I stumbled onto this article written in 2003 titled “It’s Official, Games Can Make You Smarter.” The article says that action video games can improve your ability to monitor objects in your field of vision faster than people who don’t play those kind of games. I think a similar argument could also be made about people who hunt. Here is the article:
It’s Official, Games can make you Smarter…
Source: UN, 9 June 2003
Submitted by Ann Light
Research conducted at the University of Rochester has shown that action video games can give a person the ability to monitor more objects in their visual field and do so faster than a person who doesn’t play such games. The study suggests that in addition to making game players more aware of their surroundings while performing tasks such as driving, action game playing might be a useful tool to rehabilitate visually impaired patients or to train soldiers for combat.
‘Players can process visual information more quickly and can track 30% more objects than nonplayers,” says Daphne Bavelier, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences, and member of the Center for Visual Science ‘Several game players even achieved perfect scores on tests barely doable for non-game players.’
The link between visual attention and action games was first recognised when a student of Bavelier’s, Shawn Green, demonstrated exceptional proficiency at the visual tests Green and Bavelier were devising. Upon discovering that Green was an avid game player, the two embarked on a line of research to test if playing action games like “Grand Theft Auto3″, “Medal of Honor”, or “Half-Life”, could train the brain to better process certain visual information.
Aficionados of action games (all males since only a single fanatic female gamer could be found on campus) were presented with three tests. One flashed a small object on screen for 1/160th of a second, and the participant would indicate where it flashed. The slightest lack of attention and the brain would miss the appearance of the object completely. Gamers tended to notice the object far more often than non-gamers.
The second test presented one to 12 small objects on screen at once and the subject had to type how many objects they’d seen. Again, gamers saw the correct number of objects more often. The final test flashed black letters in extremely rapid succession. One letter was white, and it may or may not have been followed by a black ‘X’. Gamers again picked out which letter was white and whether or not an ‘X’ followed it better than non-gamers.
To guard against the possibility that their findings were merely the result of more visually attentive people naturally gravitating toward action games, Bavelier and Green tested non-gamers, both men and women this time. They set up nine of the group to play the action game “Medal of Honor” and eight to play “Tetris”, a puzzle-oriented game. After just an hour a day for two weeks, the action players showed a marked increase in their test performances, which the “Tetris” players did not.
‘It’s likely the sense of danger heightens awareness and trains the visual response of the brain, but other aspects might also contribute,’ says Green. ‘On the other hand, the “Tetris” players, while scoring low on our tests, might score well if testing for ability to rotate and organise objects.’
If the brain can be trained to have heightened visual attention as this study indicates, then it might be especially useful for helping patients with neurological visual impairments to see more normally. Often in stroke patients, for instance, a kind of blindness occurs in part of the visual field, but the impairment isn’t physical, it’s a result of the brain’s “inattentiveness” to that area. Current treatments are laborious, taking years for improvement, but Green and Bavelier’s research suggests that video games may provide a much more economical way of bringing the brain’s attentiveness back. If a healthy brain can improve in their tests after just 10 hours of game playing, perhaps similar results could be seen in patients.
Green and Bavelier point out that gaming is no substitute for building other areas of the brain, and that exercises that demand prolonged attention, such as reading or solving maths problems, are likely not helped at all by extensive game-playing.
As a next step in their research, the members of the team would like to design their own action video games that they can modify at will to see just what aspects of gaming allows such efficient learning . With that knowledge, Green and Bavelier would ultimately like to create non-violent action games that could help stroke patients recover their visual awareness.
http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article1121.asp
I agree that constant video game playing doesn’t do much for mathematical skills. That’s why I love Nintendo for releasing what I call the “smart games” like Brain Age, etc. for the DS. Game designers are quickly figuring out what players are lacking. And Wii game designers have caught on to the need for physical activity for young adults.
I have a point, I promise. For the past five years or so, educators and researchers have been looking into the need for more educational video games. This is not a new concept (remember Carmen Sandiego or Qwerty?) but it is one that has recently exploded with interest. I have even read about teachers allowing their students to play brief segments of Final Fantasy games in the classroom to teach character or plot development. The Medal of Honor games mentioned in the article have also been hailed for their historical accuracy, putting players in the midst of familiar WWII battles, and have even been used by History teachers to present students with an interactive and visual image of historic battles. In addition, many of the games in the series have documentary clips, as well. In the hands of trained and responsible educators, these games could have a lasting impact on student learning.
I’ve written before about the future of education and how technology is being used to teach skills that will be needed in order to prosper in a growing society. Things are changing rapidly, for the better (in most cases) and for the worst (in some cases). Teachers and researchers are catching on to the demands and growth of society and how school systems need to rise to this.
Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”
I don’t have a lot of time to write an extensive post about this, but I at least want to update everyone and I think I will feel better after writing about this.
First, a little story. When I was a senior in high school, by best friend became really angry with me over a girl. We both met her at the mall and started hanging out with her. I liked her, and so did he. Inside, I knew this, but my selfish hope was that she would fall for me and not for him. After several days of flirting, talking, wandering around the mall as an awkward threesome, he finally confronted me after she had gone home.
“She doesn’t like you, dude, so stop trying. Leave her alone.” That was only the beginning of the conversation. He went on to tell me everything that was wrong with me both as a friend and as a person. I was selfish, self-centered, I ignored all of the signals that suggested people didn’t want to be around me and assumed that everyone liked me, especially girls, I was inconsiderate, and about two steps away from getting punched in the face.
I stood there, stunned. If anyone else had just thrown a list of insults at me like parade candy, I would have returned the favor right away. But I just stood there and whispered, “Okay.” I wasn’t angry because he was right. He wasn’t insulting me; he was just telling the truth.
That was how my job interview went today. I’m not a perfect teacher at all. I’m lazy, forgetful, an expert procrastinator. I’ve made mistakes, professional ones, and it’s true what they say about how ignoring your problems doesn’t make them go away. After asking me a few questions, the principal basically told me what he had learned about me as a teacher and that if I wanted to really be a great teacher, I needed to take a good look at myself, figure out what’s wrong, accept responsibility for it, and fix it. Stop blaming others, making excuses (which I am also good at), and most of all stop trying to run away from my problems because that doesn’t help at all.
Again, I was stunned. Not surprised, because everything he said was true, but just stunned. It was everything I needed to hear. It wasn’t easy to hear, but it was necessary. I didn’t get the job because, as he said, changing schools won’t fix the problem. I needed to get things straight and maybe later think about moving on, if I still wish to do so. I actually walked out of the school feeling revived, refreshed. There is a spiritual analogy I like to use about gold and how it has to be refined in fire before it can be precious. I think I’m going through that fire right now. It hurts, but it’s necessary.
Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”
WARNING: I’m trying to get myself back into the educational spirit, so this post will be a bit scholarly. I also just finished reading Andy Andrews’ The Traveler’s Gift, so I’m feeling a bit inspired.
It will soon be time for some changes. And I am excited. I have a job interview at South Charleston Middle School tomorrow, which (if I get the job) will put me about ten minutes closer to home and inside one of the county’s most historical school buildings. South Charleston is a growing community that lies somewhere between big city and small town. I’ve heard some of the same complaints about SCMS as I did about Stonewall Jackson Middle: poor discipline, apathetic students, etc. If any of that is true, guess what? It doesn’t hurt my interest in the school; it improves it. I see situations like that as challenges, opportunities to grow as a teacher and, most of all, to help my students grow.
I stopped by WVSU today to pick up my textbooks for my two classes. As proof that I have grown up, I could not contain my enthusiasm and pulled the plastic off of the books while sitting in my car, grinning as I flipped through the pages. I remember just a little less than ten years ago, I hated school. I loved to read, but usually snubbed my nose at college textbooks (unless they were literature anthologies). Now, I am practically drooling at the opportunity to dive into a Geography text, especially one like this that has plenty of online resources and tons of useful information.
Unlike the army of students who brave the almost endless line to sell back their textbooks, I have always thought of the best college texts as those you could keep and use again. The bookshelf next to my teachers’ desk is filled with grammar texts, anthologies, writing manuals, and other variations. And, yes, I use them for my own resources and even in my lesson plans.
Which brings me to the second text I bought: Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Social Issues. The Taking Sides collection is a group of books that present a list of topics and then show works of writing and/or speeches from different people that discuss that topic. The greatest thing about it is that it is written in debate-style and presents two works of writing with each issue: one “for” and one “against”. The benefits of a textbook like this in the hands of a teacher are limitless. I’ve been looking for a great way to liven up persuasive writing. Looking at two different sides of an issue makes students feel a lot like Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, weighing the pros and cons of both sides. Now that’s critical thinking at its best.
One of my writing/teaching mentors Gretchen Bernabei says in her book Reviving the Essay, “Many students seem to consider the act of changing their minds equivalent to an act of weakness, or concession, or defeat. This way of viewing thinking is not only immature, it’s also dangerous in a democracy where reasonable, informed voters make decisions for the nation” (12). This kind of book in the hands of a teacher could help students make informed decisions (even if it means changing their minds) as opposed to holding fast to conclusions that are based only on personal prejudices.
So, regardless of where I teach this year, it will definitely be a year of change, both with my attitude, my teaching, and my circumstances. The great thing is that all of these are things I can control.
I’ll close out with a few lines from Andy Andrews’ excellent novel about a down-on-his luck businessman who travels through time and meets important historic figures who all give him advice for personal success, The Traveler’s Gift: “Circumstances do not push or pull. They are daily lessons to be studied and gleaned for new knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom that is applied will bring about a brighter tomorrow (155).”
Well said, Mr. Andrews.
Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”
Yours truly bragging about Gretchen’s book, Reviving the Essay:
Sunday, my brother whom I haven’t seen since last summer drove from Lincoln County to spend time with me. And how do two long-time apart brothers spend time? Watch a football game? Go to a summer blockbuster movie? No. None of those will do. Not my brother and me. We plopped two department store inner tubes into the Coal River at about 3:00 p.m., starting at Upper Falls in Tornado, and rode without paddles for almost six hours until we finally crawled onto shore at Lower Falls in St. Albans.
I’m going to try to post a map of the area we traveled. It really isn’t that far, a few miles. In fact, you can drive from Upper Falls to Lower Falls in about fifteen minutes. But since we were floating in a mostly still river without paddles, only our arm strength to push us along, it took a little less than six hours.
I knew it would be great. The Coal River is an underrated river because it is dirty and I know there was a serious problem for a while with a lot of harmful bacteria due to pollution. However, a group known as The Coal River Group has been working hard for years to clean up the river and has finally succeeded in turning the river into a water trail, calling it the Walhonde Trail. The entire trail is 88 miles, stretching across the Big Coal River, Little Coal River, and the Coal River, through three different counties. It’s probably impossible to travel the entire trail in one day, so the Coal River Group and the DNR have broken the trail into recommended “trips.” I happen to know that we took Trip C-2.
During our trip, they sky stayed a clear blue with a few clouds that made laying back on the inner tube so amazing. Since a lot of the river is shaded by trees, I didn’t get much of a sunburn. And if you’ve never been on a river as the sun goes down, I highly recommend it. This trip also gave plenty of time for my brother and I to talk, about his new relationship, about his future plans, and (of course) about our father.
Cheese Warning: While my arms regretted the trip, my heart, mind and soul did not. Seriously, it was nice to just float on the river, relax, and basically give myself up to nature. The only tension I remember was when I decided to roll over on the inner tube and had to keep from tipping over in deep water.
I can honestly say now that putting an inner tube on a river without paddles to travel about five miles is a wonderfully foolish decision. If you’re a nature lover, it is one of the best things you can do for yourself, to let the river take you and to enjoy the wildlife. We saw deer, herons, ducks, all kinds of fish.
Below are two maps. Let’s hope they work. The first is the official map for the Walhonde Trail. As I said, my brother and I took Trip C-2, so you can find it near the top of the map. This map is upside down for the flow of the rivers. The Big Coal and the Little Coal flow into the Coal, and the Coal flows into the Kanawha River at the top of the map.
The other map is the official Google Maps view of the area. You can zoom in (I think) and take a closer look at the river. We started just above Upper Falls Road. There are some interesting little islands close to Lower Falls that I think have some history with the logging industry.
I don’t get to travel much. As a teacher, I snatch every opportunity to chaperon field trips because it is my best chance to get out of the state for a while.
It’s no surprise, then, that I’ve been fascinated with two things lately: Google Earth and a great photography web site Panoramio. Panoramio works along with Google Earth to upload photos of places around the world taken by visitors who join the site. I have already posted 164 pictures to the site of places in Nitro, St. Albans, Charleston, Erie Lake, and Myrtle Beach. The greatest thing is that every month or so, the site uploads pictures to Google Earth.
This causes a lot of gripes. One of the biggest complaints about Google Earth is the huge number of applications that can clutter the map itself with tiny icons. Panoramio has several hundred thousand pictures uploaded to Google Earth and its tiny blue dots can clutter the map. Here’s the solution. Turn the Panoramio feature off. If you’re not willing to learn how to do that, then you need to recheck your interest in Google Earth, since all of the applications that be activated and deactivated the same way. One click is all it takes.
Panoramio is great for the same reasons as Google Earth. Through their site, you can search any place in the world and view photos taken from that place. This is great for people like me who would love to travel around the world but may never get the chance (at least, not any time soon.) It has also changed the way I look at things around my community. It is easy to think of places and landmarks you see every day as uninteresting or not worth anyone’s time. Since I joined Panoramio, though, I’ve been trying to find ways to photograph things around the area and make them seem interesting. Much like these photos (go to my link below to see larger versions):
When I first browsed their site, there were maybe three photos taken from my home town. Now, however, there are about ten, thanks to Yours Truly. This site is also great for searching places you have been before and viewing pictures as a sort of reminiscence. I do this all the time with places like Kings Island, Cedar Point, etc.
One of the members of the site created a widget to upload to blogs, MySpace, etc., that displays a few of the pictures from a certain area. I had to find the lat. and long. of St. Albans, but I’ll post the widget below. Those of you from WV, you should enjoy seeing pictures of familiar places. If you’re not from WV, I hope my pics peak your curiosity and maybe you’ll visit our beautiful state. Here is the link to my photos:
http://www.panoramio.com/user/461591
The comments at the bottom are from people who have viewed my pictures and commented on them. There are also some responses to photos I viewed, as well. You don’t have to read them. I hope you enjoy the pics.
