serious games bio science

Game-Based Learning

National BioScience Educator’s Conference

February 17, 2010

Serious/Educational Games

Dr. Reynold Redekopp

University of Manitoba

[email protected]

What Are We Going To Do Today?

Characteristics of Digital KidsHow Do Digital Games Fit InHow To Use Games Effectively

Start with the conclusionPresentation is at: slideshare.net/rredekopp

Which Kids??

Angela McFarlane - moving beyond the 15% who tend to take care of themselves.

http://novemberlearning.com/professor-angela-mcfarlane-blc07-keynote/

Why Are Games Effective?

They provide:

Anchored InstructionSituated Learning and CognitionPlayIntrinsic Motivation Multiple Intelligences Opportunities

What Should YOU Do?

Choose the gameCreate a sharing atmosphereObserve and assess ‘other’ skillsDebrief the game - bring it into your

context

And now the details

How using games occasionally can help us engage more students in science education

Going Beyond Testing

Left brain - what we tend to value (on tests) logic calculation sequence verbal physical

These are all easily automated (and in your pocket)

Going Beyond Testing

Right brain - less valued (on tests) visual intuitive multi-processing big picture spatial sense

These are NOT easily automated

Brain Research

We are better at visual processing

The eye processes images 60 000 times faster than text schools and training are largely text based the “Gutenberg” effect - with a greater ability to

create text, text became more important

The brain still prefers images

0 20 40 60 80 100

Teaching / Applying

Practicing/Presenting

Discussion

Two media

Hearing

Reading

What We Remember From:

Digitally Immersed

How are they different?

Digitally Immersed

learn differently, especially out of school

they collaborate

they multitask, network, and interact as part of their routine

multitasking is part of human nature, ask mothers!

Digitally Immersed

Key Themes from a Telecom Industry Report on marketing to the DI:

Control

Impatience

Community interaction

Originality

Digitally Immersed spend time:

Interacting with othersReading wikis and forumsLearning terms as they need themSolving problems as they ariseTrying again (and again …)Sharing their solutions

James Paul Gee - Games Fit!

Games are constant evaluation

Reduce fear of mistakes

Force active involvement

Provide a context

Highly motivating

Students are aware of progress

James Paul Gee

Digitally Immersed

they are using skills that we don’t value the same way

we need to appreciate the strengths of their skill set.

Robert Sawyer (pre-eminent Canadian sci-fi writer) - audio about assessment

Skill Set

parallel processing / partial attention

visual acuity

random access

they skim text

The Digitally Immersed

want context for the experience or learning

need practiceneed regular feedback and

reinforcement


This generation no longer wants just to be the audience; they want to be the actors.

They expect, want, and need interactive information interactive resources interactive communications, and relevant, (real life) experiences


don’t start with the manual.

start by exploring - and look up the terms are they need them.

This is part of why games work!!!!

How Do Games Fit In

What is their effect? What do they add? How do we use them well?

“I learn from playing games.

Games teach me:

how to solve problemshow to work with others and leadto be organized and detail-oriented”

Teamwork, Leadership, Community

Work with others Partition attention, divide tasks Coordinate efforts Communicate in multiple ways Establish shared goals Integrate info to make decisions Prioritize data to meet goals

You can’t sit back and be passive playing games

games are problem solving with constant evaluation

the goal drives everything new knowledge / procedures are learned as

needed games are serious and intense learning all you need is content

James Paul Gee

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-james-gee-video

Obstacles and Hesitations

Curricular fit ?Standardized Tests ?Public perception ?Finding good games ?Teacher’s role ?


Sanford, et al, found that teachers: Need to know the course material more than the game play (though this helps)

Need to help support learning through games

Do not need an exact curriculum fit in a game for students to learn

Do not have to use the whole game


Time ! Include games as homework ?? Significance of Non-significance

Students learn two things - game and content - while maintaining test scores

Why Use Games in Science?

If you want somebody to do biology, and you want students to see how the biological words relate to actual experiences, games let you simulate those experiences as activities that people do. (James Gee in Foreman)


Linn proposed four meta-principles to support knowledge integration: making science accessible making thinking visible helping students learn from each other promoting autonomous learning.

Remember the other 85% ???


We need to get the ‘other’ 85% involved in ‘doing science’

They need the context and repetition that simulations and games can provide

We definitely need students with a broader range of experience to choose science

Student Use of Games in Science?Students can create their own games

Students can play off the shelf / online games and simulations

Students Create Games

Simple games that review aspects of study

Requires content knowledge, problem solving and collaboration within a group

We learn best when we have to ‘teach’

Sample Free Game ‘Engines’ Scratch - http://scratch.mit.edu/ Game Maker - http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/try

Never Winter Nights - http://nwn.bioware.com/builders/

Alice - http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=downloads/download_alice

Sample Free Game ‘Engines’ iPod App Examples

AppBuilder- http://appliya-studio.com/appbuilder/index.php

AppBreeder - http://www.appbreeder.com/default.aspx

Many schools already own Flash - for student teams with that level of knowledge

Why Use Free Game ‘Engines’ Students become ‘teachers’ They will work on their own time - much harder than on ‘regular’ homework

YOU have to set up content focus and guide them in maintaining that.

High level of sharing of the games - review for everyone.

Play Current Games

Examples in the gaming session: Genomics Digital Lab Immune Attack Buffet Busters Inner Life of a Cell Spore

Kinds of Games

Mini-games Short time frame Practice particular skills, facts and procedures Inexpensive option to learn essential info and

practice skills

Kinds of Games

Complex Games (10+ hours) Involve all of the problem solving skills

described earlier Many, many decisions in every hour of play Need to constantly adapt Ethical / moral decisions

Advantages of Game Based Learning

Problem-solving is highest level of learning Includes all lower levels of learning

Vehicle for all types of content and promotes transfer

Two critical attributes of any problem The goal requires generation of new knowledge There is value to solving the problem

Van Eck, 2008

How To Use Games In A Classroom???

Before Game Play

Explain objectives to students Inform administration and parents about

why students will be playing the game SLOs and other skills like problem solving

and collaboration Create a collaboration space/environment -

in class or online (wiki or discussion group) McFarlane - communities

During Game Play - Understand:

The average video game takes about 40 hours to play

the complexity of the puzzles and objectives growing steadily

visual processing dramatically increases with as little of 10 hours of game play (Jukes)

During Game Play - Do this:

Talk to students about what is happening

Listen to students talk to each other

Use the discussion space you created

Watch and learn more about the game

Ask students to talk to their parents about the game

Effectiveness

In games, a novice can “see” the progress he or she is making

Students learn about learning Students learn about increasing expertise that comes

from study and practice. Students observe their steadily increasing speed and

confidence

Moursund

Effectiveness

Gaining a high level of expertise is applicable to self-assessment and self-guidance in learning in another domain

A student knows what it means to be highly competent in the domain.

Students have a basis for judging how well they are learning

Using games people learn

to self assess to develop understanding of their own learning

strengths and weakness to develop confidence in their ability to learn,

and to take increased responsibility for their own

learning

Using games people learn

Watch the next video

Change the word chemistry to your topic

James Paul Gee - learn through games

Source: http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-james-gee-video

After The Games

De-brief and contextualize

SHARE !!!

Return to the game after some real-life experience

Summary

Games can add real value, but not for everyone, not all the time

But they are particularly good for the 85%

There does not have to be an exact curricular fit - teachers must help make connections

In Conclusion

Brain research - visual multitaskers

The Digitally Immersed - different skill sets

How We Learn - involvementDigital Games - fit these patterns

References

Google Doc - http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AW_ST60LiRO1ZGRnNjc5c2JfNTA0a24yajRmZDQ&hl=en

RTF file - http://www.mediawisesolutions.com/Bibliography for Digital Natives and Game Based Learning.rtf