Gaming = Learning!
Posted by Vaishnavi on February 18, 2009
Archana, a colleague of mine sent me an interesting link yesterday. It’s a post titled Learning2.0 is Web2.0 + Gaming by Brent Schlenker . While I never doubted the cognitive benefits of gaming, this is the first cogent argument that I have read in its favor.
Soumalya said
Nice article. But since it appeals to young,impressionable minds,just a few concerns about monitoring from an avid gamer: -
a. A little more stress on monitoring the learner who is learning about a real-life situation through a virtual world was necessary i thought. Whereas games do let you know what the consequences of making a wrong choice are, it might not be possible for a learner to grasp its gravity in a real life situation. This is where a trainer has to come in and make people aware of the consequences in real life. Always remember that you are calling the shots from the comfort of your home and not in a battlefield where several other parameters might come in.
b. Games like Never Winter Nights actually allow you to choose three possible replies to a question. each reply will invite an appropriate response. So in reply to a question from your master, you have the options of being rude, indifferent or polite. Learners might have the urge to experiment with inappropriate replies just because they want to be somebody they cannot be otherwise. When faced with a tough situation, you have three courses of action open to you. Just because it’s not real, you might be tempted to choose the most outrageous of the three instead of thinking about which is the most sensible. Again, monitoring.
c. Beware of propaganda. Remember the politics behind the creation of a lot of these action games. Always think about who you are, whom you are fighting against and what you are doing in a game. All of these try to teach you some agenda. The trainer needs to again monitor the young minds and keep them from developing prejudices.
Happy Gaming.
Vaishnavi said
Soumalya,
Thank you for that comment. Those are indeed some thought provoking ideas that you have brought up. As I am not an avid gamer myself, I find it difficult to agree/counter what you say and I trust that other readers will express their views. But with regard to point B, don’t inappropriate replies lead to loss of points? Wouldn’t that serve as a learning point for the gamer?
Also, the way I read it, the article seems to only point out to skills/traits that can be cultivated if a child is encouraged to game. It’s a bit like cultivating the skill to target well if you practice shooting (in the real world ie)
The writer concludes his piece by stating ‘The professionals of tomorrow will require the skills of creative problem solving, risk taking, and innovation that can only be gained through experiences not currently available in a classroom or any online learning course.’
So these games will essentially cultivate these skills (creative problem solving, risk taking, and innovation)in a child who will therefore be successful at a later date. My point is that there is no ‘trainer’ as such to moderate his activities.
But having said this, I do realise the potential of using an engaging game to learn a very specific piece of content.
Archana said
Very interesting thoughts Soumalaya.
a. River City project was a MUVE or a virtual world designed for school children. You can read more about this VW here (http://archiespeaksout.blogspot.com/2008/12/river-city-project-example-of-muve.html). In this world, you got to interact with experts and computer agents. So, I guess there is some amount of guidance (I prefer this term to monitoring as it sounds less controlling
) happening. After the end goal was achieved, the students came together and presented their findings in the classroom. So, I guess more guidance.
b. I think the beauty about games or VW is that you can behave/do anything you want. The learner can behave inappropriately without the fear of ‘what is someone gonna think.’ The learner should be given the choice to make errors. Having said that, the positive and negative consequences should also be visible, realistic, and must have high impact.
c. Games are specifically designed for training. Grand Auto Theft, Metal Gear, Doom, Halo, even Second Life (as it is) will not help meet a learning objective. Games either need to be modified (several board games are used to teach concepts) or designed from scratch. There are several games that are developed on social issues. These are all learning games and are quite effective.
Educational games, however, need to be designed carefully. In most games, it is very easy for a gamer to be swayed by the urgency to win/succeed. (Several cheat codes help us move faster through the levels
) Learning must not happen by chance. The learner should be able to pick up the desired skills on completion of the game. Also, the learner should not have to spend too much time learning how to play, the rules of the game, and how to navigate through the game. All these may hinder learning. Multi-player games are high on motivation. Learners work as a team and learn from each other.
Archana said
River City link (the one is the previous comment does not work
): http://archiespeaksout.blogspot.com/2008/12/river-city-project-example-of-muve.html
(Sorry, Soumalya for spelling your name incorrectly)