TED TALKS

Writing a blog post about what inspires you is not easy, trust me. I thought long and hard about the different concepts and ideas which inspire me, for example bullying, world hunger, peace, drugs and so on and so forth.

As I started writing about some of these concepts, I was never able to finish my blog post. This got me thinking, perhaps I should be researching for a video on TED TALKS which I may not initially think that it could inspire me. I know this sounds very confusing, but it may be the best way that I can be inspired. Being inspired without thinking about being inspired.

All that was left was a topic to be decided on. In the local primary school which I work in, the topic which the year 1 class are learning about this term is about superheroes and their influence. So I started doing some research and came across this video on TED TALKS about gaming, which blew me away. You may be wondering how superheroes link in with gaming, well, the concepts of: good and bad; roles and responsibilities; and missions all link in with the idea of superheroes.

Not being a gamer myself, I was not aware of the benefits which children can gain from playing games! You don't belive me? Watch this video by Jane McGonigal about how gaming can make a better world and trust me it will have an impact on you.

The reason why I chose this video specifically is because of the enthusiasm of Jane McGonigal. She was able to convince me that gaming, is not could be, but IS benficical for children. She spoke about the skills and qualities which gamers have, which others do not.

I agree with Jane about how gamers have urgent optimism. They believe in themselves and feel that success is possible. I particularly liked her reference to the epic win notion as it provides young gamers the satisfaction of achivement, something which they may be lacking in real life. They have the idea embedded into them that epic wins are always possibe and therefore do not give up. As a result of this, their self motivation and esteem increases. Such children may not have had that positive feedback in their real lives but they excel in playing online games. 

Jane McGonigal also mentions the concept of social fabric. Gamers have evolved to be more collaborative. They are able to trust their team mates to help them in their time of need e.g. to send them resources in the game. As a result, their communication skills are enhanced and are able to make strong bonds with other people.

Gamers, according to Jane McGonigal have blissful productivity and this means that they they enjoy working hard  and strive to complete their goal or mission.They have a sense of achievment when they complete a mission and are rewarded for their acompolishment.

Lastly, gamers have an epic meaning. Gamers have a story to acomploish; they gave a goal to reach. They work hard to finsih the game and gain many benefits in the process.

So why have I included this in my blog? Well, because of the link to the educational context. The benefits mentioned above which children can gain from playing games are parallel to the aims of the Foundation Phase in Wales. Children in KS1 in school, aim to aquire these skills and abilites mentioned above. So if children can gain these skills both in school and by playing games, then imagine how confident they will be at say for example, communicating with others by the time they are KS2 pupils. The gaming concept should be brought to the classroom aswell, to allow opportunities for children who may not be in their element in a classroom, to be able to excel at gaming. As a result, their skills and abilities will enhance, as gaming is education merely in a different context.

So have a go, look for inspiration where you least expect it; you will not regret it!