After reading the comments in my last post I realized that I did the wrong chapter. I want to apologize for that. I will make sure to pay attention to which chapter I am on from now on.
With that said, this week's chapter was Chapter 7, and again, the last bit of the chapter was the most interesting and what I think I could talk about the most. So I am going to be discussing the types of digital games that the book acknowledges. Internet based games and desktop based games, simulation type games, and virtual worlds.
The first I would like to talk about is internet based games vs. desktop based games. An Internet based game (or browser based game) is a game that you can find off of the internet, while a desktop game usually comes from software. There are a lot of really good educational games for both. A good example of internet based game would be anything from the website coolmath.com. When I taught in the after school program at the middle school I was at, the middle school students would try to ask me if they could play games. When I would say no, they would ask, "even Cool Math?" Cool Math is a great website for the kids to learn math and science and some reading as well. But all of it is in the form of games. They are mostly puzzle type games and a lot of them are very familiar to games that students would play while not in school. A good example of a desktop game would be Oregon Trail or Mavis Beacon Typing software. What makes internet games better than desktop games is the fact that most of them are free. The thing that makes desktop games better than internet games is they can give you more exclusive content. So there are pros and cons to both types of games
The second thing I would like to talk about would be simulation games. I think the most popular simulation game out there is The Sims (which is one of my favorite games). The Sims have a lot of games like The Sims, SimCity, and SimTower. These games allow you to build people (The Sims), cities (SimCity), and buildings and skyscrapers (SimTower). These games teach about life, geography, economy, and finance. Although, I haven't ever seen The Sims in schools, SimCity and SimTower are both great educational games. Simulation games put the student having all control of the object.
The last thing I would like to discuss is about virtual worlds. The book gave the example of the adult game Secondlife. This is a game that I have played before. I appreciate that it stated it was an "adult" game, because I wouldn't suggest this game to any kid. In fact, I really wouldn't suggest it to adults. It's vulgar, it's very personal, and type of people who normally play this game are a little odd. I thought it was just like some game that you could play and not have to worry too much about. But I figured out it was called Secondlife for a reason. You have to devote you first life (the real one) into this game. It was too much for me. What I know my middle school kids loved was Minecraft. I know that you have to get a subscription, but my middle school kids had found a demo version and played it on Fridays when they were allowed a little computer time. The good thing about virtual world games is that it teaches you real-life situations when you may not have access to it. For instance, in these worlds you may have to get a job to get money, or plant things so that you can have food. This teaches students to be responsible.
References:
Maloy, R., O’Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Schaffhauser, D. (2013, September 10). Will Gaming Save Education, or
Just Waste Time? -- THE Journal. Retrieved September 28, 2014, from
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/09/02/Will-Gaming-Save-Education-or-Just-Waste-Time.aspx?Page=1
Like your Picktochart! You not only captured the essence of the infographic as a tool, but you provided some great information. :) Also appreciate that you initiated some additional research of the topic in another resource.
ReplyDeleteIn reviewing your post, it becomes apparent that no matter what kind of gaming, one must evaluate it for effectiveness as related to learning. About seven years ago, Second Life had an "Educational" stance and many of us were out there (myself including) learning and creating, etc. I will concur that it was way too time-consuming. And, if you were not headed to an appropriate destination, I can see how you could wander to places that were less than relevant. At the time, schools could create their own areas with student accounts limited to whatever place the schools created. I think Minecraft is a more relevant environment!! :)