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Week 11: Libraries and Virtual Socialization
Educause Learning Initiative states that ‘Using virtual
worlds for education has significant potential to foster constructivist
learning, putting students in contact with others in an immersive environment
that challenges them to figure things out for themselves, without explicit
learning objectives and assessment.'
Using virtual worlds within a library setting to attract younger audiences to
the library website (for educational purposes) is a new and interesting
development within the library field. With worlds such as "Lively" being
introduced into the market (it reminds me of the kids game "Webkinz" where
children receive a stuffed animal with a digital password and can go online and
create a virtual world and invite friends, buy things, etc.), libraries are
finding it difficult to pull kids into their online sphere.
Amit Doshee notes that "students possess superb talents when it comes to
evaluating and applying information within the gaming realm." So how can
libraries use these talents to their advantage?
The USA Army uses virtual worlds and gaming as a method of
conditioning soldiers in their off time. It is considered a real experience
(twice removed) from the act of war itself. Since gaming has been shown to
influence human behaviour, it is important to look into virtual worlds and
harness the power of educational training for students immersed in these gaming
habits.
According to an article on BBC (which I read last month but can't find for the life of me), adults and children
alike are having a difficulty concentrating for long periods of time. Reading or ‘scanning' and
flipping between web pages have made reading lengthy books more difficult. While this is only the opinion of one researcher, the
undeniable truth is that we are changing the way we learn and behave around information.
Kurt Squire and Constance Steinkuehler note the mass market of revenue yielded from
sales of Halo alone. These game rooms have become hang outs for teens to play and
socialize. How can libraries show a presence within these virtual worlds?
I don't necessarily believe that libraries have to create a virtual world for kids. Instead, they should provide the opportunity for children and adolescents to socialize through virtual game nights. Gathering
(in person and online) is an important part of community learning. Kids who don't
have access to expensive games (wii or guitar hero) should have the chance to
play with friends and become oriented with the culture. Also, placing online
links to educational games on the library website, such as Findit! would provide
alternative and interesting ways for kids to learn on the library web page. A
good example of this is the Gaming Blog at Ann Arbor District Library. Libraries
have always been places of socialization; why not extend that tradition into
the virtual realm and invite kids in?
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Hey Jane,
The essence of your post just made me think about how gaming in the library can really support one of the key foundational aspects of the 'bricks and mortar building full of books' - that it always strives to be a cornerstone of the community. What better way to do that than expand community outreach efforts by hosting gaming events that kids would love to attend?
Thanks for the post!
Jane,
I like how you note that gaming can influence human behaviour. Knowing that the most popular video games are like Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy and Guns of the Patriot, it seems that the library is a good place where community values (respect for people and their belongings, the environment, "peace," law abiding etc) can be brought out through video games such as Wii tennis, bowling, yoga and guitar hero.
Awesome blog, Jane. You brought up a lot of points that I personally didn't consider and made me consider my own mindset in the process. It's really important, as you say, to understand the psychological aspects of gaming, not only to get positive results, but also to provide service which is not manipulative to our users (especially those younger and more vunerable!).
"Everything I say is a lie...
... in fact, I'm lying to you right now..."
I also heard recently that the attention spans of teenagers has decreased significantly on the radio program Alien Nation on CBC (http://www.cbc.ca/radiosummer/alien/)(It's not about aliens, its a play on words about the alienation of teenagers and their parents- it's actually quite interesting especially if you are interested in working with young adults). An older man was describing the way some of his teenage relatives would listen to music and be constantly flipping to new songs right in the middle of them where the "hook" would start playing. He commented further that it was sad because they never really listened to the whole song so they never really fully appreciated the song. This was just one example of the lack of attention that his teenage relatives had.
I also had a guest speaker in my Instructional Strategies class ask if anyone could actually sit down and read for three hours straight. He was an English major and admitted that he could not. But, quite a few of us in the class said that we could and still did. I found it really disturbing that it's becoming the norm that people cannot concentrate for any decent amount of time. I'm assuming that video games don't help the cause.