assignment 1

The Long Tail

1.        As I began reading the article it began to sound all too familiar.  It seems a though it is natural for people to crave more knowledge about something that peeks their interest.  In this case, a book written about mountain climber and a harrowing account of his near death experience received good reviews but it was soon forgotten.  Then, a decade later, another book about a mountain-climbing tragedy became a publishing sensation.  As a result of this, the original book began to sell again to the point that it out sold the later one.  Amazon’s plan to track buying trends and make suggestions based on that data was critical in this development.  They were able to tap into the market of a “hit-driven culture”.

2.       How do the local movie theater markets predict which films they think will be a hit?    

3.       I disagree to the point about the author suggesting that the problem is we live in a physical world.  Technology has improved our lives in so many ways however, at the exponential rate in which technology is developing, we will soon be at the point where the human brain will no longer be able to comprehend and keep up with the demand of technological systems.  I believe that’s the problem.

Assignment 2

Why video games are such a force in learning, civics, and innovations-
http://vimeo.com/22671352

This video addresses how higher order thinking skills are developed through the use of video gaming. Kurt Squire, a video game designer, explains how playing certain video games elicits higher order thinking such as applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. For example, he explains how you don't get very far in a game if you think about one sort of solution to a problem. The only way to be successful in achieving the goal of the game is to step back and think of all possibilities. Another example of gaming eliciting higher order thinking skills is in the the game Citizen Science. In this game, the students learn that the lakes are endangered and the are presented with the challenge of developing a solution. They do this through a process of learning about lakes, understanding what is happening, analyze the situation, and create a solution to improve the situation. Squire also brings up some interesting points about challenging students by pairing them with other students with different interests and learning levels.

Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy
http://vimeo.com/16430819

Paul Gee discusses the authenticity of learning in video games as compared to a subject such as Algebra. He makes a comparison to assessment in our current school system and a video game such as Halo. He makes an excellent point about how we trust the programing involved in the game Halo so much so that there is no assessment necessary following the completion of the game. The completion of the game is the assessment. The completion of the games is a true demonstration of higher order thinking. A demonstration that the person who completed the game remembered, understood, applied, analyzed, evaluated, and created. The evidence in this is in the final product. His question is, and its a good one, why don't we assess this way in our school system? Why is it determined by an assessment that is developed by people who may or may not even live in the same state? Gee makes a comparison to our current school school system virtual school curricula. The reference to "skill and drill" is example of how we limiting our children to memorization which is a lower order thinking skill and is usually forgotten because its not authentic in understanding.