Gaming

Prensky (2014) states, “after all, the short attention spans that teachers often lament in their students somehow disappear when the kids get in front of their games -- that is, in front of learning that is more their style”  (para. 7).  This was the most profound statement for me in this week’s readings and videos.  I have been teaching for twenty years and have seen the difference in the way my students learn.  They do NOT learn the same way I learned, or the way kids learned 10 years ago.  They are the iGeneration.  Students today are used to getting information in their hands with a click of a button.  According to Johnson, Adams, and Haywood (2011), “the most recent kids to enter schools, those born since the early 2000s, have never known a world in which that global network was not accessible from the palm of your hand” (p. 18).

The problem with gaming in the classroom is that it is difficult to design games.  I have seen a lot of games that work for elementary students when they are learning basic skills, but not as many for secondary students.  This is especially true for games that will help with Algebra and Geometry.  One suggestion to increase this area is to have students contribute to making games.  The National STEM Video Game Challenge targeted middle school students to design their own games.  Allowing students to have a part in creating games increases their collaboration with each other, and increases their problem solving, communication, and critical thinking skills (Johnson et al., 2011). For all of these reasons, I would love to see more gaming in the classroom. Even if they are not actually designing the games, there are also advantages to playing them.  They can quickly master and apply new skills and information, think strategically, and persist and solve difficult problems.  These are all skills that are difficult to teach with the traditional textbook. 

As I read through all of these incredible ways gaming in used in the classroom, I am thinking why isn’t our educational system  jumping on this? Ferenstein (2010), described a way middle school students are learning science. They are exploring a “fully-interactive 3D world of an ill patient and assist the immune system in fighting back a bacterial infection” (Ferenstein, para. 6).  Kids are getting excited about science and are engaged in classrooms with these initiatives.  And what teacher doesn’t want to excite and engage their students? 

The first site I visited was There, a virtual world where you create your own avatar.  You can make them look like you are feeling.  You can even use Voice and actually talk using, well . .. your voice!  It is a nonviolent 3D world where you can hang out and make friends, play games, and have fun.  Just like you do in real life, but in a virtual world.  It is like a 3D Facebook account!  There was launched in 2003 and has nearly 2 million members.  In 2008, ThereConnect was developed allowing people to showcase their skills, profiles, and groups on their Facebook page.  You must be 18 years or older to join and the cost is $10 per month.  There strictly maintains a PG-13 atmosphere.  It filters all inappropriate language and even the clothing chosen for your avatar must go through a submissions process to ensure it is suitable for the site. 

StopDisasters is truly an incredible way for children to learn how to better educate themselves about safety through a simulation.  The ISDR (International  Strategy for Disaster Reduction) created this simulation to reduce the number of people injured by natural disasters.  Children are the most vulnerable during disasters and the ISDR wants to teach them, through this virtual simulation, about the risks posed by natural hazards.  It teaches children how to build safer buildings and cities.  They learn how to create a safer world by learning about warning systems and evacuation plans.  An example is when the tsunami in the Indian Ocean struck and the people of the Semilieu Island survived because they knew they had to get to higher grounds.  A scenario can take between 10 – 20 minutes to play and the suggested audience is between the ages of 9 and 16.

The Problem Site is a list of flash games that are free to use and geared towards first grade through eighth grade.  There were a variety of games that included reading, science, literature, and math.  The two specific math games I looked at were Math Scramble and Quadratic Rush.  Math Scramble involves addition and multiplication problems where numbers have been replaced by questions marks.  A row of numbers is given for you to determine where to place them to get the correct problem and solution.  If you make a mistake you can move the number away and try again.  Quadratic Rush helps Algebra and Pre-Algebra students gain skills to make factoring quadratics easier. A players score is based on how few mistakes were made and how quickly the questions are answered.   

According to Johnson et al. (2011), “64% of parents believe games are a positive force in their children’s lives” (p. 18). There is good reason why they feel this way.  Games, like the few mentioned above, engage learners and get them excited like no textbook or traditional learning can do.  Students are engaged because they are excited to get to the next level.  They can be successful because students are willing to play the games more and longer than they would be willing to with traditional methods (Johnson et al., 2011).  Prensky (2014) adds that games are beneficial because they motivate students and offer the opportunity for them to practice, make decisions, and reflect on these decisions.  All of the things you want your for your students to be twenty first century learners.  Virtual reality allows students to experience environments and encounter abstract concepts which again, may not be possible in the traditional classroom.  Computer simulations and virtual environments, like gaming, are very engaging to students.  In a Geometry classroom, for example, students were more successful with problem solving when 3-D solids were explored visually instead of with a verbal explanation (Strangman & Hall, 2003).

Ferenstein, G. (2010). How Social Gaming is Improving Education.  Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/02/07/soial-gaming-education/

Johnson, L., Adams, S., & Haywood, K. (2011). The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., & Haywood, K. (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.  Austin, Texas:  The New Media Consortium.  

Prensky, M. (2014). Sims vs. Games:  The Difference Defined Ever wondered? Here’s your answer.  Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/sims-vs-games

Strangman, N., & Hall, T. (2003). Virtual reality/simulations. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved [insert date] from http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/virtual_simulations