Intro to Games Based Learning - Week 1

READY TO PLAY?

SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

NO SERIOUSLY…..

Overview

• What is Game Based Learning?

• What are Serious Games

• What about COTS – Commercial Off the Shelf Games

Participatory Culture

Game Based Learning

AVATARS, ALTS, TOONS

And the WORLDS they

live in

Big “G” Games

G Factors

• Collective Intelligence• Gamification• Smart Tools• Convergence• Distributed Intelligence• Constant Assessment

The New Literacies• Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings

as a form of problem-solving

• Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery

• Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes

• Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content

The New Literacies• Multitasking — the ability to scan one’s environment

and shift focus as needed to salient details.

• Distributed Cognition — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities

• Collective Intelligence — the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal

• Judgment — the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources

The New Literacies• Transmedia Navigation — the ability to follow the

flow of stories and information across multiple modalities

• Networking — the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information

• Negotiation — the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.

Source: http://www.digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF

Or as Michigan State puts it…

Source: http://seriousgames.msu.edu/

Game Genres

• Mini games: – Small, easy-to-access game built to be simple and

addictive, which often focuses on mastering an action and can provide awareness of more complicated issues.

• Interactive metrics: – Simulation in which students typically try to impact

critical metrics by allocating resources along competing categories and getting feedback of their decisions through graphs and charts.

Game Genres

• Frame games: – Students engage familiar games and puzzles such

as Wheel of Fortune®, solitaire, or memory, with important pieces of awareness or task-based content replacing trivia or icons.

• Branching story: – Simulation in which students make a series of

decisions via a multiple choice interface to progress through and impact an event.

Game Genres

• Practice ware: – Real-time, often 3D sims that encourages

participants to repeat actions in high fidelity situations until the skills become natural in the real-world counterpart

• Virtual product or virtual lab : – A series of challenges/puzzles to be solved using

on-screen representations of real-world objects and software.

Additional Genres

COTSCommercial Off the Shelf

Console Games

• Portal• Skyrim• Assassin's Creed • Others

Cognitive Dissonance

MMORPGs

• WoW• Minecraft• TERAOnline• EVEOnline• Club Penguin• Poptropica• Others

MMORPG

• Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game

• End Content requires cooperative groups known as guilds

• World of Warcraft, Guild Wars II, and League of Legends

Virtual WorldsImmersive Online Environments that allow individuals to interact in each

other and environment.

Accessible 24 / 7

Metaverse

Naming Your Avatar

Virtual World

• Synchronous world• Persistent network of people• Avatar representation• Facilitate by networked computers• Definition by Mark Bell

November 2 & 3

Sandbox Genre

• Open world• Video game where the player is given

considerable amount of freedom • Allows for Content Creation• Minecraft

Mobile Games

• Mobile Apps• Alternate Reality Games• Location Based Games

Vocabulary

• Simulation v. Game

• Engagement v. Fun

How can I use Games?

Before using Games

• Determine what your objectives are.

• Determine simulation requirements and reasonable computer capacity. – This will determine if students will encounter

simulation in class / on campus or off campus

Before using Games

• Use the simulation yourself– Student’s will expect that you have done this and

can solve any of their problems

Before Games

• Develop grading and task rubric – Student’s will want clear goals and objectives

• Pre-survey• Actual task• Discussion

Before using Games

• Assign task with realistic timeframe– If simulation is too large, cut it down

• Request feedback / post survey– Student’s want to know that you are doing this for

a reason– Survey’s allow students to vent and point out

issues and areas for improvement

Using Games

1. Ice breakers– Utilize serious games/ simulations to introduce

class to new topics and stimulate discussion

2. Projects– Group or individual work– Use to reinforce class concepts and assess

mastery

Using Games

3. Competitions– Break students into groups and have them

compete for prizes / extra credit

– Set up a computer lab for real time competition/ tournaments. ****

– Show screen on SmartBoard, so teams can share tactics/ learn new methods. *****

Place• On the SmartBoard before class

• On the SmartBoard during class

• In computer classroom

• Computer Commons

• Student’s personal Computers

Big “G” Games

G Factors

• Collective Intelligence• Gamification• Smart Tools• Convergence• Distributed Intelligence• Constant Assessment

Games for You to Test

REST OF THE WEEK

• Play one or all of the games– Post Finding in Discussion Forum– Screenshot– Link up and place it in Diigo– Tweet it out

REST OF THE WEEK

• Google Doc

– Add a game– In 25 – 50 words tell us about it– Would you use it? – Why? Why not? – Found something better? Share the link!

Wednesday – 7 pm MST

• TWEETCHAT

– 60 minutes of twitter discussion– Start with quick intro– Then 4 questions– #gamemooc

Thursday – 6 pm MST

• Broadcast over Games MOOC YouTube• Discussion of Games Based Research and how

to use Game Based Learning!– Hannah Geber and Sandy Abrams