UNIT 4 🎮

 

I love the impressiveness of VR headsets .... it really helps you get your head in the game. HAHA! 

In this unit, we talked about the use of video games and virtual reality in the classroom. Video games have evolved tremendously over the past few years. They have become more realistic and more common, Originally started as you playing by yourself and now you can play with any number of people, people from all over the world. And now, they are bringing video games into the classroom as a new educational tool. One thing we mainly touched on was video games in ELA classrooms. "...Video games serve as the locus of a host of other literacy practices such as essay and review writing, digital art-making, and video production," Brady L. Nash wrote in an article we read in class. Games have done more good in the classroom than most people realize. Some just say that it poisons young children's minds. But that isn't going to stop them from playing, so why not make it educational. 

Another thing that we touched on a little bit in class but I took a major liking to was the Booktok article. I am a lover of books...like seriously, you should see my bookshelf at home. Not only is it COMPLETELY full, but I also have a whole tote bin full of books too. Then TikTok came around and it took reading to a whole new level for me. BookTok, as I am sure you all know, is a place where readers share their opinions about books they've read. I have found some of my favorite books from BookTok. And the way BookTok works is similar to the way an ELA classroom does. People read books and then they share their opinions and discuss them with others. This is one thing I love about it because when I am in a classroom discussing books, other classmates aren't as excited as I am. But with BookTok, everyone is as excited as I am, whether they liked the book or not. I know that some teachers hate the use of phones in their classroom but here, I see it valuable. I remember in my AP lit class senior year, we did a book club assignment. We got into groups of 4 or 5 and picked a book, and then every Tuesday we would discuss it. I LOVED IT! It was my favorite assignment because we all easily agreed on a book and were all eager to read it. My group picked The Handmaid's Tale because we saw it on TikTok. I think other kids could really value from an assignment like that, even if they pick their book from BookTok. It might not be a classic, but it gets students to critically think about a book they're interested in. 

The last thing I wanna touch on is bringing virtual reality into the classroom. I have had a VR headset for a couple of years now and I do find it so much fun. I hadn't even thought about turning that into an educational tool. It could be valuable for some, but not all. For others, it could cause problems. Problems because you can't see your surroundings and some people hate that. It could cause problems for those who have sight issues or sensory to light. The screen is so close to your face, it can hurt your eyes. It can be bad for some people. But for those who can use it, it can be very educational. Students might have problems with visualizing what they read, and with VR, it can be so much easier. I would enjoy being able to experience virtual reality in the classroom. I think I would benefit from it. 

But anyway... that's all I really have for this one soo I'll see ya next time.