CARS Model for Core 4

Move 1: Establishing a Territory

The importance of digital-game based learning is to provide children and students with new and improved methods of learning. Using computer games as well as online gaming allow for students to easily learn basic literacy skills. Computer games assist children in being able to learn and use information that is relevant to a virtual world. Because they can learn, practice, and apply material and information all at the same time through online games, digital-game based learning allows students to retain information more easily.

Move 2: Establishing a Niche

My particular area of study involves why and how digital-game based learning is effective. Many parents and teachers or today’s generation don’t seem to realize that computer games can be used for more than just a means of entertainment. Just because a game is fun does not necessarily mean one cannot gain any knowledge by playing it. This gap between both parents/teachers and students/advocates for digital-game based learning occurs because today’s parents and teachers did not grow up in an environment where technology was so prominent. However, just because our parents don’t fully understand the capabilities of a computer does not mean that we should have to sit through multiple lectures when computer games could take the place of some classroom instruction.

Move 3: Occupying a Niche

The purpose of this essay is to argue for the use of digital game-based learning among the current generation of students. Through research, I have discovered that computer games not only provide a more modern teaching style, but they also allow students to engage and interact with the techniques and instructions they have just learned. This method of being able to learn, practice, and apply skills is known as cognitive learning. The structure of my essay will start with an introduction that states me research question, some background information related to digital game-based learning, as well as, why this topic is important to me. For the body of my argument, I will discuss the research that I found about why digital game-based learning is an effective teaching method. I will use the military and cognitive learning as examples to support my claim that computer games should be used to help educate students. I also intend on adding in a few counter arguments into my argument as well. In my conclusion, I will persuade the reader to view the use of computer games as part of a much needed addition to the educational process.

Chapter 7 & 8 Lundsford Assignment. (Excused Absence 4/8)

I would classify my research as evaluative rather than fact or definition. Evaluative arguments tend to compare one thing to another, and my research tends to compare the standard teaching methods such as classroom lectures to a more modern method of using computer games. Lundsford gives examples of evaluation arguments such as arguing about how you may think that Miss Alabama would have been a better Miss America than Miss New York. The research that I have found by Prensky, Gee, Van Eck and Johnson does essentially the same thing. It evaluates how each of these researchers thinks that digital game-based learning has more to offer than traditional teaching methods. My articles do not argue for the definition of digital-game based learning like Wysocki and Johnson-Eilola argue about what the definition of digital literacy is and should contain. My research also does not pertain to a situation like that of Malcolm X. Malcolm X used facts such as being in prison and writing dictionary words to show how he learned to be literate, but the research I found is not conducted in this same way. The articles I am using for my argument are characterized by reason. They do not involve numbers, but rather, are shaped by language and various kinds of logic (Lundsford, 256). On page 262, Lundsford also states that in order to develop an evaluative argument, one should establish a claim, imply his/her belief, draw out a warrant, and then state evidence. Each of my articles states a claim about digital game-based learning being effective. They each then follow their claim with reason. For example, Johnson uses cognitive learning as his learning. Next they each make their own warrant pertaining to how digital game-based learning allows students to interact and engage certain skills while learning, and then each article lists its own evidence. For example, Prensky uses the military as evidence to support the use of digital game-based learning.
My research is not necessarily based on fact. It is difficult to use numbers, surveys, statistics, etc. to prove that digital game-based learning is effective because rather than there being one or two specific skills that can be learned, there are multiple skills that can be learned by playing computer games. Also, each game that is played allows a student to apply the information he/she has just learned but each game uses different information and requires different types of interaction; therefore, making it hard to come to a conclusion with numbers when researching this topic. In Lunsford, examples of fact include seeing and hearing things; however, the effects of digital game-based learning cannot clearly be seen or heard.
While each of my articles states that digital game-based learning includes the use of computer games as a method of learning, they are not arguing about what the definition of digital game-based learning should entail, they are arguing for the use of computer games as an educational tool in classrooms. The arguments do not fall under the category of formal definitions, operational definitions, etc., therefore, they are not considered arguments of definition.

Core 3:Annotated Bibliography

Because computer use amongst today’s generation is increasing rapidly, researchers have started studying what kinds of effects computer games have on literacy development. The purpose and focus of this bibliography is to show the benefits of digital game-based learning. The articles I have chosen to use for my research include studies and examples of the advantages of using computer games as a teaching resource. Using computer games as a means of education should grab the attention of not only children and students, but their parents as well. The reason being, because children and students find playing games more appealing than classroom lectures, and parents because they need to be informed of the new and improved teaching methods that are being used to educate their children. I chose to include the attached sources because not only do they give helpful information as to how computer games can benefit the education process, but they also include examples and arguments that try to persuade the reader to see digital game-based learning not as an obstacle to one’s education, but rather, as an improved and more advanced method of learning.

Annotated Bibliography
Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print. This excerpt from a book, is written
by James Paul Gee, an author and researcher at the University of Wisconsin in
Madsion. Gee states that schools, workplaces, families, and academic researchers
need to be educated about the uses of computer games. His book is relevant to my
topic because he gives specific examples of how games such as Age of
Mythology, System Shock 2, and Rise of Nations allow learning to be “on
demand.” Gee also compares education through a classroom experience against
education using computer games. He states, “Good games operate at the outer
and growing edge of a player’s competence, remaining challenging, but do-able,
while schools often operate at the lowest common denominator,” (2). This
statement is not biased because of Gee’s credibility within the category of digital
game-based learning.
Johnson, Steven. "Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is
Actually Making Us Smarter." (2005). Abstract. Digital Game-Based Learning
: It's Not Just the Digital Natives Who Are Restless…. 41.2 (2006): n. pag. Print.
Steven Johnson is a well known author and magazine columnist that believes
computer games provide learning through situated cognition. Situation cognition
takes place when learning occurs through meaningful and relevant contexts.
Situated Cognition is relevant to my research topic because it provides another
explanation as to why online gaming is effective. An example of lions learning to
hunt is used to reinforce the idea of situated cognition. Johnson states that not
only do computer games allow one to learn basic intellectual skills, but they also
allow for one to learn “well established principles and modules of learning.”
Johnson’s credibility is established with his extensive research on situated
cognition.
Prenksy, Marc. “Digital Game-Based Learning”. ACM Computers in Entertainment,
Vol. 1, No. 1. New York: Games2Train, 2003. In this scholarly article,
Marc Prensky, an internationally known speaker and author, focuses on the
effects of digital game-based learning. He argues that video and computer games
should increasingly start becoming the new method of teaching because of the
benefits that students can gain. This article is relevant to my research because it
includes information about how children learn infinitely more when playing
computer games rather than just listening to a classroom lecture. Some evidence
used to support this is that the military uses over 50 different video and computer
games to teach its troops different strategies. Prensky believes that children like
to learn, but not when it is forced upon them; therefore, using computer games
will engage children more in the learning process compared to the typical
curriculums used in schools.
Prensky, Marc. "True Believers: Digital Game-Based Learning in The Military." Digital
Game- Based Learning (2001). The ACM Portal. Web. 27 Feb. 2010. CFID =74025111&CFTOKEN=69369409&ret=1#Fulltext>. Prensky’s scholary
article focuses on one specific example to support the use of digital gaming for
educational purposes: the military. This article is of relevance to my research
topic because it gives detailed information about how online gaming has been
proven to effectively educate people. In this article, it is stated that cost and
motivation are two of the reasons the military has chosen to rely on computer
games for teaching their troops. This gives my argument two more points to list
as advantages for using online gaming as an educational resource. Prenksy’s
credibility with this information is necessary because he not only is he considered
a prominent person in the education field, but because he also conducted
extended amounts of research on the military’s use of games.
Van Eck, Richard. "Digital Game-Based Learning: It's Not Just the Digital Natives Who
Are Restless…." EDUCAUSE Review 41.2 (2006). www.seriousgamesystems.com. March & April 2006. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.. Richard Van Eck is an Associate Professor at the University of North Dakota where he not only began studying games 10 years ago, but where he also teaches a graduate course dealing with gaming and learning every year. Van Eck’s article focuses on the fact that today’s generation of children and students have lost interest in the traditional methods of teaching and because of this he supports the use of computer games for education. Van Eck lists ways in which to implement computer games into education as well as integrate them into the classroom. This is relevant to my paper because it allows me to state a problem, support the problem, and offer a way to fix the problem. Van Eck’s credibility is high because not only does he include his argument, but he includes the counter-argument as well.

Research Reflection

The research that I have found so far on my topic of Digital-Game Based Learning has been very beneficial in helping me to form my argument for my paper. The conversations between the authors of my articles are all similar in a sense that they all support the use of digital game-based learning as a means of educating children and students. Each author gives different examples and information about using computer games for learning, but they all still have the similar viewpoints. The information given in each article helps to support my argument as well as each of the authors' arguments that digital game-based learning should be used, not only in the classroom, but at home as well. In one of my scholarly articles by Van Eck, he even mentions the names of other authors that I researched, such as Prensky and Gee.

I do not necessarily see any problems with any of my research. I think that each author has conducted his own extensive research to prove that digital game-based learning is effective; however, it would have been more helpful if there had been some sort of statistic or survey taken to further each author's research. I think the use of numbers in researching and conducting experiments is a useful tool that is an aid in understanding experimental results. I also think that using numbers is also a helpful way to visually see and prove/disprove a theory, hypothesis, question, etc... Besides not having any numbers to back up the research, each author used reliable examples to get his point across about how using computer games as an educational tool is effective.

Plagiarism Workshop 3/18

1. 0, it is not plagiarism. The two papers are completely different so as long as each of the students cites their sources, no plagiarism occurs.

2. 0, it is not plagiarism because it is the writer's own work.

3. 2, it is a small form of plagiarism. While the student did not use any of the other students' exact work, he still used some of their ideas to form his own.

4. 4, The student did not do all of the work by himself. He used another student's work as a template for his own work. It's a form of plagiarism because he took part of another student's assignment and used it for his own assignment.

5. 1, it has the potential to be considered plagiarism. According to Owl at Purdue, you can cite pictures. The example does not mention whether the student cited the picture or not, and also the teacher did not accuse him or his classmates of plagiarism.

While plagiarism should be taken seriously, we think that the consequences for plagiarizing are too harsh most of the time. We believe that expulsion should only be a possibility if plagiarism occurs more than once by the same student. We think that students who plagiarize should be given a 0 on their work, and have some other kind of consequence as well, but we think that expulsion is not necessary on the first accusation.

Anna Jones

Lauren Smoley

ENC 1102-112

Core 2 Topic Summary

My topic for Core 2 is based around the question, "what kinds of advantages does digital game-based learning entail?" I am using research articles that talk about the effectiveness of online gaming, and how it can be useful in learning writing and reading literacy skills. I am using one article that uses the military as an example of the effectiveness of online gaming, and my other articles give different facts and details about how online gaming should be used more in classroom environments.

Blog that I want to Follow

www.blogs.usatoday.com/entertainment

Core 1

Technology has begun to improve at a rapid pace over that past few years. Not only is it common for a person to have a laptop now, but having a cell phone that functions as a miniature computer is becoming a new trend as well. People rely much more on computers from a day-to-day basis now, than they did even as little as ten years ago. Not only do people use it for networking, business, and school, but also for the purpose of pure entertainment. I believe that having computers that are now so easily accessible is an excellent technological improvement because they assist most people in their daily fast-paced lives.
I was born in 1991, around the time when it was becoming more popular to have a computer in a home that the entire family shared. I do not remember much about being introduced to the computer, but I do know that my first interactions with one were at my home when I was around four or five years old. Like Danielle Devoss, I remember watching my older brother play computer games, and I frequently watched my dad check emails and tend to business related things on it. I even recall my dad teaching me the proper way to turn the computer on and off.
While I was in elementary school, I had a computer class that I went to once a week for one hour at a time. I attended a private school, so I had the privilege of being able to learn things using a computer at a young age through a weekly computer class that my school offered. In computer class, we mainly learned how to type correctly using both hands, and also practiced consistency with typing words and sentences. This helped me to improve my digital literacy skills because it gave me more practice with a computer. It allowed me to become more comfortable with the computer and some of the different functions it was capable of.
My friend’s Barbie computer also played a role in my process of becoming more literate in the realm of digital literacy. Even though this computer only allowed us to play Barbie themed games, we still gained knowledge from it. While my friend’s mother insisted that she limit our time spent on the computer, she did not realize
that these games were working our brains and not hurting them. Marc Prensky, in his article, “Digital Game-Based Learning,” states that what “glues” kids to video and computer games is not the violence, or in our case, the Barbie themed subject matter, but rather the learning that the games provide. Solving problems, making choices, and paying attention to detail were among some of the things that these games required us to do. Prensky notes that some other common skills that children learn through playing games are creating strategies, overcoming obstacles, collaborating with others, and deducing a game’s rules from playing rather than by being told.
Throughout the course of my elementary and middle school years, I began using the computer on a more regular basis. Because I was now more familiar with it, I was able to rely on it more for things such as homework, games, and even shopping online. Besides my weekly computer class, my teachers did not base their curriculum around the computer much at all; I was left to learn its functions through my own observations and practice. My parents were never strict as to how much time I spent on the computer so I think that allowed me the opportunity to utilize my time to learn the functions of a computer at my own pace, and it also allowed me to base my learning on what seemed desirable to me at the time.
Now that I am a freshman in college, the computer is used very regularly in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom. The amount of time I spend working on my computer or with any computer in general for my college classes is anywhere from one hour a day to several hours a day. One example of how the computer is used in a college environment is mentioned in Selber’s article, “Reimagining Computer Literacy,” where he states that college students use computers as instruments to e-mail their classmates and colleagues, subscribe to internet discussion lists to engage in professional conversations, and search scholarly databases to retrieve material appropriate for their class. This is one of the many steps that have been taken over the past years to increase the amount of time and work that students spend using the computer for educational purposes.
I think this increase in the use of computers for my classes is good thing for college students today. Not only is it easier and more convenient to carry around one laptop rather than several binders and folders, but it is also more easily accessible. With a computer, one has pretty much anything and everything he could possibly need that is relation to information wise one device. While some parents and teachers believe that reading a hard copy of a book and listening to classroom lectures is more beneficial to students than doing anything related to the internet, I think that using the computer as a source for learning is a new and improved innovative way of learning. The current generation of students is very different from the previous generations that our parents and teachers are from, and I think that digital literacy is one of the differences that will have a positive impact on children and students of every age.
Because computer use is becoming so increasingly popular, I am sure that I will see and need it when I graduate college and start my career. I am Business major, so I am sure that I will need to be qualified in the field of computer and electronic use in order to become a successful businesswoman. Business firms rely on computers in order to keep their corporations running, so being literate in the field of technology is definitely a requirement for me. With as rapidly as technology is improving, I will have to be sure to keep up with the latest technological advances. Who knows, by the time I begin working my way up the business ladder, we may be using technology that is so futuristic that robots may even be employed by business firms. According to Venkatesh, electronics such as robotics, voice activated systems, and smart devices may be the primary sources running households and businesses in the near future.

Overall, I would classify my progression of digital literacy as having learned with the computer rather than having learned about the computer. The computer served as an indirect object of learning throughout my years of schooling because my teachers chose to teach me how to use it to further my education and research. Although I have a lot to learn when it comes to how the computer actually works, I know that I am fully capable of relying on my digital literacy skills because of my experience in learning with the computer rather than about it.

Works Cited

Prensky, Marc. "Digital Game-Based Learning". ACM Computers in Entertainment, Vol. 1, No.
1. New York: Games2train, 2003.
Selber, Stuart. Reimagining Computer Literacy. National Council of Teachers of
English, 2004.
Selfe, Cynthia, and Hawisher Gail. Literate Lives in the Information Age. New Jersey: Lawrence
Erlbaulm Associates, Inc., 2008.
Venkatesh, Alladi. "Computers and Other Interactive Technologies for the Home”.
Communications of the ACM. New York City: ACM, 1996.

Audience Awareness Article

http://www.jstor.org/stable/356601?seq=3

In the article, "Understanding a Writer's Awareness of Audience," Linda investigates whether or not experienced writers with formal training consider their audience more than writers without formal training. Although Linda believed that writers with rhetorical training would be more aware of their audience, she later found out, through her study, that there are two factors that play a bigger role in determining audience awareness. The two factors are whether or not the writer is informed as to who the audience will be, and also, how the writer views the task that is given to him or her. Therefore, the claim that Linda makes is that people with a better background in writing will be more aware of their audience compared to those with minimal amounts of writing in their background.

Group Members:

Anna Jones

Lauren Smoley

Core 1 Part 2: Participate

Technology is in the process of advancing very quickly. We now already rely on computers, cell phones, and other forms of advanced technology to help us get through the day. Whether it be making a call from a cell phone, checking and sending an email on a cell phone or even carrying around a laptop from class to class. These everyday actions already seem like very advanced processes that we use from day to day; however, the field of technology is still continuing to grow more rapidly. By the time college students begin starting a career, we will be using even more futuristic and technologically advanced programs and media in the workplace.

I am currently a Business major and am planning on becoming a successful business woman once I graduate college. Not only do I intend on working my way up the business ladder, but my goal is to also, one day, be the CEO of a large company. With this job, I know that I will need to be literate in the field of technology because business firms rely a lot on computers and electronics to keep their corporations running. As far as what futuristic technology my field will require, I will need to make sure that I am skilled in the category of any type of new and improved Microsoft Office programs, as well as, all of the new touch screen and voice activated features that are now being added to computers. Technology is also becoming more virtual and interactive,and new forms of multimedia are also being created. Some new types of technology that may be around when I begin my career are things that are automated such as robotics, electronic information systems, smart appliances and smart hardware. I believe that by the time I am satisfied with where I stand in my career, we will be using technology that is mainly voice controlled and automated. I also think that technology will be so futuristic and advanced by this time that all of our electronics will be able to perform tasks like humans do, and will actually be able to replace some humans in the work force.

Part 1: Prepare

In the realm of digital literacy and technology, I think I stand at a point that is slightly above average when it comes to knowing how to use technology and its various resources. When dealing with multimedia technology such as video games, cell phones, cameras, and laptops, I am very good at being able to figure out how to perform atleast the basic functions on each. However, I am also to usually use each item more than just for its basic programs. In the school-oriented category, I mostly use Microsoft Office and the internet as a basis for all of my work and research. I am very familiar with both programs and am very comfortable using them on my own without any help. In the play-oriented category, I would also consider myself very skilled in the area of online games, youtube, facebook, twitter, and anything else used for entertainment.

As far as improvement is concerned, I don't really think that I need much improvement in any of the above areas. At the present time, I am able to perform tasks and use each program and item as needed. While I do not know how to use and maneuver each piece of technology fully, I do know enough about them to get all of my goals and tasks accomplished. I am a user of the computer and of technology and different tools; therefore, I am familiarized with all of the basic functions of each piece of technology plus some, but if i wanted to become more of a creator or entrepreneur through the online world, I would have a lot of learning to do.

When dealing with which area I am stronger in, I would have to say that it would be in the category of entertainment oriented technology. I am a frequent user of facebook, youtube, social networking sites, etc... So I would say that entertainment technology is my strongest point of the three categories.

1/21/2010

In the article, "Digital Game-Based Learning," Marc Prensky argues that video and computer games should increasingly start becoming the new method of teaching when it comes to children and learning. Prensky states that although research supports the fact that children can and do learn numerous amounts of skills and information from video and computer games, many parents and teachers still consider them harmful and a detriment to a child's education. Prensky uses his argument to convince readers that video and computer games not only educate children, but they also keep them entertained and focused while doing so, unlike the "boring" lessons taught in classrooms. He is trying to persuade readers to believe in this new form of education, just like he does. Prensky is convinced that children are satisfied and enthusiastic about this new and upcoming way of learning, and he is trying to convince parents and teachers to be satisfied and enthusiastic about digital game-based learning as well. Prensky believes that what attracts kids to video and computer games is not the violence and the subject matter, but rather the learning the games provide instead. "Kids, like all humans love to learn when it isn't forced upon them," Prensky states. Prensky argues that since children have a better attitude toward digital game-based learning than they do towards school, that the education system should shift its curriculum from classroom lessons to video and computer game-based learning.