In this module, I have learned Cooperative learning is a learner–learner interaction and It is defined as learners working together to maximize their own and each other’s learning.
I like it because it helps you to use other alternatives to engage students in class
The more I learn about gaming in the learning environment- the more discouraged I am becoming. I feel that I, as the educator, probably know less than my students do about this topic. Plus, it seems like it would be expensive.
As in face-2-face instruction it seems that the problem of how to keep students motivated and engaged is always a major issue to contend with. I also thought the idea and possibility of creating a game sounds amazing. Maybe a summer project.
I plan on using the free design software presented in the lesson to see if this is something I'd like to actually implement.
I think it would be interesting to have the students design their own game. They could do it individually or collaboratively and make it a class project. This could be quite useful for real world application for future job prosepcts as this is a potential career opportunity that may be of interest to several of my students. I think there is limitless potential when the student can be actively engaged in the creation of their own learning tool.
I find the notion of creating my own games daunting, at best. However, it's also interesting. I'm reasonably confident I can gather pre-existing resources and adapt them to fit my courses. Especially in a postpandemic world, I expect there to be some great resources available for educators to maintain technology integrations.
In this section, there is one area that I believe that everyone needs to review and know because the three challenges of collaborative gaming are important to know and to highly consider when creating your e Learning Collaborative Game.
NOTE: THIS IS A QUOTE FROM OUR LESSON.
Three Challenges of Collaborative Gaming;
- "To avoid the game degenerating into one player making the decisions for the team, collaborative games have to provide a sufficient rationale for collaboration. One technique used to avoid this pitfall is to give the players different roles and abilities so that optimal game-play depends on good coordination and decision making on the part of the players. Another technique is to make the problem sufficiently difficult so the players need to work together to solve it.
- For a game to be engaging, players need to care about the outcome and that outcome should have a satisfying result. If players do not care about the outcome, then they are not motivated enough to help each other or improve on their performance. If players find the outcome to be unsatisfying (either boring or random), they are unlikely to learn anything, understand the consequences of their actions, or want to play it again. Games require a good narrative and flow to be entertaining to the players.
- For a collaborative game to be enjoyable multiple times, the experience needs to be different each time and the presented challenge needs to evolve. People learn skills through practice. To put in more practice time, they need to be able to repeatedly play the game."
The experience of the learning game is important, it is imoportant to design in a way that learners can acheive a state of flow. Free software exists for game design, as cost can be a barrier.
I learned about a few options for developing my own games.
One of the barriers to incorporating games into the learning environment is the cost of the games. Instructors can overcome that barrier by creating their own games with free game development software.Going to have to look into this!!
The main takeaways from this module are games can be quality learning tools to enhance the online environment and further develop student engagement with the content, the instructor, and their peers. The course designer/instructor will need a clear vision of what they hope to accomplish with the game, ensure it supports the learning objectives, there is a firm grading rubric, and the desired outcomes are clearly outlined. I also believe the time commitment and game difficulty level needs to be appropriate for the course.
A top takeaway from tis section had to do with finding the blance in randomization of content -
too little and the players lose interest and too much and we could lose the student and have no relaible info for discussion
Reply to Ebony Lovingood's post: I really like the three questions Ebony :) -
As I study each section I find myself more curious about popular games such as fortnight and World of Warcraft. Games that also facility team play have also peak my interest. I'd like to investigate the feasibility of using these games for instruction. However, Minecraft education fits the requirements for implementation into a high school classroom.
I've learned the correct questions to pose before designing or allowing my students to participate.
'
I learned that games motivate learners based on Flow theory, which concerns managing challenge, control, performance criteria and feedback. There are six elements that can be manipulated to achieve this, includiing world design, system design, content design, game writing, level design, and user interface design. The more immersive a game, the more likely it is to engage learners. There are free and low cost applications available to create games and immersive worlds. Collaborative games must have controls in place to ensure teams members participate equally or according to their roles or skills.
In order for all of the students to learn, the game must be cooperative as well as non-repetitive. The students must work together and the game should be different every time so the students will not get bored with it.
You should put as much effort and scaffolding in to he games you create or select, as you would a traditional classroom lesson or group lesson.
I learned that people need motivation and ability to continue with a game; therefore, a game should be designed to address both in order to optimize what a student learns.
