You mean there is educational value in World of Warcraft?” Absolutely! In this session, Peggy Sheehy will discuss her experiences playing World of Warcraft (WoW) with her students and a team from Pender County Schools in North Carolina and one in Manitoba, Ca.. Come hear as she shares her own gaming experience, the professional educator community that has emerged as her guild in World of Warcraft, “Cognitive Dissonance” and her joint venture with Lucas Gillispie (Pender County Schools) in a project that initially targeted at-risk students in an after-school program designed to build community, leadership, literacy and student confidence in a variety of curricular areas using WoW. For the past two years, the project, which evolved into an ELA elective, The Hero's Journey," was brought into the academic day. English Language Arts, digital citizenship, leadership, teamwork, communication, web 2.0 and social networking are all addressed in a blended curriculum using 3D GameLab courseware, JRR Tolkien's, "The Hobbit," and the commercial video game, World of Warcraft.
