Games in Education

Some points from our class discussion today:
In the PTC Venn diagram, whenever one technology is introduced, the Venn diagram leaves equilibrium for a while until we learn how to use new technology effectively. I think this is an interesting way to describe what happens as a new technology is incorporated into education. I think there truly is a learning curve and an application curve.

Along with that discussion, the comment was made that science is a set of rules about argumentation, and that a large part of that is storytelling, using certain points of evidence to persuade someone of something. I also agree with this comment, because just like stories, science attempts to create a frame of understanding in which to perceive a story or a theory about why something acts the way it does. In science, it seems that whatever "truth" is accepted or learned, is used and taught until something better comes along, after which a re-adjustment process begins to get used to this new idea.

Another point was made about a new term for me today, the idea of affordance, which is the quality of an object that allows an individual to perform an action. For example, a door handle: A classroom door handle includes the affordance of pushing down on it to open the door, which is different from a door handle with the affordance of pushing against it (as in an emergency exit door), a different interaction. Studying the affordance of an object allows us to observe how an object either helps or inhibits teaching and learning.

I discussed learning in education with my group today. We were able to get and read a copy of a colleague's dissertation in which he discusses the learning potential of games and simulations.