Blog #3

Gee:

When Adrian, who is an excellent student, is asked how he likes school, he has this to say: "School is fine. I don't live and breath school, but it's fine." Adrian's remarks exemplify several themes we found with a number of players we have interviewed. First, play for him is inherently social, in several different ways. He plays in a team with others. His team is part of a much larger group to which he belongs...Second, the knowledge and skills Adrian has in regard to playing EverQuest is "distributed." It exists in his own head and body. But some of it exists in other people whom he can call for help...Third, Adrian's knowledge and skills are not only distributed across himself and other people; some actually reside in various tools and technologies, like the hex editors he can use to manipulate the code of a game. The knowledge built into the hex editor counts as Adrian's knowledge because he knows how to leverage this tool. The real thinking and acting unit becomes "Adrian plus tool." Fourth, Adrian's attitude toward games and the computer is itself game like and highly metrareflective." (Ch.7 pg.189)


Psomas:

As "Adrian" is part of a discourse community in playing video games. he is also in a discourse community in school as well. Gee tries to break down and compare the attitude and patterns in Adrian as a player and a student. He mentions that Adrian is and excellent student, and as we read earlier, he is also an excellent game player. Being social in school was first and as Gee continues to break down Adrian in terms of comparison, we see that he too looks for help and gives help to those in his discourse community, or affinity groups- being a group within a larger group. Pratt would say Contact zone within the community. The teacher would be be the main one with the knowledge to regurgitate to Adrian and members in his community (students). When talking about tools and manipulation in games, Adrian may use this also in school- for example the Internet is a useful way to retrieve information.
Gee reminds me of Pratt, when comparing literacy to Baseball cards, as Gee compares to video games.


Russell:

"Facility members and administrators have long agreed that every teacher should teach writing (a cliche' as old as mass education), but since the turn of the century, the American Education system has placed the responsibility for teaching writing outside the disciplines, including, to a large extent, the discipline of "English"...(pg.4)


Psomas:

If it always seems to be the majority of teachers and administrators agree that every teacher should teach writing, then why is the Cliche' still an issue? Students tend to excel in grammar and writing essays in English classes rather than in other class subjects. This puts a strain on many because other subject teachers are having difficulty grading and comprehending students works. If this has been a problem for this long, than maybe the majority should Finally win, and let writing be taught in all classes.