Thank you for Sean

Hey Sean,

You've got to love this game!

Simon here again. Last week I got to show you how video games like Southpark: The Stick of Truth use multi-modal techniques to give the player information without actually saying it explicitly. Multi-modality can also refer to how information is presented or given to you as a student. Continuing with this theme after thanking you with a video-log last week I've decided to present you with a form that is used constantly on the Internet and that is a "blog" post.

You may enjoy checking out some of my previous posts on this blog that I wrote for another uni subject last year, particularly with your interest in video games. A blog is a very common form of communication these days as it simultaneously incorporates a number of forms into the one presentation. They are particularly popular in contemporary setting because:

- They are easily updated
- They are interactive
- They incorporate multiple media forms such as images, text and video
- They make liberal use of hyperlinking to provide a reader with even more information on a topic of interest

For example I can place this video here because I know you play and enjoy Prototype:

This was a promotional video for the game advertising some of the crazy stuff you can do within the game. Notice as well that I can do cool stuff like make text wrap around to the side of of an image, which draws the reader's eye and just makes the page look more interesting. This is a technique used in magazines all the time, but it's particularly effective in blog form.

I can also place links in images like this one to the right to take you directly to a website such as Wikipedia, which will give you more details about the blog topic!

Wondering what does this have to do with school yet?

So you might be wondering what this has to do with school? Well quite a lot, as it turns out. As a year 10 student you are in one of the toughest eras of your school life. As you've discussed in your growth class, many people in your life including your friends, teachers and parents are wondering and asking you what you hope to achieve in your adult life. There is no easy answer to this question, I'm afraid. As part of this confusion I'm sure you must often wonder what the point of coming to school to learn things that seem irrelevant sometimes.

I want to thank you for sharing some of your frustrations about school with me, and being honest and open with me in your classroom. As a future teacher I hope to be able to learn from the challenges you are facing now to make a more engaging and fun classroom for future students. Instead of writing things down in a text book, wouldn't it be great to learn by playing a video game or creating your own blog posts or video logs? By engaging with different modes of teaching, we hope to engage you in better learning!

Look forward to touching base next week mate.