Learning Technologies and Games in Education

Question 1

MOOC (stands for)

Answer 1

Massive
Open
Online
Course

Question 2

MOOCs

Answer 2

Pros

• Variety of courses
• Free
• Self paced
• Access to education for many

Cons

• Completion rates are lower than 10%
• Students typically stop watching videos after 4 minutes
• Hidden costs of textbooks
• Hard to detect cheating
• Requires a lot of preparation ahead of time (>100 hours)

Question 3

Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Answer 3

Computed systems that provide immediate, adaptive feedback for students

Adapted and customized to student needs

Do not necessarily need teacher intervention

*Zone of proximal development

Question 4

Intelligent Tutoring Systems (how it works)

Answer 4

1. Tutor asks main question
2. Student gives initial answer
3. Tutor gives short feedback on the quality of the answer
4. Tutor and student collaboratively interact via expectation and misconception tailored dialogue
5. Tutor verifies that student understands (e.g., Do you understand?)

Question 5

Simulations

Answer 5

*Situated Cognition

Complex computer models

Simulate real world problems and authentic contexts

Can help students understand complex issues

Can allow students to conduct experiments or visualize phenomena that would not be possible in classroom

Question 6

What is a game?

Answer 6

“one or more causally linked series of challenges in a simulated environment” - Adams and Rollings

“a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome” - Salen and Zimmerman

“A series of meaningful choices”- Sid Meier

Question 7

Games as content

Answer 7

Some research shows that games can help players learn domain-specific content such as history, match, science, and language

Question 8

Games as Bait

Answer 8

Players may want to play games because of non-educational reasons, but as a side effect of playing, they learn something that contributes to their success in school and non-academic domains

One key contribution to this learning is not necessarily the game itself, but the community building that occurs outside of the game through blogs, wikis, and discussion pages

Question 9

Games as Assessment

Answer 9

Games have the potential to transform how we do assessment because the assessment is happening as the student is playing the game

The game can then inform itself and dynamically change as it assesses the students’ progresss

Question 10

Games as architecture for engagement

Answer 10

Games are socially situated learning environments that involved competition, collaboration, dynamic situations, story-telling, and constructivist situations.

As such, players are motivated to engage in games

Question 11

What sorts of things are we learning in games?

Answer 11

Urgent optimism
- Motivation & Self-Confidence

Social Fabric
- Collaboration & Social Skills

Blissful Productivity
- Flow & Happiness

Epic Meaning
- Connection to meaningful topics

Question 12

Blissful Productivity

Answer 12

A mental state of operation in which a person is performing an activity is fully immersed in a feelings of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity

*Flow and happiness

Mind and body is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile

Motivation/Engagement/Persistance

Question 13

Serious games and Simulations

Answer 13

Games that simulate real-word problems

Problem solving is the focus

Simulate real world situations and communication

Role-playing and immersion is critical

Question 14

Virtual Internships

Answer 14

Situated cognition

Authentic activity

Communities of practice

Question 15

4 key elements

Answer 15

Core problem

Characters & Setting

Activities & Deliverables

Simulation tool

Question 16

Data assessment

Answer 16

Content knowledge

Surveys

Discourse

Question 17

Overall

Answer 17

Games and technology offer opportunities to teach content and practices of a domain, create authentic learning environments, engage and motivate students, and assess students’ learning environments, engage and motivate students, and assess students’ learning and problem solving in meaningful ways