The Four Musketeers

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Comment by Cindy Ramsay on June 7, 2008 at 10:19pm

Sorry girls that this is so late ... that is life sometimes.

When I started reading this chapter I was very confused as to how this could be a new literacy. I thought of role-playing activities from the past like Dungeons & Dragons and from the present technology-rich world like Second Life. Upon closer reflection and as I continued to read, I can now envision these as new literacies in the fact that the participants are making up the story at the same time as they are ‘living’ the story. There needs to be a certain amount of planning for what the reader wants to have happen, for adaptations as the actual storyline unfolds and for keeping in mind the limitations based on the culture of the game and its participants.

I can remember a series of books in the late 1970s or early 1980s that were create-your-own-story. In these the reader made choices and then followed the storyline based on the choices made. This were very basic in design and gave the reader the idea that they were in control of their reading. In actuality, the writer was still mainly in control as the path and ending had only a limited number of combinations. With these new role-playing activities the human element is added with all the layers that it brings.

I can see an educational value of adopting this new literacy to teach students the skills that are now done in such things as a debate. You could set it up like a simulation so that each student was a character and adopted a persona based on how the character felt on a topic, such as their position on turning a wetland into a highway for example. Instead of a traditional simulation it could be done using new technologies that allow for greater interaction. In a traditional simulation the stronger students socially in a group tend to do better. If it was done anonymously then this particular social dimension will not come into play.



After reading all the chapters for this section I am starting to question whether I am in fact using new literacies as I thought I was or am I merely doing the same old things with different tools. If this is the case then I am probably not using new literacies at all. I have the sense that I need to go back and reexamine the projects and assignments that I have been doing with this new mindset and also think of it as I develop others. I believe I need to think as ways of tapping into other literacies as well even though I may not be as comfortable with them. If not I am doing a disservice to those students who would benefit from non-traditional methods. Perhaps this is could be a lead in for work engaging lower level students too.

Comment by Cindy Ramsay on June 7, 2008 at 1:11pm

Pam,

I, like you, had a new appreciation for those involved in this sort of activity. I don't know much about it but you are right that it is a different thinking that is done rather quickly. My girls do not engage in this online environment but they do have games that they play using the computer that would be comparable to the traditional role-playing games we played as kids. The game is the same but the technology is new. (And with their Petz Vet game our dog is safer.)

One concern I have is when the fantasy world becomes more important than reality for some of the participants.

Comment by Gail Finniss on June 2, 2008 at 7:31pm

As I read chapter 4, I continually thought of my students and how the more elaborate forms of role playing are out of reach for them at this time but in a few short years they will most likely be involved. Role playing has taken on a whole new meaning in the past few years. Role playing meant that performers would act out a scene for an audience and the performers would take on the lives of someone else. This now has moved to cyberspace and to programs such as internet chat, and on-line games. My own children play online games but it is foreign to me. It is a whole new area for me. I used to watch my boys when playing and could not understand the meaning, the skills that they had obviously picked up, and how they knew where they were going. There is a great deal of organization involved for a programmer to create an online game with so many different results available. I did not realize that there are so many people involved in the creation of online role playing games – the primary, secondary and tertiary authors and each of their responsibilities. The agency and authority continues to be a challenge for me to understand.

As I read through this, I was also thinking of the students who would benefit from this activity as a ‘gamer’ or ‘programmer’. Many of those students lack social skills because of the time that they are alone and their computer becomes their friend. One of my neighbors has just completed college – as a programmer. In elementary school he had social issues, always playing by himself but happy to do so. He continued on through school by himself without friends, his computer became his friend. This kind of student will be our programmers of the future.

Comment by Pamela MacLellan on June 2, 2008 at 4:49pm

Role Playing – Discussion Four Musketeers
Chapter 4.
Hi Girls,
As Mother’s of young adults and young children have you seen your children involved in role-playing games online? I have not played online games so this is new to me. I understand the primary, secondary, and tertiary text set-up and the authorship system much better now then I did previously. It is definitely a different form of narrative for students to engage in. The concept of agency and authority and their relationships in developing online games are very complicated. The author’s of these games require an inquisitive mind and a flair for something different, by inviting others to participate in the dialogue and direction of the online role-play.
I have a whole new appreciation for children and adults who are interested in role-playing games. Their comfort level with technology is a major component in their success in this type of activity. The use of literacies in this format is challenging to the participant, by involving creative thinking, organization skills, the ability to read and write, delivering quick responses and figuring out the online relationships that will develop the game.
Role –playing games online is a culture onto itself, the participants in this environment deal with a world unique to the narrative being played out. I can see this would be a way to nurture someone’s creativity by being involved in a work of fiction in collaboration with others.
Wow! This is a new world to me.
Pam.

Comment by Pamela MacLellan on May 27, 2008 at 7:40pm

Hi Musketeers,
I have posted my Pre-Reading Reflection on my blog. I have clicked just for me at the bottom of the page. Hopefully, this worked.
I 'm off to revisit the assigned reading for section one and the question.
Pam.

Comment by Gail Finniss on May 26, 2008 at 9:08pm

Hi Girls:
Just a quick hello to see if this is where I am to post my thoughts for pre-reading???
Gail