Learning Lich King

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Learning With the Lich King – Using World of Warcraft in School – Lucas GillispieImage Credt:Chalkboard Image - http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamthebestartist/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0Lich King by – Johnboy007007 on Deviant Art - http://jonboy007007.deviantart.com/

Where it all began... Back around 2000, a student of mine, Ryan, introduced me to the online game, Everquest. Though I’d participated in online gaming before, nothing had ever been this compelling. It was an immersive, story-driven environment, and I became enthralled. I was also fascinated by the concept of guilds and set out to form my own, the Harbingers of Ire guild. To form and maintain a guild, you need members! I’d met a few regular folks in Everquest, but my most frequent contacts were with Ryan and other students at the high school who’d begun to play. So, logically, we formed a guild. Our experiences in Everquest became the foundation for what is now, nearly a 10-year journey through MMORPGs. What did I and students do together in Everquest? Mostly, we simply played the game, but very early on, I realized opportunities to also “be the teacher.”Everquest involved lots of running over vast distances and it took time to get from point A to point B (until you were a druid of a level high enough to teleport, after which there was still a great deal of running). So, on numerous occasions, I’d be following a student from one location to another (they always new how to get places), and as I followed, I’d review Physical Science with them for an upcoming test. They could always ask me questions about what we were learning in class, too. I suppose that’s when I first started thinking of MMO’s as a potential instructional tool. Image Credits:TypicalWoodelf Druid EQ 1 - http://www.everquest-online.com/content/images/gallery/albums/screenshots/eq004.sized.jpgEverquest Logo: http://lightloch.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/everquest-logo.jpgFaerie Image - http://eqbeastiary.allakhazam.com/search.shtml?id=26705EQ Box - http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/eq2/images/6/63/EverQuest_Original_Box_Art.jpg

So what is a guild? What made Harbingers of Light successful? Why did they stay?I tended to gravitate towards my “gaming” students as they did me, because we had an area of common interest. And, of course, I’d recruit them to join my guild. Our gaming experiences always gave us something to talk about during break, lunch, or before/after school. Before long, my classroom became the place where the gamers would hang out. So were my expectations in the classroom and at school different than they were online and in the guild? No. (Well, I didn’t allow swords in the classroom...) I expected certain levels of behavior: no cursing, no spamming, no begging, etc. I made clear that our guild had a positive reputation and that as long as they wore the tag above their heads, they were its representatives.But what does it mean to a student to belong to a guild?

Guilds are about being part of a community of players. You share common goals and interests. You rely on each other whether for friendship or for heals during a difficult boss fight.

A guild is about building relationships. After awhile, the bonds formed between guild members grow strong. You initially learn each others’ idiosyncrasies, and ultimately come to accept them and adapt to them. Yes, Pookha is a bit whacky. Yes, he sometimes pulls the entire dungeon on your group for laughs, but he’s a good kid, and the best mage you’ve ever grouped with.

Guilds are about being part of something bigger than yourself. They’re about investing in something and watching it grow. They’re about ownership. They’re about the wins and the losses.

When allowing students into your guild, always be aware of “teachable moments...” Have I had to deal with drama, ninja-looting, obnoxious behavior, etc.? Of course I have. But, these are some of the best opportunities to teach students about some of the most important life lessons and what some call “digital citizenship.”Ninja Looter: http://grimhalo.com/images/NinjaLooter.jpgDAoC ML 2: http://www.gamerdna.com/uimage/09u66eM/full/unwanted-harpy-rides-on-master-level-2-daoc-trials-of-atlantis.jpgNo Drama: http://hechicerosden.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/no-drama.jpg

In hindsight, one of the things that guilds are about are the stories. “Remember the time we...”

So, after nearly 10 years of playing MMORPGs with students, what sorts of things have I observed?

Overall, students are extremely engaged in these virtual environments. Games like World of Warcraft are compelling and designed to teach you “how to play” in incremental steps that start small and grow in complexity as you play. All of this takes place in a community/social environment. You’re not learning alone. What if our classrooms worked like this?

Step aside “sage on the stage!” Be prepared to be a co-learner with students. Was I ever too prideful to ask a student for advice on a quest or on a line of character specialization? No way... I wanted to improve just like they did and we could help each other achieve our goals. Students will spend hours in self-guided and initiated research about things that pertain to their character’s advancement. Again, what if they did this for your Biology class?

Anonymity can be a good or a bad thing. More often than not, I saw positive effects. Virtual environments give students the opportunity to escape the preconceived notions their peers have about them due to their race, weight, or looks. I’ve seen students who are the relatively quiet, “slip-through-the-cracks” types emerge as leaders in the virtual world...Image: Peter Steiner, page 61 of July 5, 1993 issue of The New Yorker, (Vol.69 (LXIX) no. 20)

And just who are they playing with in our guild? A member recently posed the question, “What do you do for a living?” in our online forums. The variety of career fields astounded me. And the students I teach are interacting with these folks nightly.

As the old saying goes, “Nature abhors a vacuum,” the same could be said of leadership in an MMORPG. Students are driven to push their characters to the highest levels and to obtain the best gear, too. To do this, they need the assistance of other players, and they’ll organize and lead groups as large as 40+ to accomplish this goal. Talk about 21st-Century Skills!

So, what’s next? WoWinSchool...http://wowinschool.pbworks.com

After awhile, I finally decided to begin collecting some of the ideas I had about using World of Warcraft for instructional purposes with middle or high school students.

Student drop-outs are a huge problem. Many students drop out simply because they don’t have something to “anchor” them in school. If they’re not involved in sports, clubs, or student government, for example, why keep going back? Image Credit:http://earlycollegeofalaska.org

Will leaders emerge? How will they handle the challenges of managing a socially (and geographically) diverse group?

What if these students, who largely go unnoticed, were suddenly recognized for their accomplishments. What if we share their writing, their videos, the achievements with the world?

What if students from different schools in different states or even countries game together?

So now you’re thinking, “This is too cool... How do I get involved?”We need folks like Helga Brown who can write WoW-based lessons. We need people who can align lessons to state and national standards. We need people to collect supporting research. We need people who can connect interested teacher to funding sources. We need you to talk about what’s going on with the project. We need people to edit pages and lessons. We need educators to play WoW. We need people who love learning!

The best way to get involved is to simply jump in! Already researchers from universities, teachers, college students, and even high school students are getting involved. Helga Brown from Elizabeth City, NC has written some incredible lessons. We need more! We need them aligned to state standards. We need folks to discuss logistics, funding, and more! Since May, the wiki has had 3,806 visits came from 69 countries. 28 registered authors contributing, supporting research, funding ideas, logistics info., and most importantly lessons.

Recently, I started a separate Twitter feed for the project. You can find it at: http://www.twitter.com/wowinschool.

3 Favorites & 1 Group

Nick Noakes, educational / faculty development at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, favorited this 3 months ago
skipz favorited this 3 months ago
Tags gaming
brock.dubbels favorited this 3 months ago
Tags games in 2009 education
brock.dubbels added this to the group Video Games as Learning Tools

Learning Lich King - Presentation Transcript

Where It All Began
What Does It Mean To Be...
A Guild?
A Guild Is...
Community
A Guild Is...
Relationship
We Got Tired of Waiting For Our Food
A Guild Is...
About Pride
Seeing Your Guild Emblem FlyingAbove A Keep You’ve Taken FromEnemy Players
Being the First Guild FormedOn Your Server
A Guild Is...
Teachable Moments
A Guild Is...
Stories
Remember The Time We...
What I’ve Seen...
Students in Virtual Worlds
Extreme Engagement
Why don’t they spend this much time studying for their Biology exam?
http://www.ljplus.ru/img4/j/i/jibo/pir2.JPG
Warhammer Online Screenshot
Students Become The Experts
They spend hours outside of the game collaborating and planning in forums, researching maps, statistics, and strategies to improve their game.
The Playing Field Is Leveled
College Student
Who Are They Playing With?
They are collaborating, online, with people from all over the world. Differences in race, age, gender, and nationality are no longer an issue.
Protestant Minister
Director of IT
Researcher
http://www.ljplus.ru/img4/j/i/jibo/pir2.JPG
Quality Assurance Supervisor
University Admissions Representative
Stay-at-home Mom
Business Analyst
Ph.D. Candidate
Teacher
Editor for the Canadian Senate
Business Owner
Technology Engineer
Water/Sewer Technician
K-12Instructional Technology Coordinator
County Sheriff
Network Administrator
Produce Clerk
Source: http://www.harbingersoflight.com
Students Emerging As Leaders
Students are leading people from around the world (often 40 or more) to accomplish collective goals. These events take planning, coordination, and decision-making skills.
So, What’s Next?
What is the WoWinSchool Project?
A collaborative project that aims to use World of Warcraft in anafter school program, targeting at-risk or “fringe” students, and focusing on literacy, writing, mathematics, 21st-century skills, and digital citizenship.
What If?
What If I could use World of Warcraft to teach:
Digital Storytelling?
Culture?
Statistics?
Literacy?
Writing?
Leadership?
Economics?
Algebra?
Ecology?
What If I could use World of Warcraft to engage one disaffected student?
What If we put these students in guild leadership positions?
What If we share the students’ accomplishments with the world?
What If we mix students from distant areas in the same guild?
Write Lessons!
Curriculum Alignment!
Play!
Learn!
Edit!
How You Can Get Involved!
Grants!
Spread The Word!
Collect SupportingResearch!
The Wiki
http://wowinschool.pbworks.com
Follow on Twitter:
@WoWinSchool
Come Play With Us!Come Learn With Us!
Cognitive Dissonance on Sisters of Elune Server
cognitivedissonanceguild.guildportal.com
Lucas Gillispie
Instructional Technology Coordinator,Pender County Schools, NC
http://www.edurealms.com
On Twitter: PCSTech