Virtual Worlds and Games in Education: Link to posts

If you are interested in learning more about virtual worlds and gaming in education, take a look at my recent posts on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog. Sharon Burns did an excellent job in her video overview that includes virtual worlds for children, such as Whyville.

More about Virtual Worlds in Education: Link to Edutopia's articles and resources.

Post from Johnathan Tarr, HASTAC, about Sharon Burn's Virtual Worlds Tour ( includes an 8-minute overview video)

Accessible Learning through Entertainment and Recreation Tools Alert: Resources for free or low cost games and applications

The people at Simply Entertainment/ 7-128 Software, make "mainstream, family-friendly, computer games that are designed from the ground up to be accessible to gamers with a variety of special needs, including: blindness, low vision, color blindness, deafness, and motion impairment".

They recently added a free on-line service for people searching for free or low-cost accessible computer games suitable for learning or rehabilitative environments.

According to the website, the Accessible Learning through Entertainment and Recreation service provides the following useful information:

• Where to get those games, at low cost, or for free
• What to look for in selecting those games, quickly and with fewer costly mistakes
• How to apply those games to your learning objectives, without a lot of mystery
• Who to go to for free help

"This information will be updated over the course of 2008, especially the growing series of How To articles."

Another resource on the Simply Entertainment/1-129 Software website is a section dedicated to links to 25 highest-rated websites that focus on games that are accessible for people who are blind. Many of the linked websites offer free on-line games.

Thanks to John Bannick and his colleagues at 7-128!

Games and Learning

Someone recently asked me this question:

"If you look at Sim type games, for example Roller Coaster Tycoon, these are without question games that are filled with lessons and real-world applicable knowledge. Do you think kids go into a game like this knowing they're learning useful skills?"

My response, slightly edited:

I have two young adult daughters, and I'm an aunt - my nieces and nephews ages range from 12 -19. I've watched kids play games for years. From my perspective, the younger kids DO understand that they are learning.

The missing link? Adults who understand what kids are learning, and who also have the means to help mediate this learning in a meaningful way. We don't have many tools to support parents and educators with this task.

That's why I think adults need some brushing up to do. I think all parents and educators need to read a bit of James Gee, Mark Prensky, Henry Jenkins, etc.

Ideally, all games should come with a parent/educator "friendly" set of directions, so that they can understand what the game is about, and also learn how to play it without having to rely so much on the kids.

(This concept is what I call "Guiding the Guider", a concept that applies to a variety of situations, such as the use of technology in the health care fields, including elder care.)

Personally, I'd love it if games came with a "silly adult" mode, sort of like a training mode, but with more information about the deeper structure of the game and the "lessons" that it can teach.

I also think that schools need to spend some time beefing up the curriculum to address the skills students will need in the future, such as multimedia/visual literacy and technology.

Links:
Mark Prensky
Listen to the Natives

James Gee
What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy

Henry Jenkins
Eight Myths about Video Games Debunked

Educational Games Research

Simulations and Games in Education

According to information from th SimSchool Website, "SimSchool Resources offer articles, research reports, links to human resources and multimedia, and other curriculum enhancements for teacher education. The collection is intended to support the growth of knowledge, skills and abilities needed for performance-based teaching and learning."

The Simulation & Games in Education collection has a wide range of articles by key researchers and practitioners in the field.


SimSchool is a digital library website of the Education Reform Networks, funded by the U.S. Department of Education Technology Innovations Challenge Grant and the U.S. Department of Ediucation PT3 Digital Equity Task Force.

Interactive whiteboards increase student attention, engagement, participation, and test scores!

More about interactive displays....

According to a press release from Smart Technologies, a study conducted in the UK and Europe during the years 2002-2006 found positive results regarding the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom:

"The following outcomes were among its key findings: interactive whiteboard use results in improved student performance in national tests in English, math and science, compared to student performance without interactive whiteboards; digital content on interactive whiteboards is engaging, motivating, and students pay more attention during lessons; and interactive whiteboard use encourages greater student participation in the classroom."

There are several types of interactive large-screen displays available for use in educational settings, and there are several companies working on large touch-screen displays that could be adapted for use in schools, media centers, and public libraries.

(I prefer large-screen displays/interactive boards that do not rely on an external projector)

Resources:

Link to PDF of full report: "The ICT Impact Report: A Review of Studies of ICT Impact on Schools in Europe" (Anja Balanskat, Roger Blamire, Stella Kefala, European Schoolnet.)
Resource and Research List, "Interactive Whiteboards", from the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)
Education World article "Speaking of Electronic Whiteboards?"
Large Display Research Overview from Microsoft Research (PDF)

The following is a partial list of companies that make or sell interactive displays and/or whiteboards:

SmartTechnologies
NextWindow
Promethean
Mimeo
Accenture
NEC
Interwrite

For Teachers:

Lessons and Links for Interactive Whiteboard Classroom Activities

Online interactive whiteboard activities for primary classrooms (from Topmarks Education, UK)

SmartTechnologies lesson activities for the SmartBoard

National Gallery of Art Kids

PBS Kids

National Geographic Kids

NASA Kids

Discovery Kids

Music Tech Teacher (Includes online games and music learning activities)

Flash Music Games
(some games cam be downloaded)

I'll be posting more links on the Interactive Multimedia Technology website soon.

3-D Interactive Algebra Game: Dimenxian -First Mission now available!

Dimenxian is a 3-D, immersive algebra game with a backstory, great gameplay, and engaging graphics. A great tool for reaching reluctant math students. The first mission is now available for purchase through the website. The price is about $30.00 and site licenses are available for schools. It can be downloaded or mailed as a CD.

The following is an excerpt from an article posted on the TabulaDigita website:

"Etuk started the company three years ago with co-founder Robert Clegg, an award-winning electronic game designer. Tabula Digita's first product, Dimenxian, is a first-person story-driven game that leads students through an action adventure environment while learning foundational algebraic concepts. The multiplayer educational game challenges players to accomplish several tasks - and learn algebra - to succeed, making the company's motto "learn math or die trying" all the more fitting. "We're losing a whole generation of kids to educational teaching methods that don't resonate with them," says Etuk. "I want to give kids the option to do whatever they want to do. I believe that by grabbing their attention and redirecting it to education, you can open up a whole world of options they might not have considered." Etuk says years of research on teaching math, student testing, and video game playing went into developing the games. The company has a partnership with The Princeton Review and has tested the game with hundreds of children nationwide."

Robert Clegg
Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder, Tabula Digita, Inc.
Robert is chief product officer and co-founder of Tabula Digita. Prior to joining, he founded and launched the company iStadium where he created the world's largest games. He developed games that 60,000 people in one stadium could play simultaneously. He also invented, tested, and managed the production of all computer-based products for the company, and is the sole inventor on all four of the iStadium patent applications. Robert has been working with interactive media and education since 1987, and in 1988 he started his first company, Instructional Sports Software, where he developed the first player training software for NFL football and NCAA basketball programs.

Learn Math or Die Trying: Algebra in a First Person Action Adventure Speaker: Robert Clegg (Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder, Tabula Digita, Inc.) Time/Date: Monday (October 31, 2005) 1:00pm — 2:00pm Audience level: All Presentation Description This poster session offers attendees a sneak peak into the educational video game that’s revitalizing algebra education through an immersive action adventure called Dimenxian. Initial testing of Dimenxian showed an average improvement of a grade level for all kids and two to three grade levels for those performing below average. Surveys revealed that girls were just as engaged as boys: 81 percent of all students thought it showed them how algebra works; 78 percent said it helped them learn; 89 percent said it was fun; and 81 percent wanted to keep going! Learn how students felt about the first action adventure game to teach algebra and how they performed on pre- and post- test studies. The results have surpassed expectations and provide a good indication of how the new generation wants to learn.

Convergence: Video Games and Virtual Reality for Special Needs: Autism, ADD, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Social Skills...

Why should those of us who work in school settings become more familiar with VR and game applications designed for children and teens with special needs?

The first reason is clear.
Students who have learning, behavior, or social skills difficulties are in our schools for many hours a day, and educators are responsible for effectively planning and implementing evidence-based intervention practices. We know that many students enjoy video games and computers, and are motivated by visual and interactive multimedia learning activities. We know that this is an area of serious research. (See the Teacher's TV website from the UK for a link to a 30 minute video, "The Games Children Play" regarding learning and interactive games.)

The second reason is that we must prepare for the significant increase of children identified as having autism spectrum disorders. Educators need effective tools to reach and teach these students, and students need access to the general curriculum. Traditional word-based instructional methods are not often effective with these students. These students are typically visual learners who have problems in communication, language, and social skills.

The third reason is that innovative use of technology and instructional methods can benefit "at-risk" students and those who have milder disabilities. Many of these students have problems that affect attention, concentration, retrieval, working memory, academic fluency, and so forth.

We know that "at-risk" students and those with mild disabilities have a high risk of dropping out of school. Integrating new technologies and creating new ways to use existing technologies will be a challenge, but worth the effort if more students are to provided the opportunity to successfully prepare for life after high school.

For more informatoin about dropout prevention, see the National Dropout Prevention website.

Comment:
The problem with adapting VR and game applications as interventions within the school environment is that we really don't have a road map to guide us. Something that works in a university lab, a university lab school, home, or clinic may not be as effective if it is not implemented in a well-planned manner in the schools.

What is new?
Dorothy Strickland, the creator of the interactive Do2Learn website, updated people about her work in the field of autism and other disorders at the Virtual Reality,Associated Technologies, and Rehabilitation Symposium in June 2006.
Case Study: Using a Virtual Reality Computer Game to Teach Fire Safety Skills to Children Diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Strickland)

Dr. Skip Rizzo, a key investigator in The Virtual Classroom, a VR environment that assesses ADHD in children, also participated at the symposium. The Virtual Classroom can be used to help children with social anxiety and has been modified to help students prepare for emergencies. (For more information, see the full article(pdf) and also read "A Classroom of the Mind", by Emily Sohn, in Science News for Kids.)

Sample of topics discussed at the symposium:

Autism
Facing the Challenge of Autism with Virtual Reality...Social Communication Challenges in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder...Designing Interaction with Visual Stimuli for Low Functioning Children with Autism: Criteria& Strategies to Engage Them...Can we Teach Individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions to Recodnize Emotions Using Interactive Multimedia?
Education and Gaming
Virtual Environments for Pediatric Populations
Round-table Discussion:
The Art and Science of Using Virtual Environments for Children with Autism, PDD, DCD, etc.
Related: Virtual Environments for Social Skills Training: The Importance of Scaffolding in Practice

Georgia Tech's Autism Research Group is working on innovative applications for people with autism spectrum disorders. The website has several links to resources about autism and technology.


Note:
If your school has an interactive whiteboard or SmartBoard, you have access to a tool that can be adapted to some VR and interactive learning/social skills games for use for group and classroom activities. There is a short summary of the research and benefits of the use of interactive whiteboards on the Waukesha School's website.