Blog Post 6: Gaming, Transfer, Enthusiasm!

Class Reflections

I want to ask a question. What do you think happens next? We've got all these amazing gamers, we've got these games that are kind of pilots of what we might do, but none of them have saved the real world yet. Well I hope you will agree with me that gamers are a human resource that we can use to do real-world work, that games are a powerful platform for change. We have all these amazing superpowers: blissful productivity, the ability to weave a tight social fabric, this feeling of urgent optimism and the desire for epic meaning. (McGonigal, 2010) 

Jane McGonigal closed her 2010 Ted talk “Gaming can make a better world” with a mixture of specific arguments about gaming (the typology of four “amazing superpowers”) and a wide-open argument about saving the world. As we discussed in class, the world-saving piece has aged much more poorly than the exploration of gaming. Our discourse on tech and its role in social change continues to become more critical, and rightly so. Meanwhile, gaming has in fact influenced so many aspects of our lives, learning, community and social organizing, and day-to-day life in general.

It’s a really interesting time to check in with ourselves regarding technology evangelism/optimism for the postmodern Internet that was so important to so many in the 90s and early 00s. I began using the Internet on our family computer in first grade, and started by participating in the twilight years of Usenet/newsgroups that defined the structure of early cyberspace before web pages, search engines, blogs, etc. (It was a fun, weird time!) Some part of me is always eager to hear a speaker like Jane McGonigal speak with excitement and affection about what online spaces mean to people, and in doing so, help us step outside of the depressing reality of social media, a commercial-dominated internet, etc.

My thought process and ambivalence speaks, in large part, to the impact that enthusiasm and painting an evocative picture can have on listeners of a talk, even if they are skeptical to many of the ideas presented. The importance of enthusiasm came up in our discussion, and it really strikes me as something vital to emulate in any future teaching/talks. At the same time, I’m curious: what does it look to be both enthusiastic AND skeptical about technology? (I want to find and emulate that vibe even more!)

Readings

The principle that people learn by using what they know to construct new understandings…. can be paraphrased as “all learning involves transfer from previous experiences.” This principle has a number of important implications for educational practice. First, students may have knowledge that is relevant to a learning situation that is not activated. By helping activate this knowledge, teachers can build on students’ strengths. Second, students may misinterpret new information because of previous knowledge they use to construct new understandings. Third, students may have difficulty with particular school teaching practices that conflict with practices in their community. (National Research Council, 2000)

Transfer is an incredibly important goal in learning that is also incredibly elusive. I appreciated how this chapter broke down the construction of new knowledge via transfer into these challenges:

1. Teaching in a way that activates prior knowledge;
2. Helping learners overcome prior misunderstanding and biases; and 
3. Affirming aspects of understanding that are meaningful in home and community contexts while also building information appropriate for new contexts.

When teaching anything technical/programming/computer-related, I often hear students describe themselves as “total beginners” or “not good at this kind of thing.” What is the best way to identify the prior knowledge that students bring into the classroom, when the students might not think of that knowledge as relevant? It’s helpful to realize that identifying this kind of prior knowledge is not only a method for helping folks feel welcomed and included in a classroom, but a vital component of giving learners the context that will help them transfer and apply new knowledge in the future.

This makes me reflect on the parameters of a library workshops -- what’s the best way to identify the necessary conditions for transfer when things are playing out in a very short workshop setting? Sophia and I spent some time discussing the constraint of brief one-off learning interventions together, and to what degree a workshop can serve as an introduction to future programming and an ongoing relationship between the learner/patron and the library environment.

Works Cited 

https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world/transcript#t-33037

National Research Council. 2000. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9853.