Gee.+Welcome+to+Our+Virtual+Worlds

=Gee, James Paul. "Welcome to Our Virtual Worlds."= //Educational Leadership// 66.6 2009. 48-52. Print.

**Abstract** The article presents an examination into the leveraging of online video games and virtual world entertainment programs into literacy education activities. Discussion is offered regarding the scope of interest that adolescents have in digital gaming environments, the inherent complexity of the media, and the possible integration of problem-solving and literacy skills development through them. Several experimental educational games are cited as successful examples of utilizing digital media for classroom benefit. A list of websites and resources for further exploration is also given.

**Argument** Because students today increasingly lack engagement and interest in their studies, educators are searching for teaching methods that will address the problem of students dropping out of school. Gee argues that video games and digital media are valuable educational tools. School and video games are alike in that both demand youth to solve complex problems written in complex language, but the two are different in that youth are far more motivated to apply themselves to video games than school. For instance, many players regularly contribute to wiki knowledge banks or produce other media related to a game; the fact that these activities are related to video games does not diminish their educational potential for writing, reading, and problem solving. Hence, Gee believes that video games and other virtual worlds can be incorporated into the classroom setting and improve students' literacy, technological, problem solving, and other essential skills where traditional methods of teaching fall short.

**Key Passages** "A crucial first step in promoting student engagement is to rethink literacy for the 21st century. One path to this new learning equation comes, perhaps paradoxically, from popular culture. Many young people today play long and difficult video games that involve complex thinking and problem solving married to complex language. Although the most frequent criticism of video games is that many involve shooting and killing, a good many focus on other things. //Civilization// and //Rise of Nations// force players to think on a large scale about history, development across time, and civilizations. //SimCity, The Sims//, and, for very young children, //Animal Crossing// ask players to build and sustain cities and communities. //Age of Mythology// players regularly read and write about mythologies across the world, specifically from Greek, Egyptian, and Norse civilizations. Some gamers write strategy guides for the games they play — technical writing at its best — and share them over the Internet," (49).

"Digital media hold out the potential to hone the skills necessary for success in our globalized world. They can enhance the learning of traditional print literacy and "situation understandings" in the content areas (Gee, 2003, 2007; Shaffer, 2007). They can help all learners become tech savvy — that is, unafraid of technical learning, adept at technology, and able to use it in productive and innovative ways. And they can do all these things in a way that enables young learners to accumulate a store of knowledge that cuts across home, community, and school settings," (49).

"[...] some students come to school without this language-based preparation. This is where digital media in school can make perhaps their most important contribution. This technology requires action in an environment; it generates vocabulary used in actual situations, which makes meanings clearer and easier to remember," (50).

"Teachers want to prepare their students for life in the 21st century, and they want their kids to love being in school. Yet they regularly witness a disconnect between the real world outside their classrooms and the contrived, dated world that exists within. They see the stark contrast between squirmy bodies and the glazed stares brought on by textbook-based lessons and the palpable energy brought on by artfully designed, technology-infused lessons. They know they must transform their classrooms and their teaching, but, like the students they serve, they need scaffolding to change and grow," (51).

**Selected Works Cited**
Gee, J. E (2003). //What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy// (2nd ed.). New York: Palgrave/Macmillan.

Gee, J. E (2004). //Situated language and learning: A critique of traditional schooling.// London: Routledge.

Gee, J. E (2007). //Good video games and good learning: Collected essays on video games, learning, and literacy//. New York: Peter Lang.

Shaffer, D. (2007). //How computer games help children learn.// New York: Palgrave/Macmillan.