WOW Wednesday – Paul Barkman
On Wednesdays, I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. Every day our staff are using tech in new and exciting ways, are learning new skills, and are sharing ways in which ed tech is assisting them in their practice.
This week I would like to highlight Paul Barkman from Gilbert Plains Collegiate. As MVSD continues to grow its eSports offerings at all grades, Paul is undertaking a big project by being the first teacher in our division to offer the Gaming Concepts curriculum. While our other eSports programs run as part of the MSEA league, or as a club/extracurricular option, Gaming Concepts provides high school credit via the School-Initiated Course (SIC) offering. Originating in the Seine River School Division, Gaming Concepts is designed:
“…to take something that students already enjoy and turn it into an educational opportunity that will moticate and enage both high achieving and apathetic learners, In addition, it is designed to address who is teaching young people how to be sage whulst playing video games and who is teaching them what is not appropriate whilst gaming.
This course addresses a need to provide structure in the gaming communication, especially to young gamers who are sometimes modeling, not always appropriately, what more mature gamers are doing. Students will explore esports history, game genres, esports technology, hands-on troubleshooting, and college and career readiness eith a technology focus. Ths course allows students to practice good gamer health and engage in digital citizenshio, social-emotional learning, teamwork, journaling, and reflection”.
As one can imagine, being the first person to try something comes with a unique set of challenges:
- Paul doesn’t have MVSD colleagues who have taught the course before
- Our school labs were not originally set up as esports facilities
- Balancing academic esports expectations with student experiences in their personal gaming adventures
Given the rise of eSports popularity, divisionally and beyond, we appreciate Paul being the “guinea-pig” in this situation and rising to the occasion. I know that his trials will help to ensure that future adoption of the course is successful in the division; thank you!