What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy / ND: Alignment

Williams:

"When information is hard to understand that is when it is the most important to present it as clean and organized.... The basic purpose of alignment is to unify and organize" (p. 42 & 50).

McNiff:

Interpreting Gee and Williams:

Semiotic Domain

|

|

Active Learning

(operate within)

/ \

Internal External

\ /

Critical Learning

(design space)

Elements ways of thinking

Content acting

interacting

I think Internal is good where it stands far left and I like that External moves in and out. I think External has the power to do that because it influences us and then we use it to move things out. I interpret Gee as meaning, Active Learning must occur for the child to learn and it occurs on its own level within the Semiotic Domain. I see "Internal" and "External" moving horizontally with one another. One can't exist without the other and both are on the same level.

Below that as the learning/person becomes... more intrinsic?.... there is Critical Learning. External parts become more external as they naturally become more external in meaning. I think "Internal" areas, such as "Elements" and content" need more explanation...

Reflection:

I think this could certainly be used in teaching and in the classroom but its too broad as it stands. It needs an example to be demonstrated and used in class. Maybe not in the classroom for the students to understand at a high school/grammar school level, but rather for teachers to use in practice. In addition, I think Williams ideas and principles on alignment and proximity are used everyday and I believe they should not only be used for web design but taught to children to better teach life design and focus.