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Let them play Sims
Why there should be video games in every classroom.
Invariably, the people who criticize video and computer games grew up without Nintendo, PlayStation or Atari. The sometimes-heated discussions about games are a typical example of a generational conflict, Will Wright recently told the British newspaper the Guardian.Wright is the creator of The Sims, the bestselling computer game of all time.
Wright has a valid point. After all, not so very long ago, the impending moral decline of our youth was linked to the rise of films, comic books and rock ’n’ roll. Nowadays, video games are tied to social isolation, violence and other problems. Such accusations reveal that these critics have little clue about what draws young people to video games in the first place.
The games tap into our creativity and improve analytical thinking, problem-solving skills and the ability to manage risk. This makes the games exciting and attractive. And these are precisely the qualities needed to succeed in our modern, complex society. They are also the qualities young people so often find lacking in the dry teaching materials used in their schools.
Video games present a wonderful opportunity for educational reform. But the generational conflict Wright points to stands in the way. Complex mathematical theories, history lessons, discoveries in physics and even German verb conjugation can be learned in much more fun, exciting, interactive and creative ways using games instead of conventional textbooks that are all about one-sided communication.
Despite the resistance, video games are making headway in the educational system. After all, everyone knows what happens with generational conflicts: They naturally fade away. That happened just recently, in fact, when the young comic-book readers, moviegoers and rock ’n’ roll music lovers grew up and made all those things their parents didn’t like part of ordinary life.
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My concern with children and computers is in relation to the physiological affects computers have on our bodies. Now that the tech age is in full swing I see numerous people debilitated by extended computer use in my training as an Alexander Technique Teacher. Repetitive stress injury is rampant in the tech industry and generally speaking surgery is the main mode of healing suggested by the medical establishment. But there are root causes to reactions like R.S.I., namely the way we use our bodies when we place ourselves in front of the incredibly stimulating devices we've invented. While I think children of many ages can learn loads from digital technology I pause at the introduction at ages as early as 5 (standard computer use begins in kindergarten in Public School nationwide in the U.S.). The question is not so much whether computers are "good or bad", but rather:
Do we know how to prepare children to interact with technology in a way that will help them maintain a healthy relationship to their bodies whilst engaging in the digital culture of which we are all a part?
I don't doubt that computers can help children develop intellectual capacities, but what about the developmental aspects of looking at a screen and thinking as a means for learning. Technology like Wii games and other movement oriented games still retain the same problems. Even though the body may be in movement one's focus is still aimed at a 2-dimensional surface which emits rays harmful to the eyes, perhaps especially during the developmental years. Projectors instead of screens would be a start, but still:
What about using computers empowers us to inhabit our own bodies in a health generating way?
As a child physically develops we need to be aware that overly intellectual education can have adverse effects in areas we are all too likely to ignore this day and age, namely the body and our relaiton to the world through it as a primary means of interaction. Physiologically our bodies will always be the basis for social interaction, even if we use them as tools through which to surf the net. I would suggest that interaction with technology be taught in tandem with psycho-physical education such as the Alexander Technique in order to prepare children to deal with the stimulus of technology.
As an aside: I also, as an educator, cringe at the thought of funding technology in public schools when teachers are underpaid and over worked. Just remember, the Luddites weren't afraid of technology, in fact they understood better than most at the time that technology can too often be used to displace human hands and hearts. Teachers don't need deep earth mining to improve (i.e. computer manufacturing is not sustainable), just some gratitude and appreciation, which computers can't teach. P.S. I grew up with Nintendo!!
posted by Kenneth on 2/16/2008 3:04 pm