Chapter 7
Quote: "But thinking about play as a disposition, rather than as merely engaging with a game, reveals something more fundamental at work. Much of what makes play powerful as a tool for learning is our ability to engage in experimentation. All systems of play are, at base, learning systems." (p. 97)
I enjoy this quote because it speaks to the authors premise that we need to stop looking at play as the opposite of work, but rather as fundamental for learning. In this chapter, the author describes a way to reshape educational institutions using a structure of knowing, making and playing. The last, playing, offers learners the opportunity to experiment as they look to bridge the gap between what they know and what they need to find out.
Question: At what age do humans stop desiring to "play" as much, or is it more of a social construct to stop experimenting and playing with ideas?
Connection: My main connection to this chapter came about when the author mentioned the difference between knowing where Iraq is on the map or finding where Iraq is using a computer. I've found students could find the answer to a number of maths problems they might see on a standard test by running a google search. In fact, there's apps now that can "solve" equations by simply taking a picture of them. With that technology, it becomes less important to know how to follow steps of an algorithm than it does to know how to use that algorithm and in what context. Better yet, students could create their own algorithm and context for a problem that they want to solve rather than performing for something completely out of context. These ideas seem to line up with other literature I've been reading about allowing students to make sense of the mathematics and create their own logical understanding of problems.
Epiphany: For me as an educator, I think this chapter was a good reminder of how I need to take a hard look at my classroom, and make those changes which will allow my students to know, make and play. It's not enough to keep the same system I'm used to with minor modifications. The best thing about the homo sapiens, homo faber and homo ludens frames are they can operate with any content under any standards in my opinion.
Chapter 8
Quotes: "Thus the first aspect of indwelling, which hanging out begins to develop, is social experience. And social experience is governed by a central question: What is my relationship to others?" (p. 101)
"Messing around, therefore, constitutes the second step of indwelling: embodiment. It asks the question: What am I able to explore?" (p. 103)
"Geeking out asks the question: How can I utilize the available resources, both social and technological, for deep exploration?" (p. 105)
These three quotes I think best sum up the progression of learning outlined in this chapter. By hanging out, learners develop a sense of how they fit into the broader collective or digital community. As learners pursue their interests, they begin the messing around stage where learners begin to experiment and play with the resources around them. Geeking out represents the ultimate step where learners begin making with their newly found experience. In all, the author asserts that this process will produce a rich and deep sense of learning.
Question: What is a reasonable amount of time to spend on each of the three levels?
Connection: This most directly relates to my experience working on a "Hanging out Badge" last semester, and my current work on the "Messing Around" and "Geeking Out" badges. I'm actually quite impressed that Jeff Heil was able to create a rubric for evaluating our progression towards these somewhat abstract ideals. Indirectly though, I think this hits on how we learn best as humans. As I look into something that interests us, at first I tend to hang back and watch how other people do it before trying to make it my own. Through experimentation, and modifications to fit my needs, I find I can transcend a simple memorization of facts into the realm of indwelling. For me, I want to be sure I give my students time to look into their own interests and develop their own agency through exploration.
Epiphany: I think that I need to move beyond the hanging out stage where I've spent most of the last semester. I still tend to look at digital resources in a more social context as opposed to an extension of who I am as an individual. Fortunately, all I need to do is participate in online collectives more, and I think I should be able to develop that sense of agency the author alludes to. By doing so, I can become a better model for my students to follow.
Chapter 9
Quote: "Collective indwelling evolves out of the fusion of the information network and petri dish elements of learning, and it is almost entirely tacit. It both resides in and provokes the imagination. It is at once personal and collective. Though individual performance is vitally important-each and every player must execute the jobs flawlessly or the team doesn't succeed-it is inherently tied to the group itself." (p. 113)
This chapter used Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) as the model for an environment which fosters the new culture of learning. I chose this quote because I think it best illustrates the author's reasons for doing so. MMOs certainly seem the ideal framework for allowing players to experiment and learn from each other using digital tools, even with all the other fluff type things that go on in them. However, if you're going to allow something to grow in a petri dish, I would assume you make some predictions, but I doubt you know for sure exactly what will come of it.
Question: What makes World of Warcraft so much more successful as a framework for learning (at least in terms of revenue) than any other of the many MMOs that have come around?
Connection: In a lot of ways, this chapter seems to speak to me because I do in fact play World of Warcraft and have done so off and on since it first came out. I never really thought about the kinds of things I was learning until I started reading this book though. I have experienced many of the fan sites and wiki pages the author speaks of because I was researching how best to play my character in a raid setting. In a way, it starts to make more sense now how I was able to remember so much about the game, but not nearly as much about my coursework. The research, combined with the experimental practice gave me a far deeper learning experience than either one or the other could possibly hope to do. It makes me wonder how I could help my students feel that way about mathematics and its beauty.
Epiphany: My epiphany is more of a question that I will need to constantly reflect on, namely: How can I make my classrooms more like an MMO?
Reference:
Douglas, T, Brown, J.S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace?, 2011.
Quote: "But thinking about play as a disposition, rather than as merely engaging with a game, reveals something more fundamental at work. Much of what makes play powerful as a tool for learning is our ability to engage in experimentation. All systems of play are, at base, learning systems." (p. 97)
I enjoy this quote because it speaks to the authors premise that we need to stop looking at play as the opposite of work, but rather as fundamental for learning. In this chapter, the author describes a way to reshape educational institutions using a structure of knowing, making and playing. The last, playing, offers learners the opportunity to experiment as they look to bridge the gap between what they know and what they need to find out.
Question: At what age do humans stop desiring to "play" as much, or is it more of a social construct to stop experimenting and playing with ideas?
Connection: My main connection to this chapter came about when the author mentioned the difference between knowing where Iraq is on the map or finding where Iraq is using a computer. I've found students could find the answer to a number of maths problems they might see on a standard test by running a google search. In fact, there's apps now that can "solve" equations by simply taking a picture of them. With that technology, it becomes less important to know how to follow steps of an algorithm than it does to know how to use that algorithm and in what context. Better yet, students could create their own algorithm and context for a problem that they want to solve rather than performing for something completely out of context. These ideas seem to line up with other literature I've been reading about allowing students to make sense of the mathematics and create their own logical understanding of problems.
Epiphany: For me as an educator, I think this chapter was a good reminder of how I need to take a hard look at my classroom, and make those changes which will allow my students to know, make and play. It's not enough to keep the same system I'm used to with minor modifications. The best thing about the homo sapiens, homo faber and homo ludens frames are they can operate with any content under any standards in my opinion.
Chapter 8
Quotes: "Thus the first aspect of indwelling, which hanging out begins to develop, is social experience. And social experience is governed by a central question: What is my relationship to others?" (p. 101)
"Messing around, therefore, constitutes the second step of indwelling: embodiment. It asks the question: What am I able to explore?" (p. 103)
"Geeking out asks the question: How can I utilize the available resources, both social and technological, for deep exploration?" (p. 105)
These three quotes I think best sum up the progression of learning outlined in this chapter. By hanging out, learners develop a sense of how they fit into the broader collective or digital community. As learners pursue their interests, they begin the messing around stage where learners begin to experiment and play with the resources around them. Geeking out represents the ultimate step where learners begin making with their newly found experience. In all, the author asserts that this process will produce a rich and deep sense of learning.
Question: What is a reasonable amount of time to spend on each of the three levels?
Connection: This most directly relates to my experience working on a "Hanging out Badge" last semester, and my current work on the "Messing Around" and "Geeking Out" badges. I'm actually quite impressed that Jeff Heil was able to create a rubric for evaluating our progression towards these somewhat abstract ideals. Indirectly though, I think this hits on how we learn best as humans. As I look into something that interests us, at first I tend to hang back and watch how other people do it before trying to make it my own. Through experimentation, and modifications to fit my needs, I find I can transcend a simple memorization of facts into the realm of indwelling. For me, I want to be sure I give my students time to look into their own interests and develop their own agency through exploration.
Epiphany: I think that I need to move beyond the hanging out stage where I've spent most of the last semester. I still tend to look at digital resources in a more social context as opposed to an extension of who I am as an individual. Fortunately, all I need to do is participate in online collectives more, and I think I should be able to develop that sense of agency the author alludes to. By doing so, I can become a better model for my students to follow.
Chapter 9
Quote: "Collective indwelling evolves out of the fusion of the information network and petri dish elements of learning, and it is almost entirely tacit. It both resides in and provokes the imagination. It is at once personal and collective. Though individual performance is vitally important-each and every player must execute the jobs flawlessly or the team doesn't succeed-it is inherently tied to the group itself." (p. 113)
This chapter used Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) as the model for an environment which fosters the new culture of learning. I chose this quote because I think it best illustrates the author's reasons for doing so. MMOs certainly seem the ideal framework for allowing players to experiment and learn from each other using digital tools, even with all the other fluff type things that go on in them. However, if you're going to allow something to grow in a petri dish, I would assume you make some predictions, but I doubt you know for sure exactly what will come of it.
Question: What makes World of Warcraft so much more successful as a framework for learning (at least in terms of revenue) than any other of the many MMOs that have come around?
Connection: In a lot of ways, this chapter seems to speak to me because I do in fact play World of Warcraft and have done so off and on since it first came out. I never really thought about the kinds of things I was learning until I started reading this book though. I have experienced many of the fan sites and wiki pages the author speaks of because I was researching how best to play my character in a raid setting. In a way, it starts to make more sense now how I was able to remember so much about the game, but not nearly as much about my coursework. The research, combined with the experimental practice gave me a far deeper learning experience than either one or the other could possibly hope to do. It makes me wonder how I could help my students feel that way about mathematics and its beauty.
Epiphany: My epiphany is more of a question that I will need to constantly reflect on, namely: How can I make my classrooms more like an MMO?
Reference:
Douglas, T, Brown, J.S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace?, 2011.