scholarly journals Exploration of Video Game Construction and Student Learning

Author(s):  
Kandise Salerno

Video game construction in school environments is an emerging field of study. The National Media Consortium (NMC) suggests that playing and designing video games will become an important use of technology for kindergarten to grade twelve environments in the next two to three years. Researchers are beginning to suggest that constructing video games has the potential to transform the learner (Kafai, Ching & Marshall, 1997; Kafai & Ching, 2001; Peppler & Kafai, 2007; Salen, 2007; Squire, 2006), through higher-level thinking (Salen, 2007), analytic and conceptual thinking (Clark & Sheridan, 2010), reflection and evaluation (Dickey, 2006) and a context to learn about and with technology (Kafai, Ching & Marshall, 1997). This literature review will further illuminate the research surrounding video game construction and some of the potential roadblocks that might exist for educators looking to integrate these technologies into the school environment.

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Findley

Educational video games allow for a level of intrinsic motivation and engagement that is not found in other forms of learning. This study determines if students found educational video game play to be a motivating experience and if a relationship existed between student learning styles and levels of motivation. High school psychology students played two short online educational video games and, upon completion of the activity, their intrinsic motivation levels were determined using an evaluation questionnaire. The data, as determined by the evaluation questionnaire, revealed that students found playing educational video games to be intrinsically motivating. Further examination revealed no statistically significant differences between the student learning styles and the motivation experienced during educational video game play.


Author(s):  
Sherry Yi

This chapter is a literature review on synchronous learning in science classrooms primarily focused on the video game Minecraft (MC). The author argues that video games can and have been used as synchronous learning tools and as a means of live communication in the classroom. First, the author briefly discusses the historical foundations that has led to the modern video game industry to what it is today. Second, uses of MC and other video games in science classrooms are reviewed. This chapter also provides practical advice to education practitioners on ways to utilize video games and available lesson plans as a tool in science classrooms and offers researchers valuable insight on using video games as a means of expanding on their own research interests and projects.


Author(s):  
Michael R. Findley

Educational video games allow for a level of intrinsic motivation and engagement that is not found in other forms of learning. This study determines if students found educational video game play to be a motivating experience and if a relationship existed between student learning styles and levels of motivation. High school psychology students played two short online educational video games and, upon completion of the activity, their intrinsic motivation levels were determined using an evaluation questionnaire. The data, as determined by the evaluation questionnaire, revealed that students found playing educational video games to be intrinsically motivating. Further examination revealed no statistically significant differences between the student learning styles and the motivation experienced during educational video game play.


Author(s):  
Kandise Salerno

As a teacher and technology coach I have experienced firsthand the wonder of students playing and constructing video games, as games facilitate incredibly good learning experiences (Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Smith, & Tosca, 2012; Papert, 1980; Salen, 2007; Shaffer, 2006; Squire, 2006, 2011). Student based game construction has the potential to transform the learner and further meet the participatory demands of 21st century learning. This paper will provide teacherlibrarians with a detailed account of my own experiences with video game construction in school environments. As a guiding framework, both Miller, Shell, Khandaker and Soh’s (2010) input-process-outcome game cycle and Koehler and Mishra’s (2008; 2009) Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework will be applied to support this video game construction exploration.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-159
Author(s):  
Valquiria Oscar Teixeira

RESUMO:O uso das tecnologias nas escolas tem seu marco no final do século XX e principalmente amplia-se no século XXI. Com o avanço da globalização, a tecnologia passou a ser presença indispensável no cotidiano, e nessa conjuntura vem agregando novas formas de mediações sociais, revolucionando a comunicabilidade, trazendo em evidencia diferentes formas de comunicação e interação entre as pessoas. Este trabalho discute a relevância das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) no contexto educativo, considerando as políticas públicas responsáveis pela sua inserção nas escolas, como também a visão que os educadores possuem sobre elas e os obstáculos por eles enfrentados na utilização prática das TIC. A revisão bibliográfica sobre o tema deu suporte aos dados construídos a partir das entrevistas realizadas com três professoras de escolas estaduais da cidade de Itaperuna. As entrevistas foram baseadas na problemática de como os docentes têm visto a chegada das TIC no ambiente escolar e o que têm feito para incorporá-la em benefício da educação. Através das entrevistas e levantamento bibliográfico foi possível constatar que, com o auxilio das TIC, a escola consegue ensinar o que significa viver imerso numa comunidade de conhecimento compartilhado. Consegue, ainda, educar para o exercício da cidadania, qualificação para o trabalho e práticas sociais, como descreve a LDB. No entanto, apesar das contribuições nos aspectos sociais e de aprendizado possibilitadas aos educandos, foram observados, ainda, obstáculos substanciais que atravancam o alcance do êxito na utilização das TIC na escola. A deficitária formação docente e aspectos infraestruturais das instituições são alguns desses empecilhos.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: tecnologia; TIC; escola; formação docente; infraestrutura.  ABSTRACT: The use of technology in schools made its mark at the end of the XX century and mainly expands in the XXI century. With the advance of globalization, technology has become indispensable presence in daily life and at this juncture has been adding new forms of social mediation, revolutionizing the communicability, bringing in evidence different ways of communication and interaction among people. This work discusses about the importance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the educational context, considering the public policies, responsible for their integration in schools, as well as the vision that educators have about them and obstacles they face in the practical use of ICT. The literature review about the theme gave support to data constructed from interviews with three teachers of state schools in Itaperuna. The interviews were based on the issue of how teachers have seen the advent of Information and Communication Technology in the school environment and what they have done to incorporate it for the benefit of education. Through interviews and literature review it was found that with the help of the ICT, the school can teach what it means to live immersed in a shared knowledge community. The school can also educate for citizenship exercise, qualification for work and social practices, as described in the LDB. However, despite the contributions in social spects and learning enabled to the students, we also observed substantial obstacles that clutter the scope of success in the use of ICT in school. The deficit teacher training and infrastructural aspects of the institutions are some of the obstacles.KEYWORDS: technology; ICT; school; teacher training; infrastructure.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Shepherd ◽  
Ann Mary Mullane

Harnessing student energy for the positive use of technology in the classroom requires significant change for many educators. Students today exhibit a one-click mentality when using computers in the classroom, and are frustrated when they are not provided with instant gratification.  Gone are the reading and higher level thinking skills of the pen and paper years.  With today’s multimedia mania, students see the computer and its programs as toys, and it is extremely difficult to get them to move from toys to technology tools.  Educators are misgauging student learning when technology is involved, mainly because it is extremely difficult to assess.  It is important for teachers to tame this multimedia beast and model millennial skills, and thus guide students to focus on the computer as a tool, not merely a toy, in the process of learning.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-70
Author(s):  
Petr Květon ◽  
Martin Jelínek

Abstract. This study tests two competing hypotheses, one based on the general aggression model (GAM), the other on the self-determination theory (SDT). GAM suggests that the crucial factor in video games leading to increased aggressiveness is their violent content; SDT contends that gaming is associated with aggression because of the frustration of basic psychological needs. We used a 2×2 between-subject experimental design with a sample of 128 undergraduates. We assigned each participant randomly to one experimental condition defined by a particular video game, using four mobile video games differing in the degree of violence and in the level of their frustration-invoking gameplay. Aggressiveness was measured using the implicit association test (IAT), administered before and after the playing of a video game. We found no evidence of an association between implicit aggressiveness and violent content or frustrating gameplay.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Zendle

Loot boxes are items in video games that may be paid for with real-world money, but which contain randomised contents. There is a reliable correlation between loot box spending and problem gambling severity: The more money gamers spend on loot boxes, the more severe their problem gambling tends to be. However, it is unclear whether this link represents a case in which loot box spending causes problem gambling; a case in which the gambling-like nature of loot boxes cause problem gamblers to spend more money; or whether it simply represents a case in which there is a general dysregulation in in-game spending amongst problem gamblers, nonspecific to loot boxes.The multiplayer video game Heroes of the Storm recently removed loot boxes. In order to better understand links between loot boxes and problem gambling, we conducted an analysis of players of Heroes of the Storm (n=112) both before and after the removal of loot boxes.There were a complex pattern of results. In general, when loot boxes were removed from Heroes of the Storm, problem gamblers appeared to spend significantly less money in-game in contrast to other groups. These results suggest that the presence of loot boxes in a game may lead to problem gamblers spending more money in-game. It therefore seems possible that links between loot box spending and problem gambling are not due to a general dysregulation in in-game spending amongst problem gamblers, but rather are to do with specific features of loot boxes themselves.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Zendle

A variety of practices have recently emerged which are related to both video games and gambling. Most prominent of these are loot boxes. However, a broad range of other activities have recently emerged which are also related to both gambling and video games: esports betting, real-money video gaming, token wagering, social casino play, and watching videos of both loot box opening and gambling on game streaming services like Twitch.Whilst a nascent body of research has established the robust existence of a relationship between loot box spending and both problem gambling and disordered gaming, little research exists which examines whether similar links may exist for the diverse practices outlined above. Furthermore, no research has thus far attempted to estimate the prevalence of these activities.A large-scale survey of a representative sample of UK adults (n=1081) was therefore conducted in order to investigate these issues. Engagement in all measured forms of gambling-like video game practices were significantly associated with both problem gambling and disordered gaming. An aggregate measure of engagement was associated with both these outcomes to a clinically significant degree (r=0.23 and r=0.43). Engagement in gambling-like video game practices appeared widespread, with a 95% confidence interval estimating that 16.3% – 20.9% of the population engaged in these activities at least once in the last year. Engagement in these practices was highly inter-correlated: Individuals who engaged in one practice were likely to engage in several more.Overall, these results suggest that the potential effects of the blurring of lines between video games and gambling should not primarily be understood to be due to the presence of loot boxes in video games. They suggest the existence of a convergent ecosystem of gambling-like video game practices, whose causal relationships with problem gambling and disordered gaming are currently unclear but must urgently be investigated.


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