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100 Comments
- jtbell04, on 10/07/2008, -1/+37We need to ask ourselves, "Is our children learning?"
- Awezing, on 10/06/2008, -6/+28This is what I've been trying to tell my teachers for years, but they're always like:
"OMNOMNOM" All over my face.
-Yes. - AmyVernon, on 10/06/2008, -0/+15I was reading this article in the Times print edition earlier today (yes, I occasionally still look at the paper product!!!), and it was really interesting because it started off with an author who created an online game relating back to the book. The trick is that you have to read the book to be able to advance in the game. Very intriguing idea...
- shaka999, on 10/07/2008, -0/+10You have to read before you can enjoy reading a fictional stories. In other words
Step 1) Learn to read
Step 2) Read books
This technique is related to Step 1. - inactive, on 10/07/2008, -0/+8yeah ***** classic novels and stories, I want Goosebumps and Choose Your Own Adventure books!
- sadisticmind, on 10/07/2008, -1/+9I learned how to Speed read with Final Fantasy 7
- victoryroadrage, on 10/07/2008, -0/+6I feel like such a nerd for pointing this out, but Death Note is not a novel based on a video game, NY Times.
- trer, on 10/07/2008, -0/+6Indeed. I learned words like "moogle", "masamune", "chocobo", and "chronotrigger".
- pathouston22, on 10/07/2008, -0/+6Or you could just pick up a book and read. Blame the parents...
- WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -0/+5You don't have to read it... you just have to not mock it. ;)
And for the record, I was reading "Count of Monte Cristo" (unabridged) when I was 9 or so - color me unimpressed that you managed to wade through John Grisham or whatever you consider to be "adult adventure novels" in high school. - Coffeedemon, on 10/07/2008, -2/+7This isn't funny when you just slap it up there every time theres a story mentioning children.
- WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -0/+5Buried for being symptomatic of the anti-intellectualism that's demolishing this country. Just because *you* don't have the attention span or reading comprehension to "get" the Odyssey says a lot more about you than about the epic.
- Jsmuli2, on 10/07/2008, -0/+5Good point, read your other comment as well, the sad truth is, when a new form of media makes it big with the youth, older people tend to fight against it thinking their old way of doing things means more imagination or more quality. When in reality, it's the exact same thing.
My parents still get pissed off when my sister and I say we use dictionary.com or google to look up words, because we aren't using a big old 10 pound webster. - SystematicChaos, on 10/07/2008, -1/+6Don't get me wrong, I love games and agree that they've got good educational potential. I just don't see them as ever being a substitute for a good book.
- Acglaphotis, on 10/08/2008, -0/+4And this is the reason why more than 50% of people are dumb.
- DatVillain83, on 10/07/2008, -0/+4"I know that human-being and fish can co-exist peacefully"
- frozensnake, on 10/07/2008, -0/+4i accidentally the whole book.
- DeusNova, on 10/07/2008, -1/+5My love of reading came from RPGs, I picked up so much vocabulary from playing RPGs as a young child.
- feezus, on 10/07/2008, -0/+4Just pray the kids aren't smart enough to google the answer whenever input is required.
- Jsmuli2, on 10/07/2008, -0/+3Quoting myself:
When a child plays with their dolls, they imagine those dolls are real thus strengthening their imagination...those dolls are the products of someone else's imagination.
Why should it be any different with video games/movies/tv?
Answer: It isn't any different
Why? because imagination HAS NO BOUNDARIES AND IS INFINITE.
In the example the "doll" can easily be substituted.
Keep in mind, the article is about video games as a tool (completment to reading a book), not a substitute - internetcoward, on 10/07/2008, -0/+3thoroughly and proactively.
- helenkupo, on 10/07/2008, -0/+3Wow Quinn Clark is really into playing guitar hero. Brother Ethan not so much.
- snareguy17, on 10/07/2008, -0/+3Kid you not, I learned a lot of reading back in the day from Oregon Trail.
- irriadin, on 10/07/2008, -0/+3You'd think the NY Times would check these things...
- inactive, on 10/07/2008, -0/+3Hooking young people means a totally different thing in my area.
- Jauladeoro, on 10/07/2008, -0/+3My kids love books and read/are read to daily. In part it's because I set an example as a book lover myself. They have enjoyed frequent trips to the library since before they could walk as well as having access to hundreds of their own age appropriate books in their bedrooms.
Having said that, I also utilize closed captioning on the TV sometimes. I think this contributes to their spelling skills, (they both, ages 7 and 10, get an A+ on every weekly spelling test.) ... And I think even video games can also be given partial credit. My 7 year old loves to play Animal Crossing on his DS, and that game involves a lot of reading.
There are a lot of ways to help your kids love reading. Start them young, and let them learn from a variety of sources. - Pewpewpew, on 10/07/2008, -0/+3I learned what dysentery is.
- antishow, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2I used to teach elementary computer lab a few years ago, and we did a lesson where the kids would play The Curse of Monkey Island and then answer some "What's Guybrush's quest?"-style comprehension questions. One of my favorite lessons!
- o0joshua0o, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2Old adventure games (e.g. Zork, King's Quest) were a major incentive for me in learning to read as a child, and all of the games I used to play involved large amounts of reading. Nowadays, sometimes my almost 5-year old son will see me playing a game like Paper Mario, and ask me to read him the text onscreen. Pretty soon he'll be pointing at words and saying "what does that word say", or "does that spell MARIO"? It's a big incentive for him, too. :) He can see that knowing how to read will allow him to do something he's interested in.
Edit: Comic books are great for this, too! - wexmajor, on 10/07/2008, -1/+3I don't see how anyone could possibly be familiar with the RPG genre and deny that video games encourage literacy among kids.
- staticneuron, on 10/07/2008, -1/+3No because some of the best books out there are very descriptive about clothes, architectual designs, special powers and how the look. So basically for you to create your own world in your mind the book would be lacking in descriptions (especially ones you can relate to) and then what is the point?
- Jsmuli2, on 10/07/2008, -3/+5Sorry but you fail.
When a child plays with their dolls, they imagine those dolls are real thus strengthening their imagination...those dolls are the products of someone else's imagination.
Why should it be any different with video games/movies/tv?
Answer: It isn't any different
Why? because imagination HAS NO BOUNDARIES AND IS INFINITE.
Hence: you = fail. - feezus, on 10/07/2008, -2/+4And my dad taught me by telling me directly. I wouldn't brag about having to use a video game to communicate ideas like supply and demand.
- aterimperator, on 10/08/2008, -0/+2You forgot a hefty helping of the names of the norse gods.
- leerayIG88, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2I read while I watch tv.
- Jsmuli2, on 10/07/2008, -1/+3Oh no! professionals are finally embracing new technology that children love and using it as a tool to help kids learn!!! OH ON!!!!
/s - emazur, on 10/07/2008, -1/+3Here's part of a comment I recently made on another message board that relates here when I was arguing against the typical education system :
"Here's a tip - if you want to learn to appreciate classical music, DON'T memorize facts about composers' lives. DON'T squirm in your chair for 20 minutes listening to something boring while some geezer is basically giving the message 'These are the classics b/c people who know more than you say they are the classics, and if you don't like them there is something wrong with you'. DO continuously check out a large number of CD's from a wide variety of artists and give each track a fair shot, making note of the ones you like and skipping over the ones that don't get interesting. Soon enough, you will learn on your own which composers, pieces, and styles are worthy of your appreciation and you might even be inclined to learn a thing or two about these composers' lives after you have developed an appreciation for their works. I would give similar advice regarding many other subjects such as English literature- I think the fact that hardly anybody reads books is due to all the absolute crap they were force fed in junior high and high school. If I wanted someone to gain an appreciation for literature, I wouldn't tell them to suffer through some 300 page book that they hated. Give them enough junk and they'll never want to read another book again in their life. Instead, I'd recommend reading a book for 20 to 30 minutes and if they like it, finish it, otherwise toss it and move onto something else. - executorzz, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2i like reading books, it rests my eyes from having to stare at a tv or monitor.
- Jsmuli2, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2@Omsil98
Book bring the reader from point A to point B in only one way
Video Games bring the player from A to Point B in infinite ways.
So there is a balance between detail affecting imagination and user input/imagination to affect the journey. - AmaDaden, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2They have made three point and click adventure games. Funny thing is those games introduced me to Discworld and not the other way around. Sadly on a related note...
http://digg.com/health/Terry_Pratchett_I_m_slippin ... - AmaDaden, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2When I was a kid my parents stopped my subscription to Nintendo Power because they got sick of paying for it and they thought video games were bad for me. My reading scores dropped dramatically that year.
- nrvous250gt, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2I looked at this headline really quickly and thought I saw "Young Hookers"
So essentially, I'm a dyslexic pervert.
Whatever, I still feel like burying this for false subliminal advertising. - DatVillain83, on 10/07/2008, -0/+1I think this is an awesome idea. But, when I was younger I remember reading comic books and choose your own adventure novels to compliment my love affair with my favorite movies and video games. And lets be honest, if the goal is to improve a child's reading comprehension you might as well buy them a movie script written by Quentin Tarantino. i.e. it may be awesomely bloody story-wise, but there is nothing redeeming about the dialogue whatsoever. I think videos games already do a sufficient job of encouraging problem solving skills (puzzles games, strategy games, rpgs maybe). Otherwise if I wanted to read a book, I'd just read a book that would be fine!
- aterimperator, on 10/08/2008, -0/+1Yes, and no. The reason the classics are the classics are always higher level reasons that require appreciation and understanding the music that came before it. They are indeed the classics. That having been said, listening to the classics and memorizing facts about the composers is indeed not going to result in an appreciation for classical music. I liked classical from a young age because my dad would take me to symphonies in which I would listen to a large variety of classical music. The only way to appreciate the "classics" themselves is to understand why they were radical developments, but appreciating the classics requires having an appreciation for classical music, not the other way around.
In the same way, the books we were force fed are not "crap" in fact they are impressive works, but like classical music, appreciating the "classic" books requires an appreciation for literature, not the other way around (i.e. you can appreciate books without appreciating the "classic" books).
So in the end, I agree that the way to get children to read is NOT to teach them about the classics in literature, however I severely disagree that the classics are "absolute crap". - aterimperator, on 10/08/2008, -0/+1Literacy yes, reading books no.
- aterimperator, on 10/08/2008, -0/+1I dunno man, the epic poems are the set of literature I still have yet to develop an appreciation for. It wasn't until senior year in high school with "Thus Spake Zarathustra", "Heart of Darkness" and "Crime and Punishment", that I was finally able to embrace literature class. Freshman year was ruined by both the Iliad, and the Aeneid, sophomore year by "Paradise Lost", junior year by "Moby Dick" (which I'll grant is not a poem, but it is considered to be the quintessential american epic novel).
While I of course won't mock any of these books, I do question their prevalence in high school required reading, though I do not have any recommended substitutions. I also think that perhaps some less heavy intellectual books should be a part of literature in that it will show children that reading can have an element of fun to it, as well as books like Ender's Game can spark some good discussion as well. - aterimperator, on 10/08/2008, -0/+1I learned to type due to starcraft and its need for communication with allies.
- DatVillain83, on 10/07/2008, -0/+1@jsmuli2
good point about playing with dolls. I think playing with action figures can help strengthen a kids imagination by having them think in abstract manners.
but i disagree with both of you about video games and imagination. How can you visually imagine something in a video game world that inherently has boundaries? Videos games actually limit what you're able to imagine because you can't do moves that aren't programed into the game. There are limitations BUT video games do improve your PROBLEM SOLVING abilities. i.e. your given instructions like the buttons to push and clues in the game--then you figure ***** out. But if you meant imagine like "thinking" then maybe we agree. - aterimperator, on 10/08/2008, -0/+1If his 8 year old son already played WoW, then it works as a good analogy, if he taught his son WoW so he could understand economics, then that is a poor way of going about it, another analogy would have sufficed.
Back when I played WoW, I made my living as a speculator. - aterimperator, on 10/08/2008, -0/+1Actually, to be honest it worked quite well with me also. I don't know why my parents got it for me, (I did not really need it, I was really quite good at reading even at a young age), but the concepts I learned back then still allow me to see new methods of phonetic spelling and understand what they're trying to say (I have seen at least 6 different types of phonetic spelling methods), as well as to piece together a good approximation of what any word will sound like when spoken without a phonetic spelling.
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