Trafalgar Origins - Channel 4 Online game

OK! So, we had to play a channel 4 game (Ours was called Trafalgar Origins). The game was about: moving the ship around in certain directions, completing tasks, blowing up ships, collecting loot etc. Really frustrating and annoying game as I couldn’t control it properly. I found the game really really frustrating!!!!!!!!! As im not a gamer in any shape or form it didnt interest me in the slightest, it was really boring from the strat so didnt pull me in and was really difficult to control.

The Dilemma

What a game needs

Fun, Objectives, Goals and rules, results, competitiveness, winner, logic, imagination, understanding, instruction, problem solving, strategise. By listing these things, you do not automatically think of gaming, it could be talking about things you need in education; a perfect lesson for example. Purpose of games in education: motivation, more fun and interesting, thinking skills, challenge, problem solving, mathematical and language skills.

My opinion on gaming

So, my opinion on gaming, well i don't really think much of it! To me it's a waste of time, i understand that people enjoy it but i think it's weird when people spend all their time playing Call of Duty. These type of people never leave their bedroom, don't have many friends or any form of social life. I might be generalising but i know people from school who fit this description exactly, some of them are even doing a gaming course in university. WHY would you want to study a game?! I think its a good thing to have as a little hobby where you play a game on the x box every now and then or when you have friends over, but to get the extent where you're obsessed over it and queuing outside HMV for hours to be one of the first to buy this new game, and rush home to play it and complete it all in one go . . . what is the point of that?! I think that gaming is hyped up way too much, and the people who are OBSESSED with them would have a lot more of a life if they went to the pub with their friends, go out for a drink, go to the cinema etc. Surely it's not good for your health mentally or physically to be gaming all the time in your bedroom.

Digital learning environments task

So, Mandy has set us a task to answer this question:

'Over the last decade there have been vast changes in the way we live, learn and work, and with the advancement of technology and new learning tools, these things will continue to evolve. Today’s learners need new skills to survive and thrive in the future. Education should combine practical, intellectual, and social skills as never before'. What do you feel about the statement above? What does this mean for learning environments? How has technology impacted teaching and learning?

Learning environments has changed and will always be evolving, from when I was in primary school and what resources my teachers had in class is a lot different to what children have now. There was a few computers in a room that were VERY basic that we hardly used, there were no ipads back then, it lacked technology compared to today. Technology has, in my opinion, impacted learning in a good way as it has made learning more fun and interesting, its made information and educational games easily accessible and allowed children with learning difficulties be and feel more included as they can express themselves in more different ways.

However, technology can be used as an easier alternative. Sometimes it is easier for children to be on computers for an hour in class rather than going outside into the yard and learning by experiencing things. There has to be a fine line between technology helping and improving children's learning, and using it too much and children missing out on interaction and learning by doing things, rather than reading about it on a computer or ipad sat in the chair in class.

Introduction to Education Futures (Learning Environments)

Well, it's been 5 months since my last blog, so forgive me if I'm a bit rusty at this!

So far so good, I really think that this topic is gonna be interesting for me, and different to the others I'm taking. I'm really looking forward to learning about different technology, gaming and animations that can aid teaching, and finding out how to and then eventually making my own animations etc sounds really cool!

I'm the first to say that I'm not the best when it comes to technology, so this is gonna be new to me but very helpful. I'm also really looking forward to the trip to London to the Computer show, as I've never been to something like that before.

My first blog done, think that went well! On to my next one . . . .