presented by ann crewdson for the csla conference november 22, 2008
TRANSCRIPT
GISK & FAS Learning Technologies:
Videogames and Virtual Worlds for Learning?Presented by Ann Crewdsonfor The CSLA ConferenceNovember 22, 2008
1By the end of the presentation, you will have:Identified a useful method for evaluating video games for educational content.Learned about why engaging children with digital content is important.An understanding on why using electronic resources is a powerful way to teach children effectively, in classrooms.Objectives:Formerly Notables, Established: January 1987. Transformed: February 2007.Chair + 5Term: Fall, 2 yearCommittee Charge, Terms and Criteria for Evaluation:
ALSCs Great Interactive Software for Kids Committee
3(Scope): Birth to 14 years old.
To select, annotate, and present for publication, within the criteria and procedures established for selection, a biannual list of exemplary computer software and multi-platform media currently available. To define and develop guidelines and criteria for the evaluation of interactive software and electronic media.Function Statement
Content must be enhanced by the use of the graphicsGames should be user-friendlyEase of useEducational and entertainingAge-appropriateCollaborative playEvaluation Criteria
KONAMI PlaygroundBig Brain Academy: Wii DegreeAnimal GeniusNancy Drew PC SeriesMeeting Standards for Excellence
ChallengeChallengeChallengeChallengeFrustrationBoredomGame FlowTimeDifficultyFlow7Alphabet Circus and Dinosaur Shapes & ColorsChildren refine motor skillsLetter knowledgePrimary colors Reinforce letter, color, and shape recognitionKONAMI Kids Playground
Activities to improve brain stimulationPuzzles are both visual and audio Thinking, memorization, computation, analysis, and identificationChallenge friendsSocializationBig Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Ages: K-2--Motivates learners toward goals and learning experiences.Vocabulary Building, Life-Science Concepts, Sorting/Matching/CategorizationSkills acquired can be carried forth in new games or applied to real world contextsAnimal Genius
Let me talk about Animal Genius for the Nintendo DS.
140 games, 5 different environments motivates and offers appropriate challenge level, specifically appealing to ages K-2. Players earn enough points to populate the environmentsthe Rainforest, Woodlands, Ocean and .
Earning points to unlock new creatures and bonus levels, will keep the learners motivated.
What I have up on the slide are Creature Collector and Scratch & See.IN Creature collector-gamers have to classify animals by specific characteristics, such as weight, speed, mammals, fur, feathers, etc. ON the bottom of the screen, there are 9 animals you need to click on (think of whack-a-mole) based on the description, before time runs out.Requires active problem solvingEncourages nonlinear and higher order thinkingDevelops sequential, logical, reading and organizational skills
Nancy Drew PC Series: Danger by Design
ANNIve always been a pixel hunter. Playing adventure games have given me an eye for detail and I never thought it would apply to real life untilOne night at the Sammamish Library, while we were closing, we found the front doors jam so we couldnt lock it. While everyone else was standing around not knowing what to do, I had a vision of the utility room and the bicycle chain hanging from one of the hooks
Rather than talk about all the Nancy Drew Games Out there, I will talk about only those produced by the Her Interactive Company located in Bellevue WA.
Im going to talk about the ones we evaluated on our committee, by Her Interactive. Their Nancy Drew Games were based on Edward Stratemeyer and Caroline Keenes books. The example I have here is Danger By Design which was based on The Nancy Drew Casefiles #30, Death By Design by Caroline Keene. All the games by Her Interactive are based on books or characters of the Nancy Drew series.
In Danger by Design, Nancy Drew flies to Paris to solve a fashion mystery. Gamers have to figure out how to make tea for a fashion designer named Minet who wears a white mask who is cooped up in a Paris studio. Players need to use logic to put herbs in sequential order, deduce which ones to eliminate based on Minets mood, what dress shes wearing, etc. Think High Maintenance.
Organization is necessary because storylines must be read, tasks complete, before going on to the next sequence. Theres a detectives notebook icon that allows you to check off tasks as you complete them.
Adventures games encourage nonlinear and higher order thinking by forcing players to think outside the box to complete the quest.
Federation of American Scientists Learning Technologies ProgramCredibility-Research
12
6 Roadmaps + Executive SummaryInstructional DesignQuestion Generation & Answering SystemsSimulations and Exploration EnvironmentsLearning Modeling & AssessmentBuilding & Maintaining Learning SystemsGames for Learning
Multi-disciplinary, multi-year effortInput from over 100 learning science and computer/information science researchers from academia, industry, DoD, other govt3 multi-day workshopsNumerous interviewsDetailed description of research priorities, R&D chronology, metrics
LS&T Roadmaps13Technology Can Make Learning:More productive (quicker mastery, better retention)More compelling More personalMore adaptable to local needsMore accessible
Source: Bloom et al., current technology data from Fletcher (IDA)14Immune Attack: basic immunology education for high school (NSF)Discover Babylon: humanities for 8-14 year-olds in classrooms and museums (IMLS) FAS Learning Games15
Immune AttackGoals:Teach basic immunology conceptsCreate a more positive attitude towards biologyHelp teach young adults to choose better life-style behaviors to protect themselves from infectionExpose young adults to the exciting fields of healthcare and biosciences
Features:Navigate realistic, biologically accurate settingsExplore human body environments, including blood vessels and connective tissueExplore cell structures and teach behaviors using game-based controlsDefeat invading bacteria to prevent infection
16Highly motivating challengesEmbedded assessmentsScaffolding Question Generation and Answering Simulated environments that allow players to build, experiment, operate equipment, explore CollaborationNew Learning Tools Make Possible:
17Goals:Engage learners, ages 8 14, in challenges and mysteries that can only be solved by understandingthe origins of writing and the path from pictures to phoneticsMesopotamian society, business practices, and tradeDemonstrate new ways to reassemble artifacts and knowledge about them now spread across many different museum and library collections
Features:Accurate historical and scientific information3D photorealistic simulations of cities & temple complexes that allow open-ended exploration and discoveryContextualization of museum artifacts used by characters in virtual environmentsCompelling, age-appropriate challenges and assignments
18Games support:Active learningExperiential learningProblem-based learningImmediate feedbackLearner-centered learning
Characteristics of Games & the Potential for Learning
19Games provide many features that are attractive for Learning. First off, they are interactive. You cant advance or get the screen to do anything if youre not providing some input. They Present active, experiential learning through authentic, motivating challenges that compel players to spend time on task. These challenges close the gap between what is learned and its use. For example, history isnt taught through a lecture in this case but by interacting with primary documents. In this case doing history or being an historian, not one step removed of learning how to be an historian once you enter the archive or the archaeologist once you get to the field. Games are also intensely personal in the way they deliver content, the sequence, the path you the learner chose to take, what you chose to look at, the pace at which you tackle problems.
Form PartnershipsYouth AdvisoryLook in your own backyardContinue to do Research
Where do we go from here?
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has!
-Margaret MeadA Path Forward21Ann Crewdson Childrens Section SupervisorIssaquah/Sammamish LibrariesKing County Library [email protected]
Angelique KopaMaterials Selection, LibrarianHarford County Public [email protected]
Michelle RoperDirector, Learning TechnologiesFederation of American [email protected]
For more information