As someone who is first entering her teaching program, it was very strange to hear my professor introduce the idea of having a gaming console in the classroom. My first thought was, "I'm going to be an earth science teacher, how can a gaming console have any relevance to what I'm going to teach?". Well, that's when I did some web research. Here's what I found:
I stumbled upon a great web article titled "Geology In Video Games" and that's when it occurred to me; the reason I was having trouble linking consoles with Earth Science is because most console games have a very poor, if any, grasp on real-world geology! Realistic erosional features are nonexistent, resource distribution is laughable, and granite seems to be the universe's only type of rock.
http://geoheritagescience.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/skyrimpost.jpg
However, there is hope. A blog post entitled "The Geology of Skyrim: Project Impossible?" mentions plans for a potential mod (modification) for the game that would allow players to become geologists. Great huh? And this isn't the only thing out there like this. Fans have also developed geologic maps of both Middle Earth and Westeros (kudos if you can name both fandoms). So maybe the outlook isn't so bleak after all.
The reason I am so excited about this is because gaming platforms like the Wii and Kinect are great tools for interactive learning. This means that you can potentially take classroom concepts and apply them to simulated "real-world" experiences. However, until more of these developments become available, it will be difficult to find an excuse to assign Skyrim for homework.
P.S. Bungie, this is officially your next assignment. You heard me.
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