DEJ #3 (6814)

“To achieve these goals through deliberate steps, we had to step away from our computers, put aside our desire to design, and instead engage the ethnographic process of understanding the lives of those we wished to serve (Barab, Thomas et al,. in press; Levinson, 1988).”

Teachers not only examine what type of learners their students are but learn and understand how and where they grew up to be able to better instruct them.  Today’s generation spend the majority of their time on their cell phones, computers, and playing video games.  This is something that cannot be changed; this is something we must accept and utilize to our advantage. 

“Further, in addition to the thousands of quests assigned by teachers and participating staff, children ages 9-12 in both school and after-school settings have voluntarily completed hundreds of educational quests without any mandated requirements.”

If students are actively involved doing something they like, such as video games, they may overlook the primary purpose and continue because of the enjoyment they gain.  Certain video games are educational but don’t point that out, so children playing these games are playing the game for fun and learning at the same time.  It would be to a teacher’s advantage to implement games into their curriculum because the students will enjoy learning the content in a way that is more familiar and exciting to them. 

“It is our conviction that if we as educators do not develop more gaming-like principles into our design tool kits, then the entertainment industry and market, which have less vested interest in supporting positive identity development than we do, will be the teachers of our children.”

It is up to teachers to design games that students will like, but is also educational.  The entertainment industry is out to make money.  They create games that will sell.  Many people are complaining about certain video games that promote violence.  They believe these types of video games have a negative effect on our children.  So instead of complaining, do something about it. 

Sasha Barab, Michael Thomas, Tyler Dodge, Robert Carteaux, & Hakan Tuzun. (2005). Making Learning Fun: Quest Atlantis, A Game Without Guns. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 53(1), 86-107.  Retrieved February 9, 2012, from Research Library. (Document ID: 816992771).

TheEducational Benefits of Video Games

This article states several facts about the positive attributes of playing video games.  Good video games can increase hand-eye coordination, decrease reaction times, and improve social interactions. 

Griffiths, M. (2002). The educational benefits of video games. Education and Health, 20(3), 47-51. Retrieved from http://sheu.org.uk/sites/sheu.org.uk/files/imagepicker/1/eh203mg.pdf

Week 4 (6814)

1. Which one do you like the best?

Sally’s Energy Ride

2. What content is being learned?

Students learn about how much energy is produced by household appliances and different forms of alternative energy.  Students learn how to use the order of operations to solve math problems to learn about energy. 

3. Do you think it effectively teaches the content?

This game not only effectively teaches the content with text and graphics, but it also incorporates learning other content in the process. 

4. Does it involve higher order thinking?

In my opinion, this game does not involve higher order thinking.  You just have to solve a math problem to answer the question about energy. 

5. Does the game possess and principles of good games and learning:

I believe this game has the following three principles of good games and learning:

•  They are action-and-goal-directed preparations for, and simulations of, embodied experience—player has to answer questions to earn windmills and solar power to power the city
• They create opportunities for cross-functional affiliation—players learn about energy by solving math problems
• They allow meaning to be situated—players learn about how much energy common household appliances use

6. In your opinion do you think letting kids design games is productive activity for school based learning?

I believe that students can take control of their learning by designing games that embody the current content they are learning.  This could be an annual project for the students.  Students would really enjoy creating and playing games, while learning during the process. 

DEJ #2

“As an educator, I realized that this was just the problem our schools face:  How do you get someone to learn something long, hard, and complex, and yet enjoy it. “

It is very hard for teachers to get students to want to learn something that is complex let alone expect them to enjoy it.  A high percentage of students play video games, so it would be beneficial for the teacher to create a game to teach something that is complex so that they will enjoy it too.  Gardens of Time teaches you vocabulary words by associating them to pictures.  I absolutely love playing this game and I have learned some new words while playing. 

“At a deeper level, however, challenge and learning are a large part of what makes good video games motivating and entertaining.  Humans actually enjoy learning, though sometimes in school you wouldn’t know that.”

Students learn better when they are challenged.  As the game Gardens of Time progresses, each level gets harder.  I have to concentrate and focus more in order to complete the level.  This also teaches patience.  Learning to master something new doesn’t happen over night. 

“You have to inhabit the identity the game offers (be it Battle Mage or field biologist) and you have to play by the rules.  You have to discover what the rules are and how they can best be leveraged to accomplish goals.”

Children have to learn to play by the rules at a very early age.  I have never really thought of video games as a way to learn to play by the rules, except for learning how to share.  I get frustrated when I play Gardens of Time sometimes when my power runs out and I have to wait for one of my artifacts to get built to get more power and move on to the next level.  Patience is a skill that everyone needs. 

Gee, J. (n.d.). Good video games and good learning. Retrieved from https://online.fairmontstate.edu/webct/urw/lc15057011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Are Video Games Actually Good for Kids?

This is a video segment on CBS news that tells about recent studies that prove that playing video games aren’t so bad.  I was surprised to hear that violent games were not on the top of the list. 

Sieberg, D. (Performer) (2011). Are video games actually good for kids? [Television series episode]. In CBS Evening News. CBS. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/16/eveningnews/eyeontech/main4453801.shtml

Jim Gee Video

I have witnessed how much importance is placed on assessments in the classrooms.  Teachers use assessments to determine if the student has mastered a certain concept.  Video games are a set of problems that have to be solved in order to complete the game.  So I agree with Jim Gee.  To keep up with the 21st century, why not use games as a form of assessment? 

Gardens of Time #1

I was very excited to get the opportunity to play a game for one of my courses.  So my first immediate thought is that if I'm excited to play a game for school, then I would assume children would feel the same way.  I have really enjoyed playing the game so far.  I always enjoyed playing the game ISpy and this game had some similar qualities.  This game helps you focus on the details when you look at the bigger picture.  I think this could help students become more observant and gain more focus.  One of the aspects of the game that I found beneficial was using context clues to figure out some of the items.  I would save an item that I didn't know and use the hint option to zoom in and figure it out.  This game also brings out the competitive side in me.  I find myself playing everyday until I run out of energy.  I think that students could learn social skills from this game by competing and networking with each other.  

Double Entry Journal #1 6814

“…we should use the learning principles built into good video games in and out of schools even if we are not using games.”

I chose this first quote because children learn valuable skills from playing good games that they can apply in all aspects of their lives.  For example, my nephew got a Wii for Christmas and we have been playing it together as a family.  He has a problem with sharing and getting upset when he does not win.  So my sister and I play it with him, which teaches him to take turns.  We also tell him good job whether he wins or not. 

“Squire’s (Squire 2005; Squire & Jenkins 2004) work on Civilization III and other games has shown that even young learners can enter a game as a complex system and learn deep conceptual principles about history and the social science.”

This quote stood out to me because I have played different games that I consider fun and learned so much while I played them.  For example, I recently played the game SELENE.  This game explains how the moon was formed by asking pre and post questions and having you create a prototype moon in the process.  I have seen video clips and talked to the creator of the game and seen how the child learns while playing the game. 

“What these remarks mean is this:  human understanding is not primarily a matter of storing general concepts in the head or applying abstract rules to experience.  Rather, humans think and understand best when they can imagine (simulate) an experience in such a way that the simulation prepares them for actions they need and want to take in order to accomplish their goals (Barsalou 1999b; Clark 1997; Glenberg and Robertson 1999)." 

Relating back to my experience playing SELENE, I was able to better comprehend how the moon was created by creating it myself.  As a science education major, I have had many classes where I received lectures about how the moon was created.  But if someone asked me how the moon was formed before I played SELENE, I wouldn’t have been able to give them as good of an answer as I could now after playing the game. 

Selene:  A LunarScience Game

This is the webpage for the game Selene that I mentioned above.  You can read testimonials and learn about research opportunities associated with this game. 

Gee, J. (n.d.). Why are video games good for learning?. Retrieved from https://online.fairmontstate.edu/webct/urw/lc15057011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Reese, D. (1999). Selene: A lunar science game. Retrieved from http://selene.cet.edu/

Introduction for 6814

I am from Buckhannon, WV but currently live in Fairmont, WV.  I work as a Graduate Assistant at the NASA IV&V Facility Educator Resource Center where I schedule and teach groups of middle school students STEM topics by using hands-on activities.  From this class, I want to learn the skills and techniques to create a gaming environment for my students where they can learn and have fun at the same time. 

As a child, I was not allowed to play video games.  My mom feared it would keep me inactive and harm my eyesight.  I did play some games on the computer, but not very often.  Video games were not that interesting to me.  Now that I have a smart phone and a Kindle Fire, I love playing games.  I mostly play puzzle games that challenge the mind, such as Sudoku. 

I believe that video games have come a long way since I was a kid.  I still disagree with children playing war games at an early age.   These games show that violence is an OK method to solve a problem.  However, I believe war games are OK for older children who understand that the game is pretend and that violence shouldn’t be used to solve problems.  On the other hand, there are so many good, educational video games now that every child should have the opportunity to play. 

I was born in 1988.  Here are three major events that occurred that year:

·          

1.  Over 1/3 of Yellowstone National Park is destroyed when a  series of more than 250 small different fires combined with the 1988 Drought destroys 793,880 acres of the park

·          2.  The Hubble Space Telescope is put into operation

·         3.  First transatlantic fiber optic cable laid able to carry 40,000 telephone calls simultaneously

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1988.html

I am a science teacher so the first YouTube video that caught my attention was an Introduction to Energyville, an online game created by Chevron.  Students learn about different energy types and how to generate power for a city where the population is increasing.