Games as Text

Last week, I attended the School Library Association of NSW conference at the State Library of NSW I had the opportunity to attend a seminar presented by Bill Cohen (Teacher Librarian, Asquith Girls' High School) titled: Games as Text.

I remember in primary school playing educational games like Punch & Judy and Granny's Garden on what I think were Acorn Computers.

In the past 25 years, such games have come a long way. I was introduced to a popular interactive fiction game known as 80 days, where you can set the plot line.

Some might see computer games as lacking educational relevance, but one should identify the relevance of the game and what you want them to learn.

Games that are inspired by real events or situations like The Westport Independent can teach skills in ethics associated with publishing and apply business principles i.e. advertising.

Another game that took my interest was Paper's Please, based on the checkpoints between East and West Berlin in the 1980's. The player must assess each person's suitability to cross the border. Literacy skills are developed in the viewing of information but also supports the development of critical thinking skills. As the game progresses, more information is presented, and the situations become more complex. The player has to consider each situation in more depth before making a final decision.

The question now, is how I am going to encourage their use in the classroom in line with school technology policies?

Students Need School Libraries (Campaign)

This week, state and national school library associations along with the Australian Library & Information Association teamed up to launch the Students Need School Libraries campaign.

The aims are simple:

• Every school should provide access to high-quality library resources and services.
• That school libraries are staffed by qualified professionals, led by a teacher librarian.

It also advocates that each school should appoint a teacher librarian as equip students with skills essential for lifelong learning including:

• Research Skills 
• Cybersafety
• Information Literacy Skills
• Instilling a love of reading

The campaign has resulted from Australia's ranking falling in educational standards against OECD nations. Some schools have neglected the role of libraries as part of the learning process, questioning their relevance. Concerns have also been raised over staffing of school libraries i.e. unqualified staff or not appointing teacher librarians, which has meant that students are missing out on opportunities to develop skills required for lifelong learning.

The website for the Students Need School Libraries campaign can be accessed here.