Cathleen Hernandez April 21, 2016

Article Review 3
Gaudelli, W., & Taylor, A. (2011). Modding the global classroom? Serious video games
and teacher reflection. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 11 (1), 70 91.
The intent of the journal article, written by William Gaudelli and Ashley Taylor of
Columbia University, is to present information on the attitudes of teachers towards
the utilization of and pedagogical value of video games within classrooms,
specifically serious videos games. Serious videos games are different than popular
or mainstream video games in that they are used to explicitly simulate real-world
situations including circumstances that require students to critically analyze factors
in order to make the correct decisions which affect the outcome of the game. The
authors contend that the viewpoint of the teacher on the use of serious video
games is important in the development of differing pedagogical perspectives
regarding the exposure of students to global learning. The constant search by
educators for various ways to engage students in global learning is now posed with
the question of whether or not applying serious video games to curricula will be a
viable solution to the deficiencies in our classrooms.
Within the text, the authors begin their argument with the explanation of the
background of simulation technology going back to the 1960s. Most of the studies
conducted were shown to have results depicting the general engagement of
students and the assumption is made that a large part of the success of simulation
games is due to the amount of control that a student has over their choices within
each situation. If the student was given a greater amount of control, the learning
effect was increased and vice versa. After many of the initial studies were done,
technology began changing rapidly due to the explosion of the internet age. Online
communities were being formed and new ideas were springing forth quickly. As the
technology options increased so did the studies that followed them. Educational
researchers wanted to know how technology was shaping classrooms and
subsequently, more and more information was being spread to help integrate
technology in the most appropriate way.
The authors next discuss the overall technological wariness that teachers have for
the idea of using video games in their classrooms. Gaudelli and Taylor refer to
Cuban, Technological wariness is a longstanding issue in schools, as teachers
historically have been leery of innovations due, in part, to the flash-in-the-pan
quality of many initiatives. (Cuban, 1986, p.61). This general perspective led the
authors to their next step - their own independent study of the implementation of
simulation games. The authors detail the study they conducted using seven
independent teachers and their respective students. The attitudes of the teachers
towards the use of their assigned simulation games was the main focus in the study
and the overall purpose was to gauge a possible shift in the teacher viewpoints after
they complete a full lesson/unit with the aid of the game. The results of the study
were explained and broken down. They showed some changes in how the teachers
viewed the technology compared to when they began the study, however, many of

Cathleen Hernandez April 21, 2016

them still held on to the idea that video games do not offer much in the way of
pedagogy. The authors state, Teachers remained skeptical of the pedagogic value
of serious video games, an interesting finding given that these games, in particular,
are geared toward an educational market and aims similar to those of global
education. That said, teachers acknowledged some value in the global awareness
that could be generated with video games, especially those that included real-life
maps, photos, and footage. The authors conclude with the claim that global
learning should be the primary focus within learning environments and if the use of
video games will supplement, or even complement that focus, then we as leaders
must facilitate the integration of the necessary technologies. The article is generally
well-written and the authors present their ideas in a coherent, sequenced manner.
The independent study is clear and relevant to the topic and it offers a real view
into the methods that can be used to include video games into classrooms.
After reading this article, I have realized that I have a similar point of view compared
to the teachers who participated in the simulation video game study, though mine
may be slightly more cynical. I dont believe that technology will alleviate the major
problems in education nor will it significantly decrease the huge deficiencies we are
witnessing within our classrooms. We have a large amount of children being pushed
through the system without the basic skills needed to actually get to the next level.
Video games are not going to reverse this and until the educational community
realizes the severity of the situation, video games will fall to the wayside as just
another gimmick. I do feel that technology can aid us in continuing the fight on the
lack of critical thinking and the levels of illiteracy that are occurring, though, again,
it can simply aid us, not solve the fundamental problems. As a few of the teachers
mentioned, video games can be seen as a supplement though not be the only tool
that we utilize in classrooms. I feel that the next few decades are going to open up
many possibilities in the field of educational technology and new studies will give us
a greater insight into the benefits, or disadvantages, of using technology in the
classroom.