The most interesting idea that i found in the final chapters also correlates with how the author and Sir Ken Robinson share the same views. After reading this paragraph, I had to stop myself and really think about what today's school system is like. Gee suggests that there are two ways to handle disadvantaged children. While one way is to accept public schools in their public form, another way is to "fight the neoliberal agenda and make schools sites for creativity, deep thinking, and the formation of whole people: sites in which all children can gain portfolios suitable for success, but success defined in multiple ways, and gain the ability to critique and transform social formations in the service of creating better worlds for all" (Gee, 2010). Obviously the second route is the road we want to head down. The current generation has been trained to put Gee's above thoughts into action. However, although today's school system stresses the importance of creativity, engagement in lessons, problem based learning, etc. it seems to just stop there. The plans are "dreamed" about instead of being put into action. In other words students are not having meaningful learning experiences.
This book has really helped me "think outside the box" when it comes to good teaching. Through most of the book Gee focused on gaming as a way to learn. Before reading this I never would have thought about the use of "modern gaming" to help students learn. What I took most from this book is that we as teachers have to be prepared to teach in different modes so that our students have learning experiences that build a "shape-shifting portfolio".
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