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Blog 8: How might video games enhance my students’ learning?

Tech For Teachers

Blog 8:  How might video games enhance my students’ learning?

Robert Dean Meili


Enhancing students’ learning through video games is not a new concept.  I remember playing Oregon Trail on my buddy’s Commodore 64 in 1983.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but I learned a little about the early American pioneers.  That game was originally designed in 1971 (before I was born according to wikipedia).  Since then, games like Math Blaster, Sim City and Lemmings, to name a few, have been teaching children and adults math concepts and the list of games continues to get larger.  As a student, I wanted to play games that were fun and engaging, that taught me about things without me realizing I was learning.  

I don’t imagine kids today are any different than I was at their age.  They want to be engaged, but have a need to be reasonably entertained or their minds begin to wonder.  I recently read a blog listing 5 reasons that video games “power up learning” (Levasseur 2011).  I’m going to paraphrase them here.  


Reason 1:  Just In Time learning.  A good game gives the player just enough information to apply what he’s learned to overcome challenges that are constantly pushing the learner to the edge of his competence.


Reason 2:  Critical Thinking.  The player enters a virtual world with only a vague idea of what needs to be done.  This leads him to explore the game to figure out how to solve the problems.  When the player thinks he knows how to solve the problem, he tests his new hypothesis.  If it doesn’t work, he reformulates it and retests it.  This is the basis of critical thinking.


Reason 3: Increased Retention.  Since games make a player think, they hold the potential for good retention.


Reason 4:  Emotional Interest.  Humans naturally have a hard time paying attention to boring things, and video games are emotionally engaging.


Reason 5:  Image Learning.  Vision is our most dominent sense, so we learn best through images.  The more visual input we experience, the more likely something will be recognized and recalled.


There are probably other important reasons to use video games as a means to convey knowledge, but I liked how these summed it up.  If there is any doubt as to the effectiveness of video games to engage learners, all you have to do is bring up games like “Call of Duty” or “Guitar Hero” in general conversations with students, and you’ll see them light right up and try to explain to you how they’ve mastered certain levels or conquered other players online.  


Reference

Levasseur, Aran “Five Reasons Why Video Games Power Up Learning” 2011.

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dean6986

I understand the meaning of differentiating the process of teaching and learning to include a variety of methods of teaching concepts to students to meet their individual learning styles.  Not only do they each have a slightly (or broadly) different learning style, but each comes into the classroom with a varying amount of experience.  Some have excellent support at home and have a work ethic that has been fostered for years, so academic success is commonplace to them.  Students on the other end of the spectrum have such chaotic lives that their academic success takes a back seat to the follies of irresponsible parents or guardians, if they have any at all.  A teacher with any experience can share stories of how adults have completely failed their children, the very children we as educators need to teach to become productive members of society.  
As always, questions come to mind…

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What does it mean to differentiate the process (content, strategies for instruction) in the classroom?

I understand the meaning of differentiating the process of teaching and learning to include a variety of methods of teaching concepts to students to meet their individual learning styles.  Not only do they each have a slightly (or broadly) different learning style, but each comes into the classroom with a varying amount of experience.  Some have excellent support at home and have a work ethic that has been fostered for years, so academic success is commonplace to them.  Students on the other end of the spectrum have such chaotic lives that their academic success takes a back seat to the follies of irresponsible parents or guardians, if they have any at all.  A teacher with any experience can share stories of how adults have completely failed their children, the very children we as educators need to teach to become productive members of society.  
As always, questions come to mind when I try to imagine doing what is written in some of the articles on differentiation.  What strategies can be utilized to meet the ever-tightening time constraints of my 45 minute class period?  How can I get through the set curriculum and still take time to meet with students individually to present the concepts in different formats.  I picture myself teaching the concept to the entire class, then directing students to individually complete an assignment.  While they are working on this assignment (whether in small groups, pairs or individually), I can call students to my desk and have them complete a problem in front of me to make sure they understand the problem conceptually, then correctly use the accompanying algorithm to arrive at the solution.  
A specific part of the article “On Target:  Stragegies That Differentiate Instruction” asks the instructor to accept that success means different things to different people.  Success will simply look different with each student.  During student-led conferences in February, I had the pleasure of informing a parent that her son has a ‘D’ in math class.  I say it was a pleasure because in the past two years that I’ve known him, he’s never had anything more than an ‘F’ in his classes.  This is a student who works hard and struggles with math.  I told him he should be proud of it, and with continued hard work he should have a ‘C’ before the end of the quarter.  
Another part of the article mentioned that for work to be considered fair for all students, it will sometimes be different for each student.  I wish there were some way to give students math homework that automatically progresses them to the point at which they get stuck and need assistance.  If I were to simply tell students to work until they get stuck, a lot would quit at the first problem.  How do I get them to persevere?  I don’t remember giving up so easily when I was their age.  
The last question I have is how do I use technology to engage students and meet them at their needs?  The answer came to me after two conclusions.  The first is I have to accept that there are some horses who won’t drink the water no matter the degree to which I had led them to it.  It’s not my job to decide who will or won’t choose to achieve, but simply to provide the resources.  Second, not all the students will have access to the same technology, so making its use a requirement would be an exercise in futility.  I can’t get my students to bring calculators to class, or a pencil for that matter.  How can I expect them to follow up a lesson with a web based video tutorial at home if they haven’t quite understood how to do it?  It must be used to suppliment what is taught in the class and will likely be used by those who have access to the technology and the desire to use it.  I have to accept the fact that these additional resources will likely be used by students who are least likely to need it, and be ok with that knowledge.

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What do I want to walk away with after learning about methods and tools I can use to differentiate the classroom environment?

One of the biggest challenges to introducing new methods of teaching (pedigogy) is the students struggling to accept it and becoming successful with its use.  I’ve found baby steps to be the common denominator with the introduction of anything new.  Regular classroom use of computers (assuming that technology is available to teachers) is a good starting point so students become familiar with working on them and submitting work through them.  With every new item introduced to the teaching arena, parents also need to be informed and on board as much as possible to avoid any conflicts.  Parents are more likely to dig their heels into any changes than students.
Another immediate challenge is students who don’t have access to any technology at home.  As fast as our society has grown in the past 20 years, in terms of the use of technology, not all of our students will have a computer at home.  Some might but don’t have access to the web.  We even have students without computers or cell phones, though they are few.  With this in mind, teaching needs to include various mediums by which to complete assignments and sumbit them, including traditional pencil and paper.
The list of challenges is a long one.  Every day that I use computers in my class, I get various tech problems, from students unable to log in, to laptops that aren’t working properly, to there not being enough laptops.  The teacher needs to be well informed of the support sites being used by students.  Khan Academy and Classzone are good ones that I use regularly, but almost never have the specific URL of the video tutorial on teaching a specific math concept, so there is considerable time spent searching for it.  A well equipt teacher will be able to give the URL for every lesson taught so students are spending a lot of time searching for it.  The easier the teacher makes it for the student to access the site, the better chance that student will actually go there and engage in learning.  Online web experts are available (askanexpert and mathforum) and should be investigated before students are referred to them.
Making changes in teaching methods to the magnitude we’re discussing here will be a work in progress.  There will be considerable IT support needed and administration needs to be in the loop on all parts of it, but the long term benefits far outweigh the initial costs of time and money.  When students begin to take control of their learning, real differentiating will take place naturally.
In the end, I want to have efficient communication with and engagement of my students, and a more streamlined method of gathering data. 

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What technology tools can I use to manage and track differentiated student progress in my class?

There are several good sites for tracking and monitoring students in a group project capacity (Wiggio, Zunal, and Edmondo), all offering tools like calendars, messaging and file sharing.  Since I don’t teach a lot of curriculum that involves group projects, these are almost worthless to me.  The closest tool I’ve found that could work for me would be electronic portfolios.  Weebly offers a what seems to be a simple means to uploading syllabi, PowerPoint presentations, instructional videos and examples of acceptable work for students to reflect on and compare their work to before submittal.  
Ignoring the fact that half my students do not have web access at home, and the time constraints to attempting to incorporate this into my 45 minute teaching time, this seems like a good way to allow students to begin to take control of their learning.  In my time as a teacher (10+ years), I’ve seen amazing evolution in our technology, which has already changed our learners.  If we, as teachers, don’t remain on the learning curve of this technology, we simply won’t meet our learners at their needs.  Right now our school is using SuccessMaker, a math program that initially tests students on very basic math and continues to progress them at their own rates.  Some students will progress 7 months in one quarter, while others will only progress 3-4 months.  If students continue to struggle with a math concept, the program will reteach it to them and give them practice before progressing them.  Due to budget constraints, students do not have access to this at home, so their use is limited to 20 minutes per class period.  These program has only been offered as remedial support to students who either failed math the year previous, or scored below proficient on the SBA test. Ideally, a program should be offered to all students.  It is usually the student who is already getting good grades and has a solid work ethic that might progress faster than his or her peers.  In my opinion, these are the students left behind that NCLB is failing.

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Blog 2: What tools might provide me insight into the learners in my classroom and how might I use this information?

I took some of the learning styles and personality tests in the resources link to determine what type of learner I am and what type of personality I have.  I figured I were to ask my students to take these tests, I should do the same.  I learned my personality type is “Guardian/Supervisor” and my intelligence strengths are evenly dispersed between several that are mainly logical in nature.  I’ve never asked my students to take such tests, as I never really placed high value in the data acquired from them.  Considerable time could be spent on determining personality types and intelligences, and in the end, how will it change my teaching?  If I don’t have faith in something, especially if that something is time consuming, I doubt my teaching will be affected by it one way or the other.  As a student of the teaching profession, I realize that goes against the philosophy of an open mind to new ways of teaching, but I’m being truthful and reflective.

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Week 1 Essential Question

I’m a little behind the curve in understanding whats necessary to be successful in this MOOC.  So my characteristics are to be willing to try new things, but when those new things don’t work, be willing to chase down my instructor and get some answers.  Another characteristic is the willingness to share my experiences with my peers to gain an understanding of what’s necessary to complete tasks and how to complete them.  Have a willingness to pass on what I’ve learned to my other peers who are struggling like me.  Above all, make sure that communication is established between me, my instructors, and my peers so there are no surprises regarding expectations of the class.