https://www.wired.com/story/ar-toys-the-future-of-play/?mbid=social_twitter_onsiteshare
http://www.thetechedvocate.org/virtual-reality-change-way-students-learn/
https://platform.breakoutedu.com/game/decoding-the-war
https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world/transcript?language=en#t-285549
After viewing Jane McGonigal's TedTalk on Gaming Can Make a Better World at TED2010, I have had time to think about what she said and how it can equate to immersive learning in a virtual classroom environment. Myself, having been a gamer in World of Warcraft and having an in-world personality in the virtual world of Secondlife, I fully understand the opportunities that virtual communities offer for effective learning. Jane McGonigal that gaming encourages "urgent optimism", or the immediate desire to tackle obstacles with a positive mental attitude just as gamers do when attempting to achieve goals within a game. It also encourages collaboration to achieve them. Gamers are always in anticipation of the "epic win." It is a really good feeling to work hard and in the end to get that big reward at the end of a difficult quest and that is where gamification in the classroom can be extremely useful.
"We are optimized as human beings, to do hard work and meaningful work. And gamers are willing to work hard all the time, if they're given the right work." - Jane McGonigal
Matthew Lynch writes in The Tech Advocate, "Because students feel as if they are being entertained with VR technology, they are more likely to immerse themselves into curriculum concepts. They can take a journey into parts of the body, for example, in ways that make the systems and their functions real life." In Secondlife, there are some universities, albeit fewer today than in previous years, who have utilized the virtual world as a way to immerse students into their studies in a 3D environment. Imagine being able to conduct a lesson on how to dissect a frog without destructive testing. No dead frogs reeking of fermaldehyde, no icky feeling when having to make the incision, and no students retching in the corner. The students can work around the 3D model, manipulate the different parts while the teacher, as a facilitator works with the students to identify them. They can text speak or voice chat within the environment. People love to talk while in virtual worlds so even the more introverted of students would be encouraged to engage in the conversation.
"Students are more likely to remember experiences where more than one sense is involved. Therefore, more concepts can be branched together while new connections are formed in the brain through different senses." -Matthew Lynch
“There's a certain satisfaction with touching something and physically manipulating it. I don't think that's going to go away. But those physical objects are going to become a lot more interesting.” - Andrew Trickett co-founder and CFO of Merge
"AR (augmented reality) experiences can be beneficial for kids, especially when the apps help kids learn something or indulge in their own fantasy play. But research also warns that these types of games, toys, and apps can fail to engage kids meaningfully, or worse, mess with a child's sense of “reality testing”—understanding what's real, and what's not. It all depends on how the AR experience is designed." -Jackie Marsh, University of Sheffield
These are all good points. Jackie Marsh's point that it depends on how the AR experience is designed is the key to being successful in implementing an AR/VR learning program in the classroom. Students will retain useful knowledge if there is proper standards planning involved. If you build into the experience around the academic goals of the core knowledge they must learn then it will become an advantage instead of a distraction.
I came across a non-AR/VR game on BreakoutEDU, the website URL is above, this particular game is a fantastic group activity. The game is entitled, "Decoding the War."
The war is at its peak and Nazi Germany is continuing to bomb London. The only way for Great Britain to get an idea of what’s going to happen next is for the team of codebreakers to decipher the encrypted messages from Germany. Your mission is to decode the war and save the world in the next 45 minutes. Can you do it?
In this game the class must break up into groups to solve riddles. Students are tasked to solve the riddles using clues about Alan Turing and the Blechley Park codebreakers who broke the Nazi Enigma code to stop the U-boat assault on American and British convoys during WWII. Students are then asked at the end to answer some reflective questions about what they learned. I have played such a game and it encourages group think, innovative problem solving skills, our class won some candy as our prize for solving the problem, and is fun to boot.
Gamification in the classroom is innovative and as time progresses will become more advanced as technology advances. It is advantageous to incorporate games into the learning environment. More schools and teachers should be encouraged to study this trend carefully and plan to incorporate them into their curriculum. Their students will find enjoyment in engaging their lessons when they know that they will receive rewards for solving the problems.
http://www.thetechedvocate.org/virtual-reality-change-way-students-learn/
https://platform.breakoutedu.com/game/decoding-the-war
https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world/transcript?language=en#t-285549
After viewing Jane McGonigal's TedTalk on Gaming Can Make a Better World at TED2010, I have had time to think about what she said and how it can equate to immersive learning in a virtual classroom environment. Myself, having been a gamer in World of Warcraft and having an in-world personality in the virtual world of Secondlife, I fully understand the opportunities that virtual communities offer for effective learning. Jane McGonigal that gaming encourages "urgent optimism", or the immediate desire to tackle obstacles with a positive mental attitude just as gamers do when attempting to achieve goals within a game. It also encourages collaboration to achieve them. Gamers are always in anticipation of the "epic win." It is a really good feeling to work hard and in the end to get that big reward at the end of a difficult quest and that is where gamification in the classroom can be extremely useful.
"We are optimized as human beings, to do hard work and meaningful work. And gamers are willing to work hard all the time, if they're given the right work." - Jane McGonigal
Matthew Lynch writes in The Tech Advocate, "Because students feel as if they are being entertained with VR technology, they are more likely to immerse themselves into curriculum concepts. They can take a journey into parts of the body, for example, in ways that make the systems and their functions real life." In Secondlife, there are some universities, albeit fewer today than in previous years, who have utilized the virtual world as a way to immerse students into their studies in a 3D environment. Imagine being able to conduct a lesson on how to dissect a frog without destructive testing. No dead frogs reeking of fermaldehyde, no icky feeling when having to make the incision, and no students retching in the corner. The students can work around the 3D model, manipulate the different parts while the teacher, as a facilitator works with the students to identify them. They can text speak or voice chat within the environment. People love to talk while in virtual worlds so even the more introverted of students would be encouraged to engage in the conversation.
"Students are more likely to remember experiences where more than one sense is involved. Therefore, more concepts can be branched together while new connections are formed in the brain through different senses." -Matthew Lynch
“There's a certain satisfaction with touching something and physically manipulating it. I don't think that's going to go away. But those physical objects are going to become a lot more interesting.” - Andrew Trickett co-founder and CFO of Merge
"AR (augmented reality) experiences can be beneficial for kids, especially when the apps help kids learn something or indulge in their own fantasy play. But research also warns that these types of games, toys, and apps can fail to engage kids meaningfully, or worse, mess with a child's sense of “reality testing”—understanding what's real, and what's not. It all depends on how the AR experience is designed." -Jackie Marsh, University of Sheffield
These are all good points. Jackie Marsh's point that it depends on how the AR experience is designed is the key to being successful in implementing an AR/VR learning program in the classroom. Students will retain useful knowledge if there is proper standards planning involved. If you build into the experience around the academic goals of the core knowledge they must learn then it will become an advantage instead of a distraction.
I came across a non-AR/VR game on BreakoutEDU, the website URL is above, this particular game is a fantastic group activity. The game is entitled, "Decoding the War."
The war is at its peak and Nazi Germany is continuing to bomb London. The only way for Great Britain to get an idea of what’s going to happen next is for the team of codebreakers to decipher the encrypted messages from Germany. Your mission is to decode the war and save the world in the next 45 minutes. Can you do it?
In this game the class must break up into groups to solve riddles. Students are tasked to solve the riddles using clues about Alan Turing and the Blechley Park codebreakers who broke the Nazi Enigma code to stop the U-boat assault on American and British convoys during WWII. Students are then asked at the end to answer some reflective questions about what they learned. I have played such a game and it encourages group think, innovative problem solving skills, our class won some candy as our prize for solving the problem, and is fun to boot.
Gamification in the classroom is innovative and as time progresses will become more advanced as technology advances. It is advantageous to incorporate games into the learning environment. More schools and teachers should be encouraged to study this trend carefully and plan to incorporate them into their curriculum. Their students will find enjoyment in engaging their lessons when they know that they will receive rewards for solving the problems.
Good connections to the articles.
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