Gaming
Gaming and the perception of gaming has certainly advanced in its lifetime. Gaming is usually referred to in the online/electronic sense but it still carries some of the features of traditional board games (such as fun, motivation, collaboration, competition, etc) into the electronic realm. Electronic games have evolved from the simple PacMan to elaborate skill level of other worlds. With anything, there can be challenges or drawbacks but I now think any positive educational gains from gaming outweigh drawbacks (which can conquered or limited). Based on Gee's research (2003) gaming can be used as a pedagogical tool to expand children's engagement and multi-sensory learning, lead to new forms of literacy, increase higher order cognitive skills, learning computers and technology, learning engaging, build technology skills through leisure activities, and fulfill curriculum requirements for technology.
Impact on Learning/Education
Gaming has and will continue to have a huge impact on learning/education. The more research completed and the more feedback received from companies and schools on the effectiveness of gaming on learning, the more it will be integrated into curriculum and training manuals and programs. As seen in the responses and projects shared on our class posts, more and more companies are even using gaming because they see the value in the gaming principles of making learning fun and motivational. The games will continue to get more sophisticated as I well remember the first PacMan games.
Keep Up
Since I have not been a gamer at all, I have a huge learning curve in order to keep up with this learning trend. I have never even played a game- fun or educational. Since reading these resources and viewing the elesson and completing the projects, I can see that there is much more to gaming then I previously realized. I look forward to exploring and using the educational game resources talked about and developed by my colleagues to see how I can incorporate them into my own courses and future training and development lessons. I now can talk more intelligently with others who share a passion for gaming and understand the relevance and enjoyment of it. In researching for this project and module, I contacted some gaming retail stores and asked a few questions to get a better understanding of gaming and dispel any stereotypes I may have had. They invited me to attend a weekly meeting where gamers come together to share their games and discuss the newest game theory and enjoy playing together. I will definitely visit them and see what it is all about. My personal challenges include my lack of familiarity with games and the steep learning curve but I am sure in time I can become proficient with games and then effectively and purposefully use them for teaching, development and instruction.
I want to keep up with gaming so I can incorporate such games as:
Articulate storyline- to help students create a story with their research through powerpoint
Power politics- use with their inquiry topics to gain information and perspective on their topics to create documents and multimedia projects
Civilization III- use to develop their inquiry, questioning, and critical thinking skills
Resources
Article
http://edtechreview.in/news/324-examples-gamification-in-education
Helpful article for integrating gaming in education because it provides many examples of why and how to use these games to engage students in their learning.
Web URL
http://www.fastcompany.com/1824740/video-games-are-tomorrows-answer-executive-training Video Games are Tomorrow's Answers for Executive Training
https://hbr.org/2013/01/how-deloitte-made-learning-a-g
How Deloitte Made Learning A Game
These two articles are both excellent examples of how business and companies are using games to help their employees learn. I included both because they both provide a different aspect or perspective on the importance of successful gaming in companies.
Video
https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en
Gaming Can Make a Better World
I chose this video because it talks about using gaming to solve real world problems. Critical thinking, analytical higher order thinking skills are often lacking in students and curriculum. It is terrific if students can practice problem solving skills through games instead of just focusing on test taking. This video focuses on the positives of gaming.
Activity
I would like to incorporate a group gaming situation probably using Articulate Storyline so students can create characters and situations related to their inquiry topics and projects. Students create different situations and update them based on the research they find on their inquiry topics. They can create whole new worlds, various characters, and various situations to advance the story based on what direction they want to use the topic information.
My Projects
Here are the links to my gaming creation from www.ClassTools.net using the jigsaw puzzle tool to form my piece. I did two versions to show the concept of connections and relationships and how easily the jigsaw tool could be used for students to make their own connections and revise their connections based on new research and discoveries with their topics.
http://www.classtools.net/widgets/jigsaw_7/16Dae.htm
http://www.classtools.net/widgets/jigsaw_4/HjJ0J.htm
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