I loved Andy Reiner’s comments for my column today about Minneapolis teacher Brock Dubbels using video games in the classroom. Reiner (pictured), 33, is the executive editor of Game Informer, a Minneapolis-based publication that is said to be the world’s biggest video-game magazine, so he obviously knows how to write about games. But he also knows how to put together some fantastic comments about what Dubbels is doing: using games as the medium for a modern-style “book report” to teach basic skills, such as writing and reading comprehension. I didn’t have room for all of Reiner’s comments in my column, so here’s his full quote:

“In my schooling, I was spoon-fed a steady diet of book reviews.  In retrospect, you’d think I attended school in the 1800s.  Why not include different mediums in the classroom?  Movies, music, books and games are mediums students go home to and interact with every day. Each one of these mediums provides a different critical analysis.  I’m not saying that Super Mario Galaxy should replace Where the Red Fern Grows, but I can certainly see aspiring writers developing new tools when they review Beautiful Katamari after A Wrinkle in Time.  When you dissect a video game in a review, you’ll see that it demands a different style of writing and critical analysis than a book.  This isn’t just about students having fun with their homework.  By incorporating video games into his teaching, Dubbels is expanding his students’ technical-writing skills.  And why shouldn’t school be fun?  For one student, a fun review might be reading the work of Edgar Allan Poe.  For another it could be playing The Legend of Zelda, watching Star Trek, or listening to Green Day.  We choose our occupation later in life.  Why can’t we choose our homework if our teacher is willing to teach us the skills that go with it?”

Now, where’s that video-game adaptation of Where the Red Fern Grows?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 6:59 am and is filed under Video games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.