Alright, everyone - I'm going to just come right out and admit it. I. LOVE. Video games. Now, I really enjoyed all the reading for this module, and I was a student musician who can relate to being in that perfect state of flow, but what I really want to talk about is the Dickey article.
But first I have to say this - sometimes the stigma of being an English teacher just isn't fair. Tell me you haven't imagined me sitting in my high-backed leather chair by the fire, reading poetry or Austen and listening to classical music, dressed in a cardigan and with a cat on my lap. Admit it! I know that's the prevailing assumption - I even had a guy ask me at the gym once if I had one of "those" sweaters. I am not kidding. So I absolutely delight in the moments in school when I have an opportunity to share my gaming habits with the kids. "You play video games?" "You have a Wii?!?" "You play Just Dance?!?!" Talk about messing with their prior knowledge...
Personally, I always preferred the adventure games, the ones with quests and fantasy elements - and I owe a lot of my problem-solving skills to Link, Zelda, and that little fairy guide. I was never one for the shooting games, although I have the utmost respect for what's being done with the design of these games. How can anyone look at these graphics and not take math seriously? It's just brilliant.
But to return to a more academic discussion of the matter... Dickey's got it exactly right. It's not about making classrooms a free-for-all video arcade; it's about learning a thing or two from video game design. And I'm sure we've all thought about this before - how can we harness the power of these games that can take otherwise apathetic, attention-lacking students and make them so hyper-focused and motivated to succeed? I've had many conversations with students about the instant gratification found in the immediate feedback of solving a mathematics or chemistry equation as compared to their English assignments, but the video game analogy works much better. Why else would students keep doing the same thing over and over and over again? I don't think any of us would approach diagramming sentences over and over with such enthusiasm (or would we?).
The connections that I found most exciting were those relating video games to the student's role as investigator, adventurer, problem-solver and inquirer. That students experience engaged learning when they "analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and employ critical thinking skills as they make decisions and determine the course of their actions" (Dickey, 2005, p70). Now, can't that description can be applied to the objectives in the latest Zelda game as well as an inquiry project in which the students have choice, an authentic purpose and audience, and challenging tasks? Dickey explains that what we need to do is "create activities and environments that allow learners to become engaged in meaningful activities" (p70). I think the most significant concept here is meaningful. Ask me how much meaning the critical lens essay holds for my juniors...
I think the skeptics out there would scoff and say that no matter what we do, we cannot replicate what happens when kids are locked in to their gaming systems. I disagree - and I think that is entirely what the concept of Flow Theory is all about. I've seen it happen - usually in the library, when my kids are experiencing autonomy, collaborating, tracking down research leads, and doing work for a real purpose other than a grade. My librarian and I were thrilled to hear students meet us in the library and ask "can we get started right away?" before the bell rang or who wouldn't clean up their reading materials or laptops on time because they needed to finish one more thing (aka - just one more level, mom!).
I think the real question is - how do we get other educators to realize this? To trust that such instructional design will meet the curriculum goals and work the skills necessary to pass the exams? If you have an answer, tell me. Because right now, all I'm doing is preaching to the choir.
Dickey, M. D. (2005). Engaging by design: How engagement strategies in popular computer and video games can inform
instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53 (2), pp 67-83.
Hi Sarah:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your posting. It is so cool to know that you are a gamer. Good for you!!! To be honest, I do not know much about the the Game Design field other than what I read for this week's required assignment; however, what I have read so far just seems so amazing and wonderful. I think that there is a lot of untapped potential in regards to game design and its application to learning and curriculum needs and development. I am pleased that there are scholars such as Dickey out there doing the necessary research which is so needed on multiple levels. I look forward to reading more about Game Design as I progress through the IDDE program.
Best,
~Aja
Hi Sarah!
ReplyDeleteYour post this week was so funny (the picture you paint of a "typical" English teacher is great)! I think it's wonderful that you are a "gamer" particularly in giving you a commonality with your students. I have found students really love when you are able to relate to "their world". I have to admit, I am not anything even close to a gamer (I never even used to play solitaire on my computer when that was all the rage.) and so I am lost whenever in the company of those of you who spend part of your time in a virtual reality. I certainly believe though that to ignore the potential for classroom/educational implication would be foolish. It is my experience that there are those in the profession that don't recognize the need to connect with and motivate their students. So, they pull out their folders of old worksheets and ten year old projects every September and do the same thing year after year. That's not to say everything has to be high tech and glitzy but, as an educator, how can you possibly be excited to do the same exact things year after year? And, I know for me, if I wasn't excited about what I was teaching, it fell flat fast! Part of our job as educators is to connect with and motivate our students in whatever way possible. Given the amazing success of the gaming industry, it would be crazy not to try to capitalize on any lessons we can learn in how to make learning our content as enticing to our students as the games they play. Good for you in recognizing this potential- your students are very lucky to have you as their teacher. (But just between you and I, you do have that cardigan buried in your closet somewhere right? :))
Hi All,
ReplyDeleteI believe implementation of computer games in educational environments is tricky. Even though they have some positive effects, such as increasing student motivation and problem solving skills, they also have many negative effects. Therefore, I agree the idea of implementing main tents of game designing in education, but I believe using video games directly at instruction would not be as helpful as I would like too(at most cases).
On the other hand, I am also a gamer, and I would like to learn while I m playing video games. The real problem is how we can control the gaming experience of students. How many hours they will play, what kinds of games they will choose to play or what kinds of environment (online) they will be exposed. Readings of this week definitely created more questions at my head; I definitely need to read more about this issue.
Best,
Osman CIL
test DH
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! Sarah, you don't look like a boring English teacher!! Actually all the female English teachers are know are quite fun :)
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the Dickey study. See my mod 5 Blog if you have time. Students today do play video games to relax and compete. Maybe it is the modern crossword puzzle in another form? I'm sure the kids are motivated when they hear that you also play video games. It gives you common-ground interest and a way to connect in conversation. I have played all the Mario Cart racing games, and I recall the kids being very impressed by that.
I would think adventure games are much more intriguing and challenging. I did play Oregon Trail, made many decisions, and did make it to Oregon.
I agree that making English motivating is a very tall order for some students. They have to R.E.A.D., which takes concentration and determination to finish the reading, article, book, etc. Then they have to W.R.I.T.E. Excruciating for some students! The closest we have to a software program for junior high English students is the AR reading test done online.
Dickey (2005) mentions that some strategies of gameplay design is role playing, narrative arcs, challenges, and interactive choices within the game. I like the sound of role playing for English that would help motivate students to better connect with many of the required books that need to be covered.
Dickey also writes that Game design is at the forefront of cultivating innovative techniques for interactive design. Your experience with different games could very well be the information a game designer might use when designing a video game to aid in motivation instructional design for a required book.
Well, I would say put down that controller and start designing a video game that would match one of the required reading books... :)))
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog, especially the part about Zelda/Link. I often look at this game series as a series that was really thought out. I mean there is so much logic that went into this game during its design. I feel that games like this are actually beneficial to individuals because they make the players think about the tasks that need to be completed to reach levels and special achievements.
You ask how we get educators to realize that games are good for educational settings, well i think a big part of the answer is the headline to your post...many educators need to confess that they too like video games. There is such separation between games and education that is makes people feel that there cannot be a combination of the two. If educators started to look at games differently, such as Zelda, and better explored the ways that this game helps in brain, thinking, and problem solving development i feel that their views might change. I think many times people and educators look at games differently, they are always looked at as a piece of entertainment. But games are changing, the amount of time that individuals are putting into games is increasing, games require more skills, not only is designing games a more thought out process, but, so is playing them.
Hello everyone, I guess I'll play the devil's advocate. In a recent article by Richard E. Clark (2011), he wrote that all of the studies in reputable journals have reached a negative conclusion about learning from serious games. Apparently, what could be learned from games can be learned through a less expensive way. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteYin, I think this is a good point. There's no question that gaming once again provides an advantage to students' whose schools and families have greater financial resources. I'd be interested to read Clark's work... is he suggesting that gaming can actually be harmful to learning, or that simply the positive correlation doesn't exist? I'm curious about how each argument cites which journals as evidence, too. But I think that the skills learned from games can be learned in less expensive games. Remember recess? Play time? Make believe? I wonder what kind of creativity we could harness in teenagers if we let them go outside for 20 minutes at lunch and run around playing frisbee. :)
ReplyDeleteSure, Richard Clark is a top scholar in cognitive psychology and instructional design. His website: http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~clark/. The article I referred to is:
ReplyDeleteClark, R. E. (2011). The impact of non-conscious knowledge on educational technology research and design. Educational Technology, July-August 2011.
Clark cites some studies in this article and contends that there is no compelling evidence that computer games lead to greater motivation to learn than other instructional programs. He is not saying that they are harmful, just that there is no real advantage of these over nongaming instruction.
An important point Clark often points out in his research is that we focus too much on conscious controllable declarative knowledge when as much as 70% of our learning and problem-solving may be automated and non-conscious.
I find his research very groundbreaking in terms of its implications for instructional design and motivational design of instruction. If you have a chance and are interested, check out Clark's articles. BTW, he used to teach in IDDE, many many years ago. :)