BIOGRAPHY

Margaret Chmiel is a former high school chemistry and physics teacher. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's department of Curriculum and Instruction. Margaret researches emerging online gaming cultures and how being a producer (in addition to a consumer) of online media affects adolescent and young adult culture.

ABSTRACT

Teachers' Arcade
Facilitator, Thursday (3:15 - 4:45) in Hall of Ideas E

The movement toward using games for meaningful learning is beginning to take momentum, but proponents face some interesting challenges: schools have been pressured toward “skill-and-drill” instruction, budgets are tight, and districts frequently run into trouble keeping computer laboratories up-to-date and functional. To complicate matters even further, much of the public remains skeptical that games can teach valuable skills and fear that young people are learning negative behaviors and values.

How can we be agents of change? The Teachers’ Arcade session is focused toward developing answers. This session will include conversation with researchers and teachers who are actually implementing games in classrooms and discussion among fellow educators about practical strategies for using games in school. We will share useful ideas about what works and what doesn’t as well as take-home lesson plans for units built around video gaming that have been shown to be successful in classrooms.

We invite you to share your experiences with others and connect up with the growing grassroots community of teachers who are working on similar issues. We hope fellow attendees bring their ideas for what the GLS Conference and its organizers can do to support educators in their work in classrooms, and what tools and resources are most useful for you come Monday morning.

ALSO

The Regulation of Play in MMOGs
Respondent, Friday (3:15 - 4:45) in Hall of Ideas F