Into the Future...

by Karen





If there is one thing I have learned from this assignment, it is that I still have a lot to learn.  Every research paper, every book I have read on games and learning fills me with both anticipation and anxiety.  On the one hand, I believe whole-heartedly in the educational potential of good video games and the authentic, interactive learning environment games can provide.  I have always resided in the 'glass half-full' camp when it comes to video games and learning and believe the skills involved in playing games are increasingly complex, sophisticated, challenging and cerebral.  On the other hand, I believe there is still work to be done to prove and promote the efficacy of game-based learning in order for it to become an acceptable learning medium in this increasingly digital environment.

In my role as teacher librarian I make it a priority to engage with the students about what they are reading, watching, and in recent times, playing.  The level of enthusiasm with which they discuss their latest 'hi-score' or 'epic win' in their current game du jour speaks volumes for the potential partnership between gaming and education.  I would love my students to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning that rivals their quest to conquer the next level in a game.  Stephen Heppell, Professor of New Media Environments succinctly states 'People love to learn, people love to play.  It should not have taken quite so long to make progress towards putting those two together seamlessly.  In the 21st century, the glass is neither half-full nor half-empty; for the first time it is simply overflowing with opportunity'.  I strongly believe that adopting a digital pedagogy is essential if our goal is to create 21st century lifelong learners. 

I had the opportunity to listen to teacher librarian Judith Way present a paper at the recent SLAQ conference in Brisbane entitled 'Guitar Hero? My hero!'  Way and fellow teacher Les Kyle developed the Guitar Hero: World Tour program for an alternative year 11 and 12 class, with the intention of approaching literacy and numeracy in a way that would engage, challenge, and motivate the students.  The formation of a class wiki provided the backbone of the project, with students creating blogs for posting assessment tasks which they would then link back to the wiki.  Students were required to form a group and then develop an imaginary band, creating avatars to represent their on-stage persona.  Each band started a blog and posted about their band and a proposed world tour, with all tasks aligned with the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning expectations and standards.  I love the idea of using gaming and Web2.0 tools in such a creative and innovative way, and can envisage a project like this succeeding through collaboration with like-minded teachers who share my enthusiasm and vision towards a digital pedagogy.  The Guitar Hero project lends itself to cross-curricular learning across a number of subject areas as evidenced in a case study conducted through Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS).  The LTS Guitar Hero project included learning outcomes in literacy, science, art and design, design and technology, and drama. As stated on the LTS website:

This project was ambitious in terms of introducing a game that on the surface appears to have little if any educational value. However, the project has shown that with a degree of innovation and creativity but with healthy focus on appropriate learning outcomes and appropriate methodologies, a game such as this can bring learning to life.

         

Another source of inspiration comes from the Global Kids Inc blog.  Global Kids is a non-profit organisation in New York that uses online games to promote global awareness, engaged citizenship, and 21st Century Learning Skills.  The development of Web 2.0 tools and the convergence of media have demanded that youth should be active producers rather than critical consumers of digital media, and this blog provides a comprehensive range of programs, resources, and research papers to draw inspiration from.

I believe the skills acquired whilst playing good video games are essential for 21st century learners.  Games are a medium that enables learners to be actively engaged, to experiment and take risks in a safe environment, to solve problems in order to achieve clearly defined goals, and to role-play in an environment that encourages strong identifications and emotional investments (Jenkins, 2007).  This said, I am mindful of the diversity of learning styles among my students, and realise that there may not be the same degree of engagement and motivation for students that are not gamers.

My experience with game-based learning belies my enthusiasm and willingness to embrace this form of new media, and integrate it into my pedagogy.  I am fortunate to have a school administration that is supportive rather than sceptical of new innovations, and who consider teacher professional development a priority. Teacher librarians are often the curriculum innovators within a school, and I believe we need to grasp the 21st century 'overflowing cup' with both hands, and drink from it!       

crEate, Play, Learn...

Futurelab is an organisation dedicated to transforming teaching and learning through innovative technology and practice, in order to engage 21st century learners.  In a March 2009 report entitled "Computer games, schools, and young people", Futurelab analysed the role of commercially produced games in UK schools, and recognised that games neither inherently possess educational potential nor do they inherently promote antisocial behaviour.  Four 'big ideas' emerged from the report; the persuasive nature of games and their capacity to influence thought and action, the idea that games provide the ideal environment for skill rehearsal, the role of games as a medium for media literacy, and the idea that games support the construction of knowledge.  It was indicative that the majority of teachers in the survey population believed the inclusion of computer games into the curriculum could potentially enhance the cognitive skills, higher-order thinking skills, and ICT skills of young people.

One of the key findings from the Futurelab report was that while teachers generally feel that games cannot be specifically categorised into subject disciplines, relatively few of the teachers reported that games lacked relevance to the curriculum and specific subject areas.  Derek Robertson, from the Consolarium, a games and learning centre in Scotland, sees games as 'contextual hubs' around which teachers are able to create meaningful classroom tasks.  The games are viewed as resources to be 'retro-fitted' to learning objectives, giving teachers flexibility for cross-curricular study.  Viewing games as resources or 'teaching tools' emphasises the role the teacher plays in planning and structuring the learning experience and providing the curricular content.  This report indicated that primary teachers were slightly more likely to use games in the classroom as there is greater opportunity for cross-curricular study within their curriculum.

There has been much research concerning the value and credibility of embedding games into the school curriculum, and one of the more vocal 'pro-gaming' advocates is Marc Prensky.  Prensky first coined the terms 'digital natives' and 'digital immigrants', and  posits that digital natives possess heightened cognitive competencies including complex problem solving, experiencing failure in a row risk environment, collaboration, making ethical decisions, identity exploration and managing multimedia information simultaneously (Prensky, 2001).  Prensky suggests that the current curriculum focus on absorbing content and teaching skills is outdated, de-motivating and irrelevant in a digital age.  He argues that games are an ideal medium for learning due to the proliferation and accessibility of digital technologies afforded to 21st century learners.  However, one could argue that Prensky fails to acknowledge the diversity of interest and experience in gaming amongst students, and the differing levels of accessibility.

The Futurelab report suggests games create ideal environments for learning in the 21st century by virtue of their interactivity, and that this interactivity is not restricted to virtual environments.  Gaming is seen to be an intensely social experience for many young people, providing opportunities for relationship-building between students, and also potentially enhancing teacher-student relationships.
                 
It was interesting to read that the greatest perceived barriers to games in education were logistical challenges such as the expense involved with the provision of game software and platforms, and issues regarding licensing .  As Ben Williamson, senior researcher at Futurelab, succinctly states, "It is the teaching and planning that goes into it that makes the use of games a success", not the actual game itself.  One could argue that the use of  free-to-download demos which may be appropriate for use in the classroom, and many games that are available online, could provide an alternative pathway towards the inclusion of games in education.

In addition to concerns regarding licensing and overall expense, slightly more than half of the survey population reported concern over teachers' lack of knowledge of the games young people play.  Teachers themselves are not a significant gaming population which may explain the sedimented attitudes of some towards gaming as a potentially educational pursuit.  There is an apparent necessity for educators to be informed about the usefulness of games as a teaching tool, and to provide them with evidence of the efficacy of games in the classroom setting.

Findings from the Byron review (2008) highlight the developmental need for youth to experience and understand risk associated with new media, a self-responsibility approach based on 'education' rather than 'protection'.  The Futurelab report reiterates that online safety is an important consideration, and identifies the need for engaging parents and the public in debate about the role of gaming in young people's lives, thus establishing media literacy as a proactive, rather than reactive mode for informed risk-taking.  I believe that educating young people about the risks and potential harm associated with online engagement is a priority, so they can learn the necessary skills to evaluate all forms of media, and make informed and sensible choices for themselves.

Parental engagement has been identified as 'essential to ensuring the sustainability of game-based learning' (Futurelab, p35).  One of the participating primary schools held student presentation sessions in an attempt to galvanise parental interest and demonstrate that games can be educational.  Another secondary school chose to showcase the students' work, attracting a very large number of parents to the event.  These experiences may demonstrate that parents are interested in whether or not gaming constitutes a valid and valuable educational activity, rather than being a purely pleasurable pastime.  However, no data was gathered concerning the attitudes of parents towards game-based learning highlighting this as an area that needs to be investigated further.

In conclusion, the Futurelab report identifies some theoretical tools useful for establishing the importance of games in learning, and   Furthermore, the report emphasises the central importance of teacher professionalism in using games as resources to support the educational aims, objectives and planned outcomes, rather than using them 'for their own sake or for flimsily conceived incentivisation purposes.'  Overall, while suggesting that games are an important medium in youth culture and are therefore worthy of consideration for inclusion into the curriculum, the report recognises the necessity for educators to critically evaluate the usefulness and implications of embedding game-based learning into formal education.

Karen

As a TL, how can I use my new learnings about video games?

    In my role as teacher-librarian I am unlikely to have the opportunity to use computer/video games but I can certainly use some of the knowledge about computer games to adjust my teaching pedagogy. As the teacher-librarian I manage the library, promote reading, source suitable resources for staff and students and liaise with staff via various school committees. It is through this liaison that I am able to work with staff on embedding new technologies into their teaching tool kit.

There are a number of practices which I could adjust with my new knowledge:

1. In the last few years I have run after-school teacher training session. These sessions have been focussed on developing teacher competencies in the use of technology including; instruction in the use of Interactive Whiteboards, using the Learning Place, and setting up and using Blogs and Wikis. In future sessions I will highlight the research around the use of computer games and encourage staff to investigate games for their particular teaching area.

2. I will ensure that I include the Teacher Learning Federation Learning Objects as part of the resource list that I provide to teachers. These are online digital tools that use some of the same characteristics as computer games and are currently underutilised by the teaching staff at my school.  In the past when I have used the TLF Learning Objects I have found that students engaged with the learning process and it can be the hook to get them to learn more about a particular topic, one of the key reasons for using computer games (Young, 2009).

3. I will also discuss the idea of adapting some current tasks into web-quests, as a well planned web quest can incorporate elements of a role-playing game (Gee, 2009). Currently students do an assessment in year 8 SOSE which involves them speaking as a person from the middle ages. The students are not generally engaged in this unit but perhaps if it was re-designed with the idea of the role-playing web quest perhaps it would provide better engagement.

4. In the preparation of my own teaching material I will in future consider the characteristics of video games which engage students (Prensky, 201). “Multi-sensory approaches, utilising graphics, sound and interactive elements not only appeal to different learning styles but also positively affect motivation and retention among the general population” ( Abhijit, 2009, p4). I need to improve the visual aspects of my lessons and provide greater opportunity for the students to be active learners.

 

 5. I also need to ensure that my teaching has a greater focus on student activity and passive listening.  Dale’s cone of Learning shows that students retain greater knowledge when they are involved in simulation or real life experiences. (Pastor, 2003) While there may be some questions around the percentages applied to Dale’s Cone of Learning most teachers would agree that students are more engaged and retain more knowledge with activity based lessons.  Computer games can be successful learning tool if firstly they engage the student and then secondly they require the students to make a decision on the basis of knowledge gained. While I may not use a computer game in my lesson I can use the same successful learning strategy.

6. It is through an understanding and awareness of the role computer games have in popular culture that I can build better relationships with the students. As the teacher-librarian I need to be able to build a rapport with students quickly as I often only one opportunity to make a good impression as I am not their timetabled teacher. My aim is that the students see me in a supporting or mentoring role in the learning process. The role of parents and teachers is important to ensure that the students are getting the best use out of the digital media they are using both at home and at school (Gee, 2008, p22).

7. As a member of the Technology committee I will suggesting that the school develop a simple online assessment tool (Hong, 2009; Royle, 2009) that allows staff to quickly decide which digital media is the most appropriate for their needs, and then share this information via the school network. Teachers need to be using the most effective teaching resources that allow them to engage the students and teach the relevant content and skills. Teachers are generally time poor and will be more likely to use a resource if it has been approved or assessed by other teachers.

In summary the main way for me to transform my pedagogy, having gained more knowledge about the benefits of games in learning, is to keep an open mind to the use of technology and assist staff with their use of technology. I need to ensure that the library and my classroom practices are more reflective of the 21^st century than the standard 19^th century classroom. Am I providing access to the technology that the student’s need to learn the skills that they require for their future? Am I mentoring the students in the skills they need for the 21^st century?

 

I also need to adopt some of the gamer’s attitude of “”stepping in and not worrying about failure” (Gee, 2009, p52) as otherwise my teaching practice will not adapt to the changing needs of my learners.

 

Teresa

 

 

References

 

Gee, J., & Levine, M. (2009). Welcome to Our Virtual Worlds. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 48-52. Retrieved 5^th September 2010 from Academic Search Elite database.

 

Gee, J. (2008). Getting over the slump: innovation strategies to promote children’s learning, The Joan Ganz Cooney Center for Sesame Workshop. Retrieved 6^th October, 2010, from http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/Reports-19.html.

 

 

Hong, J., Cheng,C., Hwant, M., Lee,C., & Change, H. (2009). Assessing the Educational Value of Digital Games, In Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25 (5), 423-437. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00319.x/abstract;jsessionid=182E79E79086FBD204D652B4084020CB.d03t02

 

Pastore, R. (2003) Principles of teaching, Retrieved 6^th October, 2010 from

http://teacherworld.com/potdale.html

 

Prensky, M. (2001). Fun, Play and Games: What makes games engaging. From Digital game-based learning (Mc-Graw Hill , 2001). Retrieved 7^th October, 2010, from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Game-Based%20Learning-Ch5.pdf .

 

Royle, K. (2009). Crossing borders, blurring boundaries and taking action, Retrieved 21^st September, 2010 from http://www.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/content/view/67.

 

 

Teaching with games: using commercial off-the-shelf computer games in formal learning

http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/project_reports/teaching_with_games/TWG_report.pdf

This report detailed the study done by Futurelab into the use of commercial off-the-shelf computer games (COTS) in schools. Futurelab’s study was focussed on:

• The attitude of students and teachers to the use of computer games in schools,
• Identifying the key factors in the use of computer games in schools, and
• The process by which teachers plan and implement games based learning in existing curriculum.

Futurelab followed twelve teachers in four different schools over a 12 month period and at the end of the study made a number of recommendations. The study found:

• There is a generational divide in games play – 72% of teachers don’t play computer games for leisure and 82% of students play at least once a fortnight.
• The use of computer games was motivating – for the majority of students.
• Teacher experience, teaching style and familiarity of curriculum were influential in the success of integrating games into classrooms.

Engagement & Pedagogy

Schools are experiencing lack of engagement by students (Salen, 2010; Gee, 2009, p49) as today’s youth are finding their learning experience outside the classroom much richer through their access to ubiquitous technology. If teachers want to engage their students they need to spend time reflecting and adapting their pedagogy.

The primary reason for including computer games in learning is to engage and motivate the students (Sandford, 2006, p16).  This study found that motivation was higher if the students had autonomy in playing the game, and it was a game they were familiar with. These are key findings for teachers who are considering using games in their classrooms. If the primary aim of using games in learning is engagement then teachers need to ensure that are using them in a way which provides the greatest engagement and will therefore lead to improved educational outcomes.

The Futurelab study showed that teachers who had good pedagogical practices were more able to use video games effectively in the classrooms. Teachers with good practices are able to understand their learners, know their curriculum and select the most appropriate resource to help the students learn (Sandford, 2006). My own observations would support this finding; good teachers are those with good pedagogical practices, not necessarily those who use the newest piece of technology.

With the generational divide in game play many teachers would not automatically consider computer games as part of their teaching tool kit. Gee proposes that teachers who are not familiar with technology-based learning should seek out Professional developments programs to help build their understanding of the benefits of using digital technologies (Gee, 2008, p27).  Futurelab provided an opportunity for teachers to use computer games in the classroom and learn from their colleagues via collaboration. However they found that teachers did not take up these collaboration opportunities. Futurelab recommends that schools do more to encourage a culture of collaboration.  Certainly in my own school there is not a culture of collaboration. Many staff remain unaware of the good practice of other teachers within the school, particularly if they are in another staffroom or faculty. If schools and educational institutions did more to encourage a culture of collaboration I think there would be a significant shift in the pedagogical practice of many teachers. Teachers may be more willing to use the latest technology knowing they had the support of their colleagues.

Gaming as Learning & the 21^st Century Curriculum

There are a number of studies done on the various 21^st century skills that can be learnt through the use of computer games (Royle, 2009; Sandford, 2006, p50) however this study focussed more on how the attitudes of the teachers and student impacted on the use of games in education.

In the Futurelab study commercially produced games (COTS) were used for both content and skill development. While it was assumed that the teachers who were using games for skill development would find it easier to align the use of games to their classroom the study found that the same degree of structure and support were required by teachers using games for content or skill development. Games will not provide any educational benefit without teachers having a good understanding of the outcomes they are trying to achieve and scaffolding the lesson to achieve them.

The Futurelab study found that there were a number of technical issues and the implementation of games into schools required good relationships between teachers and technical staff. The experience at Quest to Learn shows the value of having additional technical staff employed to assist with technical issues (Corbett, 2010). To gain the full advantage of using games in learning, or any other technology, the government and educational institutions need to consider a staffing model that provides sufficient technical staff to schools.

Ethical & Social Considerations

Futurelab recommends to game developers that there needs to be new approaches to licensing and copy protection so that it is easier to install and run games on school networks (p52). During this study they found a number of issues with the installation of games on the school network, particularly is the program required the disk to be present to play the game. While some of these issues are technical problems and can be resolved there are issues of licensing that can make it cost prohibitive for schools to use games legally across a network.

In the survey conducted by Futurelab there was a significant percentage of both teachers and students who didn’t believe computer games were suitable for the school environment.  They either felt they would have no educational value, there would be a better resource, or they would prefer to do other activities and play computer games at home.  The success of games in learning will depend on the attitudes of teachers and students. Across a number of cultures there is the understanding that learning must be hard or difficult (Prensky, 2001, p4) and the playing of games is trivial or unimportant. Until there is more widespread understanding about the value of playing games as a learning tool there will some community opposition to the use of computer games in schools.

Conclusion

In conclusion this study provided a number of areas which required further investigation in order for COTS to be used more widely in schools. The recommendations to schools and teachers, which would see an increase in the use of computer games, would also improve the adoption of other ubiquitous technology. Recommendations such as; the promotion of greater collaboration between teachers, more flexible timetabling, clearer understanding of learning objectives and the benefits of using digital technologies, and support from technical staff.

Computer games on their own will not solve student disengagement but they are one tool which may help teachers connect more with their learners (Sandford, 2006, p52). Student disengagement needs to be addressed through teacher reflection, changes to curriculum, changes to school organisation and increased teacher professional development around the use of digital technologies (Sandford; Gee, 2009, p52).

The recommendations made by Futurelab related to games in learning but could apply equally to the inclusion of any digital technology into the school system. The full potential of digital technologies will only be achieved when administrators, schools, parents and teachers all work together with a common goal of getting the best educational outcomes possible while adapting to the changing needs of our students.

Teresa

References:

Corbett, S. (2010). Learning by playing: video games in the classroom. The New York Times, Retrieved 21^st September, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html?_r=2

http://q2l.org/.

Gee, J., & Levine, M. (2009). Welcome to Our Virtual Worlds. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 48-52. Retrieved 5^th September 2010 from Academic Search Elite database.

Prensky, M. (2001). Fun, Play and Games: What makes games engaging.  From Digital game-based learning (Mc-Graw Hill , 2001). Retrieved 7^th October, 2010, from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Game-Based%20Learning-Ch5.pdf .

Royle, K. (2009). Crossing borders, blurring boundaries and taking action, Retrieved 21^st September, 2010 from http://www.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/content/view/67. 

Sandford, R. Ulicsak, M., Facer, K., Rudd, T. (2006). Teaching with games: using commercial off-the-shelf computer games in formal education, Retrieved 30^th September, 2010 from,

http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/project_reports/teaching_with_games/TWG_report.pdf.

References by BurnBabyBern

References

Adams, H. (2007). Social Networking and Privacy: A Law Enforcement Perspective. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 23(10), 33. Retrieved August 10, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals.

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). (2007). Standards for the 21st Century Learner. Retrieved March 12, 2010 from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

Corkhill, P. (2005). Framework for effective learning: a middle years initiative to improve student learning. Australian Journal of Middle Schooling, 5(1), 33-37. Retrieved March 21, 2010 from the Informit Database.

Global Kids, CommonSense Media, & the GoodPlay Project. (2009). Meeting of Minds: cross-generational dialogue on the ethics of digital life. Retrieved August 3, 2010 from http://www.globalkids.org/meetingofminds.pdf

Guba, E., & Lincoln, Y. (1989). Judging the Quality of Fourth Generation Evaluation. [Electronic format] In Guba, E. & Lincoln, Y (Ed.), Fourth Generation Evaluation. Newbury Park: Sage. Retrieved August 24, 2010 from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database.

Hong, J., Cheng, C., Hwang, M., Lee, C., & Chang, H. (2009). Assessing the Educational Value of Digital Games. In Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25 (5), 423-437. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00319.x/abstract;jsessionid=182E79E79086FBD204D652B4084020CB.d03t02

Ito et al. (2010) Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out : kids living and learning with new media.  Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved August 2, 2010 from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database.

Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., & Salen, K. (2009). Moving Learning Games Forward [Electronic format] The Education Arcade: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved September 25, 2010 from http://education.mit.edu/papers/MovingLearningGamesForward_EdArcade.pdf

Luke, A. & Woods, A. (2008) Accountability as testing: Are there lessons about assessment and outcomes to be learnt from No Child Left Behind? Queensland University of Technology. Retrieved October 2, 2010 from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/14392/1/14392.pdf

Masie, E. (2007). Gaming in Education. Accessed October 2, 2010 at http://www.wideopendoors.net/educational_technology/gaming.html

Nagel, M. (2006). Distinction or Extinction: stepping towards a middle years model for survival. Australian Journal of Middle Schooling, 6(1), 11-17. Retrieved March 17, 2010 from Informit Database.

National Curriculum Board. (2009). The Shape of the Australian Curriculum. Retrieved October 1, 2010 from http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum.pdf

Royle, K. (2009). Computer games and realising their learning potential. Accessed October2, 2010 at http://www.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/content/view/67

Sanford, R., Ulicsak, M., Facer, K., & Rudd, T. (2006) Teaching with Games Using commercial off-the-shelf computer games in formal education. Retrieved September 1, 2010 from http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/project_reports/teaching_with_games/TWG_report.pdf

Singer, D. (2009). Play and the Search for Identity in the Cyberspace Community. Retrieved September 26, 2010 from http://law.wlu.edu/deptimages/Law%20Review/66-3Singer.pdf

Thai, A., Lowenstein, D., Ching, D., & Rejeski, D. (2009). Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children’s Learning and Health, New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. Retrieved September 24 from http://joanganzcooneycenter.org/upload_kits/game_changer_final_1_.pdf

Williamson, B. (2009). Computer Games, schools, and Young People: a report for educators on using games in learning. [Electronic format] Retrieved September 1, 2010 from http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/project_reports/becta/Games_and_Learning_educators_report.pdf

Woolfolk, A. (2005). Educational psychology (9^th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

Wright, W. (2010). Creator of 'The Sims' Talks Educational Gaming. Accessed September 15, 2010 at http://chronicle.com/article/Video-Creator-of-The-Sims/48417/

Young, J. (2010, January 24). 5 Teaching Tips for Professors – from Video Games. [Electronic format]. In The Chronicle of Higher Education (technology), (n.p.). Retrieved September 9, 2010 from http://chronicle.com/article/5-Lessons-Professors-Can-Learn/63708/

Where to From Here

(Two interesting blogs to follow that deal with ICT developments and policies worldwide are Insight: observatory for new technologies and education blog and EduTech: a world bank blog on ICT use in education)

The use of video games as an educational medium has been an interesting area to investigate. I have incorporated online and digital games into my classroom practice for some time now.  The majority of my games focus on problem solving, higher order thinking and cooperative learning, although some do have an overt curriculum base.  These games have proven a successful part of my classroom practice but I have never had an evidence based manner in which to justify their inclusion.  As a result of this unit of study I am now on my way to being able to provide that evidence based justification.

I have often found that games that are overtly curriculum based have gotten bogged down in instructional content and have quickly lost the children’s interest and motivation (Wright, 2010, n.p.; Young, 2008, n.p.).  Games such as I Spy and Rush Hour Online engage and motivate the children while they develop high level problem solving and cooperative group skills through trial and error, without a fear of failure (Masie, 2007, n.d.).  I have discovered some online SOSE/Science games that effectively blend content with game play and intend to start a del.icio.us list for these games now that I recognise their importance.

Given my use of online games I need to heed Adam’s (2007, p. 33) exhortation to start intensive internet awareness programs with early to middle primary students instead of accepting the current practice of waiting until upper primary or early high school.  I have always spoken to the children about online safety but there needs to be a more structured program for school wide implementation on a development continua basis.  The school at which I am employed has a very limited ICT committee which researches new technologies, such as Interactive Whiteboards, movie creation etc. The committee does not deal with the ethical or accountability issues of online interactions and games incorporation in the classroom.  I will be lobbying to have the size and mandate of the committee expanded to develop school wide policies and programs on internet awareness and game play as part of the curriculum.

Currently, despite expanding  research acknowledging the educational value of the shared problem solving and peer interaction of game play, education policy and curriculum documents still have a narrow vision of ICTs and are only just starting to look at incorporating new media such as social networking (American Association of School Librarians, 2007, p.3; National Curriculum Board, 2009, p.12).  This narrow and slow to change focus is evidenced by the entries on the, which is well worth following.  Until Australian Curriculum developers investigate the use of games in the curriculum, individual schools need to ensure that their practices in this area are justifiable and pedagogically sound.  The expansion of the current role of ICT committees seems like a logical place to start.

Given that I have already been approached by school administration to justify why my students are playing games in class time, I was pleased to discover that instruments are being developed to gauge the educational value of games. Given that the Australian Government’s No Child Left Behind policy includes a focus on increased accountability, mandated curriculum and teaching methods based on “gold standard evidence base” the use of some sort of standard evaluation system for games will become increasingly important (Luke and Woods, 2008, pp.2-10).  Consequently, one of the first jobs for an expanded ICT committee would be to investigate evaluation instruments such as those suggested by Hong et al (2009, p.433-434) and Royle (2007, p.4).  The Hong et al. instrument is very complex and it may well be simpler to start with Royle’s online star matrix which is available for parents and staff to view. 

In a primary school setting games integration can, and is, being done successfully already, albeit without any formal documentation of the practice.  However, when it comes to high school practice video games usage becomes more problematic.  With increasingly mandated curriculum, broken into distinct separate disciplines, strong practical impediments to the use of video games exist despite the volume of suitable games available for the high school age bracket.  This is evidenced by the games chosen for the Futurelab research project (Sanford et al., 2006, p.9).  Truly challenging computer games, that stimulate higher order thinking, traditionally involve players for extended periods of time, not just until the next bell.  High schools are not currently set up for cross-curricula integration and there are sure to be conflicts of interest as to who should give up content delivery time to implement games to stimulate general thinking skills.  Clearly, to make widespread inclusion of video games possible some fairly major changes to high school pedagogy would need to occur.

In my own personal, primary school context my main aim is to promote the use of video games to develop thinking and social skills by expanding the size and mandate of the school ICT committee. The initial focus of this expanded committee would be twofold:

·       To develop an easy to use, widely accessible, games evaluation instrument that will meet accountability demands, and

·       To develop a school wide developmentally appropriate program on internet safety and awareness. 

(by BurnBabyBern)

Motivation is the Key

http://chronicle.com/article/Video-Creator-of-The-Sims/48417/ )

In the above 2009 video Will Wright, creator of the Sims series of computer games, discusses the educational value of video games.  Wright’s games have been enormously popular since 2000 and are often seen as setting the groundwork for the creation of alternate identities that is now a common part of online gaming and social networking (Ito et al., 2010, pp.1-20; Singer, 2009, p.1016).  

Like Hong et al., Wright stresses that games, such as chess, have been a way of learning strategic and abstract thinking for thousands of years (Hong et al., 2009).  He believes that it is only in the last twenty years or so, since the widespread advent of digital games, that we have developed a ‘cultural bias’ against play and started to see it as a disposable waste of time, rather than an important element in cognitive and social development.

Wright acknowledges the potential for curriculum content in games but feels that most ‘serious’ education games lose the sense of flippancy that makes a game fun and thereby  lose their reason for inclusion in education - motivation.  Wright succinctly expresses what most teachers already know:

Zero motivation = Zero learning, no matter how good the content

Wright raises an interesting point about the potential for games to deal with real issues, such as racism, as has been successfully done in the TV series Twilight Zone and the Dr Seuss books were an acceptance of difference has often been an underlying theme disguised in a fantasy world.  This is a use of games that I had not previously really thought about, but one that I consider well worth future exploration.

Like Hong et al. and I, Wright considers digital games to be an important element in the classroom as a social and thinking skill educator, rather than as a curriculum content vehicle.  For this reason it appears more feasible to include games at the primary level than at High School, where the curriculum is highly regimented and the time allocations for classes are inflexible.
(by BurnBaby Bern)

References

Hong, J., Cheng, C., Hwang, M., Lee, C., & Chang, H. (2009). Assessing the Educational Value of Digital Games. In Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25 (5), 423-437. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00319.x/abstract;jsessionid=182E79E79086FBD204D652B4084020CB.d03t02

Ito et al. (2010) Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out : kids living and learning with new media.  Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved August 2, 2010 from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database

Singer, D. (2009). Play and the Search for Identity in the Cyberspace Community. Retrieved September 26, 2010 from http://law.wlu.edu/deptimages/Law%20Review/66-3Singer.pdf

Young, J. (2010, January 24). 5 Teaching Tips for Professors – from Video Games. [Electronic format]. In The Chronicle of Higher Education (technology), (n.p.). Retrieved September 9, 2010 from http://chronicle.com/article/5-Lessons-Professors-Can-Learn/63708/

Learning by playing : video games in the classroom

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html?_r=2

http://q2l.org/

The New York Times article about Quest to Learn provided some insight into this revolutionary school in New York City. The school is the brainchild of Katie Salen, a game developer who believes that video games offer a way to make learning more relevant to students and more connected to the real world.

The students are required to either make their own video games to demonstrate key skills and knowledge or use video games that had been designed specifically for them. The games require a range of interdisciplinary skills; maths, writing, art, computer programming, deductive reasoning and critical thinking. I agree with Salen that the standard school curriculum which isolates disciplines from each other is ‘weird’ and does not reflect real life, and therefore the idea of having interdisplinary projects or games is more reflective of life outside school.

While the principle of learning at Quest to Learn is based on the well recognised problem-based learning pedagogy they have tapped into student’s interests, playing video games. Research shows that today’s youth are playing video games at the expense of school work and that the drop out rate of 30% is because they find school boring (Salen, 2010). Quest to Learn is obviously hoping that the use of video games will change these statistics.

While I am an advocate of pedagogy which engages students there needs to be evidence that they are ‘learning’. Results from Quest to Learn students who sat federally mandated tests showed they did no better or worse than other sixth graders. However are the results of these tests evidence that these students are not learning or that the testing instrument is not reflective of the learning at this school?

 

Quest to Learn is a showcase of how video games can be used in schools but this model is unlikely to be workable in larger number of schools due to the costs involved. The school receives additional funding through several private corporations (Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation & MacArthur Foundation) which allow them to employ additional technical staff.

I would certainly agree that as teachers we need to engage the students if we want to increase educational performance and video games appear to engage students. It will be interesting to see the long term outcomes from Quest to Learn. If Quest to Learn is able to demonstrate that their students have improved outcomes and they have higher retention rates then educational authorities will need to consider how this model can be adopted more widely.

Teresa

Crossing borders, blurring boundaries and taking action

Karl Royle in his blog, “Crossing borders, blurring boundaries and taking action” provides information about, the benefits of computer games in education, the obstacles that exist and concludes that that the real issue is curriculum and teaching methodology. He states that games should be a necessity and commonplace in formal learning. To achieve this there needs to be better communication between the education and gaming communities, which can be achieved through the use of boundary objects and boundary brokers.

The boundary objects would enable communication between the two communities with boundary brokers members of more than one community able to bring the practices of one into the experience of the other. Currently there are very few teachers who are gamers and therefore they are not bringing the gaming experience into the classroom.

Royle proposes a boundary object that would involve both gamers and teachers rating games for learning, thinking skills development, literacy and problem solving. This matrix would be online and allow teachers and parents to see the value of various games.

This online matrix is a great idea providing information to relevant parties and would be a good step towards encouraging teachers to see games as an effective learning tool.

While I agree with Royle’s conclusion I am uncomfortable with his comment about computer games becoming “a necessity and commonplace” in formal learning. There no doubt that computer games have a place in a teacher’s toolkit, however teachers need to use the most appropriate learning tool for their situation, which may or may not be a computer game.

Royle is correct when he says that we need adjust our pedagogy and look to make better use of ubiquitous technologies and “break the boundaries between 21^st century bedrooms and 20^th century classrooms”. The majority of classrooms are stuck in the 20^th Century and that is causing a lack of engagement by our students. As teachers we need to be aware of the learning culture of our students and ensure that our learners are engaged so that they are able to learn the skills they need for the 21^st Century.

Teresa

Royle, K. (2009). Crossing borders, blurring boundaries and taking action, Retrieved 21^st September, 2010 from http://www.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/content/view/67.