Mobile devices in themselves make us more effective, even before we
start thinking about our learning opportunities. Our brains are great pattern
matchers, but they’re not good at remembering arbitrary details. These devices
are the reverse, they can’t do original pattern-matching but they’re great at storing
whatever they’re told. Consequently, a person equipped with these devices is really
smarter than a person who isn’t supported in their tasks.” (Quinn, 2008)
The idea that mobile learning allows the learner to enhance learning at the point of instruction seems so obvious, yet I constantly observe resistance to mobile devices and BYOD. I believe this to be a fading trend, mobile technology is not a fad but a truly disruptive technology. The more I promote BYOD use in my own practice the more I see how well it works. Why should learning stop when the bell stops. Mobile devices and cloud based storage allow students access to their education anywhere, anytime. I still love the George Couros reference to the lunacy of having pencil labs. A great metaphor.
Working on assignment #2 with Sonny and Jean (developing an evaluation rubric for the selection of mobile apps) was a joy. The ease in which we used Google documents, Blackboard Collaborate and email to seamlessly collaborate and produce a working document was in a way a reflection of how we have all come in two years. Adding to that the assignment reinvigorated my iPod fleet as I adopted two new apps in Duolingo and Learn French by Mindsnacks that were both created on game based models and Learn French used a gamified model. My students are currently involved in a challenge to reach the highest level by the end of April. It’s always nice when we’re able to so easily adapt our learning into our classroom practice.
The second half of the course focused on Game Based Learning and Video Games themselves. I really enjoyed the practical exploratory nature of this part of the course. I started this unit with the readings and viewings. I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of Jane McGonigal. Her popular TED talk Gaming Can Make The World A Better Place where she explains that the rise of gaming should not be considered a negative trend but an exciting movement of unique learners whose potential needs to be tapped and focused to help solve real world problems, seemed overly positive and idealistic. While I have played video games for most of my life, I know I still possess a bias, shared by many, as part of me views them as a waste of time. Regardless, readings such as The Video Gamer’s Dilemma: Entertainment Versus Morality by Raj et al. and A Guide to Integrating COTS Games into Your Classroom by Richard Van Eck confirmed what I have long suspected, that there is no direct evidence supporting violence in games to violence in real life and that like commercially produced movies there is a role for commercial off the shelf (COTS) video games in the classroom if they are selected carefully.
For assignment #5 our group re-united again to produce an assessment tool to evaluate COTS games. During my preparation for this assignment I was extremely impressed and inspired by James Paul Gee’s video, Jim Gee’s Principles on Gaming I think I watched it three times and took extensive notes. The comparison Gee draws between sound learning and principles of excellent gaming were profound and forced me to reflect deeply on my own practice. Some of the his standout principles for me were the Co design principle and that the learner must feel like an agent, like they matter. The pleasantry frustrating principle where the educator or game designer strives to keeping the problem at the cutting edge of your regime of confidence. Finally the language, information and text principle which states that information is only useful when it is given “just in time or “on demand” made me reflect on my own delivery and practice and was great reminder on how to more successfully engage our students. For my assignment #5 game evaluation I chose the game “Civilization Revolution” designed for the iPad. I admit I spent more time playing this Risk like video game and while quite entertaining I only rated it 4/12 on our evaluation rubric as I ultimately felt it lacked a strong tie to the curriculum.
The final phase of the class focused on Minecraft a COTS game produced by the company Mojang. I have developed a deep respect for this game, but I must admit that if weren’t for the final assignment I don’t think I would have had the patience to continue playing this game as the open world format did not initially engage me. In addition the aesthetic and playability seemed clunky and overly simplistic. The lack of instruction and direction in this game initially deterred me, however I was motivated by a handful of my grade 8 students who loved the game and continue to help and inspire me. That said I am currently terrible at my Minecraft, but after 6 hours of crafting last weekend I built my first house in creative mode, equipped with a trapdoor and tunnel system that led to the highest point in the game area. I’m now working on crafting and using the furnace. After spending countless hours aimlessly wandering around the Escape from Everest module, I decided to return to basics and spent most of my time in the tutorial world. The freedom and opportunity for creativity provided by Minecraft makes it an obvious fit for engaging students. This said I’m not practically sure how to proceed as the program is not free, and I don’t think it would suit all students. For now I think it is something I would like to keep on the backburner. I’m happy to admit that sharing my Minecraft experience with my students has definitely helped me to relate and get to know a few of my students on a deeper level. I would definitely include Minecraft as a valid form of presentation for a project or as a presentation option if the opportunity arose.
In conclusion I feel that I have gained a more informed and deeper respect for the value of video games and the potential role they can play in enriching learning. In addition I feel that from the James Paul Gee principles I have also realized that the elements that make video games so engaging for many of our students are not accidental, but purposefully integrated by designers seeking to create a richer and more engaging game environment. By isolating this principles and applying them to our own teaching practice we can attempt to better structure our own programs and engage students at a much deeper level.
Gee, J. P. (2013). Jim Gee Principles on Gaming. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aQAgAjTozk
George Couros, “Inequity and BYOD”, (2013), http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/9885?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Quinn, C. (2008). mLearning Devices: Performance to Go. p. 5, Retrieved from Quinnovation: http://www.quinnovation.com/MobileDevices.pdf
Raj S., Kim J., & Kalorth N. (2014) The Video Gamer’s Dilemma: Entertainment Versus Morality, Researchers World: Journal of Arts, Science & Commerce.
Van Eck, R. (2006).Digital Game-Based Learning: It’s Not Just the Digital Natives Who Are Restless. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/digital-game-based-learning-its-not-just-digital-natives-who-are-restless