The Story of My “Second Life”

Edutopia is running this excellent interview of James Paul Gee, Professor of Reading at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (2003). Jim was omnipresent at GLS 4.0 this past July (I attended and presented), and can say it is without question THE conference for educators interested in gaming and its uses in the classroom.

Anyway, Jim’s interview below is worth watching both to hear Jim’s overall perspective as well as many insights about learning, teaching, curriculum, and more. My favorite quote: “…we’ve got to reprofessionalize teachers…” because, according to Jim, we have been marginalized by standardized curriculum (and, by extension, standardized testing). He also optimistically claims we will encounter another “Sputnik,” or globally-induced competitive threat, this time about creativity and innovation in schools. He feels will cause the US to rise to the occaison, revamping our education system in response. Inspiring, hopeful words indeed! See and hear Jim for yourself, and, spend some time getting familiar with his work. He’s already one of the most sought-after scholars in this small but growing field.