games.doc

T**itle: Games...in the Library? Video games support the curriculum and develop a new form of literacy**
 * GAMES **
 * Website Address:** http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6456375.html

Libraries are seeing how video games have the ability to teach concepts to students in ways that traditional methods cannot. Literacy is no longer just the ability to be able to read and write. With an increasingly visual world, the ability to use on screen graphics, whether it be on a computer or in a video game is a new form of literacy. According to Eli Neiburger, "Literacy is the ability to rapidly decode abstract meaning from symbols. In reading, a set of symbols-the alphabet- must be learned and mastered; in video games, those symbols can be anything, are usually unique to each game, and there's a lot more than 26 of them."

Games also require reading in order to play. Video games are also said to teach spatial reasoning. Librarians have used simulation games such as; SimEarth, SimFarm or SimCity to teach concepts in social studies and science. The key to gaming in libraries is for librarians to reach out to the digital generation and offer students many different options.


 * //Renea Bufkin//**


 * Website Address ** http://www.ilovelibraries.org/gaming/:
 * Title** : National Gaming Day @ your library

Video games complement the services already provided by the school library. Gaming will help the school library to attract students who otherwise might not visit the library. The library offers a safe environment for students to play games and socialize. The students are surrounded by books, magazines, and other resources that promote learning. Libraries tend to choose games with a social element that requires students to interact with one another. Gaming requires student to use reading, writing, and math skills. Video games are hard and the student must work to advance to the next level. Students must develop strategies and predict outcomes which are beyond basic reading. They must read maps and analyze data to move to the next level. The games in the school library are rated "E" for everyone and usually have a social component to encourage students to work with one another.

A gaming program could be provided successfully to a school library with the support of teachers and administrators. The librarian could choose video games that require reading, reviewing data, reading maps, working math problems, in order to progress to the next level of the game. The video games should also be fun and contain social elements that require students to work together. I work at a school that provides Study Island. It's an academic video game. Students must pass a percentage of problems set by the teacher and then they are allowed access to the video games within Study Island. Another idea, is to allow students to earn points in their classroom that they can exchange for minutes in the library. The idea is to encourage the students to come to the library, even if it is to play video games. They will be in an environment that is safe, encourages students to read, and helps students develop social skills. A family gaming night after a PTA meeting or on parents night would give families the opportunity to experience gaming with their child. The family gaming night would give families a better understanding of the role and the importance of the school library. Gaming is a positive technique used to bring more student's into the school library.

DeAnna Downey Type in the content of your page here.