The Seduction Secrets of Video Game Designers
By Keith Stuart
Important Ideas and Implications about Video Games: How do these relate to a learning environment?
Fun/Motivation: This often engages students and helps students sustain higher levels of interest and work. Sometimes they can get carried away in the moment of fun and lose focus in the learning, but generally it helps them maintain interest in the learning and also helps them retain information.
Failure: Students need to be able to experiment, try, and have the opportunity to fail without being made to feel inadequate. Trial and error and being willing to try knowing they will have the opportunity to improve is extremely important. Having a growth mindset is vital, and failure is often a part of this.
Interesting Tools: Music, movies, markers, pens, posters, paint, computers, sand, pipe cleaners...any "tool" that is not pencil or paper can become an interesting tool to students. We may not be able to provide swords, guns, magic potions, but there is much that can be done to provide variety and interest.
Acquire, test, master - Making constant progress: This relates to the ideas above. After possibly failing they can acquire knowledge or a skill. Once it is acquired students need ample opportunity to practice a skill. Eventually the skill can be tested or assessed.
Illicit: When learning doesn't feel like work: Fun is always more fun when you feel like you are sneaking it into a serious situation. This also ties into the concept of fun and motivation in education. When learning feels more like play to students, they will work longer and better because it is enjoyable. It also may be incorporating music or artwork because again, it does not feel like work.
Reward Systems: Kids still love stickers and stamps; this is a reward system. Stars, progress charts, thumbs up, grades, and many more things can be considered reward systems. The use of 3Dgamelab directly connects traditional type rewards with rewards that are more directly related to gaming.
Disproportionate Feedback: This is a very interesting concept to apply to a learning situation. As a teacher, I do not really gush praise onto a student for the simple tasks and learning. However, when you have a student that truly struggles with something whether it is a behavior issue, getting any work done, it could be anything, we probably do come close to using disproportionate feedback. Behavior charts that focus on some of the smallest positive behaviors, could be considered disproportionate feedback.
Grade: Professional
Subject: Technology
Sub-Focus: None
Standard: ISTE 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Details: Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers: a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
