Ed Balls Vs. James Paul Gee

When it comes to literacy, the ways tried and true are not always superior! In today’s society there is much talk about the recent leaps and bounds being made in technology. Essentially anything that was once done with pencil, paper and brain-power, can now be done via computer. If advancements in the way of business and luxury are being so widely accepted, I feel the need to ask; why not advancements in education and literacy?


I have read James Paul Gee’s “What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Reading and Literacy” and was very impressed by his open-minded approach to learning to read. The obvious is pointed out when the author states that, “kids who learn with video games develop literacy in ways different and unknown to them”(Gee14). Gee introduces many types of video games in his book as well as shows his own teaching techniques using video games. He presents the argument that while the standard classroom style for teaching literacy is reliable, video games open up new and interesting fields for those who struggle with the demanding attention needed to develop good reading skills. Video gaming should “enhance” literacy, not hold it back. Point blank-James Paul Gee is just trying to say that some kids learn better in a less structured setting. Video games have such a wide variety too! There are entire manufacturing lines dedicated to producing nothing But educational games; video games do not always equal blood and guts as most of the middle-aged populations believe.

As my final assignment for New Media, I was introduced to a column in The Sun that held an article titled “Video Games Ruin Reading”. The focus of the article was that England, in the realm of child literacy and concerning 41 countries, had dropped from number three to number fifteen in rank. The literacy rates and test scores of England were Below even countries like Latvia and Bulgaria. Secretary of Schools, Ed Balls made a blatant stance of the fact that literacy rates were down because of the high number of kids who routinely played video games. His point was made by further stating that the problem lay at home between the parents and their children rather than in the education system. Balls is a believer that access to a television for a child is a hindrance to literacy and furthermore, video games are a major factor in the declining reading rates of England.

I hate to say it….well, really I kind of like to say it….but I think Ed Balls is a bit of an idiot. I can understand and even get behind the statement that kids today are way too consumed in technology. I can even agree that excessive video games and television do in fact cut into time better spent reading an actual book. But to say that “Video games ruin reading” is irresponsible and a bit cowardice in my opinion. Open-mindedness is key in today’s fast paced society. Video games, when used in the right context can be great for kids! Just as Mr. Gee said, games “allow children and adults alike to simulate and learn in an environment more interesting and stimulating than a regular classroom” (Gee 48). Achieving literacy is a process that, in time, will be a long list of collective activities! It is Not Just About the old-fashioned ways. Technology is shooting us into the future in so many other parts of life….Why not education too?!




Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Wooding, David. Video Games Ruin Reading. Whitehall Editor, The Sun.com
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article521951.ece 29 Nov, 2007

Tiny Dancer

I am a full-time Paraprofessional for a child with Asperger's Syndrome. I work at small rural school, which happens to be the same one I attended as a child. This school is within the little community I live in and it is very dear to my heart. For the better part of a year, I have been in a second grade classroom on a daily basis. This job has definitly opened my eyes to worlds I'd never known:

Asperger's Syndrome by definition is a developmental disorder that affect's a child's ability to socialize and communicte effectively with others. Children who have Asperger's usually deal with social situations in a very awkward or uncomfortable way. They tend to be sensitive to loud noises or big crowds and often have one-sided conversations or talk to themselves. Asperger's kids show eccentric or obsessive behavior about certain things (usually whatever interests or intimidates them).
Asperger's sydrome is in the Autistic spectrum but is considered on the higher-functioning end.

Bailey is the little girl I take care of. She is the sweetest, most loving child I've ever known and that is no exaggeration. A few things about Bailey:

                                               

She won't look you in the eye.

She trips over her own feet..a lot.

She is deathly afraid of mirrors and aviods them at all costs.

She loves animals..especially her dog Charcoal.

She is in the second grade and reads at a high school level.

She is in the second grade and can complete 6th and 7th grade math.

She won't eat food that touches other food on her plate.

She won't play with Barbies because she doesn't understand them.

She has a daily routine that has to happen otherwise we have a major meltdown. She  can't skip a problem and come back to it.

I had known about Asperger's Sydrome for a long time but I was never really Aware of it until this last year. There are so many little quirks to this disease and it can be very complex to understand even the tiniest of problems going on with children who deal with it. During my time with Bailey, I have done extensive research on this particular sydrome in order to better understand what she and and her family are experiencing. I had no idea that it could be such a challenge and I truly do commend those who deal with this disease, whether personally experiencing it or raising a child who has it. These children are special...in such a way that words do them no justice. I had no idea how attached I could get to someone who supposedly has no feelings and shows no emotions. She loves more purely than anyone of less afflicted mind could possibly. She enjoys life more than others who waste it away worrying about unimportant things. She is not afraid to say anything or hurt anyone's feelings. She is free and uninhibited.


While the second grade class is lined up on the sidewalk....the line is straight and the kids are silent....she is the one in the back on the line...slightly behind the rest although she doesn't care...she's dancing and singing a song no one knows. She smiles at the world.

                                                                           

What's wrong with this picture...

So....just to let everyone know, I'm addicted to Yahoo! news headlines. When you click your internet icon and your Yahoo! homepage comes up, the very first thing you see is a long list of mostly trashy, sometimes educational, always interesting headlines enticing you, screaming: "You have nothing more important to be doing right now! Come on....waste a minute reading....or thirty".

Its what I do. I read the headlines. I read about everything from who wore what dress and how horrible they it made their butt look...to what not to eat; who's being traded to which team and what bachelor is now looking for elligible young, preferrably smoking hot women. I read about the health bill....I read about Obama...I read about the red carpet and daytime television. SPEAKING OF!! I read about trashy television shows and who's sueing who and how much they're sweeping in. And today....I read about South Park.

By definition of Wikipedia: South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central Television Network. It is intended for adult audiences. The show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics. The ongoing narrative revolves around four children—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—and their bizarre adventures in and around the fictional and titular Colorado town.

So South Park, in all its raunchiness, spends most of its time mocking religious affiliations and different ethic groups. The four main characters routinely find themselves in positions to make fun of a real-life and otherwise serious situation. I don't personally watch South Park but the majority of people my age do.Everyone thinks its hilarious.....let them....fine with me, BUT this time South Park has stepped on the wrong toes! In reading the contagious headlines of Yahoo! I read that the Muslim population threatened the writers of South Park that if they continued to air statements and characters that "poked fun" at the Muslim and Islamic religions....they would meet the same fate that Theo Van Gogh did. Now some of you may ask; Who's Theo Van Gogh? ............Well...He's the guy under the sheet.

Basically, Van Gogh, a Dutch film director and producer, produced a film called Submission which was a very graphic depiction of the treatment of women in the Islamic culture. Van Gogh was publicly murdered by an Islamic militant as a repercussion.

So basically...... the word on the street is, or better yet, the word on Yahoo! news is, that if Comedy Central doesn't stop South Park writers from throwing in the religious mud-slinging, the U.S. Muslim Group is going to take it into their own hands. According to Yahoo! this threat...or promise.. from the Muslims can apparently be seen on http://www.revolutionmuslim.com/ .

Which is worse? Religous persecution through Cartoons...or possibly being assasinated for drawing them?

Web Sources:

http://tv.yahoo.com/south-park/show/492/news/tv-news.en.reuters.com/tv-news.en.reuters.com-20100422-us_southpark_muslims

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_van_Gogh_(film_director)

My Home...

     

Read It.

                                                                                  
I just want to say proclaim that "The Video Game Theory Reader" is GREAT. Random as this post my be; I thought this statement was worthy of a post all for itself. I definitly recommend reading it. It's smart and sarcastic. Its packed full of information that is easy to understand and relate to. Its not just a textbook read.  I'm pretty confident that those who take the time to really read and take information from it will find themselves glad they did!

Bing

Microsoft's Bing is the third largest search engine in the world today. After getting online and comparing Bing with other familiar search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Ask.com and while Bing is competent enough, I think I'll keep Google as my homepage. I've read that newer editions of computers and laptops are available with Bing already installed and defaulted as main search engines. If I had a choice, I'd still stick with Google. 
I will say one thing though, Bing has a catchy way of drawing attention because of its appearance! Not to sound elementary but I have to admit I was drawn to the pretty backgrounds! If you're looking for a change of scenery....If you want to change it up with a splash of color...If you just want a pretty homepage...Bing is the place for you!

                                                                            

"Toyota...Oh, How You've Failed Me"

          In August of 2009, I purchased my first new car. I saved for months before finally settling on what kind of vehicle I would buy. This was a huge decision...the first one I'd made on my own really. Only now, months later, have I finally come to the conclusion that I made two of the most major mistakes a car customer could ever fall into in the year of 2009.
NUMBER ONE: I bought a car without really looking into its coverage plan.
NUMBER TWO: I purchased a Toyota.
        Who can really blame me? I was enamored by the "Shiny" factor. New car...pretty chrome inside with lots of knobs and gadgets I'd never had before (hello, I previously drove a 1990 Ford Ranger with no air conditioner and no radio). So- in August, I drove off the lot in a brand new 2010 model, Toyota Corolla. A few months later I started seeing on the news reports of deaths...fatalities..accidents...due to problems with Toyota vehicles! A couple months after that I recieved a notice from my Toyota dealership stating: " Please return your car to your nearest Toyota location due to the recall of the accelerator designated to your specific vehicle"
           Cool. So I could've died? Good thing I'm paying ridiculous amounts of money a month for a car that is Still killing people. Really the whole point of this post is to ask the general public a question: Why am I still paying the full price for a car that was recalled? Below is a piece of an article that I just read on Yahoo news.com:
                    "Toyota Motor Corp. has been reeling from the recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide — including 6 million in the U.S. — over problems with accelerator pedals and braking issues with the Prius hybrid. The automaker rolled out aggressive incentive programs in early March, including 0-percent financing on recalled models, low-priced leasing and the free maintenance offer."

Thats nice of you Toyota. What about the rest of us who are still paying for the same cars you're marking down? What about the cars we've Already bought....that belong to the very same line you're still trying to sell?



* http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100331/ap_on_bi_ge/us_auto_show_toyota