Games and Learning

Pro gaming factors:

1. Ideal for introducing new topics. Games are engaging to a student because they are not static, they demonstrate cause and effect relationships and they nurture imagination.
2. Create better retention because they are more engaging than a traditional classroom or an online classroom.
3. They can be a compelling learning experience because they can provide scenarios that a classroom cannot.
4. Can teach information literacy because students will find the information they need when faced with various challenges in a game because they are interested!

Con gaming factors:

1. Takes a long time to learn a game, for both teacher and student. As we know time is a precious commodity in the school year.
2. Games must be used wisely by a teacher as a learning tool not a babysitter.
3. Games can be expensive and a school must have IT support for using them.

Research facts:

Successful games should have four components:

1. A competitive element to motivate the student
2. Engaging content
3. A reward for participation (recognition generally)
4. Content needs to be relative to the learning objective.

The students need to understand that the game is a teaching tool, not just a form of entertainment while in school. They should be required to reach certain goals so that their time is spent progressing in the game.

Games can bring together people with different skills that complement one another. Players should have a need to get information from other sources, explore, communicate and cooperate with others in order for these groups to come together. This eliminates the concern that gamees take away from the social skills of a student. In fact, the argument could be made that they enhance those skills by putting the student in touch with people around the world.

Games are "worlds in a box". They can allow you to create an identity in a world of your interest. This helps a person to think about and value the decisions that must be made in this world. Say for example, you would like to be a zookeeper. You must make the decisions a zookeeper would make in order for this world to remain successful. Trial and error and study is going to help you know what to do so that your "world" does not find itself in peril.

Do I agree?

I think so. I have never used a game in the classroom. I can see how they would be beneficial but I also think first and foremost about the time that I am going to have put into learning the game so that I can be prepared to mentor my students through the experience. Quite honestly this sounds like a huge headache to me. I shouldn't be so negative however. I need to give it a try at least a few times so that I can learn from my own trial and error of leading a group of 35+ kids through a gaming session. I understand that the game is meant to be an independent activity but I'm concerned about those students who come to a crossroads in the game of some kind and they don't know what they should do next. I'm not real interested in running around to each computer as hands are up only to find that they are not thinking for themselves. I get impatient with that. But if they're going to learn to think for themselves it's going to have to happen somewhere right? So why not in my classroom during game day???

Articles I used from the source recommended were called:

• Game-Based Learning: How to Delight and Instruct in the 21st Century
• Serious Games: Making a Difference
• Use of Video Games in the Classroom