Trends in Digital Game Based Learning (DGBL)

What does DGBL mean to you?

Brain TrainingBy Daniel Floyd

This video was taken from: http://www.youtube.com

Chocolate Covered Broccoli

Are edu-tainment games like chocolate covered broccoli?

Discussion

• How do we harness the engagement and enthusiasm for recreational games to enhance learning?

• Quick Facts:– To date WoW players have spent 5.93 million years

playing online (that's 51,946,800,000 hours)– 3 billion hours spent playing video games globally

every week

Benefits of DGBL

• Tangential learning is possible through well-designed games.

• Games can support collaboration, problem-solving and communication in learning communities.

• Games increase engagement as they are designed to have the appropriate balance between success and frustration in order to keep players motivated to persevere. (Flow)

Benefits of DGBL

• Games often provide instant feedback and reward as students master activities or levels, and give students ownership and control of their own progress.

• Integrating game-based learning into the the curriculum allows for increasing computer literacy skills, problem solving skills and real world applications.

• Some games require systems thinking whereby students no longer look at things in terms of discrete items.

Special Needs Benefits of DGBL

• "Griffiths refers to the merits associated with using digital games with special-needs children. For example, he cites a case where video or digital games had a calming effect on a seven-year-old child with autism. Griffiths also provides research data that suggests that adolescents with attention deficit disorder may experience improvements in “grades, sociability, and organizational skills” when using educational video games" (Griffiths, 2003).

Evolution of DGBL

Evolution of GBL

• Game based learning (GBL) has been around for generations. It has evolved from traditional paper and pencil games, card and board games to include various types of digital games.

Evolution of GBL

• Source: Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Non-digital

Digital non-collaborative

Digital multi-player (MMO)

Alternate Reality GamesMobile Gaming

Edutainment (COTS)

Training/Simulation

Serious Games

Trends in DGBL

• Development of serious games by game designers• Games that have a social education component• Engaging learners in game design as part of the

learning process• Alternate Reality Games• Use of games on mobile devices

• Source: Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

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Considerations• Individualized instruction • Meeting Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLO’s)• Developing 21st Century literacy skills

http://education.alberta.ca/media/6509838/pdfimage.jpg

Let’s Play!

Critical Question

How would digital game-based learning be useful in these context? Pick one: (2 Min.)

- K-12- Higher Education- Corporate- Special Needs

What Does DGBL Mean For learning?

This video was taken from : http://www.youtube.com

Questions?

THOUGHTS?

Today's generation of learners “think and process information fundamentally differently than their predecessors.” (Prensky, 2001). “Game based learning gives teachers the opportunity to speak their language.” (Hvidston, 2011)