Brian Housand, Ph.D.
brianhousand.com
@brianhousand
GAME ON! Integrating Games and Simulations in the Classroom
It is estimated that by the time that today’s youth enters adulthood that they will have played an average of 10,000 hours of video games. By playing games, research suggests that they have developed abilities related to creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. Come explore the history of games and simulations in the classroom and investigate ways that current games and simulations in digital and non-digital formats can be meaningfully and purposefully integrated into your learning environment.
19. Lev Vygotsky
17 November 1896
11 June 1934
Zone of proximal
development
social construcitivism
play theory
20. In play, children are
involved in an
imaginary situation,
with explicit roles
and implicit rules.
VYGOTSKY
21. This leads to a greater
degree of self-regulation,
the children's actions
being determined by the
rules of the game.
VYGOTSKY
22. When involved in play,
children's concentration
and application to the
task are much greater
than in academically-
directed activities
contrived by the teacher.
VYGOTSKY
48. Jackson, L. A., Witt, E. A., Games, A. I., Fitzgerald, H. E., von Eye, A., & Zhao, Y. (2012). Information technology use and creativity: Findings from the Children and technology Project.
Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 370-376.
CREATIVITY
COMPUTER
USE
INTERNET
USE
CELL
PHONE
USE
VIDEO
GAME
PLAY
49. Jackson, L. A., Witt, E. A., Games, A. I., Fitzgerald, H. E., von Eye, A., & Zhao, Y. (2012). Information technology use and creativity: Findings from the Children and technology Project.
Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 370-376.
CREATIVITY
VIDEO
GAME
PLAY
68. “While most games contain a clear reward system for players (moving up a level, receiving badges or points, etc.),
what may be most appealing to educators is that games provide students
A SAFE PLACE TO LEARN FROM FAILURE.
In games, exploration is inherent and there are generally no high-stakes consequences. Children are able to
EXPERIMENT AND TAKE RISKS
TO FIND SOLUTIONS
without the feeling that they are doing something wrong.
GAMES ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO
MAKE AND LEARN FROM MISTAKES,
which is a particularly important concept in the K-12 setting.”
GAME
BASED
LEARNING
71. POINTS
Effectively Keep Score
Determine WIN State
Connection Between Progress
and Reward
Provide Feedback
External Display of Progress
Data for Game Designer
72. BADGES
Goals to Strive Toward
Guidance About Possibilities
Visual Markers of
Accomplishment
Status Symbols
Tribal Markers