The idea of using digital games for educational purposes is something that hasn't even been mentioned in my school let alone explored. I must admit I have very little experience with digital games and my previous understandings have been challenged (in a positive way) by your summary of the research. This is definitely something I need to learn more about. (Elizabeth)

 

I think that most schools will be in the same boat Elizabeth. This is the third school that I have taught in and games were always considered a reward and something that students did when they were finished their class work. I teach at a high school, so that's what I know and I think that I can safely say that no teachers use games for instructional purposes in their classes. Maybe elementary schools are different. I hope some of our classmates who teach elementary could tell us if games are being used in the classroom at their level. (Katie)

 

Two years ago I loaded some Caillou games onto the 2 computers in my kindergarten classroom to use as a centre. The games were very simple, letter and number identification, shape and colour matching, and counting to 5. For many of my students, these games were too easy. But for one boy with a serious developmental delay and speech disorder, they were magic. After playing the colour and shape matching game over and over again, it finally clicked. He spent weeks excitedly bringing me things that were the same colour after that. How did those games get chosen? I had these two old computers, no internet, and no software, and no budget to buy any. I found the Caillou games at the Bargain Storeand took the opportunity to give my students some, any! exposure to technology. --Jessica

 

Jess, your story reminds me of one in the news not too long ago. The story I'm referring to was about a girl with severe autism. Computers (although not games specifically) changed her life - she is able to communicate quite articulately through the use of a computer - it really opened doors for her that otherwise would've left her trapped in a voiceless world. (Linda)

 

Thanks for sharing this story with us! You found a digital game that met the learning needs of your student. Do you think that you will use games again in your classroom or recommend some to other teachers? (Cindy)

 

I would definitely use games in my classroom again. At the early childhood level there are a lot of quality games out there that reinforce skills. The trouble is getting my hands on them and convincing the school that a couple of computers would be a worthwhile investment for a kindergarten room. After my experience with that student, I was sold. Even for my other students, the simple games did help reinforce skills they had already mastered and as I said, exposed them to even a marginal amount of technology... which these particular students were unlikely to experience otherwise. --Jessica

 

There are games available at my elementary school that treats computers as a "skill-based" subject. For example, I see some classes playing typing games week after week. They are becoming better typists, but they are not really engaged in any critical thinking or learning. --Simon

 

At the end of Subramaniam article it says by keeping the four different mindsets related to integration of technology in mind (journey, changing roles of teacher from facilitator to guide, student & teacher partnership, and liberating and domesticating uses), "we can move away for the pereption fo educational computing as a skills-based approach and incorporate a person-centred vision fo technology for education" (p. 1069). arlene

 

 

Just like Katie, I also teach in the high schools, and have not seen or heard of any digital games being used. But, if I were to ask the computer teachers if they make use of gaming, perhaps they may be doing so. However, it is not something that has yet to make its way into the teaching repetoire of English language arts at the high school level. I'd very curious to know about though, if there was! (Ronda)

 

I just so happens that I was in two Information Processing classrooms this afternoon and they were using games! I am collaborating with the IP teacher to have her students all design a website for the library and I had to go up and give a presentation about what information needs to be included. They were doing their typing warm-up and playing a game called "Mavis Beason Teaches Typing". It looked really fun! These games are designed for skill development, but they are designed to be fun and look like games. So, I have to take back my earlier statment that my school doesn't use games in their classroom! (Katie)

 

We have the Mavis Beacon typing program, as well. And lots of teachers use math games both for drill and to reinforce math concepts. (Linda)

 

Katie and Simon, there are typing games that have been around for awhile. I know of other schools who regularly slot in time in the computer lab to work on keyboarding skills. There is alot of debate that goes around that practicing typing skills is not good use of student computer time. Yet others feel that students need a reasonable level of competency in keyboarding in order to complete assignments within a time frame. It can be very painful to watch students struggling with finding a single key when they have a limited amount of time on the computer to work on an assignment. How do others feel about students acquiring an acceptable level of keyboarding skills? What is an acceptable level? (Cindy)

 

Keyboarding skills are really important! I definitely agree that an acceptable level of keyboarding is necessary, or students themselves will become frustrated and will not be able to use computer technology for reaching higher levels of thinking... they will be stuck back at the "gate" so-to-speak. As for an acceptable level, that is a good question, Cindy. I am not sure if I have a clear definition, other than being able to locate keys relatively easily. (Not everyone uses the same typing methods; is that a separate issue?) As an elementary school student, I recall endless practicing of printing and handwriting skills. Doesn't keyboarding deserve the same attention, especially since we are in a digital age? (Ronda)

 

I agree with you Ronda- keyboarding skills need to be addressed. I don't know about any other teachers, but the students handwriting/printing has become so poor, in a lot of cases, I ask them to type out their work. If they don't have the skills to type somewhat quickly and/or effectively it can be painful to watch the one-finger peck! Typing is one skill that could be addressed by digital games, are there any others that we can think of? What else could be practiced or perfected using a game or software program? (Katie)

 

I would like to direct our class to the following website as it takes a closer look at a number of games for various subjects, games for K-8 and High School are recommended, brief overviews are given, questions that parents could ask their child are listed, guidelines and questions for teachers are presented, brief interviews of gamers are available, a number of articles and resources are also on this site. There is alot to look at and ponder. It may change some opinions of digital games. Please feel free to share your thoughts and idea of this website and whether your opinion of digital games has altered.

 

[http://www.gamesparentsteachers.com/|http://www.gamesparentsteachers.com/] (Cindy)

 

Thanks for this site Cindy. I like the way there are questions that teachers and parents can ask kids about the games and how they relate to learning. I also like the Tools for Learning Games and how you can customize the material that can be in a game. Despite the wide variety of games and suggestions for learning provided, I recognize some of these games from when my son was young and from what I know about them, more learning in classrooms could be accomplished in other interactive ways. I think the suggestions for parents would be helpful though. (Elizabeth)

 

I agree that keyboarding skills need to be practiced. We teach printing and handwriting because these skills help students to communicate clearly... well, in the information age, students need to be able to communicate clearly with a keyboard as well! Now, if that's all a teacher is doing during computer time, that's a waste. Teachers need to find a balance. Afterall, we don't just teach printing, we have students apply what they are learning with journals, story writing, etc. What better way to practice the keyboarding skills students are learning than to add to a wiki or blog? Of course, with limited access to computers, finding that balance is difficult... 1:1 laptops to the rescue? --Jessica

 

Yes, Jessica. Definitely keyboard skills are required today. I remember even when I was in elementary school and high school keyboard practice drills were had by all...there weren't too many computers at that point. We have somthing here called "All the Right Type". It is mostly for primary students and it has educational games and keyboard practice and drills. I think it is an excellent program and if primary teachers are open to bringing their kids into the lab at least once a week..I think it can be very beneficial. Especially considering these guys may have an older sibling at home who never gives them that practice time on their home computer!! I don't know the particular criteria in choosing this program for our school...I believe it is District wide though (the Principal here agrees.) There is a definite connection to learning as all of the games are developed around intended learning outcomes for specific grades. Math, spelling and phonics excercises are interactive, fun and challenging!-Jean

 

LOL Jean- I used All the Right Type to learn as well!! Brings back memories- it wasn't flashy or fun, but I can type quite well and I credit that program. Remember the jfjfjfjfjfjfjfj level? Kidding aside, the site that Cindy found is awesome! It answers some questions about connection to curriculum and it helps with seeing the potential of digital games for learning. Kudos to Cindy for finding it!! (Katie)

 

Great website Cindy. I like the parents ask your kids section. I definitely need to learn more about games for learning, as I like Elizabeth am not familiar with this learning tool. One thing on the games/parents/teachers site was Grand Theft Auto - when you head to the description it talks about being a gang member and killing. When scrolling to the Teacher notes its says - discussion on sociology or violence in our society. Well that definitely will bring up those discussions questions. I just have a hard time with labeling Grand Theft Auto as a Social Studies connection. If I'm having difficulty with it, imagine parent reaction? There's lots of info. on the site I really like and games that are appropriate. I have bookmarked it to explore further. Great connection Cindy.

 

As far as our school, I am not aware of games being used for 'learning'. They are usually used as a reward. I sub on Mon, Tues and when in other schools I notice sometimes my instructions are 'students have 20 minutes on educational games then 10 minutes free time on the computer'. The educational games I have seen include language building skills, math, sentence structure and reading. (Val)

 

From the discussion here it sounds like games are used in elementary mainly for review, reinforcement of skills and rewards. Subramaniam identifies these as domesticating uses of technology as opposed to liberating ones. As Jenn mentioned on WebCT early in the course, we don't use computers for drill and practice in real life so doing so at an early age in school leads to a false impression of how technology is useful (Feb. 3).

In my experience in junior high settings, computer technology is used less for review, reinforcement of skills and rewards in favor of internet research and use of productivity software (Word, PowerPoint, etc) with the exception of Mavis Beacon which has already been mentioned here and on WebCT (more on keyboardin. Integration of web 2.0 social software is in its infancy. I am not aware of digital games being used in liberating ways in my school (liberating being to develop understanding of concepts through immersion or exploration, or to help students to develop an understanding of the relationships between concepts) such as simulation involving interaction between student and teacher while playing the game. Early in the course, I did read about Venture Africa at misterteacher.com. I was intrigued by the possiblility of students using the game in order to develop an understanding of ecology, specifically food webs, photosynthesis and animal adaptation to changes in environment. In the game students have to create a balanced ecosystem and may be expected to create and sustain many different animals and their offspring at the same time. James Tubbs describes two different approaches he took when integrating the game into his class: (1) last year - use the game to teach concepts (2) this year - let kids play to engage them and use savanna setting to teach the concepts. In the second instance, a biome is simulated. Tubbs says, "My kids cannot actually visit the savanna and see the animals interact. However, the game put them right in the middle of it. They can see what the landscape looks like...".

Around 2000 when I was working on telecollaborative projects, I remember reading an article about gaming where a teacher had students journal what they did while playing the game - Sims sees to come to mind. It has stuck as I always wondered about this possibility. Students had to explain what they did, why they did it and reflect on the choices they made. I remember something about using it with reluctant writers, as a way to encourage them to write and reflect. The visual helped by providing tangible content and immediate ideas for writing. A drawback is the time committment required to play this type of game.

I do wonder (worry) about a couple things. The games present a virtual reality that can be too simplistic. It claims to be authentic but how authentic can a simulation really be? The world is much more complex than a virtual environment presented in the game. Further, the visual nature of the game is phoney to me, appearing more like Second Life than reality. Instead of studying the African savanna, why can't kids be going outside and exploring their own environment and discussing the issues of their community?

Having said that, I can see potential benefits for students with unique learning needs (which Jessica mentioned) and can turn others, who are reluctant or have not experience success, on to learning. I can see how students would develop an understanding of concepts related to the savanna experience or other sophisticated subject-specific vocabulary. The environment is safe because it is closed (although that is now changing with multi-player games online) and students receive immediate feedback on their success for failure, and correct themselves accordingly so in this sense, they are more willing to take risks and failure isn't a set back. It might actually be motivating as you want to overcome an obstackle. Becker mentioned dedicating older computers to simulations. In this way, the technology is getting used even though it is no longer useful for internet use. I can see this happening as we often dispose of computers that are no longer useful for the internet.

I think kids do need a minimum typing skill level and there are curricular outcomes that address this as we discussed early on in the course. I don't know that once a week on Mavis Beacon is frequent enough though. If games are being evaluated for their worthiness in the classroom, it is essential that they relate to curriculum beyond domesticating uses of drill, practice, review and reward. arlene

 

Our elementary school doesn't use commercial games for teaching. Teachers do occasionally access Web based games for drill and practice. The use of games was more common at my previous school (junior high). There, games were used effectively for a reward. There are a few games that I had some success with and which created some kind of unique educational experience.

 

Simulation games (Sim City, the Civilization series) can get students thinking in some new ways. There was a game which took students through Sherlock Holmes cases, and you could actually interview witnesses and experts. It really motivated students to use deductive reasoning. The link that Cindy provided was helpful. It links to a site set up by Bill MacKenty which gives a detailed rationale for using simulations.

 

The articles and comments are certainly food for thought. Our school has been so focused on research and content creation, that the use of games may need a more careful look. (John)

 

Judging from the comments on this questions, most schools do use games to some extent- some for educational purposes and some for reward. The use of digital games is not wide-spread and most of you see some merit in using them, but not enough to want to recommend them as a major teaching tool. (Katie)

 

 

I use games in my classes all the time to support learning. Two of the ones I use are free online games and provide simulations. The first, http://investsmart.coe.uga.edu/C001759/stocksquest/mystocks.htm, allows students to research existing stocks and purchase through the game. It tracks what they bought, how much stocks are worth, how much they have made/lost from purchases. I use it in a variety of classes and students spend time research companies, discussing with each other what are good stocks to purchase, and which ones are not so good. Gives students a good idea of the risks and benefits of investing in stocks and we have a lot of fun along the way. The site is great for teachers as it provides lesson ideas, allows me to set up a class so we can easily track each other and also provides ranking.   The second site is through Junior Achievement called Titanhttp://titan.ja.org/. It is also a simulation and has students taking on the roles of CEOs. They need to make product research, development, marketing and pricing decisions. The game runs through quarters and based on their decisions they determine their share in the market.  Again, as a teacher I can access lessons and can set the class up as a group. The added bonus of Junior Achievement is if their is an available business volunteerin the community they will come in and work with the class and share their own experiences with the class.

 

The other game I use a lot is Monopoly. I now use the computer version because I was spending too much on replacing missing pieces, money and cards (students also cheat). We use the game to reinforce accounting concepts. While students are playing the game on the computer they need to personally track transactions either in a paper copy of a general journal or through accounting software. They then need to generate income statements, balance sheets etc. I actually use this now for my final exam in my accounting course.

 

lastly, I also teach keyboarding and don't use games at all in this class until students are competant at typing. I find that games don't allow students to develop skills but rather hinder proper technique. Games encourage students to get the fastest times, scores rather than going slowly until they are comfortable with typing correctly (using ALL eight fingers and a thumb - amazing how many students would rather type with two thumbs... texting habits I guess) Once we have mastered the keyboard I do begin to introduce some games and by the forth quarter we have a ladder board and students compete in matches to climb the ladder. At the end the student with the fastest time gets a crown with a keyboard stapled on the front as a prize. Very cheesy but incredibly coveted.

 

Regardless of the game I use in the classroom it has to support the learning and the learning outcomes that define the course. there are getting to be more and more games available. I try to limit it though to ones I think will provide the most coverage so it doesn't become a course of learning different games before we can get to content.  (Elisa)

 

Elisa, thanks for sharing the games you use and how they support student learning. Three out of four of my own children have played the stock market simulation game in Grade 9. They now have a better understanding of how the stock market operates and the process of buying and selling stocks. Definitely transferable to real life, they know more about it than I did at their age. I like the way you use Monopoly for reinforcing accounting concepts and that you use the computer version. I agree with you that there are numerous digital games that students have access to.  We need to take the time to explore these games and to make the connection to learning and to our curriculum objectives. (Cindy)