If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again

Okay things are not going well. What the heck. Why is this so friggin hard.Can't give up though. Won't give up. The battle continues...

Away with the Burgers and Dogs

Okay the holiday weekend is over. My company has gone back home and I can finally get back to a regular schedule. I'm putting away the hamburgers and hotdogs and getting back to counting points. Willpower, I need you now!!!

Oh Yes I Can, Oh Yes I Can!

It was about last year this time that I vowed to myself that i would shed the extra pounds I had been carrying for sOme time now. I joined Weight Watchers and promised I would not quit until I had reached my goal weight. So why did I lie to myself again. I meant to stay true to my word, but it just didn't happen. So here I am a year later and only two pounds lighter.

I am going to pick myself up and start again. This time I will journal abut my progress. Oh dear God please help me t be successful this time. I can do this. I know I can!!!

FINAL REFLECTION

I had no idea which game I would investigate for this class. Dr. Dana suggested I investigate Diner Dash. My partner talked to me about the Wii System and peaked my interest in it, and I remembered enjoying the original Mario Brothers when my daughter was in junior high. I found an updated version of it on the Internet. So initially I tried working with all three games. I was an inexperienced gamer,and despite the lack of success I was experiencing, I found myself enjoying the diversion from my everyday routines. I knew my choice had to be narrowed down, but I was never able to decide between Wii Sports and Diner Dash.

I enjoyed playing Diner Dash but I never experienced much success with it. I found it quite addicting, sometimes playing for an hour or two straight. I was determined that I could beat what appeared to be a rather simplistic game. It never happened however. I read blog posts of students in class who spoke of being on a second or third restaurant. I wanted desperately to get to that same level but it didn't happen for me. I wonder if I was hindered by the fact that I have rheumatoid arthritis. Anyway, discouraged after several weeks of trying, I finally turned my attention to the Wii Sport System I had purchased.

I enjoyed using the interactive sports system. Aside from walking my dogs I get very little excercise. Using Wii Sports I got the chance to bowl, play tennis, and play softball using a virtual Mii character I that I created in my own image. I got to play against other Mii characters created in the image of family members and friends. This made our games more personal and enjoyable. When engrossed in competitiveness and socializing, you often forget about the physical rigor you're exerting. We all looked forward to family game nights. I got to participate in sports that I would have never thought of doing in real life. I felt safe participating in these activities in the privacy of my own home. I didn't have to worry about anyone judging my form or ineptness. I even learned to keep score during bowling and tennis matches. And imagine how thrilled I was when I took the fitness test and scored a fitness age of 43, ten years younger than I actually am.

While most video games are said to be contributing to childhood obesity, the Wii Sports System seems to do the opposite. It gets kids up and moving involved in physical activity all while having fun doing it. This is just what students need to combat the sedentary lifestyle of most video game.systems. Many students dislike physical education classes. They may dislike traditional excercises or may be apprehensive about being involved in organized sports. With the continued use of the Wii sports system students can improve hand-eye coordination, flexibility, balance, stamina and endurance and enjoy the time spent doing it.

I read an article about a school in West Virginia that uses the video game Dance Dance Revolution as a part of the Physical Education curriculum to combat obesity and help young people get in shape. This is a great example of where a video game can be infused into the educational curriculum giving students an additional choice of fitness activities to engage in.

Recently while doing research, I read about a gentleman who conducted an experiment to see if he would lose weight after participating in Wii Sports activities everyday for 6 weeks. He lost 9 pounds. He gave me a great idea. I've decided to conduct the same experiment and see how I fare. It's only been two weeks thus far but I'm hoping for good results.

I for one am happy I purchased the Wii System. It's an investment that will give my family and I hours of enjoyment long after Medi 506 has ended. I'm not looking to become the best virtual athelete, just get a little more movement and lots of family bonding time.

The connection between game violence and aggressiveness in the players

I definitely believe that there is a connection between violence in video games and increased aggressiveness in its players.
Prolonged time spent with certain video games and television viewing can desensitize you so that you become accustomed to violence and killing. The incidents in the amounts and types of violence among youths I feel is the evidence of a connection. Unfortunately the new, more sophisticated games have better graphics and allow players to participate in even more realistic violent acts so I don't see things getting better any time soon.
There has been some research that suggests “video and computer game violence may be even more dangerous than violence shown on television or in films, since the player identifies himself with the characters carrying out the violence. Television can make us spectators of violence; computer games can make us feel like participants. Furthermore, a movie may take a child only a couple of hours to watch, but a child may spend up to 100 hours mastering a typical video game”.

People are DEFINITELY influenced by what they see, read, and do. That is the reason billions of dollars are spent on advertising in such medias as television, radio, and newspapers. For the young and impressionable, these games may blur the distinction between reality and fantasy.

Secondly, there are a large number of children in the U.S. that are reported as clinically obese. Lack of exercise because of too much time spent in front of the TV, computer screen, or with a hand-held video game is likely contributing to the problem. Parents and guardians should limiting the time spent playing such games and encourage spending time with other activities such as studying, interacting with others, and playing creatively to assure that their children become well rounded individuals.

Diner Dash 2

Diner Dash 2.... Oh Lord, Somebody just help me get through Diner Dash 1. I read someone's post in class who mentioned that using a mouse makes things much easier. Really??? Is that my problem? I'll attach a mouse to my laptop TODAY! I hope to God I will be able to report that it made a difference for me. Otherwise I'll know that it's me and I just suck at gaming.

Video Games Entering the Classroom

Differentiating instruction has been stressed in my school for the last several years. Many teachers realized why it was important; to address the different needs and learning styles of our students, but truthfully, moving away from whole group instruction continues to pose a challenge for many.
Games can be used as one method to address students varying learning styles. Students will be afforded the opportunity to learn material and demonstrate that learning in new and innovative ways.

The article tells us that educators everywhere are beginning to look for ways that games can be infused into the classroom curriculum. Research has shown that games do encourage learning because they are motivating for many students. They are fun, engaging, and help students develop critical thinking skills. '

We must be careful however to do our homework prior to incorporating games into our lesson plans. Squire tells us that playing games will not appeal to everyone and there is no one game that will give everyone the same learning experience. Some students have a learning style that allows them to thrive in the traditional educational setting whereas others will fair better with more hands-on activities. His experiment showed that 25 % of the students loved playing games and another quarter opted to participate in the traditional reading groups.

Since not all students can or want to learn in the same way, we must continue to provide a multitude of ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge. I think that “gaming” should definitely be added to our repertoire of teaching strategies as an alternative for the average, struggling, or gifted student.