May 2007
Lousiana High Schools Gives Kids Laptops
Thanks largely to funding for schools affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana’s Bolton High School will soon distribute Macintosh laptops to all students in its gifted program, all of its 11th graders and most of its seniors. And it's creating an online curriculum that by the fall will eliminate the need for textbooks for these students.
"This is on the cutting edge, not only for our parish but also the state [of Louisiana]," says Bolton High School Principal Bill Higgins. "We are excited to be able to offer this to our students."
To enact its so-called "Digital Academy," Bolton is currently developing wireless connectivity throughout its campus and converting an old typing classroom into an Internet cafe. In addition, the school plans to let students bring their laptops home whenever they like (since they really and truly will no longer have textbooks). The school will also maintain and repair all of these laptops. While the new online curriculum is in development, two of the school's technology facilitators are getting students and teachers up to speed with the laptops and demonstrating how the computers will be used for coursework in the fall.
According to Principal Higgins, Bolton is "immersing the curriculum in technology." And so far, his students seem to think that’s a great idea. One enthusiastic student, Eric Pantallion, said, "it is so much easier to use a computer than textbooks."
Gaming (and English) Across Borders.
Can MMO (massively multiplayer online) games like World of Warcraft break down cultural and language barriers around the world? Professor Edd Schneider and his colleague Kai Zeng of SUNY-Potsdam definitely believe they can. And they're working hard to turn that belief into reality.
It all started two years ago when Schneider coordinated an international project that built virtual (and real) connections between his American college students and a group of Chinese teenagers. "Basically," he says, "I took one of my classes and I said, 'We've got Chibou High School in Shanghai. You can teach them English using any games you want.'" With that charge, Schneider's students proceeded to use several popular games, including World of Warcraft (WoW), to teach English to the Shanghai high-schoolers. "All my students were getting up at three o'clock in the morning, putting on their headsets and chatting with these 12-year-olds in China," says Schneider. "The Chinese kids were berserk about it. [Their] teachers were saying it was their favorite class."
Professor Schneider sees many benefits to using games like WoW to teach languages. He believes the Chinese students learned far more conversational English than they ever would have learned by using a textbook. Also, the Chinese students were able to learn English in the relatively non-threatening environment of a video game. And that helped a lot. "This sort of social interaction," says Schneider, "gives them [the students] a safe space to learn."
What's next for the project? Schneider and Zeng are trying to put together a gaming summer camp that will once again connect American and Chinese students. "We're trying to convince the parents in Asia that we'll get your kids out of bed at 7:00 in the morning to learn English," says Schneider. It probably won’t be a problem (at least for the kids) as long as they get to play while they learn.
Wii are Cruising (and More…)
Nintendo's wii game system continued its seemingly inexorable march toward world domination this month. Here are some of the latest signs that the wii and by extension gaming itself are becoming a part of mainstream popular culture:
- Norwegian Cruise Lines recently announced that it has begun to equip all of its ships with multiple wii systems. The ships will host tournaments and various other kinds of activities around the wii Sports games. "With its active, engaging and inviting game experience appealing to every age from kids to parents to grandparents, the wii from Nintendo is a natural fit for Freestyle Cruising," said Norwegian Cruise Lines CEO Colin Veitch.
- A Glasgow man recently became the first personal trainer to use the wii in his clients' exercise routines. Zander Urquhart got the idea from watching a client's son play with the wii: "This five-year-old needed encouragement to do any exercise, but here he was running about for half-an-hour working up a sweat." Urquhart now uses the wii as a training tool for both kids and adults.
- And finally, Nintendo recently donated 100 wii "party packs" to YMCA chapters throughout the U.S. The games were prominently featured in the Y's national "Healthy Kids Day" for children and families.
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