Why Wii in a school library?

I’ve been having a bunch of interesting conversations about gaming in school libraries with the folks in different offices at my new job.

The general response from many is that they don’t see how a gaming console like the Wii connects to any learning, and it certainly does NOT belong in a school library. After all, school libraries are known for their books and quietness.

Armed with a few statistics from Marc Prensky’s and Eli Neiberger’s research, I’ve been able to successfully defend and justify the purchasing and placement of Nintendo Wii’s in school libraries. I found it necessary to pull together the most important talking points into a one page document for all the non believers out there.

Feel free to use it, modify it, give me feedback on it and make it your own. I’m going to become a member of the LibGamers forum on Google Groups. It’s becoming the place to get ideas, gather materials and continue the conversation on gaming in school libraries.

Delivering Six Nintendo Wii Packages

In my quest to research the effectiveness of gaming in libraries, I’ve been charged with the task of pricing, purchasing and packaging six Nintendo Wii’s out to school libraries in the Onondaga, Cortland & Madison regions of Central New York.

I’ve already discussed with you the torture that goes along with trying to purchase the Wii console, peripherals, and games. Packaging of the consoles to prepare them for lending isn’t a hassle. You want to be sure that you have a well thought out strategy for making sure the console(s) and game(s) are grouped in a manner that is appropriate to the grade/age level and aligns with your goals and objectives for having the Wii in your school library.

Since my organization is purchasing six for the region the thinking right now is to have each console come with a unique package of games under a genre.

Preliminarily, I’ve decided on the following organization and grouping to deliver six separate Wii packages out to school libraries in the OCM region.

An attached file sits in the adjacent hyperlink —> Wii Packaging

Elementary Cluster (Grades K-5 appropriate)

Sports Package:
Console Includes: 1 Wii Console with 4 Wii Remotes & 4 Nunchucks
Peripherals Include: Wii Balance Board
Games Include: Wii Sports (ESRB Rating: E) , Wii Fit (ESRB Rating: E), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (ESRB Rating: E)

Action Package:
Console Includes: 1 Wii Console with 4 Wii Remotes & 4 Nunchucks
Peripherals Include: 4 Racing Wheels
Games Include: Mario Kart (ESRB Rating: E), Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (ESRB Rating: E), Raymans Raving Rabbids (ESRB Rating: E+10)

Simulation/ Strategy Package
Console Includes: 1 Wii Console with 4 Wii Remotes & 4 Nunchucks
Peripherals Include: None
Games Include: Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (ESRB Rating: E), Boom Blox (ESRB Rating: E), Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (ESRB Rating: E)

Secondary Cluster (Grades 6-12 appropriate)

Sports Package
Console Includes: 1 Wii Console with 4 Wii Remotes & 4 Nunchucks
Peripherals Include: Wii Balance Board
Games Include: Wii Sports (ESRB Rating: E), Wii Fit (ESRB Rating: E), We Ski (ESRB Rating: E)

Action Package
Console Includes: 1 Wii Console with 4 Wii Remotes & 4 Nunchucks
Peripherals Include: Les Paul Guitar
Games Include: Mario Kart (ESRB Rating: E), Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock (ESRB Rating: T), Super Smash Bros. (ESRB Rating: T)

Strategy/Simulation Package
Console Includes: 1 Wii Console with 4 Wii Remotes & 4 Nunchucks
Peripherals Include: None
Games Include: Trauma Center: New Blood (ESRB Rating: T), Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII(ESRB Rating: T), Blast Works: Build, Trade & Destroy (ESRB Rating: E)