ELPC 1 - Educational Gaming 1

I decided to look at Educational Gaming as my first topic. While spending far too many hours playing Civilization 3 I have thought, I wish I played this game when I did history at school.

Where to start? I starting skimming articles in Meg's library, but decided to read Klopfer et al in detail when I saw that they advocate Civilization as a learning tool.

The article is a well-written, positive piece on gaming and simulations. I liked the teacher examples that had successes but also listed challenges. Their argument that using gaming and simulation technology should be an evolution rather than a revolution matches my own view on technology in most situations.

The article claimed "these technologies are more than just entertainment". Later in the article the skills that generated by playing video games are listed. I want to look at this research further to see how the development of the skills is measured. It appears that video games must be developing skills such as problem solving, but if the player is using trial and error or merely developing skills using buttons, especially without having any meta-analysis on the problem solving, then the problem solving is more like rote learning than deeper learning. More in a later blog entry.

I will look at Lure of the Labyrinth which is a game than is claimed to develop algebra skills. Another blog entry? The article suggests that "ill-structured domains" like history are ideal for games. What about a well-structured domain such as mathematics?

I also read the Hommel article. The irony noted by Prensky that most educational games are simple, while entertainment games are complex, is interesting. I am not sure that just because a game is complex that it must therefore provide learning opportunities.

This article also noted that educators can learn from games, even if games are not used in the classroom.

I wonder what behaviourists would make of computer games: are there too many rewards required to make real learning happen? Is competition (against the machine, friends) a good way to encourage learning?

And finally, what about non-technology games: Is Diplomacy as a board game a better learning experience than Diplomacy the computer game?

Hommel, M. (2010) Video Games and Learning, School Library Monthly, Volume XXVI, Number 10, June 2010.

Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., Graff, J. and Haas, J. (2009) The Instructional Power of Digital Games Social Networking Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them. The Education Arcade, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.