QUESTION: Video Games as Literacy Tool?

[Danielle]

Hello all!  :)  I am taking a film/media class right now and we are exploring different ways to integrate media into our classrooms.  We have spent a lot of time discussing film, television, and advertisements, but less time discussing video games.  In fact, most people in our class remain pretty skeptical about the use of video games as a literacy tool.  My question is:  does anyone know of any resources that are available to teachers who might want to explore the use of video games in teaching literacy skills?  Does anyone have success stories or interesting ideas about how video games could be used by a teacher?

[Frank W. Baker]

If you don't already know of the work and publications of James Paul Gee, you should.  For example:
"Good Video Games and Good Learning Collected Essays on Video Games, Learning and Literacy" and
"What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy"
You might also wish to read:
"Digital Game-Based Learning" by Mark Prensky

[Kelly Farrow]

Here are some more ideas. These are more like lessons and specific curriculua than ways to integrate gaming into an existing curriculum, so I'm not sure if they're what you have in mind, but at least take a look if you can:

Create-your-own-video-game curriculum

Create-your-own games sites:

ProProfs Brain Games Games created here can be embedded into blog/web site

Purpose Games Sounds a bit simpler, article didn't say these were embeddable

Class Tools 

[timothy shea]

Danielle,

If you haven't done so yet, go to the Gaming page on this site. There are more ideas there.

Best of luck!

Tim