Guest Post: Games for Change is a Game Changer

Tagged with: Games for Change

Recently, Nikki Rivera, a central office administrator from Denver Public Schools attended the Games for Change conference in New York City.  She kindly agreed to report back to the Edmodo community on what she learned at the show.  Following are her thoughts on the conference.   Thanks Nikki – and thanks to the Games for Change team for your support!

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Over the past three days I’ve been immersed in a virtual reality experience called Games for Change.  I added to my life and knowledge meter by interacting with emotionally intelligent avatars, navigating landscapes with my unknown physics skills, and planting hundreds of virtual trees that have inspired me to use more mass transit.  I also connected and conversed with many knowledge masters (e-learning consultants, game designers, and funders) that helped me understand the complexity of my experience, and plan to join me as I transition back into the air breathing world…

I’m a central office administrator in a large urban school district, and my primary focus is professional learning for teachers.  Games are a powerful learning tool and can truly transform the way teachers learn and teach.  My biggest takeaway is that I would like to begin working with some of the knowledge masters that I met at the G4C conference, and collaboratively design games that are focused on preparing teachers and school administrators to better meet the needs of 21st century learners.

You don’t know what you don’t know…imagine a game that focuses on building a teacher’s classroom management practices that are culturally relevant and responsive, or games that teach teachers how to transition from a teacher directed classroom to a teacher that is a facilitator of student learning.  The possibilities are endless!!!

I’m inspired to apply what I’ve learned over the past three days and develop richer professional learning experiences for teachers.   I look forward to attending next year’s G4C conference and maybe I’ll have a prototype to present

Thanks edmodo and G4C!