Educational Games and Simulations

Lauren BeckTaylor Fields

Lynee FlemingRachel Owens

Christine Wilson

Educational GamesEducational games are games that have

been specifically designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event of culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play. This includes board, card and video games.

http://www.funbrain.com/

SimulationsSimulation is the imitation of some real

thing, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviors of a selected physical or abstract system.

http://www.learn4good.com/games/simulation.htm

http://www.download-free-games.com/download/cat/simulation/

Pros of Educational Games and Simulations Improves analytic skills and decision

making skills.Improves communication, problem solving

skills, and alertness.Improves mathematics, spelling and

reading grades. Children love games and won't even

realize that they are learning.Real life problems can be taught using

games. Fun and excitement will encourage

children to learn to their best ability.Provides real-world contexts. Increases attention span.

Pros of Educational Games and Simulations (Cont’d)Helps students “think outside the box”. Allows students to create and manipulate systems

and problems within certain parameters and without the normal constraints of time and space.

Provides a wide range of opportunities.Don’t require actual materials.Saves money. Clean and easy.Includes all content areas.Teaches students about technology.

Cons of Educational Games and Simulations Doesn’t always promote social skills and

interaction with others. Kids who spend too much time playing games can

develop bad posture and RSI (repetitive strain injury), eye strains, headaches, wrist, neck and back pains, etc.

Less active than other activities.Requires technology which might not be available

or accessible.Lack of computers might prohibit whole group

instruction.Safety issues concerning the internet. Can be difficult to monitor and assess progress.May lack differentiation.

Simulation Research“Improves motivation & interest in a subjectEnhances cognitive learning of factual information

with the acquisition of concrete meaning for abstract terms

Better understanding of processesHelps develop favorable attitudes to social issuesPositive attitude toward learning and instructional

processHelps develop communication & social skillsImproves classroom climateEnhances teacher flexibility” http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=

MvrQclp221jrv48ThNHJvVXsHzGt8MQzXhv4hy6DLV1V3xzlz2Jz!-2117024426!1719321309?docId=76947623\

Simulation ResearchSimulations can provide students engaging

experiences towards learning crisis -management, communication and problem solving, data management, and collaboration

http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/simu.php

Game ResearchGaming teaches competition strategies, cooperation and teamwork and

conflict resolutionThe effectiveness of gaming relies on the degree to which the games

simulate real lifeGames are dynamic, intrinsically motivating, and involve high levels of

involvement. They provide immediate feedback to participants, and mistakes do not result in actually losing assets

Games have been found to serve a range of functions in education including tutoring, exploring and practicing skills, and attitude change

The effective use of games differs depending on the educational areas where the games are employed. The best results were found to be in the areas of mathematics, physics, and language arts (as opposed to social studies, biology and logic). The beneficial effects of gaming are most likely to be found when specific content is targeted and objectives precisely defined

http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/simu.php

Game Research researched found when studying

700 children aged 7-16 children prefer to plan games in pairs or small groups

which then means that children are working on their social skills such as: negotiations, planning, strategic thinking and decision making 

Games used in this study Age of Empires II Bob the Builder Championship Manager City Traders F1 Championship Racing

Freddi Fish Lego Alpha Team Legoland Micro Racers Pajama Sam Putt-Putt Enters the Race RollerCoaster Tycoon Sim City 3000 The Sims The Tweenies The Settlers Uno Worms United http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_new

s/education/1879019.stm

Game Research487 5th graders found that games were more motivating

than pencil and paper activities when learning mathMotivation and conceptual learning increasedSimulation of frog 81 7th grade students found that using simulated frog

dissection resulted in significantly better understanding of the anatomy than dissection alone

 students need guidancestudents need to be challenged students need time to reflecthttp://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=143

History

Just a few places you see Educational games being used :• K-12• Universities•Military• Businesshttp://seayj.people.cofc.edu/cb/simgames.html?referrer=webcluster& http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.danielbowe

n.com/images/2004/0528-scrabble.jpg&imgrefurl

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.leapfrogshop.co.uk/leapfrogshop/info/leapster/leapster_new/leapster_400.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.leapfrogshop.co.uk/leapfrogshop/leapster.htm&usg

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.ebayimg.com/22/!BbVtTng!mk~%24(KGrHqQH-DYEqu0j%2BH!CBKvlte8Z!!~~_35.JPG&imgrefurl=http://cgi.ebay.at/BRAINIAC-K-30-Computer-50-Jahre-alt-1959-/

Flight SimulatorsThey were among the first education simulators created. There were created back in the 1940’s to help teach men how to fly planes during the war.

http://www.simpit.net/

What the game needsMaloneIn the 1980’s a man

named Malone studied video games as a strategy to make educational games.

The three elements video games had that he thought educational games should have are: Challenge, fantasy, and curiosity.

Kurt Squire

His theoryClear goal that students find

meaningfulMultiple goal structures and

scoring to give students feedback on their progress

Multiple difficulty levels to adjust the game to different learners

Random elements of surprise

An emotional appealing fantasy and metaphor that is related to game skills

DrillsIn the past computer games have been used primarily for drills and practives:• Alga Blaster• Reader Rabbit• Knowledge

Munchers

Kurt Squirehttp://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blogs.edweek.org

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/thisweekineducation/upload/2007/07/reader_rabbit/reader%2520rabbit.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/thisweekineducation/2007/07/&usg

Debate over Time

As the idea of educational video games has evolved and become more popular there has been a growing debate on how much we need to allow them in the classroom.

Kurt Squire

ConcernsCan lead to violent,

aggressive behaviorEmploy destructive

gender stereotypingPromote unhealthy

attitudesStifle creative play

AdvancedToday educational games are more advanced

and focused on simulation:SimEarthHidden AgendaSimCityDigital Weather Station

Application to Education (e.g. use in the classroom)

Games, Simulations, and Virtual WorldsGames, simulations, and virtual worlds provide educators with an opportunity to engage learners in an immersive and interactive environment that requires knowledge, decision making, and information management skills. However, the use of immersive learning environments can be controversial; their association with play and fun is often considered non-educational. Even so, games, simulations, and virtual worlds are gaining increased cultural acceptance. Research suggests that these environments can play a significant role in facilitating learning through engagement, group participation, immediate feedback, and providing real-world contexts.

Learning with Computer Games and Simulations

Computer games and simulations can be defined as interactive multimedia with dynamic elements that are under user control. They range from games that require simple, repetitive actions, such as Tetris®, to complex digital worlds. Unlike much of the currently available educational multimedia, games and simulations are highly interactive, with many user-controlled features. Although similar in many ways, games differ from simulations by including a goal or challenge.

Learning with Computer Games and Simulations (Continued)

Most people agree that video games can promote learning, although critics suggest that what is learned may be inappropriate.Video games are highly engaging, and there is great interest in how to harness their power to support learning. Educational games and simulations have been found to be effective in motivating students to learn, and games that encourage exploration may be particularly engaging to students, especially girls.

Overview of Games and Simulations Some games and simulations allow students to explore and create materials that they could not work directly with in real life. Simulations can enable students to develop familiarity with an activity before they engage in it. As an example, with Froguts students can use an interactive computer program to proceed fully through a frog dissection before attempting dissection of an actual frog. Students who use simulations report that they feel more confident in their skills when later working with real materials.

Frogutshttp://dissect.froguts.com/welcome.htmlFroguts is subscription-based software that students can use to simulate dissecting several different animals, including frogs, fetal pigs, squids, and starfish.

Students Need to be Challenged As in any learning situation, students are usually more engaged when they face a challenge that they feel they can meet. The level of challenge should match the student’s skill level. If the task is too hard, the student will give up easily, and if it is too easy, the student may become bored. Students also benefit from games that become progressively more complex and difficult. Thus, an effective game allows students to begin at different levels of challenge and gradually take on more challenge. As an example, Chucky’s Chicken Stacker is a game in which players find words with a specific vowel sound. There are two levels of difficulty, and the speed of the game can be adjusted.

Chucky’s Chicken Stacker http://pbskids.org/lions/games/stacker.htmlIn Chucky’s Chicken Stacker, available at the PBS Kids website, students identify words that have a specific vowel sound (e.g., short a). It takes 5 correct words to win the game. Students can select the speed at which the words are shown and choose between two levels of difficulty.

Reference Pagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/http://www.parents-and-kids.com/blog/en/200

8/07/pros-and-cons-for-kids-playing-games/http://searcheric.org/edu/learning-games.htm

lhttp://wanttoknowit.com/pros-and-cons-of-vid

eo-games/http://seayj.people.cofc.edu/cb/simgames.htm

l?referrer=webcluster&http://seayj.people.cofc.edu/cb/simgames.html?referrer=webcluster&

http://www.simpit.net/Squire, Kurt. Video Games in Education

Reference Page (cont’d)Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds

http://www.educause.edu/ELI/LearningTechnologies/GamesSimulationsandVirtualWorl/11263

Learning with Computer Games and Simulations http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=143