Although I have mentioned ‘Digital Games’ a number of times now, I have realised that I should probably attempt to define what I mean.

In general, I believe that the term ‘digital games’ encompasses a wide range of material, including online games, software and console games (such as those on Wii and Playstation), and server-based games (such as massive multi-player online role-playing games).

The Australian Government has looked into the pervasiveness of digital games in our society in this article. Through it, they discuss the future of digital games, and the different ways they impact upon aspects of our community.

I am not particularly willing to limit my focus to one particular type of digital game, as I have not fully explored the benefits of all. However, one strand I am particularly interested in is the idea of ‘Serious Games’, referring to software based games that have been developed for educational purposes.

I am also far more interested in games that can actually be adapted and integrated into classroom teaching, becoming part of learning, rather than just seen as an add on to lessons.

I have recently come across and online handbook discussing different ways of incorporating games into teaching.

Although it was developed for a European school context, I found that it contained a range of useful information including:

• Defining Digital Games
• Strategies for choosing appropriate games
• Introducing games into the classroom
• Monitoring student interaction with digital games
• Resource lists and examples of potential games for integration

It can be found here: games.eun.org/upload/gis_handbook_en.pdf

It is a downloadable booklet, so it is best to copy and paste the link into your address bar.

I would recommend it to anyone thinking of incorporating games into the classroom.

It is probable that many people interested in this topic have come across the work of Tim Rylands.

This video made me rethink what I knew about Digital Gaming in the classroom.

The fact that the activity is done as a whole class, emphasising a shared experience in gaming, is something I had not really considered before.

I had always assumed that gaming was a very individual process, but this proves otherwise.

The game is seen as a part of learning, integrated into the lesson and used as a resource. I was really amazed by the way in which the class responded to the activity.

The way in which the game was utilised, combining teacher direction and student interaction, was conducted relatively smoothly. I feel that this is a sign of the efforts that this particular teacher has gone to to make sure this resource is effectively used in the classroom.

These are a few videos I have found using Teachertube

I guess this particular video illustrates some of the ways in which games can be incorporated into the classroom.

The examples in here are relatively easy to access and use, and would probably not take much time to establish in classroom practice.

I don’t know if this is exactly the true style of Integration I had envisioned based of the readings I have done so far, but it does provide a fairly good start to the whole process.

It cannot be argued that the teacher in the video has thought about the games from an educational perspective, rather than using them as a time-filler.

If you are interested in any of the sites presented in the video, I have provided the links below:

Brainbashers

Aplusmaths

Dimenxian

Tetris

Techtreckers

Maths Online – Canoue Bearings

I have not visited all of these sites as of yet, so if you have any feedback, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I would really love for you to share any other sites that you have come across.

This image belongs to Ludwig Gatzke: flickr

You may find it strange that I am posting in relation to Web 2.0 sites when my main focus is Digital Games, but please bear with me for a moment.

Web 2.0 sites can largely be defined as social networking site/communities found on the Internet.

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Some common examples include:

Facebook

Twitter

Myspace

Livejournal

…and any other site that facilitates information sharing across Internet communites. This particular blog is an example of a Web 2.0 site, as I am sharing information with a range of people through the Internet.  Sharing can take place in the form of videos, pictures, journal and various other mediums. (Thus sites such as YouTube are also recognised as Web 2.0 sites).

The reason I have decided to post on this particular topic is to provide a rationale for my use of this particular tool as my method of Information Sharing. I have also made reference to Web 2.0 sites in a number of other posts, and I felt it would be remiss of me to assume everybody was familiar with the terminology.

In creating this blog, my main intention was to share my experiences as I developed my understanding of digital games in the classroom. This particular blog is aimed at other teachers interested in finding ways to incorporate games, or games technology in the classroom.

The reason I chose to create a blog over wiki is largely due to the fact that I am new to the concept of ‘learning through gaming’ myself. A blog allows me to journal my entries and development of understanding, rather than attempting to create a site based on something I am not confident about.

An added benefit to blogging is that it is very easy to  interact with and update as long as you have access to the Internet. Blogging posts can also be as short or long as the poster desires, allowing for the free flow of ideas. In that respect, a blog is more personal than other forms of entry based online sharing, while still allowing for both teaching and learning based information sharing.

Moderating and privacy can also be regulated on blog sites relatively easily, along with easily accessible editing functions that allow the used to change and update informations without much difficulty. Perhaps the major downfall to blogging sites can be related to the need to update, or post entries on a regular basis. As I have previously stated, blogging is much like a shared diary, or journal entry, and thus, without regular updates, the blog itself stagnates and essentially ‘dies’.

It is for the above reasons that I have chosen to use a blog as the medium through which I share my learning process.

Blogs as tools for teaching

As I have already stated, blogs can be utilised as tools for teaching and learning. As such, it is possible to argue that they would have a place in classroom teaching.

Sharing ideas between classes, displaying student work and opening up another medium for parent-student-teacher interaction are just some of the ways in which blogging can be used in the classroom environment.

There may be issues relating to privacy/security and online safety in relation to running a classroom blog. However, it is possible for the teacher to maintain full control as a moderator over the site, including who can view, and who can contribute. Further problems can be avoided by the teacher modelling correct use of the blog in the classroom.

One example of a classroom blog moderated by a teacher can be found here.

Student-based Blogs

Although student-based blogs would be somewhat more difficult to moderate, the potential they have to enhance the classroom experience should not be wasted.

Examples of the way in which this take place inclued:

• Sharing work
• Recounting
• Sharing links
• Networking amongst other members

A student blog could also act as an online portfolio/record of student development over time, with work samples that can be easily accessed and viewed when it comes to assessment.

An example of a student blog can be found here

Kim Cofino provides a very useful guideline for those wishing to incorporate student blogs in the classroom

My Understanding of Games in the Classroom

The following quote was taken from Anneta et. al (cited in a prior post)

‘According to Foreman, “Games expose players to deeply engaging, visually dynamic, rapidly paced, and highly gratifying pictorial experience that make almost any sort of conventional schoolwork…seem boring by comparison (p.15).” Neal and Prensky believe game technology will replace classrooms, lectures, tests and note-taking with fun, interactive learning environments.’

Upon first reading the above statement, there were parts of me that both agreed and disagreed with the content held within. I do believe that games have te potential to provide stimulating learning experiences. However, I am not quite as ready to state that games themselves will replace all current forms of learning in the classroom as we know it. It is possible that this is simply due to my limited knowledge of the practical application of games in the classroom as of yet.

What I do feel towards games is represented in the following:

• Games should build upon learning, with content as a major focus
• They should be able to link to syllabus outcomes and provide a basis for promoting student development
• They should have some form of assessment inherent in them
• They should be adaptable to meet the needs of a variety of learners
• They should become a part of classroom teaching, rather than be seen as stand alone, separate activities

The above is a basic representation of my thoughts in relation to incorporating Digital Games in the classroom. I am sure that as I continue to learn more on the subject, my understanding of how these come into play will change. There are also other aspects that I am sure I have not taken into consideration, or have simply overlooked. I welcome any other suggestions to add to the list.

Perhaps the point I feel most strongly about at the moment is the very last. I feel that integration is key to making sure the digital game experience is effectively used as a learning tool.

I have been witness to a number of lessons in which game activities have been used as time-fillers, or rewards for students who finish their work quickly. While I don’t feel that this is wrong, so to speak, the concept I am attempting to understand is the idea of making learning experiences inherent to and around digital games.

Two sites that have worked towards developing this concept are those of Games-to-Teach and The Education Arcade.

Within these sites exist examples of the way in which games are currently being used for education and training purposes, as well as possible progress for the future, and more in-depth theory into the role of games in learning.

It should be noted that both sites have ties to M.I.T.

Pedagogical Theory

In a paper published on The Education Arcade, Klopfer, Osterweil, Groff and Haas (2009, p.3) stated that:

“Undoubtedly, without these recent technologies (i.e. digital games, Web 2.0) in the classroom, strong lessons can still be achieved, but there’s a sharp disconnect betwen the way students are taught in school and the way the outside world approaches socialization, meaning-making, and accomplishment. It is critical that education not only seek to mitigate this disconnect in order to make these two ‘worlds’ more seamless, but of course also to leverage the power of these emerging technologies for instructional gain.”

I identify with this particular passage, perhaps because it appreciates the fact that engagement can take place in a variety of ways, but promotes teacher development on the basis of making learning relevant to students.

The following video was found on YouTube while conducting a general search for the different ways digital games have been incorporated into classrooms. Although it is somewhat lengthy, I found that it provided a good basis for Digital Game integration in terms of pedagogical theory – linking the adaptation of games to Vygotsky’s ‘Zone of Proximal Development‘ and Constructivism.

Towards the end of the video, there are also examples of the way in which certain games, such as Second-life, can be used as a tool for teaching, and the theory behind evaluating and assessing student achievement in such a game.

In an earlier post I referred to the concept of  the ‘Generation N’.

Basically this referrs to the creation of a ‘Net Generation’, or a society in which every person of a certain age group is computer literate.

The YouTube video link below provides a fair summary of learners in ‘Generation N’, as well as information dealing with the different learning styles evident in these students.

Personally, I do believe in aspects of the Net Generation arguement. Students raised in a world surrounded by different forms of media and communication, are likely to have a very different outlook on the world around them. As such, it is not absurd to suggest that their leanring styles will thus vary greatly to the ways other age-groups have become accustomed to.

This in itself presents somewhat of a challenge in terms of teaching, for it can be difficult to engage students when the mode of instruction is not relevant, or appropriate to their style of learning.

It is also possible to suggest that such a gap can cause issues in relation to the incorporation of Digital Games into the classroom. People who have grown with them may find it easier to engage in digital media, and take something out of it. In contrast, those who are not used to the medium must first try to understand how it works before they can begin to adapt it into their repotoire. It is also hard to see the value of different learning methods when you cannot fully grasp the way in which they work.

Korzeniowski highlighted problems that can arise from this gap when he referred to the different attitudes specific age groups have towards digital media and technology.

“Another significant barrier is that many teachers do not view video games as having any educational value. A generation gap is part of the problem.

‘The average gamer is about 30 and the average teacher is 46, so there is a disconnet between how students and teachers view video games.’”

Although the Net Generation seems like a viable way of labelling the current strand of society, Garfinkel argued that perhaps it is too soon to  believe all of society will be technologially capable.

[There is a] danger in believing that time will give us a population that’s completely computer literate. Remember, the Pew study found that 26 percent of young adults do not have Internet access. An even bigger determiner than age is education: only 23 percent of people who did not graduate from high school have Internet access, compared with 82 percent of those who have graduated from college.

Certainly, more kids today are growing up wired — but millions of them are not. Meanwhile, we’re rebuilding our society in ways that make things increasingly difficult for people who aren’t online.

It is important for the teacher to recognise that not all students will be on the same page in terms of technological immersion.

Even so, one cannot argue that there is most definitely an increasing abundance of new-technology, and as such, it would seem important to try and educate students by providing them with opportunities to learn, and interact with new technologies.

I feel that, rather than avoiding, or fearing these changes, it is important for teachers to embrace the new teaching mediums technolgy provides. It is also important to make these accessible, and model their use for students too prevent what Garfinkel referred to as being ‘left behind’.

As a future teacher, I must say that reading up on theories relating to ‘Student-Engagement’ in the classroom, is something that has occupied much of my time.

A large majority of this has been focused on the development of “Effective Learning Environments”, and the processes that go into motivating and maintaining student interest in learning experiences.

It has been through this research that I have come across the concept of incorporating “Digital Games” into the classroom.

I must say, that I myself have been a participant in the digital gaming experience, yet I had never truly considered, or even contemplated, using this particular resource in a completely educational sense.

While I have been involved in the use of technology in the classroom, including the use of Smart-board and Internet based activities, my exploration of other forms of digital media has been somewhat limited. However, it would be remiss of me to say that I did not notice an increase in student engagement when they were involved in experimenting with or responding to ‘digital media’.

I consider technology to be a vital step towards improving student interaction and understanding of the world around them. Yet, it is possible to argue that using online information sites, such as ‘Behind the News’ or “Dinosaurs”, as resources, is somewhat removed from the idea of bringing a Wii or a Playstation into the classroom.

The following article, prompted me to take a greater look at using Digital Games in the classroom:

‘Today’s schoolchildren bear the label Generation N, or the Net Generation because they have grown up in a networked world where technology is not a novelty, but normal in everyday life. Current research suggests Net Gen students are more likely to engage in online games than to interact with students or the instructor when in face-to-face learning environments. The K-12 arena in particular –often lacking in the technology that students expect in the classroom – has faced an uphill battle to engage these students.’

(Annetta , Murray, Laird, Bohr and Park, 2006)

This particular article also forced me to associate my own pedagogy with the theories behind digital gaming in education.

• Learning needs to be relevant to the student:

Oblinger asserted that “Digital games are part of modern culture.”

It is not hard to see the impact of video games, and games technology on society, especially in relation to the sheer volume of production and consumer response to products. It is also possible to say that, one would  be hard-pressed to find a student in your average classroom, who has not had some sort of gaming experience. For this reason, games cannot be ignored, based on the reality that they make up a large sub-culture in current society.

• Motivation is key to engagement

From personal experience, I have found that a large majority of students will spend hour upon hour, happily engaged in some form of Digital Gaming activity. This is in stark contrast to the way in which many students will approach basic learning activities in the classroom. While I understand that it is the role of the teacher to try and find ways of increasing engagement and motivation through learning, I feel that looking into what attracts students to digital games could uncover useful strategies and activities that could be applied to classroom practice. It would seem wasteful not to at least explore the potential that games have to offer in terms of student-focus.

I am still relatively new to the world of digital games in education, but through this blog I hope to share my findings on the topic, as well as increase my own understanding of the theory, strategies and problems associated with its use in the classroom.