ACCESSIBLE GAMES

FOR HEALTH AND

K-12 EDUCATIONLynn Marentette, Sp.A. NCSP

School Psychologist

Union County Public Schools

May 7, 2008

http://techpsych.blogspot.com

http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

Background• School psychologist in Union County Public Schools, North Carolina• Certified in school psychology and guidance counseling • Discovered Universal Design for Learning in 2002when researching

multimedia applications and educational games for secondary students with mild disabilities who were struggling in school and becoming disengaged.– Students were strong visual learners; most were avid gamers– Some students had more complex disabilities

• Returned to school in 2003 initially to learn how to make multimedia games for hand held devices and interactive whiteboards, took first game class at Central Piedmont Community College, later studied VR for education and training.

• Graduate Student, UNC-Charlotte– HCI, Games, ubiquitous computing, etc

• Universal Usability and Pervasive Computing

My Interests

Accessible Games for Health and K-12 Education

“Technology can positively influence the method in which healthful living courses are taught in the public schools today”

-N.C. Healthful Living Curriculum

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/healthfulliving/

Child and Youth Health Risks• Number of obese children age 6-17 has

more than doubled over the past 30 years or so.

• Risk carry over to adult hood and can increase with age.

• Related physical inactivity and low fruit and vegetable consumption

• Result is an increase in health care costs.• Other risks: suicide, water safety, riding a

bike without a helmet, aggression/violence

-NC Healthful Living

Health Education Skills

• Comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease

• Access health information and promotion products and services

• Self-management of behaviors related to reducing health problems and promoting positive health

• Analyze external and internal influences on health and behaviors

• Interpersonal communication to enhance health• Decision-making to enhance health• Goal setting to enhance health

-NC Healthful Living

Existing Games

Not immersive; ok for casual mini-games

• Food Fury: Grades 3-5http://www.playnormous.com/FoodFury/FoodFury.html

Student can choose level of difficulty

University of Texas School of Public Health, School of Health Information Science, and Archimage, Inc.

• Amazing Food DetectiveKaiser Permanentehttp://www.kp.org/amazingfooddetective

English and Spanish, includes a guide for teachers and health tips for families Kaiser

Permanente

Examples of Content

Problem: How do we provide access?

• Input devices, communication devices• Accessible, adaptable content that

supports a wide range of learning strengths and needs

• Adapted activities designed to promote engagement, cooperation, and transfer of learning of skills and behaviors to daily life.

• Move from providing access to implementing universal design

ImplementationIn the Schools

• Interactive Whiteboards and Displays• PC’s, laptops• Handheld devices• Cell phones?• Stand-alone, network, or internet:

– Many schools block access to any website that relates to games, including sites about federally-funded simulation or game projects, BBC’s CBeebies switch-enabled game site, etc.

http://techpsych.blogspot.com/2007/08/on-line-switch-accessible-games-for.html

WOLFE SCHOOL ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUND

DEVICES AND INPUTS

Barriers

• Some education administrators frown on the term “games”.

• Traditional instructional technology has not been adopted well in many classrooms

• Content of applications marketed to the schools has been at the level of the “electronic workbook”.

• Many on-line educational applications lack quality, depth.• Research: Transfer of learning, generalization of

behaviors is important, but doesn’t always happen• Accessibility continues to be a problem within the

physical world.

Universal Design for LearningCenter for Applied Special Technology

CASThttp://www.cast.org

Center for Implementing Technology in EducationCITEd

http://www.cited.org/

Universal Design for Gaming?

Why Universal Design for Learning?

http://www.cast.org/publications/UDLguidelines/version1.html

Rationale:13.8% of students ages 3-21 receive special education services for various disabilities:– Specific Learning Disabilities 5.6%– Speech or language impairments 3.0%– Mental retardation 1.1%– Emotional disturbance 1.0%– Hearing impairments 0.2%– Orthopedic impairments 0.2%– Other health impairments 1.2%– Visual impairments 0.1%– Multiple disabilities 0.3%– Deaf-blindness --– Autism 0.5 Now 1 in 150 students!– Traumatic brain injury 0.1

National Center on Education Statistics (2006)

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning calls for ...

• Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge,

• Multiple means of action and expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know,

• Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.

http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html

- -CAST

Why? Games and Virtual Worlds, Therapeutic Games, MMO’s

EASE GAMES

EASe Games were developed from a listening therapy program for use with children who have autism spectrum disorders or those who have sensory or auditory processing problems.

http://www.vision-audio.com/

EduSim

• Based on Croquet• http://www.opencroquet.org/index.php/Main_Page

• Greenbush EduSim• http://roots.greenbush.us/?cat=2

• http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenbushTV

Suggestions• Provide feedback: immediate and ongoing• Provide multiple methods of input and

output• Make it intuitive- easy to understand and

play with minimal assistance, or with assistance from a peer

• Guide the guider approach- documentation materials and directions should be understood by everyone who spends time with the student, including teachers, siblings, and grandparents

Suggestions for Applications

• Provide multiple examples

• Highlight critical features

• Use digital tour guides to provide support

• Provide multiple media and formats

• Provide background information

• Support strategic learning, use UDL principles, multiple means of expression

What Next?