Games in Education
Watch Jane McGonigal's Ted Talk on how Gaming Can Make a Better World:Introduction to "Games in Education" Case StudyThe digital information age has changed the way people communicate and learn. Technology has also changed the classroom in many ways. With a new “net” generation of increasingly technologically savvy students, technology is a way for teachers to connect with, and engage learners. Video games and online gaming in particular have captured the attention of millions of people all over the world. In the classroom, digital gaming technology has emerged as a tool for teachers to engage, motivate, and inspire students. Games have the potential to “engage players in learning that is specifically applicable to “schooling;” [and teachers can now] leverage the learning in such games without disrupting the worlds of either play or school” (Klopfer et al., 2009). In the educational gaming context, players take an active role in the learning and playing process in discovering the game and determining “how, when, and why they learn” (Klopfer et al., 2009).
Digital game based learning specifically, is used widely in a number of contexts including military training, business and corporate environments, and science classrooms. Digital game based learning for history education is still relatively new, but studies suggest that digital games like Civilization III offer rich learning experiences for secondary level history students. The “storification” of history through the use of computerized games has transformed the ways in which history education is delivered (Akkerman et al., 2009). The following case study demonstrates the use of games in the context of educational technology. Discussion QuestionsRead the following Case Study and Additional Information regarding the use of Gaming in Education and answer the discussion questions below.
1. Why might games like Civilization III engage high school history students? 2. Identify some of the skills that can be developed by playing games like Civilization III. ReferencesAkkerman, S., Admiraal, W., & Huizenga, J. (2009). Storification in History education: A mobile game in and about medieval Amsterdam. Computers & Education, 52(2), 449-459.
Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., & Salen, K. (2009). Moving learning games forward. Squire, K., & Barab, S. (2004, June). Replaying history: engaging urban underserved students in learning world history through computer simulation games. In Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Learning sciences (pp. 505-512). International Society of the Learning Sciences. |
Case Study: Civilization III and the History ClassroomCivilization III, an empire-building strategy game, has been studied by education researchers to understand how computerized simulation games can enhance the history classroom. In this game, players are required to build an empire starting in the year 4000BC until the modern day. In order to create a strong and successful civilization, Civilization III players must construct cities, form militaries, wage war, or make peace, maintain infrastructure, and establish diplomatic relationships with other civilizations.
Squire and Barab’s (2004) study brought the computerized game Civilization III to urban classrooms in an attempt to engage students. In this study, Squire and Barab (2004) discuss the complexity of the process of integrating the game into the classroom and attempting to engaging students through this learning tool. In this study, the research indicates a cycle of “failure and revising strategies, which led to frustration, engagement and learning,” which ultimately led to growth and a “familiarity with game concepts and deeper understandings of relationships among history, geography, economics, and politics” (Squire and Barab, 2004). Historical simulation games like Civilization III require players to “Master geographic facts, anticipate the interactions among geographic processes, become fluent with historical concepts, and understand relationships among geographical, political, economic, and historical systems (Squire and Barab, 2004). Click here to learn more about Civilization III. Additional Info Re: The Use of Gaming in Education
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