Video Games

Gee talks a lot semiotic domains, where people specialize or become experts in a particular area due to their experiences and/or lifestyle. A basketball player would understand basketball commentary much differently than someone who had no background in the sport. These semiotic domains may occur in all aspects of life. Gee believes children who play video games are in their own domain, speaking and thinking critically about the game. Due to this domain and children's interaction to video games, Gee believes playing video games is not a waste of time, for the children are engaged and actively learning.

Gee made some interesting claims and I began to wonder how his claims could be tied to education. I felt Gee was stressing that people need to be aware of the different domains that exist. If a teacher is trying to reach his/her students but is not aware of the domains children may have in their classroom, the lesson may not have the same meaning or effect as planned. To push it even further with Gee's idea, if teachers are not engaging their students, getting them to actively learn, and reaching to their semiotic domain, their efforts of educating may be a waste of time.