EDIM516 - Gamification in the Classroom

The Pro’s & Con’s of Gaming in the classroom –

How can you determine whether an educational game is worthwhile in the classroom?  Business simulations have been around for years and some provide real-world scenarios similar to the work-world and some of them are a waste of time.  According to Sylvia Martinez, “The pinnacle of using games in the classroom is for students to be able to program their own game.” I agree that if you can personalize or customize a game for students in your class then you can target individual student needs.  Sylvia also mentioned that educational games should be fun, social and encourages problem-solving skills. I also think that the game should add value to the lesson and not be used as an introduction or reinforcement activity.  As I examine several educational games, I will consider these factors and not bedazzled by the hype of using a game in the classroom.

The first game that I reviewed is Everfi.org Financial Literacy program.  The Financial Literacy program has 10 interactive modules on Personal Finance topics.  It is a learning platform that uses video, animations, 3-D gaming, Avatars and a real-life simulation for high school and college money management preparations.  The positives of the Financial Literacy program are that the content is designed to align with National standards on Financial Literacy.  The information in the course content does align with both National and State standards.  Students work individually and take a pre-assessment, complete learning modules, interactive activities and a post-assessment. Narrators guide students through the learning process.  Students can retake the post-assessment quizzes as many times as they want. Students are prompted to problem-solve and the modules are adaptable for each student. The last step is to complete an interactive simulation for managing money in high school and college.  Students are prompted to analyze the situation and problem-solve.  The 3-D interactive environment is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and at a simulated bank.  One of the negatives is that Instructor learning materials are not provided.  It would be helpful to stop and teach or guide students through certain segments.  The teacher version is the same as the student and you cannot stop and have students answer questions or reflect on the learning process.  The teacher login does have easy access to student scores on each module. 

The second game that I look at is available on an ipad or iphone as an app.  The program is also a financial literacy program for teens.  The program is called Thrive n Shine” and it is a cutting-edge interactive game designed to teach financial responsibility to young adults.  The CEO of the startup company, Jason Young, has been appointed by President Obama to spearhead a special advisory council on Financial Literacy for young Americans.  Jason’s Young as CEO of MindBlown Labs, said, “I am honored by this appointment. I have had an intense passion for financial capability since my family was evicted from our home during the winter break of my sophomore year at Harvard. Now, I am working with my team at MindBlown Labs to empower 20,000,000 teens and young adults to become financially capable by the year 2020. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to achieve this goal alongside some of the foremost thinkers and leaders in this field.”

The game is a mobile, realistically based game that includes social interactions among players to help them develop financial literacy skills. In the game, players create an avatar, choose a career, and manage their own virtual lives where everything, from clothing and housing to career and social life, is customizable. Students play mini-games to earn “Money,” “Skill,” and “Reputation,” which help them move through their fantasy lives and careers. The game promotes the ability to make progress through the game quickly with good decisions.  Students say that the game is very exciting and they have a great amount of freedom and creativity and they enjoy the social interactions.  Something that was not mentioned is any instructional material for the teachers. Grading was also not mentioned at the website.

What I take-away from this is that using a computer or technology can add interest but their needs to be so much more that students gain from gamification in the classroom.  First, a social aspect needs to be integrated into the learning modules of the game.   Students can work together to answer questions or solve the interactive problems.   Students can work together to discuss what they learned and compare classroom-learning styles versus the gaming program.  Also, using the gaming software provides students with an opportunity for a do-over.  Being able to complete a module and assessments again and again without any penalties is a positive characteristic of gaming.  Students often do not have the same opportunity in the tradition class environment without having their grade affected.

References

Games in Education – Resources for the K-12 classroom, article by Sylvia Martinez. 2008. Available online at http://gamesinedresources.wikispaces.com/home.

Everfi – Financial Literacy, 2014 Everfi Inc. Available online at http://www.everfi.org.

Oakland Edtech Startup on Path to Impact 20,000,000 students – MindBlown Labs CEO joins Presidential Advisory council. May 29 2014. Available online at http://www.mindblownlabs.com.