What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy

James Paul Gee

ISBN 10: 1403984530 / ISBN 13: 9781403984531

Published by Palgrave Macmillan, US, 2007

About this Item

The issue of video games and their harmful/helpful effects on children and young adults is a hot topic. The Hardback sold very well. The book does not shy away from controversy, even finding good news in shooter games vis a vis adolescent cognitive development. "The Observer" newspaper recently called Gee 'One of the worlds leading educational experts'.This title provides a controversial look at the positive things that can be learned from video games by a well known professor of education. James Paul Gee begins his new book with 'I want to talk about video games- yes, even violent video games - and say some positive things about them'. With this simple but explosive beginning, one of America's most well-respected professors of education looks seriously at the good that can come from playing video games. Gee is interested in the cognitive development that can occur when someone is trying to escape a maze, find a hidden treasure and, even, blasting away an enemy with a high-powered rifle.Talking about his own video-gaming experience learning and using games as diverse as Lara Croft and Arcanum, Gee looks at major specific cognitive activities such as: how individuals develop a sense of identity; how one grasps meaning; how one evaluates and follows a command; how one picks a role model; and, how one perceives the world.This is a ground-breaking book that takes up a new electronic method of education and shows the positive upside it has for learning.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781403984531

Bibliographic Details

• Title: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, US
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1403984530
• ISBN 13: 9781403984531
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

James Paul Gee begins his classic book with "I want to talk about video games--yes, even violent video games--and say some positive things about them." With this simple but explosive statement, one of America's most well-respected educators looks seriously at the good that can come from playing video games. In this revised edition of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, new games like World of WarCraft and Half Life 2 are evaluated and theories of cognitive development are expanded. Gee looks at major cognitive activities including how individuals develop a sense of identity, how we grasp meaning, how we evaluate and follow a command, pick a role model, and perceive the world.

About the Author

James Paul Gee has been featured in a variety of publications including Redbook, Child, Teacher, USA Today, Education Week, The Chicago Tribune, and more. He was formerly the Tashia Morgridge Professor of Reading at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is now the Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies at Arizona State University.  He is a founder of the Center for Games and Impact at ASU which orchestrated a national conversation on games and learning for the White House Office of Science and Technology. Described by The Chronicle of Higher Education as "a serious scholar who is taking a lead in an emerging field," he is the author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy.