Learning Technical Skills Through Minecraft, Family Reading

Learning Technical Skills through Minecraft (3:33) Video games are sometimes a solitary activity but at other times it can be a social activity with others. The expert we’re about to hear talks about how the latter kind of gaming, where young minds participate in groups, can become a healthy learning experience as well. Dr. Mimi Ito co-founded and directs a program called Connected Camp. The program partners 8-13 year old kids with high school students who teach them technical skills while playing Minecraft. Dr. Ito is a cultural anthropologist of technology use, specializing in children and youth’s changing relationships to media and communications. She’s Professor in Residence and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digital Media and Learning at the University of California. Mimi has co-authored the book, Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Youth Living and Learning with New Media which recommends interest-driven learning fueled by games, social media, and digital tools. Family Reading (13:31) Next, Rachel welcomes Dr. Richard E. West, professor of instructional psychology and technology at BYU, who is joined by his daughters Karli and Danika. They talk about what reading looks like in their family and the kinds of things they do as a family to encourage it. Dr. West researches how to teach group creativity and design thinking (see http://bit.ly/RickWestGScholar), and is co-chair of the BYU Creativity, Innovation, and Design group (see http://innovation.byu.edu). In his personal life, he’s an avid reader across multiple genres, with a compelling desire to use literature to help his children become awesome future adults.  Library Visit (23:59) We finish up the show today with Cole Wissinger, part of the Worlds Awaiting team. Cole recently decided to have some radio fun talking with random library goers about what they’re reading these days.