Technology: In Plain English טכנולוגיה: באנגלית פשוטה: A whole fortnight of fun... (With apologies to Louisa May Alcott)

What is exactly is a "fortnight?"

I asked that question to a group of students at my school and the answer I received the most was that fortnight was a video game. There was also a couple of students who said that it was a two-week period of time.

So, which one is it? A game or a measure of time?

Well...

FORTNIGHT, from Old English - fēowertȳne night - means fourteen nights.

FORTNITE - note the spelling - that's a Massive Multi-player Online (MMO) game that currently has about 125 million players worldwide and chances are, if you are a teacher or parent, that you have an in-depth experience on how this MMO is causing "ripples" in your child's daily routine!

Now, I will be honest. I like the game Fortnite - It's fun!! - and there are so many different modes that I can play it in. I can play as a single player against a large group, I can play as a group member against other groups and I can even engage in the "playground" where I get to create fun games with my online buddies.

One big downside is that it can suck me into what I call "The Cave." You know, that time-defying parallel universe where one can lose track of time and forget to take out the garbage! (apologies to my wife!!)

So, is this game a "good thing" or a "bad thing?"

Like all else in the world of education (and parenting), I would suggest that it depends on how and what we do with it. Researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Education say that Fortnite requires "students to practice "teamwork, collaboration, strategic thinking, spatial understanding, and imagination." They promote bringing in the positive aspects of the game to spice up engagement in the classrooms. (Example: A quick scan of YouTube brought me to this student's AP Physics project where he used the laws of physics and the scientific method to try to find the value of gravity in the game.)

On the other hand, as many studies have demonstrated, just having a phone or iPad sitting on a desk can be disruptive to the classroom.

So what do you think? Distraction or teaching opportunity? I would love to know your opinion - but please don't take a fortnight to get back to me!!

Regards,

Yossie

YossieFrankel

Director of Technology