G E R A L D I N E S H I KO R AC I T Y U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W YO R K

AT

Q U E E N S C O L L E G E   

PROFESSOR MURFINSEYS 777

  

DECEMBER 11 , 2012

G S H I KO R A @ G M A I L . C O M 

 

Digital Educational Games: Just For Fun or Cognitive Learning Tools?

The research in this project will serve a twofold purpose:

• It will provide a literature review of the significance of incorporating digital games and digital simulation games, as educational teaching tools into the science classroom.

• It will provide the theoretical framework for an action research study to investigate the use of a specific web based game, The Blood Typing Game, as a teaching tool.

Questions for Investigation.

• Can educational digital games and digital simulations be incorporated into a lesson, as useful teaching tools, when teaching science content?

• Can these tools be useful for teaching 21st Century skills in the science classroom?

• Does playing such educational digital games and digital simulations foster the cognitive skills students need in an inquiry based science classroom?

Conclusions from Literature Search on the Blood Typing Game

Conclusions from Literature Search on the Digital Games & Digital Simulations

T O C A P T I VAT E T H E AT T E N T I O N , M O T I VAT E A N D E D U C AT E T H E S E D I G I TA L N AT I V E S W E M U S T C O M M U N I C AT E W I T H T H E M I N T H E I R O W N L A N G UA G E . ( P R E N S K Y, 2 0 0 5 ; S P I R E S , 2 0 0 8 )

P E O P L E A C Q U I R E N E W K N O W L E D G E A N D T H E C O M P L E X S K I L L S R E Q U I R E D O F G A M E P L AY W H I C H S U G G E S T S T H AT G A M I N G C O U L D H E L P S T R E N GT H E N O U R S Y S T E M O F E D U C AT I O N A N D P R E PA R E W O R K E R S F O R 2 1 S T C E N T U RY J O B S . N O RT O N , & H AT H AWAY ( 2 0 1 2 ) ,

Digital Natives&

21st Century Learning Skills

GAME “ A G A M E I S A N A RT I F I C I A L LY C O N S T R U C T E D , C O M P E T I T I V E A C T I V I T Y W I T H A S P E C I F I C G OA L , A S E T O F R U L E S A N D C O N S T R A I N T S T H AT I S LO C AT E D I N A S P E C I F I C C O N T E X T. ”

H AY S ( 2 0 0 5 , P 1 5 )

D IGITAL GAME

“ R E F E R S T O A N Y T Y P E O F G A M E P L AY E D O N L I N E , O N A C O M P U T E R , C O N S O L E , O R V I A A H A N D H E L D D E V I C E ” ( S A R D O N E & D E V L I N -S C H E R E R , 2 0 0 9 , P 4 8 )

Digital Games

THE DEFINIT ION OF SCIENCE-S IMULATION SOFTWARE CAN BE DIV IDED INTO TWO CATEGORIES:

V IRTUAL LABORATORIES &

SIMULATIONS OF SCIENTIF IC PHENOMENA. S C A L I S E , T I M M S , M O O R J A N I , C L A R K , H O LT E R M A N N , & I R V I N ( 2 0 1 1 )

Digital Simulations

Science Literacy and the Science Classroom

• It is essential to engage and enable students to act as real –world scientists do, by giving them the opportunity to learn technological skills.

• It is the ultimate mission of the educator to provide a learning environment which allows students to feel like scientists and to learn by doing(Gabric et al., 2005)

• In designing and managing the learning, environment, teachers must make available science tools, materials media and technological resources to their students. (Olson & Loucks-Horsley, 2000)

• CONTENT WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE CURRICULUM

• COGNITIVE SKILL BUILDING THEORIES WHICH SUPPORT THE UTILIZATION OF SUCH DIGITAL GAMES AND DIGITAL SIMULATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM.

• GAME DESIGN

What should teachers look for when selecting a digital game as a

teaching tool?

Game Design

Formal methods are employed by game designers when planning the content and features of a game. The ultimate objective of game design is to produce an immersive and entertaining game (Gunter, Kenny, & Vick, 2008).

Game Design Models

Game Design Model Author(Year)Relevance Embedding Translation Adaptation Immersion & Naturalization (RETAIN) model

Gunter, Kenny, & Vick, ( 2008)

An Action Plan: Design Principles Framework for Simulations and Virtual Laboratories

Scalise, Timms, Moorjani, Clark, Holtermann, & Irvin (2011)

Computer Games and Literacy Integrated with Content Knowledge, (CLICK) is a model which emphasizes game play, complex text and game design to promote student learning

Norton & Hathaway (2012)

Ak, (2012) develops an educational game design model which consists of learning inputs, game cycles and learning outcomes to determine what aspects of games make them effective learning tools. Ak synthesizes his model by combining the Input- Process-Outcome structure designed by Garris, Ahlers, and Driskell, (2012) with the elements of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, Boyatzis, & Mainemelis, 1999)

Ak (2012)

Paras and Bizzocchi (2005) explain how games can act as effective learning environments by creating a model which integrates game, motivation and effective learning into the educational game design.

Paras and Bizzocchi (2005)

Limitations of the Study

Conclusion

Educators of the 21st Century can now ease their concerns because students are having fun while receiving a quality educational experience.

Handouts

The following slides will serve as supplemental handouts to the presentation.  They are not intended to be part of the PowerPoint presentation.

This first part of this literature review will define and discuss the implementation of such digital games in the science classroom:

• Provide definitions of digital games and digital simulation games.

• Discuss science literacy in the science classroom.

• 21st century learning skills.

• Cognitive skill building theories which support the utilization of such digital games and digital simulations in the classroom.

• The design of such games.

• Limitations of their implementation.

The second part of this study will be an action research study which will investigate the use of The Blood Typing Game, a Web-Based Educational simulation game found on the Nobelprize.org website, in a high school Living Environment educational setting.

• The Blood Typing Game-Literature Search

• Nobelprize.org

• The Blood Typing Game-Historical background.

• The Blood Typing Game –Playing the Game.

Methods used for The Blood Typing Game-Literature Search

The following databases from the Queens College Library were utilized; ERIC,

Google Scholar, PsychInfo and Teacher Reference Center. SEARCH LITERATURE GOAL DESCRIPTORS RESULTS

1 Any games from nobel.org

&The Blood Typing Game

Virtual and simulations and Nobel Prize, Virtual and games and Nobel Prize. EXPANDED TO INCLUDE 3RD DESCRIPTORNobelprize.org, high school education, science education, and virtual technology

Lennon, 2010/Article on Nobleprize.Org Immune System game.

2 The Blood Typing Game

Digital games and blood typing  MODIFIED SEARCHThe descriptor blood typing was replaced with the descriptors blood, blood groups, and blood transfusions.  

Sardone, 2009 &Sardone, 2010 Both articles include The Blood Typing Game as part of reference list with minimal discussion.  

3  The Blood Typing Game

&Teaching Blood Groups

Nobel Prize and educational games and blood typing.  MODIFIED SEARCHRepeated using the descriptors games and blood groups, games and blood transfusions, games and blood, games and the circulatory system. and education.

No Results

4  The Blood Typing Game

&The Designer of the Game

Producers of the game, Lina Goransson, Mirek Labedzki and Karin Svaholm were searched. MODIFIED SEARCHLina Goransson and the Blood Typing Game and Nobel Prize MODIFIED SEARCH2012 best game category by Swedish learning Awards and Blood typing

No Results

SEARCH LITERATURE GOAL DESCRIPTORS1

Digital Games & Digital Simulations

Virtual Games and Science Education

 Virtual simulation Games and

Science Education 

Modified to include third Descriptor

High School  

221ST Century Skills

Technology and 21st Century Skills 

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

3

Cognitive Skills

Virtual Games and Science Education and Cognitive Skills

 Virtual simulation and Science Education and Cognitive Skills

 Modified to include third

DescriptorHigh School or Learning or

Learning Theories or Instructional Games

 

Methods used for Literature Search on Digital Games & Digital Simulations

The following databases from the Queens College Library were utilized; ERIC, Google Scholar, PsychInfo and Teacher Reference Center.

Instruction should include four elements:

(1) Instruction must be designed to support specific instructional objectives, which are determined by job requirements.

(2) Instruction must include the opportunity for a learner to interact with the instructional content in a meaningful way.

(3) The student's performance must be assessed to determine if he or she has learned what was intended.

(4) Finally, the results of the assessment must be presented to the student in a relevant and timely manner to either reinforce correct actions or to provide remediation for incorrect actions.

If these four elements are not present, we are not dealing with instruction (Hays, 2005).

Name of Game Nobel Prize in Physiology or

Medicine

Blood Typing 1930 Nobel Prize for the discovery of human blood groups.

Control of the Cell cycleThe 2001 Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning the control of the cell cycle.

Diabetes and InsulinThe 1923 Nobel Prize for the discovery of the hormone insulin. The discovery made it possible to treat people suffering from diabetes.

DNA-RNA-ProteinInformation not provided.

DNA The Double HelixThe 1962 Nobel Prize awarded for the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA – the double helix. 

Ear PagesThe 1961 Nobel Prize awarded for the discovery of how sound is analyzed and communicated in the cochlea in the inner ear.

ECG/ElectrocardiogramThe 1924 Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of the electrocardiogram, ECG.

Immune SystemThe 1908 Nobel Prize awarded for identifying certain body cells engulfing bacteria and for work on trying to explain how antibodies are formed in the body.

Games from Nobelprize.org

Immune ResponsesThe Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have rewarded several achievements that helped to reveal the mysterious complexities of the immune system. 

MalariaThe 1902 Nobel Prize awarded for the discovery of the 1907 causing malaria and the 1907 Nobel Prize for finding the parasite in human blood. 

MRIThe 2003 Nobel Prize awarded for discoveries concerning MRI - magnetic resonance imaging. 

Nerve SignalingThe Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have rewarded several achievements that helped to reveal the mysterious complexities of the nervous system. 

Pavlov’s DogThe 1904 Nobel Prize explores the scientific achievements of Ivan Pavlov, awarded with for his pioneering studies of how the digestive system works.

Split Brain ExperimentsThe 1981 Nobel Prize awarded for discoveries in the 1960s concerning differences in the right and left brain hemispheres.

The Cell and its OrganellesThe 1974 Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine developed methods that made it possible to see and identify organelles, the specialized compartments inside all our cells. 

The Genetic CodeThe 1968 Nobel Prize for work on the genetic code and its role in protein production.  

TuberculosisThe 1905 Nobel Prize awarded for investigations and discoveries concerning the disease tuberculosis, or "TB".

VitaminB1The 1929 Nobel Prize awarded for pointing out a substance in rice skin, which was later discovered to be vitamin B1. 

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1930

Karl Landsteiner “for his discovery of human blood

groups".

Photos: Copyright © The Nobel Foundation