Category Archives: Games in the classroom
Use of Video Games in the Classroom
John Kirriemuir and Angela McFarlane (2003) wrote a survey-based conference paper on how “pure” computer and video games (that is, games that are not explicitly designed to be educational) tend to be used in classrooms. Kirriemuir and McFarlane report that games … Continue reading
Posted in Games in the classroom, Research and papers
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70+ Virtual University Campuses Already in Second Life
Charles Reed, chancellor of the California State University system, has an interesting perspective on the future of education, as described in this recent cnet article. Responsible for over 400,000 students and 46,000 employees over 23 campuses, Reed envisions students becoming … Continue reading
Posted in Games in the classroom, General
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Game Authoring and Children’s Narrative Development
In a conference paper presented at the Interaction Design and Children Conference, Robertson and Good (2004) consider the feasibility and benefits of game authoring for children. Ten teenagers created their own stories in the medium of interactive 3D virtual reality … Continue reading
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Modding Games to Teach IT Skills
Video games have sometimes been touted as the gateway to increased computer literacy. Students can play games in the classroom, design their own games as a class activity (e.g. Kafai), or mod games — that is, to adapt an existing … Continue reading
Posted in Games in the classroom, Gender and gaming, Research and papers
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Kids and Game Design for Learning
Teachers realize that preparing lesson plans and the act of teaching itself causes the teacher to master the subject matter in an in-depth way. What happens when you let the students themselves become the teachers — that is, to let … Continue reading
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Video Games and the Future of Learning
In a recent paper by University of Wisconsin academics David Shaffer, Kurt Squire, Richard Halverson, and Jim Gee, the authors argue that learning is most powerful when it is personally meaningful, experiential, social, and epistemological all at the same time. … Continue reading
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Teaching German with the Sims
Ravi Purushotma at MIT is interested in how learning can foster learning and help dispel global barriers. In a recent paper in Language Learning and Technology, Purushotma discusses how games originally designed for entertainment purposes can be modified to provide … Continue reading
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Indiana teacher uses WWII game to teach history
Indiana history teacher David McDivitt used a World War II simulation game (“Making History: The Calm & The Storm” by Muzzy Lane Software) to see if students would learn more compared to using their usual textbooks. As this USA Today … Continue reading
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