Videogames Really

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Videogames? Really?

• Why not?
• Teachers have used games to reach their students
  since the dawn of the classroom.
• Games have the potential to facilitate learning
  not only in children, but also adults.
• So how are video games different?

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Video Games

• Engage the player through a multi-sensory
  approach
• Allow the player to interact with abstract
  concepts or dangerous environments
• Allow students to take the role of professionals,
  government officials, historic figures, members
  of other cultures, etc.
• Can facilitate authentic learning if implemented
  effectively by teachers

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But Gaming Leads to Violence and A.D.D. and ...

• Teacher stigmas associated with video games
• Decrease Attention Spans
• Increase Violent Behavior
• A Waste of Time
• Gender Bias
• Decreased Student Achievement

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Harnessing this Power for Good

• Veteran educators for one reason or another have
  developed a distaste for video gaming.
• A rising number of new teachers, that have grown
  up as gamers, governmental agencies, and
  corporate training labs are starting to embrace
  gaming as a means to train the future leaders of
  mankind. (Jenkins, 2003)

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It may be more important to ask if your surgeon
is a frequent gamer instead of what college they
attended.
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Pulse!
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Serious vs. Educational

• Educational Games
• Develop specific skills
• Repetitive in Nature
• Students often see it as a
• means to escape instruction
• Leap Frog, Vtech, etc.
• develop for the public sector

• Serious Games
• Develop connections
• Raise Awareness
• Immersive in Nature
• Students see it as a a fun
• way to learn about the world
• Usually developed by
• organizations, businesses,
• colleges, or other non-profits

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Videogames as Training

• Americas Army
• Cold Stone Creamery
• Hilton Hotels
• O.L.I.V.E.

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Cold Stone Creamery

• One recent example of the popularity of
  corporate-sponsored training video games is a
  custom online game created by Atlanta's
  Persuasive Games for national ice cream franchise
  Cold Stone Creamery.
• The game teaches portion control and customer
  service.
• In the first week it appeared on Cold Stone's
  corporate intranet site in October, 8,000
  employees downloaded the game.
• (Business Week)

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Games that Develop Social Understanding

• Katrina
• Heifer Village
• PeaceMaker

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Teaching in the 21st Century

• The educational factory of old is ill equipped to
  produce students who can compete in a global
  economy.
• Digital Immigrants
• Digital Natives (Prensky, 2001)
• Different methods of processing information

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Are you ready to engage your students?Would you
like learners to care about their education? We
can revolutionize the Educational System or at
least revolutionize our classrooms. Now how can
we go about Classroom 2.0?
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Serious Games for History

• Revolution
• Discover Babylon
• Democracy
• Civilizations
• Expedition

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Thoughts on Video Game Integration

• What kinds of things are players doing in the
  game? More importantly what justifies those
  actions?
• How do you know if you have made good or bad
  choices in the game?
• How does this game build upon what I want my kids
  to achieve in the classroom?
• Ask your students the questions that they should
  be asking themselves as they play the game.
• Use your digitally native kids as a resource.

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Serious Games for Science

• Global Warming Interactive
• SodaConstructor (sodaplay.com)
• Immune Attack
• Crazy Machines

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Thoughts on Integration

• When using simulation games ask
• What kinds of things do you have to know to play
  the game?
• When you play video games with children be
  specific about what they are supposed to learn.
• Help children see how the ideas in the game do
  and do not apply in the real world.

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Serious Games for Math

• Evolver
• Math Blaster
• Brain Age
• Zoombinis

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Thoughts on Integration

• When you look at a game ask
• Can my students play it?
• Does it fit into what I am trying to teach?
• Is it appropriate for my classroom/students?
• What are players learning to do?
• Are there other situations where those
• skills might be useful?
• Find occasions in the game, (or make occasions)
  that help build background knowledge
• Find games that build in teachable moments
• Expecting the game to teach for you will lead to
  disappointment
• Use the game as a springboard for your lesson and
  to connect to student understanding

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Serious Games for ELA

• Speare
• Game based upon the works of Shakespeare
• Chronos
• Spelling game

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Thoughts on Integration

• Open-ended games give players more exploratory
  opportunities than very scripted games
• Young people develop by exploring possible selves
  (Shaffer, 2006)
• Innovation cannot be scripted, nor can learning
  to think like an innovator

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Final Thoughts

• There are plenty of bad games out there, just as
  there are plenty of bad books.
• But there are plenty of good games too
• The game is what the player makes of it
• Help your kids to make connections
• Use gaming to create authentic learning
• Play video games with your children
• This will give you a chance to shape their
  attitudes and habits

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Summary

• Make sure the game is age and grade appropriate
• Check the skills covered
• Build the lesson then incorporate the game
• Find games that allow the player to experience
  different roles
• Balance the time frame of your lesson
• Make sure that the kids understand that the game
  is a learning experience