Joe Kley
EFRT 352
1-29-10
Computer and Video Games in Education
Ever since the first gaming systems came out, videogames have outperformed
teachers in one key way: they command attention for hours. Games are
exceptionally good at engaging kids. They’ll introduce kids into complex problems
or situations where they fail and fail, but they try again and again. This is a major
difference between when kids are faced with tough questions at school in which
they tend to give up or failing in a game and trying to pass it again.
The first source that I found regarding this topic in education talked about how
electronic games can inspire players to explore new ideas and concepts. By gaining a
better understanding of the dynamic between player and game, researchers hope to
develop more interesting and effective approaches. We need to figure out better and
more effective ways to create a passion for learning and computer or video games
may be the answer we’ve been looking for. This could be the future of education and
that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Quest to Learn school opened this last spring
in Manhattan, New York and will play host to the first sixth-grade class to be taught
almost entirely through videogame inspired activities. This is an educational
strategy geared too keep kids engaged and prepare them for high-tech careers. The
plan is for this class to attend Quest through high school, adding more sixth-graders
every year. Although students must pass the annual standardized tests that all
public students do to keep a school open, educators so far are impressed. "We need
new ways to create a passion for learning," says Gregg Betheil, a New York City
Department of Education director who helped Quest's application. "The planning
has been extremely thoughtful. It seemed like a chance worth taking” (Locke, 2010).
The second article that I looked at focused on games like Guitar Hero, Sim City,
World of Warcraft, and Civilization III. One of the major factors that people are
looking at when planning on implementing videogames into their curriculum is the
fact of instant feedback the kids get while playing these games. “Players are taught
instantly, as a function of the game… if you want a better score? Do it right next
time” (Hoffman, 2009). Games are goal-directed learning spaces and give students
the tools they need to explore complex systems and experiments with different
possibilities and outcomes. The tricky part is trying to figure out why certain games
advance learning and what makes them so engaging. What features encourage them
to apply what they’ve learned to real life problems? All of this research is great but if
it turns out to be digital flash cards, presenting students with straightforward drills
rather than giving them an interactive platform to explore new ideas and concepts.
One of the main themes we need to keep in mind when looking at this new
technology is that the teaching material needs to be integrated into the framework
of a game’s design rather than added later on.
A different viewpoint on this concept came from my third article that I read
about a nonprofit organization called Global Kids that kicked off a study in
December 2009. The main goal of this group is to teach older kids to design their
own video games to help out younger children understand certain concepts better.
"When you teach other people, you strengthen 90 percent of what you know," says
Christi Crawford the New York Library media specialist (Barack, 2010). Crawford,
who believes that if her students excel at game design they can apply those lessons
throughout their educational career. "Gaming literacy is just a matter of breaking
down the problem into little pieces," she says. "And you can apply that to everything
from math to art" (Barack, 2010).
Works Cited
Barack, L. (2010). Gamers in training. School Library Journal, 56(1), Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.wsuproxy.mnpals.net/login.aspx?direct=tr
ue&db=aph&AN=47391802&site=ehostI feel that this source is creditable and reliable being as it was written in
January 2010. The author seems to carry a viewpoint that seems not to be biased or
one-sided. She also points out both sides of the argument. There are other sources
online that agree with the statements presented here.
Hoffman, L. (2009). Learning through games. Communications of the AMC ,
52(8), Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.wsuproxy.mnpals.net/login.aspx?direct=tr
ue&db=aph&AN=43479953&site=ehost-live
I feel this is another good source because it comes from an academic
database. It lists her affiliations and is not biased. This presents information about
what is going on and how they are doing their research. They don’t try to persuade
you one way or another but present the information in an informative matter.
Locke, S. (2010). Game theory. Popular Science, 276(1), Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.wsuproxy.mnpals.net/login.aspx?direct=tr
ue&db=aph&AN=47026707&site=ehost-live
I believe this is a good source because it is very current being written this
month of this year. It is also published in a popular science magazine and from the
academic database. It gets information across without coming off trying to persuade
you it is right or wrong. Tends to be an informal article about the ways people are
trying to improve education.