Ted Talk

Jane Mcgonical gave an excellent TED Talk several years ago where she discussed the power of games and how we can harness their power and create game environments to help create a better world.

Watching this led me to think about the question, “What role does acknowledging progress play in successful gaming and is their transfer to education?”

Another term used to describe progress play is feedback loops. This is important in games and in education. You put the effort and time in to accomplish a task, and feedback is important so the player/learner knows how they are doing and whether to keep going or make some changes along the way so they can be more successful at the end goal, whether it be defeating a boss or turning in a final paper.

Having loops of feedback where the learner shares their work, the teacher or peer reviews it and provides timely feedback is so important. Waiting for feedback for something I wrote on Monday for a few days or even longer can be so deflating, plus it takes you out of the moment. Taking home 30 notebooks over the weekend to read and provide feedback to your students is so time consuming for the teacher. None of these things need to happen anymore and shouldn’t. Teachers need to tap into this element of “progress play” and make use of tools such as Microsoft Office and Google Docs to take advantage of the opportunity to provide their students with feedback in real time. It is much more useful to get that feedback while there is still class time left and I can keep writing and make those changes in real time. Just like in a game if you are away from it for several days there is probably some re-learning time before progressing, the same thing happens if you go several days without receiving feedback on your work, especially for a 10 year old.

If you enjoyed Jane’s TED Talk and want to learn more about her work, you can visit her website.

The Tech Integrator

Important Ideas about Gamifying Education

Watched this video below which discussed opportunities for bridging the gap between games for learning and games for entertainment. The author stressed that the developers have the easiest opportunity at no cost to them to incorporate some learning opportunities throughout their games. Things such as putting quotations or information on loading screens, creating character names related to the topic you want them to study, in-game indexes or links to Wikipedia throughout PC games.

The most important idea I got from this video was that of Tangential Learning, which means being exposed to things in a context you are already interested in. So, from the classroom standpoint, find those things that students are already interested in (games, for example) and find a way to use that context to structure the things you want them to learn. Games should be able to expand the player’s horizons and enrich their life.

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Play the Game, Learn Things

In this post I will be reflecting on my learning from reading the digital ebook, Play This, Learn That, written by Dr. Chris Haskell from Boise State University.

There are different types of game-based learning. Three of those are serious games, commercial games and gamification. Serious games are those with a specific learning objective in mind, such as The Oregon Trail. Commercial games are those designed for player enjoyment that you might pick up at Gamestop or Toys R Us (not for much longer 🙁 ) Use of these games in education would require some research and changing some things about the game in order to create the educational context. Gamification is the idea of taking the mechanics of a game, such as experience points, levels or quests, and applying them to classroom experiences. In Super Mario 64, there are different levels and your goal is to collect the stars, some of which are easier to find then others. Why not adapt your Math curriculum and have students earn stars and unlock future levels of the course to make it more engaging for the students?

Contextual Transposition is the process of taking a tool that is typically used for one purpose, and using it for a different purpose or adding a new context to the utilization of said tool. In this case we might be talking about taking a commercial video game and using it for education. A couple of examples of this are The Oregon Trail and Minecraft. Minecraft, because of its open world structure, has tremendous potential for use in education. Most recently, I have utilized the City World template within Minecraft: Education Edition for a project with my students. They had to work as a team and spent time researching, brainstorming and sharing ideas on how we would design our own city. We then assigned roles and plots of land and they built their structures within the Minecraft World.

My rationale for using a commercial game in the classroom has to do with knowledge of our students. If there is a game that our students are playing outside of school that gives them enjoyment and focus, then we need to tap into that knowledge and enjoyment. We need to research why this game is so popular and what educational context we can create to have the learn within that environment that is familiar and enjoyable for them.

Play This, Learn That can be downloaded from the iTunes store and read in the iBooks app. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/play-this-learn-that/id1000085917?mt=13

Chapter 1 – Minecraft

So, you are riding an elevator with a skeptical teacher or administrator who doesn’t quite get why Minecraft should be a tool used in the classroom. What do you tell them in response?

I would start by explaining the virtues of what this tool offers and sharing the stories of a couple creative educators who have already been successful using this tool for education. Glen Irvin from Minnesota is a Spanish language educator who was looking for a way to provide his students with a meaningful experience around the curriculum. He designed lessons and provided a learning space using Minecraft and allowed enough flexibility so students could be creative and contribute to the learning process as well.

Jim Pike is an educator from California who used Minecraft to introduce his students to multiplication by teaching them Area and Perimeter. His students learned about the content while learning to design and build a house. They are able to visualize these concepts in an engaging way and perhaps more effective than Base 10 blocks because the blocks in Minecraft are infinite and you don’t have to clean up afterwards.

Perhaps the most important reason to make use of this tool is that the kids already play this game on their own outside of school. Bringing Minecraft into the classroom with a specific educational purpose and they will buy in and the learning can take place because they are engaged.

Gamification in Education

Gamification

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

This is an excellent graphic that not only illustrates the various components of gamification but also a timeline of gamified learning over the past 30 years.

My own timeline with gamified learning started sometime in the mid-late 1980’s. I recall playing games like Reader Rabbit on the computer and had other games like Double Dribble and Double Dare on floppy disks. I had a Nintendo and played games such as Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. Not mentioned on the timeline, but I also remember prior to this we had a Texas Instruments computer at home and playing games on the Commodore 64 at school. Most of my gameplay was console based during the 90’s until it tailed off for awhile until a few years ago when my son’s own interest in video games along with trying to figure out ways to incorporate games into learning in the classroom has reinvigorated this interest in games for learning.

I’d like to create some type of quest based role playing game where students will complete a quest to gather information and learn and apply that learning in some way. Minecraft is another great tool as it is an open world that can be modified and has endless possibilities for learning and creating for the students.

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What Makes a Good Game?

There are many different games out there and players naturally like some better than others. So what are the elements of a game that make it good? What are the elements of a game that make it a bad game?

I like games that have an element of increased challenge. Not too easy and not too hard, plus you have a feeling of progression throughout the game. The controls of the game should be comfortable. There should be a good story with a sense of adventure and fun characters. If you are not into the story or the characters the game could become tedious after awhile. I like games that have checkpoints or save points. This fits in with the sense of accomplishment, if I have played for an hour but then lose a life and have to start the entire game over again that would be frustrating. The game should be fun – if I am not getting any enjoyment out of playing what is the point? Also depending on the context of the game I like the idea of relate-able elements or nostalgia. Playing Super Mario Odyssey I really enjoy the components that draw back to the feel of the original Super Mario Bros.

Naturally these are somewhat subjective and different people enjoy different things in their games. However, there are some components that seem to define a good game versus a bad game. Dr. Ruben Puentedura (the S.A.M.R. guy) published a podcast about this very topic in which he discussed his research findings about what makes a game successful and what makes a bad game.

Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 would be an example of a good game. It contains:
– Memorable characters
– Story that you are introduced to at the beginning of the game
– Controls – the game gives you the info you need to navigate through the game
– Tutorial elements to teach you how to play the game and learn new skills
– The overall challenge of the game is explained to the player

Superman 64 for the Nintendo 64 is an example of a BAD game.
– The Demo on the start screen shows you mistakes in gameplay and the character gets stuck at one point
– What is the story? There is one, but you have to go out of your way to click on the menu to find it
– Repeated stages of rings, some of which later in the game can last up to 10 minutes. Very repetitive
– Lack of variety
– There are mini games at the end of each ring stage, but if you are unsucessful, you have to start the entire stage over again
– Poor combat for enemy battles

This knowledge is very helpful to have as I begin to construct my own game.

Dr. Puentedura has done a series of podcasts on educational gaming called “Game and Learn” You can listen to them via iTunes here. http://hippasus.com/resources/gameandlearn/slides/2_WhatIsAGoodGame.pdf

Super Mario 64

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Sploder Discussion – Part II

Revisited some more games on Sploder this week as I prepare to create my own game.

3D Mission Creator

I played the game “Help Your Father” which was a 3D “Hit and Run” mission in which you had to go through a maze and unlock doors and defeat enemies on the way to saving the scientist. It was challenging which is a good thing, and there were directions before you started to give you an idea about the controls.

I liked the puzzle aspect of the game. To unlock certain doors, you had to complete a puzzle where you had to connect the electron to the proton and get a green light. These were not difficult, but a good element to help you think a little bit before proceeding to the next section. I also liked that there were checkpoints along the way.

The controls were similar to Minecraft in that you used the WASD keys to move and your mouse to change the camera angle your character was facing and to help him run/move faster. This portion was fine, but I did not like the controls when having to defeat enemies, sometimes 4 (!) at a time. It was just clunky and not what I’m used to when playing that type of game. I can’t imagine playing a game like Contra using those controls and being successful.

http://www.sploder.com/publish.php?s=d001amwr&browse=1&ref=0

Physics Puzzle Creator

I played the game “Sploder Physics Olympics” This was a very difficult game. You had to get your green block to the left and connect with the other green block while avoiding the poison blocks that get in your way. If you wait too long more poison blocks would drop from the sky into your path. You have to get one point to win, but that point is not so easy to obtain.

The biggest challenge I saw was the movement of your character was very fast. It was difficult to time jumps and not keep moving and running into the next blocks. There was an option at the beginning “Restart game in fast mode” that I found humorous after playing it. Where’s the slow mode?

I like the concept of this type of game and it seems similar to Angry Birds type games I have seen students play where their character flies and they have to avoid obstacles along the way. I also like the physics components as I imagine a physics teacher could incorporate this tool and have students create/play games while learning their concepts.

http://www.sploder.com/games/members/darkthunderhero/play/sploder-physics-olympics/

Gaming in the Classroom

This is a nice graphic with some information and stats about the use of games in the classroom. Games are familiar, user friendly and engaging to students. While playing games students are active, stimulating their brain and engaged in experiential learning. Why would we not want to bring some of this experience into the classroom? The games should be educational, age appropriate and have context for learning.

What stands out to you about the information in this graphic? What are your experiences and thoughts about educational games in the classroom? Reply below with your thoughts and let’s get a conversation going.

#gamelab #classroomgames #edtech

The Tech Integrator

Sploder – Game Types

Sploder is a website where you can play and create some different types of games.

www.sploder.com *Note* Use Internet Explorer with this site. I have had the most success while using it. Update your Adobe Flash Player to the latest version as well.

Platformer

Volcanic Peril: Platformer game where you have some basic controls to move and jump and swing your sword. There is lava that you can fall in. Seems to be scrolling to the right. I made it far enough to get a couple of enemies and then I got hit and dizzily ran into the lava. There are several obstacles in your way and have not gotten very far.

Journey to the Clouds: Similar game to the one above with the same mechanics. This one has text appearing as you walk to have the other characters tell the story.

Puzzle Maker

Algorithm Crew

Classic Shooter

I played the game “Very Easy” which was a classic arcade shooter type of game. The object of the game was to control your purple spaceship and move around to collect all the crystals in a level while destroying some blocks and avoiding/defeating the dangerous spiders that got in your way. Simple concept, collect the crystals, shoot lasers at the bad guys. Reminded me of games you would see at the arcade and a Space Invaders type game.

The controls were again a theme for me in these games. Move forward, backward, left and right seemed self explanatory, but the ship you were controlling spun around and often moved in a different direction than the arrow key you were pressing.

I am not sure the educational value of this type of game, unless you could tweak it to say a math concept where your “crystals” were numbers and you could have equations pop up on the screen and you had to shoot lasers at the correct numbers. Playing these types of games could be a fun throwback to being at the arcades in the 80’s though.

http://www.sploder.com/games/members/jkboy/play/very-easy-2/

Arcade

Haskell’s Test Game is a game that will remind you of a classic platformer arcade like Super Mario Bros. and has some familiar elements. You collect coins and can jump on bad guys to defeat them and a goal to reach the end of the level.

The first stage of level 1 is basic and a good one to give you a tutorial on how the game works and the controls. I like how the tutorial appears in chunks throughout this level. As you come across something you need to learn, the learning is provided to the player at that point. Collect some coins, jump over a couple obstacles and a couple of bad guys and you are at the end of the level.

The second stage ramps up the challenge, but it also provides you with a few different ways to approach it. This reminds me of Super Mario World type level where you can climb the vine up to the clouds and collect coins that way, go the traditional route on the ground, and there is some water along with a tunnel below.

http://www.sploder.com/games/members/boisestate/play/haskells-test-game/

History of Pixel Graphics

I recently watched the video series “Pixel Pioneers”, a short video series on You Tube created by Stuart Brown. Each video goes through a different stage of the evolution of graphics in video games.

This series was a good overview and reminded me about some of the games I enjoyed playing as a child. Some of the earliest video games used very bare bones graphics where a flickering or moving image on the screen was impressive. Today we have games using the latest technology with real life graphics and cinematic experiences.

Here are a few of the games I remember playing that were shown in the series:

Pong and Pac-Man: Atari classics that I played at some point along the way. Simple games with a goal to accomplish. Pac-man has had sequels and revisions and is still played by kids today. Pong reminds me of table hockey, quick movements to keep the object out of your goal and score points against your opponent.

Dig Dug: I don’t think I ever played the original but recall playing Dig Dug 2 on the NES. It was a Blockbuster rental one weekend (remember those?) going around digging and defeating enemies along the way.

Super Mario Bros.: A classic. I got my NES when I was about 8 and I played lots of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt which was the game that came with the system. The graphics are still nostalgic today as the platformer elements are included as bonus areas within newer games like Super Mario Oddysey.

Street Fighter II/Mortal Kombat: These fighting games were a big hit at the arcades and on the 16 bit consoles like Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. I played my fair share of these as a teenager, and they spawned a great amount of remix fighting games throughout the late 90s.

Super Mario Kart: Another favorite from the Super Nintendo days. The video described this period as the Polygon Realm, and Super Nintendo with their Mode 7 technology allowed game designers to place 3D elements on top of a 2D surface giving the illusion of a 3D world.

There was a gap in my gameplay over the next generation or so, and I reemerged during the late 2000’s with the Wii Sports and Minecraft among other similar games. During this era there was an explosion of first person shooter games, which if you look at a list of Xbox and Xbox 360 games it seems like every other game on this list is this type of game. Not my cup of tea, but alot of people do like them hence their popularity and continued production of these games. As an appreciator of history, it would be interesting to play a game where you are involved in the strategy and story of the Revolutionary War or Civil War for example.

In the 5th video, Stuart tries to answer the question do graphics matter? I think it depends on the game and what you are looking to get out of it. For me, games like Madden and NHL and WWE, having the realistic graphics makes it feel like you are in the game or at the stadium which is fun. Mostly though, if the super graphics is not paired with the enjoyable game and a great story, it can take away from the experience (not to mention the load times).

You can check out this video series here on You Tube.

The Tech Integrator