Interesting news articles.......

During my degree, I undertook a research project which investigated potential links between video gaming habits and the academic achievements of boys at GCSE level. At the time, it was a subject close to my heart, having a son who was going through the GSCE process at the time. He, like many of his peers, spent (in my opinion as a concerned mother) an inordinate amount of time playing video games, the content of which could also have been considered questionable to some people. The research I uncovered, together with my own small amount of primary research threw up some interesting information, not least the fact that there appeared to be very little evidence which could be directly linked to underachievement, and that there were other factors which had far more effect on boys than were first assumed.

The research also found that playing video games, particularly those involving online collaboration and teamwork was helping boys to develop a range of organisational and communication skills, as well as increased spatial awareness and motor skills. These were not being recognised and harnessed by schools in the studies, and were not valued.

Writing this blog, and exploring the value of a diverse range of teaching tools has prompted me to start looking for further information on the benefits of gaming in education, and how the myths of causality between games and real life violence are being debunked. The latest article I have found is this one, written by clinical psychologist Christopher Ferguson which I will be adding to my library.

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Another interesting piece of news I cam across is this one about a new font - Dyslexie,which is supposed to make reading easier for people with dyslexia.

Source  - www.guardian.com

The font has been designed by a Dutch designer, Christian Boer, who has dyslexia himself. I find this fascinating, and would be interested to know if this font has been found to be successful. If any of my colleagues on the PCET course are reading this (Sarah? Dave?), I'd like to hear your thoughts? You can read the full article here.

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In the ever changing world of social media, no platform retains the top spot for too long, before a young pretender knocks them off their perch. Facebook has long been the king of social media with billions of users, but the frequency of user interaction has slowed dramatically in recent times, with photo sharing sites and instant messenger apps becoming far more prevalent, particularly amongst younger demographic groups. 

We have discussed the importance of using technology and social media to support effective learning in the modern world, during the ICT module, and how educators need to be aware of which social media platforms their learners are using. 

This article in the Guardian supports this, and highlights the importance of ensuring that when using social media in education, the correct channel for the target audience is selected. 

The eternal struggle......

The recent lectures with Mandy, and the visit of Simon Pridham, which extolled the benefits of technology in the classroom led me to reflect on my own attitude towards technology and how my children interact with it at home. Whilst I fully support and understand the development of technology for learning in the classroom paradigm,  I have a ongoing battle with my conscience over the use of games consoles and mobile devices in my house. Part of me understands and accepts that my children are full blown digital natives, and that it would be foolish not to relax and allow the inexorable tide of technology to wash over us. Another part of me is constantly analysing how much time they spend doing other activities - am I getting the balance right? Are screens a convenient substitute for my attention? Do they get enough exercise and fresh air?

 The bottom line is that no matter what the situation is, as a parent, I will always feel that I should be doing better. It is the nature of things. The reality is that my children are healthy and active boys, who have been lucky enough to grow up in a rural setting which encourages outdoor activities. More often that not, they will choose to go out rather than sit in front of a screen, disappearing out of the door armed with a football or a bike, only returning for food and clean clothes.

Maybe this battle is magnified in my own mind. They certainly appear to have found a natural balance between technology and traditional leisure activities, which allows them to be digitally literate and physically healthy.  I think that as a parent, as long as you maintain a sense of perspective, and accept that technology can be your friend, things do pan out.

I found a blog which is written by an American mother of four, who encapsulates the dilemma rather well. She, like many of us on this course, is straddling the line between what I like to call "technofear" and "technojoy".

You can read her post here.

Things that occur to me

I've been watching my son play Minecraft this evening as I browse the web, and I am still amazed at what he and others create and share. It's a great example of how gaming can be educational as well as fun, and sent me off  on another search for information. I found a great piece here on how it has gained popularity with parents as well as children. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft are able to create a balance between maintaining the spirit of the game and making improvements that truly benefit the community.