Found a site, thus we have submitted our contribution for Monday's class. http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/gappspaper1.pdf ... basically, defines the possibility of using video games as learning/teaching tools in the future.
The common perception of video games as a medium is that they are and can only be used for the purposes of entertainment. In our reading, we have uncovered many other (and arguably more useful) applications. Our main focus in this project will be to further uncover and explore these alternate applications and evaluate their effectiveness as mechanisms that facilitate learning, or more specifically, individual learning. Learning takes on many different forms and occurs in many different environments. In the context of video games, the majority of learning is done on an individual basis (i.e. I learn more and more as I complete each level of game X). In many of the papers that we’ve reviewed, the contention of the authors is that a person can learn much about an environment by interacting with an abstraction or simulation of that environment. For example, “A person playing Lineage can become an international financier, trading raw materials, buying and selling goods in different parts of the virtual world, and speculating on currencies. A Deus Ex player can experience life as a government special agent, where the line between state-sponsored violence and terrorism are called into question.”(http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/gappspaper1.pdf, p. 4). A question arises from that example: “Can video games be constructed in such a way that they teach the user practical and useful information about reality?” Our contention, shared and supported by the research that we’ve read, is that this is possible. The information that we’ve gathered thus far has encouraged further exploration, and we will pursue the following lines of research: 1. What teaching applications would be best suited to learning via video games? 2. Are there settings outside of the classroom (but still in reality) that lend themselves to learning via video games? 3. Will video games be effective teaching tools for people that have had no prior exposure?
In our first progress report, we described our views of the research and analysis of the information that we had seen. At the end of that progress report, we proposed following three lines of research, which consisted of: 1. What teaching applications would be best suited to learning via video games? 2. Are there settings outside of the classroom (but still in reality) that lend themselves to learning via video games? 3. Will video games be effective teaching tools for people that have had no prior exposure? Our progress since the first report has been pursuant to the three lines listed above. More specifically: 1. We have determined that the most effective applications of video games as learning tools are in situations where learning occurs as a byproduct of an enjoyable activity. For example, consider the computer game (from the 1980s) called Word Cruncher ©. From the player’s point of view (usually a small child), the object of the game was to accumulate points and advance through the levels. However, the parents buying the game knew that in order to accumulate points and advance, a player needed to correctly spell words that were audibly presented though the speakers of the computer. So, the player thought that they were playing an enjoyable game, but as a byproduct of the experience the player became a better speller. 2. There are many settings that lend themselves to learning via video games. For example, many pilots learn how to fly long before they ever take-off in a real plane by virtue of flight simulators (a very specific type of video ‘game’). Additionally, sporting games can teach the player many specific rules and strategies that they may not have otherwise been exposed to. There are several other examples that illustrate these situations, but they will appear in the final report. 3. We have encountered conflicting evidence on this subject. In some cases, it appears that prior experience allows a person to learn new information more quickly, while in others it appears that the best learning experience occurs in people that have no prior conception of the subject. We have a few examples that support either side of this claim. In the next couple weeks, we plan on gathering more information pursuant to the three lines of research listed above. dlc independant research final report.doc Ryan Coyer, Aaron Schram Independent Research, CSCI 4830 DLC Final Report, submitted 4/18/2005 The common perception of video games as a medium is that they are and can only be used for the purposes of entertainment. In our research, we have uncovered many other (and arguably more useful) applications. Our main focus in this project was to further explore these alternative applications and evaluate their effectiveness as mechanisms that facilitate learning. We have focused our research on two areas, which will be defined and elaborated upon later. Learning takes on many different forms and occurs in many different environments. In the context of video games, the majority of learning is done on an individual basis (i.e. I learn more and more as I complete each level of game X). In many of the papers that we’ve reviewed, the contention of each author is that a person can learn much about an environment by interacting with an abstraction or simulation of that environment. For example, “A person playing Lineage can become an international financier, trading raw materials, buying and selling goods in different parts of the virtual world, and speculating on currencies. A Deus Ex player can experience life as a government special agent, where the line between state-sponsored violence and terrorism are called into question.” (http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/gappspaper1.pdf, p. 4). Questions inevitably arise from such an example, and in this case we ask the following: “Can video games be constructed in such a way that they teach the user practical and useful information about reality?” Our contention, shared and supported by the research that we’ve read, is that this is plausible. The information that we gathered encouraged further exploration, and we pursued the following two lines of research: 1. What teaching applications (related to school) would be best suited to learning via video games? 2. Are there settings outside of the classroom (but still in reality) that lend themselves to learning via video games? The rest of our report will address the two questions listed above. 1. Teaching and Classroom situations: We determined that the most effective applications of video games as learning tools are in situations where learning occurs as a byproduct of an enjoyable activity. Research found youngsters learned more effectively from information presented in audiovisual form such as a video game than from facts on a printed page. For example, consider the computer game (from the 1980s) called Word Cruncher©. From the player’s point of view (usually a small child), the object of the game was to accumulate points and advance through the levels. However, the parents buying the game knew that in order to accumulate points and advance, a player needed to correctly spell words that were audibly presented though the speakers of the computer. So, the player thought that they were playing an enjoyable game, but as a byproduct of the experience the player became a better speller. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/730440.stm) Another excellent example of a successful educational game was MECC’s The Oregon Trail©. The basic idea of the game was very simple: successfully navigate the Oregon trail without losing your life or the lives of your travel companions. More importantly, the game also managed to teach you a thing or two about the frontier era by presenting you with rudimentary concepts about how people in that time lived and by also presenting bits and pieces of information about various landmarks that were found along the trail. Of course, if you asked someone who played the game, he or she wouldn't admit to having learned anything from it. Deep down, however, he or she learned about geography, geology, history and anthropology simply by playing an enjoyable game. (http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features all/greatestgames/p-34.html) 2. There are many settings that lend themselves to learning via video games. The most fascinating area that we researched involved the use of video game based simulation tools used in military settings. We first investigated the use of combat simulation tools and how they will be used in the future to train Marines. More specifically, a game entitled ‘Close Combat – First to Fight’. The game allows the player to assume the role of a modern American Marine leading a fire team engaged in close-quarters urban warfare in the Middle East. The game was developed with the assistance of more than 40 veterans returning from active-duty (many in combat situations) in Iraq and Afghanistan. The game uses psychological modeling and realistic Marine tactics. The game has been tested for accuracy and realism by many Marines. The fact that the USMC is willing to invest in what amounts to a very sophisticated video game as a training tool attests the variety of learning applications that can be adapted to video games. (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/mc/20050406/tc_mc/closecombatfirsttofightshipsinapril) (http://www.firsttofight.com/flash/index.html) Flight simulators have been around in a number of forms for many years. The most famous consumer simulator – the Microsoft Flight Simulator – has been around since 1979. Applications to the science of war are evidenced by their widespread use throughout the Air Force. In a testament to their utility, Lt. Col. Jeff Carr, a former fighter pilot who now works for an Air Force simulation lab said “This is not amusement. What we are after is better decisions, better skills for the warfighter… The vision is to create a synthetic battlespace. Computer blending of the real and synthetic is under serious consideration by Air Force leaders as a peacetime tool to train aircrews in mortal combat without risking casualties. In cyberspace, no flying restrictions exist, and the only limits are the capabilities of pilot, plane and tactics.” In other words, flight simulators allow pilots to not only develop and perfect the skills that they need to fly and fight their aircraft, but they allow the pilots to do so without risk to man or machine. (http://www.af.mil/news/airman/1198/road2.htm) (http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123006356) (http://fshistory.simflight.com/fsh/start.htm)
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