A good talk. She talked about the different types of games that are used in education and how the types work. She made the very good point that you need to look at what and how the game is teaching to decide if it is teaching the way you think kids learn. Most edutainment games are glorified flash cards. Good if you think rote memorisation is a good thing but otherwise don't get sucked in.
She made the point that the best games are the ones that you can discuss during and afterwards. Even better is getting the kids to make the games themselves. Lunar Lander gives a very superficial 'feeling' for acceleration and momentum but writing the game will give a great understanding.
I would like to get the students to write a game like the laser blaster game from Friday. This would draw together lots of the transformations work we have been doing. Making a game is the best part of modeling and is what gets me excited about maths. The way it can be used to model and explore the real world. This may be a way to introduce this to my students.
Notes follow...
Genyes.org/freeresources
97% teenagers play games (PEW research). Games are old, schools are new. Games are a natural way to learn. Are they useful in school?
Games are great but people like a few genera, not all.
Edutainment
Content, right answers school friendly assessment. Clear subject areas. Economics - small market.
Ask, what are the students doing when they are playing? Are they memorising? working things out? does it fit your idea of how they learn (Mathblaster, encourages quick answers, is this good?) Tabula Digita, DimensionM disguised, not really a game. Aimed at "200 math skills".
Check Alfie Kohn - the more you teach algorythms & exact steps they fall behind grasping the concepts.
Good game - Logical journey of the zoombinis
Serious games Seriousgames.org
Games built to teach something. They take time, good to build into a larger unit.
EG Ayiti: The cost of life.
These games (Arden) sometimes fail to be fun. No time, people or money resources sufficient to get them good (vs $60m for Halo). Games can't be perfectly accurate. Need to modify your assessment to cope, think about what you want to teach. (Check River city)
Alternate Reality (Augmented R)
IKEA AR catalogue
Build virtual things, place in virtual worlds and share.
COTS
Motivating, good quality. Not designed for school, not necessarily accurate.
Teacher: Adapt, reflect, guide.
CIV:
1/4 said too hard
1/4 loved it, great for history.
Played in different ways, gained different understanding
Games do not appeal to everyone, no game appeals to all.
James Gee - What videoo games can teach us about learning
What goes wrong
mars academy of research and science
Looks good, boring and doesn't teach science. Teaches flashcards!!!
Spore, Great game, doesn't teach evolution. Can't always make it fun.
James Paul Gee
Sceptic hat
Play it, is it real???
Adapt. Build a scaffold around it.
Some is a complete crock
Warning flags
Kids love this
Content, Deliver mini-games, standards
So much fun that kid's won't know they're learning
Educational software
Good things
Gameplay you can plan and discuss.
Programable
supporting big ideas
How computer games help children learn. James Paul Gee
Everything bad is good for you. Steven Johnson
Next level, get the kids to write their own games.
lunar lander, give a feel, superficial
Program a lunar lander, much better... (logo TNG, Scratch, Pico, MicroWorlds LCSI)
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