Week 8 Discussion

Constance Steinkuehler and Sean Duncan’s paper Scientific Habits of Mind in Virtual Worlds especially intrigued me because of the approach the authors took in analyzing a MMO that was not necessarily created for an educational purpose, but made a valid argument that it can be used to promote informal scientific literacy. I wonder how much of this socially constructed knowledge is based off of  each user’s adopted persona – are interactions different if gender becomes apparent? The article mentions that players from all background levels participate in these conversations where knowledge is being socially constructed, but are users more likely to explain harder concepts to boys than to girls? Since gamer culture is predominantly male, I wonder what affordances of MMOs and technology can be leveraged so that video games, and specifically these forum conversations, are more appealing to girls.

I am also very interested in learning more on how students form identities around certain subjects. For example, I am curious to what extent a student who develops a strong “STEM identity” in K-12 is more likely to perform well in STEM classes and perhaps choose a STEM major in college. Steinkuehler and Duncan mention that “intellectual activities that constitute successful gameplay are nontrivial” and include the “construction of new identities” in simulated worlds (Steinkuehler and Duncan 531). Like other forms of childhood play, MMOs seem to be offering a fantastic opportunity for children to assume different roles and learn through role play. It is also established that socially constructed knowledge within MMOs transfer over to the real world. Is this also true / can this be done for something like fostering a sense of STEM identity?