Instructional GamingBest Instructional Practice Showcase

Instruction and Gaming…

How do video

games effect us?

How have they

impacted your life?

Overview• What is Instructional Gaming?• Instructional Gaming as a “Best Practice”• Examples of games used for Instruction• Evaluating a game to use for your classroom

What is Instructional Gaming?

Gaming is defined as:

…being separate from simulation and is defined, in a basic sense, as any overt instructional or learning format that involves competition and is rule-guided (Dempsey, Lucassen, Gilley, & Rasmussen)

What is Instructional Gaming?

AttitudeMotor SkillsCognitive StrategyProblem SolvingRulesDefined Concepts

Virtual InformationTutorAmuseLearn new skillsPractice Existing SkillsPromote Self-Esteem

Instructional Gaming can address the following learning objectives:

Instructional Gaming as a “Best Practice?”

• Cooperative Learning• Encourages critical and creative thinking• Allows for storytelling and chunking of information• Promotes a variety of measurement variables

Achievement

Problem Solving

Attitude

Motivation

Retention

Examples of games used for Instruction

• Mark Lamia, the studio head of Treyarch, convinced his professor to let him teach a city planning class as TA using Sim City as course material.

• Joel Bleah used Sim City to teach geometry and civil engineering where he followed specific teaching standards for New Jersey

• Other games that have been used are The Sims 2, Knights of Honor and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3

Examples of games used for Instruction

Sim city teachers guide and explanation

“…we present complex information in a game format, which makes both teaching and learning more exciting.

Our ultimate goal in creating SimCity 3000 (and other simulations) is to inspire the player to look beyond the simulation, transferring the insight gained from playing SimCity 3000 to the real world”

Examples of games used for Instruction

• Encourage and require imaginative thinking rather than rote learning.

• Students experience decision-making that allow them to quickly see the consequences of their decisions.

• Students become explorers that create and follow their own hypotheses

• Learning becomes student-centered rather than teacher-centered.

Examples of games used for Instruction

• SimCity 3000 can add excitement to math, statistics, ecology, history, geography, and even creative writing.

• Simulations can be used to engage

Honor students

At-risk students

Students with learning difficulties or short attention spans

• Specific results may be inaccurate, but general trends, even with simple simulations, tend to be highly accurate.

Examples of games used for Instruction

• Sim City Teacher’s Guide• Part 1: Teaching with SimCity 3000• Part 2: SimCity 3000 Simulations• Part 3: Blackline Masters and Resources

Evaluating a game to use for your classroom

• Objectives: A good understanding and evaluation of the game is needed

• Game usability: Good game usability ensures that the player will have another enjoyable play session

• Engagement: In learning process, psychological needs and critical thinking should be addressed to develop student’s cognitive ability when they play games

Conclusion

ReferencesBleah, Joel. "Using Simulations to Learn Principles of Geometry and Civil Engineering."

BrainMeld.org. Sept. 2005. Web. 18 Jan. 2011.

Edge Staff. "Study: Games Effective Teaching Tools | Edge Magazine." Edge Magazine - Video Games, Game News, and Gaming Jobs | Edge Magazine. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. <http://www.next-gen.biz/news/study-games-effective-teaching-tools>.

Helgeson, Matt. "Treyarch Taking the Lead." Gameinformer Nov. 2010: 46-47. Print.

Racoma, J. Angelo. "School Uses Video Games As Teaching Tool." Forever Geek. January 11, 2010 by, 11 Jan. 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. <http://www.forevergeek.com/2010/01/school_uses_video_games_as_teaching_tool/>.

"Teacher's Guide." SimCity. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. <http://simcity3000unlimited.ea.com/us/guide/index.phtml?frame_src_content=tips/>.

Yue, W. S., & Zin, N. A. M. (2009). Usability Evaluation for History Educational Games. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Interaction Sciences: Information Technology, Culture and Human , Seoul, Korea, 1019-1025.