Tech Talk: Teaching Digital Citizenship

[barclay_barrios]

I’ll admit it; I am complete tech junkie. Each day I read four tech blogs just to stay on top of what’s happening in the world of computers and technology.  I “popcorn” the posts—skimming over them to predict emerging patterns a la futurist Faith Popcorn. Occasionally, I find a post worth sharing, like this one: “Educators Battle Eternal September by Teaching Digital Citizenship with MinecraftEdu.” I think the video explains it best: http://www.fastcompany.com/3003185/minecraft-classroom-digital-citizenship-101-topic-play Of course, video games and literacy has been an area of composition research for some time now, but what I like about the approach taken here is the particular mix of gaming and teaching. They’re not taking school and turning it into a game. They’re taking a very popular game, Minecraft, and thinking about what students can learn from and in it. Perhaps this approach is something we’ve been missing. I don’t know that my program is ready for this kind of experiment, but I like that it helps me think in new ways about how literate communities traverse real and virtual spaces. That, for me, is a good start. Have you ever used video games in your teaching? I’m wondering about not just the effectiveness but the sheer logistics. Please share your comments and experiences.