Quoted from mark

Yep been in the SC2 beta for a few weeks now

I have a friend that has a beta key also.  I wanted to try, but this Life/Work thing got in the way.

Quoted from Vengeance

Because you're not engaging your students in a way that's relevant for them.  That is exactly the issue she is talking about.  

I know I've been gaming since I was 4 years old, I hated school, I especially hated math (took me 3 semesters to get through grade 10 math) mainly because I didn't care, didn't find it relevant, fun, or helpful.  I get that there are general building blocks everyone needs to develop mentally properly but I don't think the idea of engaging people through games is a bad way of learning.  

Do you really think I never considered "relevance" ?  But your argument is a common one used by people to pass off their obligation to persevere in an environment that they don't get completely excited about.  Don't you think I get a lot of "Sir, when are we ever going to use this ?"  Of course I do.  But when I tell them that it will be on the next test, and that their mark on the test helps them to pass a course, which leads to graduation, etc., I expect THAT to be the relevance for them.   What is relevant for anybody ?  Is your job relevant ?  Your hobbies ?  Your life ?   The answer to all those questions is "not really", but we persevere anyway.

In fact, it is those students who perform just for the sake of doing so that are most impressive to me.   Give a kid something he really enjoys and watch him excel at it.  hey, that's a neat thing to see.  Give a kid something that he doesn't really enjoy but watch him excel at it...THAT is really something !   If the world started using charges of "irrelevance" to bow out of every activity that it found less than 100% stimulating, we'd all be up sh*t's creek.

I don't care what this woman says.  She's an artsy from Berkley.  She came up with an innovative thesis that has garnered her a lot of attention and she is riding it out.  Did she learn all of HER skills from gaming ? No.  

Quoted from mark

Yep been in the SC2 beta for a few weeks now

How izzit?

Btw, Zergs Rule!!!

Quoted from Vengeance

Because you're not engaging your students in a way that's relevant for them.  

An impossible task.  I have 32 students in my Gr. 9 Geography class.  What hope in hell do I have to impress upon them the relevance of the Canadian Shield?  I can dance, do cartwheels, recite poetry, go on field trips, juggle, play songs on my banjo... there are always students who sit there with a blank expression on their face.  Now if I could make myself into an Orc from WoW.... then maybe I'd have their attention - for about 15 seconds, which is all most of them (especially gamers) are capable of.  

Quoted from mrniceguy

Do you really think I never considered "relevance" ?  But your argument is a common one used by people to pass off their obligation to persevere in an environment that they don't get completely excited about.  Don't you think I get a lot of "Sir, when are we ever going to use this ?"  Of course I do.  But when I tell them that it will be on the next test, and that their mark on the test helps them to pass a course, which leads to graduation, etc., I expect THAT to be the relevance for them.   What is relevant for anybody ?  Is your job relevant ?  Your hobbies ?  Your life ?   The answer to all those questions is "not really", but we persevere anyway.

See that's the problem, you expect that it should be enough that they want to pass the course.  What if that has no importance for them at all?  I know in high school I could have cared less if I passed a course or not and the way I got through most of my high school career was to make like so miserable for my teacher that they never wanted to see me again, so they passed me on to the next grade's teacher.  hell I'm not even sure I have a high school diploma (never bothered to go to graduation, didn't stick around till the end of the school year and applied for college as a mature student)  But in the end what turned it around for me honestly was the co-op program.  It was the only place I was able to excel because I felt like I was learning something that was relevant and useful rather then something that some bureaucrat in an office decided was a good curriculum.  

As for what's relevant to anybody, is my job relevant, yes it is, when I'm challenge and involved in things I really enjoy my job and excel at it because I find it relevant to my likes and interests.  My hobbies are relevant because they fill my need for competition and to be the best at what I do, and obviously my life is relevant to me because who else would it be relevant to.  

Quoted Text

In fact, it is those students who perform just for the sake of doing so that are most impressive to me.   Give a kid something he really enjoys and watch him excel at it.  hey, that's a neat thing to see.  Give a kid something that he doesn't really enjoy but watch him excel at it...THAT is really something !  

but what's to say that's not what those people fine relevant and are able to take joy from?  Some people actually do like academics, so it is something that is relevant to them and as a result they excel.  

Quoted Text

If the world started using charges of "irrelevance" to bow out of every activity that it found less than 100% stimulating, we'd all be up sh*t's creek.

But that's not the point that's being made.  The point that is being made is how do you tap into that potential and use it for the greater good rather then for nothing.  

Quoted from McMean

An impossible task.  I have 32 students in my Gr. 9 Geography class.  What hope in hell do I have to impress upon them the relevance of the Canadian Shield?  I can dance, do cartwheels, recite poetry, go on field trips, juggle, play songs on my banjo... there are always students who sit there with a blank expression on their face.  Now if I could make myself into an Orc from WoW.... then maybe I'd have their attention - for about 15 seconds, which is all most of them (especially gamers) are capable of.  

Not saying it's possible to take the existing material and change it into a way that's relevant for everyone, that's impossible, nothing is ever going to work for everyone.  

but like I've been saying it's an interesting concept to be sure.  

Quoted from OTTOgd

How izzit?

Btw, Zergs Rule!!!

Yerp!  Zerg Rush FTW!

Quoted from McMean

An impossible task.  I have 32 students in my Gr. 9 Geography class.  What hope in hell do I have to impress upon them the relevance of the Canadian Shield?  I can dance, do cartwheels, recite poetry, go on field trips, juggle, play songs on my banjo... there are always students who sit there with a blank expression on their face.  Now if I could make myself into an Orc from WoW.... then maybe I'd have their attention - for about 15 seconds, which is all most of them (especially gamers) are capable of.  

I wish I could play banjo.

Instead, I've finished every single quest in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (including the expansions), Diable 2 (Amazon, Druid) Company of Heroes (and Opposing Fronts), Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, Portal and logged 260 hours as an Engineer in Team Fortress 2 (Spy and Medic: 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in hours logged).

... now it's pinball/arcade games.

Gamerz Rule!

This is the kind of intellectual masturbation you get from what I term professional students that ends up resulting in zero tangible results.

Turn the console off, get out from behind your TV and go out and get your hands dirty if you want to make the world a better place.

Quoted from necro_nemesis

Turn the console off, get out from behind your TV and go out and get your hands dirty if you want to make the world a better place.

Over-rated. That's what The SIMS is for.

Quoted from Vengeance

Yerp!  Zerg Rush FTW!

Protoss all the way. Wait for my reaver warp...

Quoted Text

  This is the kind of intellectual masturbation you get from what I term professional students that ends up resulting in zero tangible results.

Totally agree...

Sorry I'm too busy playing video games to read this whole thread. My comment is if we all spent more time gaming, obesity and diabetes would exceed its current epidemic proportions. And gaming companies would earn bigger profits.

Further, the reality of life is a lot different from games and this woman's BS speech sounds like something she tried to whip up for her dissertation. In the field she works in I am sure it was well received by her peers.  And some probably thought it was a very brilliant presentation. I too want the demand for my product to increase 7X.

I once dated a woman who had authored several books. She was hired by a publisher and commissioned to produce manuals on several topics similar to the "Idiots" series but mostly health and medicine related. After a few years of this she decided to work toward a Phd. in some BS field in order to gain credibility for selling her own books. All I remember is that she was non-stop blah blah about her stuff which was interesting for a very short time and then became annoying and stifling. Kinda  made me feel that I had nothing valuable to say. She, on the other hand was a steady stream that just never ended like a Dostoyevsky novel. Unfortunately, in the field of liberal arts, sociology etc.,  sometimes people are just looking for stuff to fill books and sell  their peers (to be granted the doctorate), a lot of it better suited to line bird cages.

This woman's speech was no exception IMHO