You can find out when the next TeachMeetNZ is by checking the front page: http://teachmeetnz.wikispaces.com/
Below are the bullet points I was left with once I had culled and condensed my thoughts for my TeachMeetNZ session.
My Experience as a Gamer
A brief overview of ‘the gaming experience’ from an educator's perspective.
How did I start gaming?
My world revolves around communities, one of them is my gaming community.
When I relax i’m not sitting on a couch watching TV. I’m on a computer talking to people around the world, some of them I know in real life, some I've gamed with for 8 years, some I don't know and only met yesterday.
Conversations and Communities are The Key
When I was at university I was introduced to my first MMORPG and a voice programme called ventrilo. From there a whole new world opened up to me.
What kept me there was intrigue.
I wanted to know how 40 people who didn't know each other managed to communicate to achieve their goals.
Through connections, communication and collaboration, communities grow.
Through conversations I started to learn more about computers and programs and the internet started to become an ocean instead of a lake.
I started to watch YouTube videos which lead to channels, blogs and websites.
I discovered the Guild & Felicia Day became a person of interest for me and I have followed her growth over the years.
What were the biggest challenges?
Forming relationships helped not only my online game development but also my growth as a person, learner and leader.
People rise to challenges in different ways. You learn how to communicate differently when you can’t see someone's expressions or hear their voice.
What impact has gaming had on me and my teaching?
Sleep and Burnout are a major challenge when you raid till 2am. When I hit the classroom I realised I couldn't keep raiding as it wasn’t fair on my students.
Our challenge as teachers is how to grab and maintain their attention in the same way a game does.
How has gaming enhanced me as a learner?
It made me more open minded towards people and their capabilities and aware of how much we underestimate what children are capable of.
The net is a small place if you don’t explore - I’m always astounded when teachers aren’t aware of things like Minecraft wiki which i guarantee some of their students use daily.
What impact has gaming had on me as a teacher?
The biggest growth for me was asking for help - its about making connections and knowing who can help you, with what. You have to research, watch and talk to others.
Tolerance is also a huge thing when you are dealing with a wide range of unknown people.
How has gaming enhanced me as a learner?
I’ve become hyper aware of trying to recognise peoples hidden knowledge and talents.
Our parent base is changing, they access a variety of games and social media and yet we still do written reports. I keep waiting for the day when we will switch to electronic reporting with video and audio instead of just paper.
Gaming is a learning community
Gaming isn't sitting in front of a TV/computer tuning out the world.
Gaming, like education, is about connections, collaboration, & communication.
Pay attention to what your kids are playing.
Look at how Minecraft has grown in popularity over the last 5 years.
Major League Gaming is a sport and is growing yearly on a global scale. It might be sooner rather than later that we see it seeping into the classroom.
Some links for further reading/viewing/listening
Here are some links for people who want to know more about games, gaming, & gaming in education.
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