The Voices

Tonight I spent some time in Second Life, in the space of Virtual Hallucinations.  As I entered, I was given a badge and unlike someone living with Schizophrenia, I was in control of the voices.  Hesitantly I turned them on and immediately had to remind myself that thankfully, this is not my reality.  As I toured the building, objects were not always as they seem and many changed before my eyes.  I could easily tell between this world and reality, but many are not so fortunate.  Leaving the building, I was relieved that I could turn off the voices and end the whispering and suggestions that had accompanied me through my journey.

I appreciate the creation of a place that can mimic situations I would never have imagined and have never experienced first hand.  This journey allowed me to walk in someone else's shoes for the moment.  To hear what they hear, to see what they see.  The ability to experience (see, hear, touch) life through an other's viewpoint is a powerful tool.  In education, teachers hear stories and learn about experiences of many of their students, but a simulation like this could make it much more real.  For students, could you imagine teaching segregation by offering your students an opportunity to live through segregation.  Or could students learn to understand their peers by walking in their shoes, literally, in a simulation.  The possibilities are endless.  What a valuable tool!

Video Games and Learning

Gamifying Education-

Daniel Floyd does a great job explaining how educational games and entertainment games have become two separate industries.  When educational games try to become entertaining they just don't quite create that video game feel.  Floyd suggests, to make entertainment also educational games must facilitate learning, not whack you over the head with it.  By introducing tangential topics, educational material is referenced, offering just enough to pique the interest of the player.  Space is often available in video games, like loading screens, that don't require a large financial investment to offer educational information referencing in game content.

The phrase that really stuck with me was educating through video games by "enhancing the player experience without getting in the way of the fun".  This is kind of like sneaking veggies into comfort food.  When you are enjoying yourself, you don't even notice things that would normally be bothersome.  As long as players don't feel like their game has been interrupted for the sake of education, learning can be fun!

Learning in a Virtual World

Today I had an opportunity for a great expedition...cave exploring.  Well, not just any old cave, the CAVE at Edtech Island in the virtual world of Second Life.  CAVE stands for Community of Academic Virtual Educators and shows off resources from the following partners:  AECT_SL, iNACOL, ARVEL SIG, the ICT Library and the Boise State University's Department of EdTech.
Let me show you just a little of what I saw as I explored.
Learning by seeing a model is very helpful to help students understand a concept.  BUT- being able to touch and interact with a model takes learning to another level.

 One of the courses offered students voting chairs which helped students interact in their virtual class.  Another study evaluated how a choice of avatar would influence a teachers perception of the students.

 Exploring through the caves took a little practice.  On my first visit to the cave I only found one building and after a thorough exploration, decided to leave and return when I had more time.  I did return with more time to play and I had learned how to fly.  Crossing a body of water is no problem with the ability to fly.

 After finding a door to another area, I learned how to use the transports and exploring became much more fun!

 This is an example of a virtual reality created for learning.  Could you imagine taking a field trip without leaving your classroom.  How about being able to interact with objects you would normally only see?

 Like this trip INSIDE an aquarium which even provides diving gear.  (At this point I did not try it on.  For now, I have had enough of changing uniforms and would hate to show up to class dressed in scuba gear.)

 The best part....discovering that the body of water that I had flown over...was full of marine life to explore.

This was an amazing experience.  I have already started thinking about how this could work in my own class. So happy to have this hands on learning experience.

Gamification of Education

After taking a look at this infographic, I notice my history of gaming is very similar in comparison.
1985- I was playing Zelda after school! (It was my first year teaching.)  I spent many hours in my room digging aimlessly, no plot of land could go unturned.  During the day, my students were busy on Reader Rabbit and Math Blaster on our 30 minute block in the computer lab.
In the late 1990s, I played Sims Farms as a way to "research" ways to teach my students about agriculture. My love for Sims games returned two years ago as I was drawn into Megapolis and played daily for over a year.  One day, my mom guilt kicked in and I ended the game, cold turkey and haven't looked back.  One of my favorite games is Diner Dash and variations of the game played on my PC and iPad as well.
In the mid 2000s, I kept up with the changes in games playing both Brain Games on my DS and Wii Fit (which I played with the kids so it was considered "family time").  Since Minecraft has increased in popularity during the time I've been enrolled in the master's program, I have decided not to "try" it quite yet.  I do enjoy watching my kids play though.

As I look at the elements of gaming that can be used for educational purposes, I have thought of incorporating many of these in my classroom to create a gaming environment.  The one I had not thought of would be LOSS AVERSION.  I like the idea of keeping student engaged with a point loss for being stagnant in class.  The INFINITE PLAY works well for the idea of mastering standards specific to my grade level.  I have used a LEVEL UP system in previous years as a way to improve effort and engagement.  I like the results a level up system produced and it was a very effective motivator for students.  I am excited to begin gamifying my classroom.




Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

Rewarding the Brain...(AKA The Manipulation of Gamers Everywhere)

As I watched Tom Chatfield describe the ways video games motivate people to continue playing, I have to admit, I felt a little manipulated.  Manipulated by all of the games I play so often and enjoy, as well as the gamification of my Edtech experience.  While Tom explained the effectiveness of the progress bar in encouraging users to meet the "goal", I glanced at the progress bar in the 3D GameLab showing me ever so slowly... yes, I was progressing.  I was making it to the goal.  Was it just that easy to manipulate me into continuing my quest?  Did that little bar of progress make such a difference in my continued quest for the goal?  I was almost embarrassed to say- it did!  

Will this realization change the way I "play" for my grade?  No.

The almighty progress bar is far to powerful for me to simply walk away.  

Gotta go earn more XP to rank up and reach the goal.

Gaming in the Classroom

Could you imagine setting a time limit on homework because your child wouldn't take a break?  According to the infographic below which I discovered on my quest entitled "Gaming in the Classroom", 9 out of 10 school aged children in the U.S. play electronic games.  Lately, in class, I can't say I have 9 out of 10 children completing their homework every day.  I also know my own children spend more time glued to the screen playing games than they spend on homework each night.

Problem solving, communication, collaboration, and negotiation are some of the skills students learn and use playing games.  These types of team building and life skills are the focus of the 21st century standards.  Could playing games improve these skills and engage students for far more time than traditional learning methods?  In my opinion, it's worth giving it a try!

Different Types of Games

This blog will serve as a reflection of different types of games.  I will add to this blog as I play through four categories of games: narrative, action, simulation and other games.  Just to add a little interest to my blog, I am going to predict that I will most enjoy the simulation games.  My first thought was to choose the "other" game category, but my logical self took over and decided that choosing a category of unknown games simply wasn't my best bet.  Well, we'll see how my predictions turn out.

ACTION GAMES

• Shoot'em Ups:  Spent a little time reliving childhood with a "quick" game of asteroids.  Long live the power of the do-over.  While I was required to spend 15 minutes on these games (I also played Galagon), I found myself in a pattern of play-lose-play-lose better-play-lose worse-play until I beat my goal set to at least double my score.  As a mom with children, I have learned that I must set limits or no one will get dinner.  The ability to lose and quickly try again was a great reinforcement to continue my game play.  However, I will have to admit my fingers tired quickly from hitting the space bar- and I may need a new keyboard soon.
• Mario Forever and Sonic the Hedgehog:  Collecting coins lives on!  These action games require quick reflexes to jump and move onto platforms and crush enemies.  I was very frustrated using a keyboard once more, but most likely because I am from the joystick era and have experienced these games with controls.  These type of games are similar to games created in Scratch by students in my Google CS First.  I'm wondering how my students can bring in an educational element. I may have to throw out that challenge.

Play Free Games Online at TooGame.com

• DOOM: I took on this classic First Person Shooter with a gun and good health but not much experience.  I was glad to choose my skill level which I guessed was somewhere between "Not Too Rough" and "Hurt Me Plenty".  Heading off on a shooting rampage is not my first choice in games, but I did find the element of collecting armor, weapons, and health along the way satisfying.  I also enjoyed the problem solving aspect.  I can understand the popularity of this type of game.

SIMULATION GAMES

• Sim City:  Simulation games have always been favorite games for me.  Playing a simple version would be a great experience for my students and give them a chance to "try" building their own city allowing them to make changes to improve their success.

NARRATIVE GAMES

• Zork:  For the quest, I was required to play this game for 20-30 minutes, an hour later...yes, I was hooked.  Playing Zork, you must rely on problem solving, creative thinking, and perseverance.  The story is told in narrative and players respond to the story with commands typed in response to the explanation of their surroundings.  Zork would be best described as a choose your own adventure game.

Zork flash | Free games with Games68.com

• Peasant's Quest: A narrative adventure game that requires problem solving to win the challenge and become the hero.  Simple graphics, easy commands, and arrow keys for movement make the game seem simple, however, the quest takes logic and perseverance.  If you are easily frustrated with lack of set rules, this game is not for you.  If you enjoy a good challenge and you have a few days with nothing to do... go for it!
• Zelda: Just like I remembered it! Although the game lets you choose your keys, I have to say that the keyboard is just not the same as the controller. But, on to the game.  Just as the previous narrative games, Zelda's quest is explained through a narrated story.  The game is completed through intuitive trial and error based on clues given in the story.  This type of game draws you in with ways to increase your riches and your health built into the quest. Problem solving ability is tested as puzzles are presented throughout the journey.  The added element of battle increases the attraction of this game.
• MMORPGs and ARGs: (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games and Alternate Reality Games)  Including games like World of Warcraft are role playing games played by a massive group of people online who take on the persona of the role they play online.  Playing together as a community, players work together to meet challenges. I found a team of people, Tyto Online, creating an educational MMORPG advertising and recently fully funded on Kick Starter.  I thought this was a great example of how education can take advantage of the popular MMORPGs while tying in education. 39 Clues is an example of an ARG based on a series of books appropriate for middle school ages.

OTHER GAMES

• Games of strategy:  Quest 1 of "other games" had me playing Poker, Chinese Checkers, and Yahtzee. I must admit, I only felt confident playing Yahtzee.  In the classroom these games teach students strategy, planning ahead, and (even for me) the consequences of your actions.  As I was tempted to reset the game each time I made a poor choice, I wondered how my students would play.  Would they reset each time they felt defeat was inevitable?  If they did, was that necessarily a bad thing? Could they learn a winning strategy more efficiently with constant trial and error?