogames are not necessarily damaging and that they can increase creativity and general interest with technology. I feel that people are too quick to blame video games for stunting socialization, or increase violence, but in truth they can be very impactful on creativity.
Well, his grades kept coming down and we had a conference and the teacher was concerned because Luis is like a super smart boy and that he was wasting his time on not doing what he’s supposed to do. Me and his Dad know that he does those kind of things, the animation on the computer. Me and his Dad don’t put him down about it and we, you know, we are standing right by him if this is what he wants
While it is important kids try and be successful academically school isn't for everyone and success can be found outside of education. It is very interesting his parents buckled up for the ride and were fully supporting Luis in what he was passionate about. I can't think of many parents that would be that willing to encourage their kid to make their own path.
Luis’s often are not using technology at home or at school to do much beyond basic Internet searching, social networking, or typing out a report using Microsoft Word
I grew up going to STEM schools and have always had immediate access to the internet. Computers were part of my upbringing and it sure helps that my dad is a server administrator. I work at an elementary/middle school with lots of students that do not have access to computers, some students don't have wifi. Before I worked there I thought that most kids had access to technology but there is definitely a large group of kids without experience entering schools and academic programs that require prior knowledge which can create a very challenging experience for them.
The Cuisine Curtain: A cloth that attaches to your nose and covers your mouth, allowing you to “eat in privacy.”
This seems absolutely useless but I often eat with a hand covering my mouth so there are people out there who could relate which I suppose is the whole point. There is some niche market similar to the man who presented his Throcks (pair of three socks) on SharkTank no one is going to use it but it is still a goofy idea.