Balanced Gaming

The fourth type of game - kagfs

2009-04-13T09:59:35-05:00

When I talk about educational games, I usually talk about three types of games (see original blog post here).

Without belaboring it:

COTS -commercial, off the shelf
Edutainment
Serious games

There has been an emergence of a fourth category of game, I’m calling it kick-ass-game-for-schools (kagfs). The qualities of a kagfs include:

1. Very high production value
2. Content-accurate information (like, accurate representation of history, medical information, government structure, etc…)
3. Really good tools for reporting individual student progress to teachers
4. All the stuff that make COTS games good like:

4.1 ...dynamic, adjustable difficulty
4.2 ...easy early goals
4.3 ...play experience invites entrance into Csikszentmihalyi’s idea of “flow”
4.4 ...allows different player types to enjoy the game
4.5 ...is a game a kid would want to play at home (this is kind of my ultimate litmus test for games in education)

I have only seen one instance of a kagfs, at muzzy lane but a recent feed popped up on my rss reader: t.h.e. journal had a piece titled: Researchers Study Effects of Educational Games on Math Achievement by Scott Aronowitz. I think this </b>might</b> be another example of a kagfs link here for dimensionM. But I need to play this game to see.

It looks like there is some snazzy instruction stuff on the front end, and then the kids explore a pretty cool-looking interactive world, applying the math skills they are studying.

The only thing I don’t enjoy: stopping the game while the kid solves a math problem. Update: after playing their demo, I kind of nudge this particular game into the edutainment arena. Gorgeous production values, great tutorial, but zapping all the transmitters that have an even number? That doesn’t quite fit into my kagfs category.

Anyone else see any kagfs?

Moving games forward: an excellent paper by the education arcade

2009-03-09T08:38:34-05:00

MovingLearningGamesForward_EdArcade.pdf

From the article:

Those who believe in using games in education usually start from a common set of assumptions. They observe that game player’s regularly exhibit persistence, risk-taking, attention to detail and problem solving skills, all behaviors that ideally would be regularly demonstrated in school. They also understand that game environments enable players to construct understanding actively, and at individual paces, and that well-designed games enable players to advance on different paths at different rates in response to each player’s interests and abilities, while also fostering collaboration and just-in-time learning.

We are therefore prepared to argue that:

1. games can engage players in learning that is specifically applicable to “schooling;” and
2. there are means by which teachers can leverage the learning in such games without disrupting the worlds of either play or school.

To succeed, we must look at where the strengths and challenges of both classrooms and games lie and situate
“learning games” at the most productive intersection of these separate environments. We will examine these issues
through concrete examples of existing best practices, and speculative designs currently under development
at MIT’s Education Arcade, and elsewhere.

The power of games, power of digital media

2009-03-09T09:03:29-05:00

GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf

From the article:

What is good learning? That may be a subjective question. But it’s likely that many educators would give answers that fall in the same ballpark…

…students collaborating and discussing ideas, possible solutions…
…project-based learning, designed around real world contexts…
…connecting with other students around the world, on topics of study…
…immersing students in a learning experience that allows them to grapple with a problem, gaining higher-order thinking skills from pursuing the solution…

To many educators, these notions are music to their ears. Would it seem terribly strange then to hear that students
indeed are doing these things regularly outside of their classrooms? While Timmy or Susie may not be running
home from school saying, “What fun, deeply-engaging learning experience can we do today?”, they are engaging
with new technologies that provide them with the same opportunities. Every day, many students are
spending countless hours immersed in popular technologies—such as Facebook or MySpace, World of Warcraft,
or Sim City—which at first glance may seem like a waste of time, and brain cells. But these genres of technologies—
Social Networking, Digital Gaming, and Simulations—deserve a second, deeper, look at what’s actually going
on.

Literature review - 5 stars - read this!

2009-03-09T08:29:21-05:00

Can’t really say enough good stuff about this literature review.

final_literature_review_(gis).pdf

Computer games work in schools

2009-01-08T17:34:43-05:00

Games work in education.

You can not stick a kid in front of a computer for an hour and expect something magical to happen. There has to be planned, deliberate, and conscious teaching. While this is true for all technology use in education, it is especially true for the use of computer games in the classroom.

I’ve been using games successfully in my classroom for years, and I’ve been helping other teachers use games in their classrooms. There are specific circumstances which need to coalesce in order for games to work in education. But games work.

Look at the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement our kids show. I am stunned at the discrepancy between how kids respond to traditional instruction, and how they interact with computer games. It’s amazing to see how excited they are about games, how motivated they are, how much work they are willing to do! Even kids labeled as “not interested” in school or even “low achievers” display a very different profile when talking about video games.

Enter common sense.

Am I saying we should forsake good teaching and assessment with Team Fortress 2? Of course not. But I am saying there is a disconnect between adults and kids; and this disconnect is defined by multimedia, television, and the internet.

Let’s meet our students where they play.

Instructional Design

2009-01-08T17:38:09-05:00

Instructional Design

When this lesson is over, what is the learning going to look like? What is going to be different? What lasting understandings will the students be able to demonstrate? The best place to start planning a lesson is at the end.

Using computer games in education is more than sticking a student in front of Civilization 3 and hoping for the best. Very specific learning objectives, accurate assessment, consistent feedback, and an engagement in the learning process are critical for the successful implementation of computer games in education.

It’s really no different from any instructional activity. Well organized lessons and instructional activities make for a more successful learning experience.

It is important to include as many national, state, and local state standards as you are able. Make sure the standards are truly linked to learning activities, and not added as an afterthought. You should be able to clearly point to something a student is doing and connect it with a state standard.

Take into consideration different learning styles, different ways of using the game to illustrate understandings. For example, could a student take a series of screen captures in Sim City, and create a large artistic collage in the hallway to show the growth of an urban and suburban areas? Could another student interview a mayor of sim city, with a decidely cynical slant, and post the interview online? How is our lesson plan addressing different intelligences and learning styles?

At the end of the day, well planned, well organized lesson plans will define the success of computer games in education. The more specific our objectives, the better we will be able use computer games to teach.

Our standard must be higher

2009-01-08T17:41:31-05:00

Using games in education requires a higher standard of educational efficacy than other, more traditional forms of instruction.

Because it’s a game.
Because games are thought of as strictly recreational tools.
Because many people think “students spend to much time in front of games”. Because we can’t stick a student in front of a game and expect miracles.
Because games are not thought of as educational.
Because public education is the last industry in the United States to still be debating the efficacy of technology as a whole.

Are we using civilization 3 to teach the relationship between science and civilization prosperity? Prove the understanding with authenitic, accesable assessment. Demonstrate the learning.

We are teaching students to
think about the game

. To develop those higher order thinking skills. To evaluate and analyze subtle and complex interrelationships. We need to be able to point at the game and say “See? It’s working!“

The burden of proof is on us, and we must deliver.

Assess, assess, assess

Simple understandings are simply measured. Complex understandings are not.

How do we know a student knows? Are there different levels of knowing something? Surely simple memorization is different than analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing. Computer games (and technology in general) confers a deeper lever of knowledge than simple drill and recall learning activities. Therefore, we must use correct assessment tools.

Portfolio assessment, ipsative assessment, authentic assessment, and standardized assessment all offer meaningful ways to measure student understandings. Computer games (and technology in general) impart sophisticated levels of knowledge. Playing Sim City allows players to test and simulate urban, suburban, exurban, and rural city designs. Does a true/false test measure this understanding? Does multiple choice measure this understanding? The answer is yes, it does, but it isn’t optimal. A better assessment tool might be an oral report, or perhaps a movie of successful city growth vs unsuccessful growth with an analysis of what factors contributed to the success and failure.

We have an old saying in the educational field, fetch and wretch (as opposed to the much older drill and kill). We send students to an internet site with 15 questions on a piece of paper, and they throw up the answers on the paper. We then enthusiastically wave the paper in front of our bulding principal and prove our children are learning. Um, no.

Finally, assessment should be connected to the content classroom. If a student is using computer games to strengthen understanding around persuasive writing, the student should recieve credit in their English language arts class.