Video Games & Education: How To Build A Sustainable Innovation Ecosystem
Video games and education
Transcript of Video games and education
VIDEO GAMES AND EDUCATION
How video games can revolutionize the static classroom
By Liz Jasko
THE STATIC CLASSROOM
Passive, unengaging, meaningless
“Banking” concept of education (Friere)
Same prison-like school system as 1800s (Foucault)
Thesis: “Effectively implementing video game technology in education systems can address problems of the traditional school system and revolutionize the static classroom.”
“DIGITAL NATIVES” (PRENSKY)
EVOLVING BRAINS; EVOLVING LEARNERS
Neuroplasticity “Multimodal texts” (Gee)
Much less inclined Less inclined Neutral More inclined Much more inclined0
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How inclined Marist students would be to pursue academic learning in elementary/high school if video game technology was used
Stud
ent r
espo
nses
“We basically learn to take
tests without actually
gaining any knowledge” -a Marist student
THE LEARNING FOCUS
Memorization/Repetition Conceptualization/
Meaning traditional
new
Isolated learning “Semiotic domains” (Gee)/
“Deep processing” (Craik & Lockhart)traditional
new
THE THINKING PROCESS
3-step problem-solving model (Huffman)1. Preparation2. Production3. Evaluation
Probe, Hypothesize, Reprobe, Rethink Cycle (Gee)1. Probe the virtual world2. Hypothesize about what something might mean3. Reprobes the world with hypothesis in mind4. Rethink original hypothesis based on feedback
“The learner is at the center of the meaning-making process.” –Labbo & Place
“You literally learn by
playing. It’s the way
you’re thinking that
matters.” (Johnson)
...MORE UNIQUE VIDEO GAME ELEMENTS
Book13% Lecture
11%
Film11%Hands-on labs,
workshops, visits, etc.50%
Interactive media/Digital
games15%
Marist students' preferred learning method
Individually tailored Ability to access simulated labs, visits, etc.
MOTIVATION & ENGAGEMENT
Designed with purpose to engage Satisfies need satisfactions (Przybylski et al.) Reward-seeking system
“The goal of keeping users (i.e. learners) engaged is, of course, not the primary concern of educators. Their goal is to instruct, to get the
material across” -Prensky
EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTING VIDEO GAME TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
Tailor games to curriculum Avoid low-level educational genre games Develop complex educational games Have teachers guide focus
Examples of Success Stories Portal (Wabash College, Indiana) British Museum Online (River Dell High
School) Civilization III (study, Lee & Probert)