gie 2013

 Are you trying to close the rift between traditional classroom practice and the hyper “click, tap and swipe” learning innate in your students? Even once we grasp the inherent value in these tools, it can be difficult to find connections to the curriculum, classroom management advice, and examples of what the learning looks like. In this session, Peggy Sheehy shares about using WoW in School as an arena for quest-based learning. Peggy tells us about her journey with Lucas Gillispie of Pender County Schools hosting a hybrid, collaborative literacy program using World of Warcraft to engage youth in learning. After one year as an after-school program, their WoW in School project was refined, aligned to core standards for English language arts (ELA), and introduced into the regular academic day. We hear the steps taken to bring massively multiplayer online games into the classroom and how the “hidden curriculum” in games has provided opportunities for students to master real world skills that often elude traditional leaning environments. Peggy also provide practical ideas for leveraging the unique properties of video games for your teaching and a step-by-step protocol to establish a similar program in your school.