Game-Based Learning in Industry

So far, in this blog series, I’ve discussed the uses and effectiveness of game-based learning in schools and in the military.  In both of these realms the use of gaming for learning is a perfect match.  School students from preschool through college are digital natives and are, in most cases, familiar and adept with the use of gaming systems.  Today’s new military recruits are also most likely digital natives and many have been gaming for years before joining a chosen military branch.  Gaming provides a cost effective, low-risk, evaluative, and highly engaging way for students and military recruits and personnel to learn information and skills.  This is also why game-based learning has increased in frequency and usage in an industrial setting.

Photo Provided By: Chris Devers

Many employers now use game based learning to recruit and train new employees, and to sharpen the skill sets of existing employees.  Corporations like Aetna Insurance, Cold Stone Creamery, Marriot Hotels, Canon, Cisco Systems and many others are using game-based training, in addition to traditional training methods to teach employees sales techniques, customer service skills, management techniques, and how to use delicate equipment. The healthcare and airline industry are also well-known for using simulators for surgeons to practice difficult operations before performing them and for pilots to train in flight.  A University of Colorado Denver Business school study found that employees trained on video games do jobs better, have higher skills and retain learned information longer than employees trained by traditional methods (UCD Business School).

  Game-based instruction in industry works for many of the same reasons that it works in schools and in the military.  It takes advantage of the use of multiple intelligences, so there’s something that will reach everyone.  Games are engaging and motivating and the learning taking place while playing them is active.  It is easy to weave storytelling into a game.  An example of this would be weaving the history of the corporation, or other information that an employee should know, into game’s storyline. Additionally, gaming provides nearly immediate learning of needed skills (Brink).

The amazing thing about teaching with gaming in industry is that it doesn’t just seem to be the digital natives who benefit from game-based learning.  According to researchers from the 2006 Serious Games Summit, employees of all ages seem to enjoy and benefit from gaming (Brink). Based on the success that it is having so far, chances are that game-based learning in an industrial setting will continue to be a growing trend.

                                                  Sources:

Brink, Laura.  “Game-Based Learning for the Corporate World.” Training Magazine. May 7, 2012. Web

http://www.trainingmag.com/content/game-based-learning-corporate-world

Trybus, Jessica. “Game-Based Learning, What it is, Why it Works and Where it’s Going.” Carnegie Mellon University. Web.

http://www.newmedia.org/game-based-learning--what-it-is-why-it-works-and-where-its-going.html

“Study Shows that Employees Learn Best from Video Games” University of Colorado Denver Newsroom Website. Oct. 19 2010. Web.

http://www.ucdenver.edu/about/newsroom/newsreleases/Pages/Videogamesmakebetteremployees.aspx

Using Game-Based Learning to Prevent and Lessen Symptoms of PTSD in Soldiers

Photo Provided By: Laura Biron

The US Military is the largest spender and user of game-based learning technology.  They use gaming programs like “America’s Army” for recruitment, as well as other programs and simulators for training. While these games and simulations give their users career and munitions knowledge, they do little to prepare troops for the grisly realities of war.  The US Military estimates that 10 to 20 percent of US service members who return from war develop PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from the overwhelming experiences that they have while in combat (Biron). PTSD caused by war can have devastating consequences to the sufferer. Small triggers like a sound or smell can be prompts for the sufferer to relive traumatic events in the form of flashbacks.  People with PTSD often suffer from depression, anxiety, detachment, and hyper-arousal that causes them to always be on edge.  They are also more likely to be unable to hold a job and suffer alcohol and drug problems (NIH).  In recent years, the military has developed game-based technology to prevent PTSD in soldiers before they enter combat situations and they have also developed game-based technology for returning soldiers to use in therapeutic settings to lessen existing PTSD symptoms.

The US Military is attempting to avoid PTSD in their troops before they ever encounter a war situation through the use of gaming. With funds from U.S. Military, a team of scientists in the virtual reality lab at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies wants to ready troops for mental trauma before they are ever deployed overseas. It is developing virtual gaming re-creations based on war stories shared by veterans who have returned from real wars.  This technology exposes troops to more realistic, bloodier and more heart-wrenching versions of battle than traditional video games do (Hsu).   The difference is, that in the midst of these gory scenes, a virtual teacher/counselor appears on the screen to talk the soldier through the grisly situation. The hope is that the instructions of this virtual teacher/counselor will calm the soldier and cause their helpful information to be more likely to be committed to memory while the soldier is in a heighted state of arousal (Hsu).  Getting used to the realities and emotions of what might happen in battle can better prepare the soldier and, hopefully, prevent PTSD from occurring.

The use of virtual gaming can also be beneficial to soldiers who have returned from war and are experiencing symptoms of PTSD.  Many sufferers of PTSD have difficulty sharing and talking about their war experiences with others.  It is very necessary for them to talk about their time at war in order to dissect their situation and begin the healing process.  One therapeutic PTSD tool that seems to be showing success is the Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan program. It is in place in close to 50 hospitals and clinics across the U.S (Biron). In a therapeutic setting, soldiers play games that simulate the sights, sounds, and even the smells of a battle situation.  Participating in these games triggers memories and emotions that the suffering veteran has suppressed.  Once these emotions have surfaced they can be discussed with a therapist and hopefully healing will occur.

Game-based learning plays a huge role in the recruiting and training of US Military troops.  It is encouraging that it can also be used in the prevention and treatment of PTSD.   

                      

                                                                         Sources:

  

 Biron, Lauren. “Virtual Reality Helps Service Members Deal with PTSD.” Defense News.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120611/TSJ01/306110003/Virtual-Reality-Helps-Service-Members-Deal-PTSD

National Institute of Health. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001923/

Hsu, Jeremy. “ For the US Army Video Games Get Serious.” Live Science. August 19, 2010.

http://www.livescience.com/10022-military-video-games.html

The Use of Game-Based Learning in the Military

 

        We’ve learned that game-based learning is highly beneficial and motivational in a school setting.  With the vast influx of technology, classrooms of the not too-distant-future are expected to rely more and more on learning via digital means.  Schools are not the only institutions taking advantage of the motivational and memorable benefits of game-based learning.  Each year, the United States Military has the responsibility of recruiting and training new soldiers to fill the ranks of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.   The US Military has been on the cutting edge of digital technology for many years, so it’s no wonder that they use game-based learning as a tool to lure recruits and train new soldiers.  In fact,” the US Military is the world’s largest spender on, and user of, digital game-based learning” (Prensky).

                  Each year the US Military is responsible for training 2.4 million serving men and woman, and over 1 million civilians, with a high turnover rate. These people are trained in 150 military jobs with thousands of occupational specialties and subspecialties.  The majority of new soldiers entering the military are usually high school graduates or non-graduates who have never been in a real work setting before.  It is crucial that they are properly trained and game-based learning one of the highly effective ways that the US Military makes sure its new recruits receive knowledge (Prensky). 

                  The US Military uses game-based learning to train all military personnel to master the expensive equipment that they will use in their specific jobs.  They use games to train commanders to efficiently communicate with their troops while in battle. Games are used to train other officers to graduate from tactical to strategic thinking.  Games also help to teach teamwork, and simulate weaponry response and battle scenarios.  The military even uses gaming to teach troops how not to fight when helping to maintain peace (Prensky).

Photo Provided By: The U.S. Army

       War games have always been used by different militaries. Perhaps the most extensive in the 19th use was by the Prussian Army, which invented a board game that’s still in use today.  The military also invented flight simulators in the 1930s and they have been expanded to all kinds of simulated equipment like tanks and submarines. Currently, the US Army has a game designed to entice possible recruits called “America’s Army.”  This program allows players to simulate the use of different weapons in different combat scenarios. Another program that is widely used by the military for Joint Task Force operations is called “Joint Force Employment.”  This program simulates the actions of thousands of individuals participating in various operations up to a national level (Prensky). 

                  The use of game-based learning in the US Military is the perfect fit for young men and women joining its forces.  These new recruits are digital natives who have grown up used to technology.  Game-based learning gives soldiers and their commander’s instant feedback and saves the military money and lives.

                   

                                                                                         

                     Sources

Prensky, Marc.  Digital Game-Based Learning. True Believers:Digital Game-Based Learning in The Military (McGraw-Hill, 2001). Chapter 10.

Revealing Characters in Comics

 

Photo By: Hannah Parker, " Brave Vladek as a Polish Man"

This week we were to analyze and discuss how Art Spiegleman reveals Vladek’s character in Maus, and compare it to the revelation of Lester’s character in Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel, Essex County.  In Spiegleman’s Maus, the character of Vladek is revealed through his narration of past and present events, and his interaction with his son Art. His character is also revealed through illustrations. Vladek is a Jewish Holocaust survivor that lives in Rego Park, New York with his second wife Mala, whom he constantly bickers with.  He is an old man in poor health, who dearly misses his first wife Anja, who committed suicide years ago. He has a son Artie whom he doesn’t have a close relationship with. Artie wants to know his father’s story so he can make a comic book out of it. Over the course of several visits, he tells Artie of his hard times while in hiding during WWII. Even though Vladek’s character is old, cheap, and bitter (especially to Artie), he exposes another side of himself when he talks about his experiences during the war. During the war, Vladek is extremely fearful for his life, though he shows bravery and smarts. For example, he disguises himself as a Polish man several times to hide the fact that he is a Jew in order keep his family and himself alive. Above all, he is a survivor. Valdek as an elderly man is sad, lonely, and wishes only for the company of his son and his wife back.   

Photo Provided By: Gareth Kaple,  "Vladek in Chair"

Photo Provided By: Jeff Lemire's Blogspot Page, "Lester"

In Lemire’s Essex County, the character of Lester is greatly revealed through illustrations and through his conversations with the other characters in the novel. Lester is a middle school/jr. high aged kid who has a creative imagination and constantly dresses up like a super hero. He is motherless and fatherless and is being taken care of by his Uncle Ken who is a farmer. Lester is a very sensitive boy who spends most of his time going to school and helping his uncle on the farm. Lester’s life begins to change for the better when he befriends an old washed up hockey player, Jimmy Lebeuf, who works at the gas station.   Lester is a boy who needs a strong role model in his life after loosing his parents and Jimmy fills this need. Lester is very vulnerable character who seems to be misplaced in his situation. He is picked on by his peers for his unusual behavior and dress, and is portrayed as an outcast.

There are a few character comparisons between Vladek and Lester. Vladek was revealed mostly through his narration and dialogue, where Lester was revealed greatly through illustrations, actions and dialogue between characters. Both characters have lost someone truly dear to them by death. Valdek’s wife killed herself, and Lester’s mother died of cancer. They also both feel lonely and vulnerable. Vladek is in poor health and is mostly avoided by his own son, and Lester needs someone to bond with. Another important comparison is that they both have someone living with them who doesn’t understand their needs or point of view. Lester’s Uncle Ken doesn’t seem to have the natural parenting instincts to fully provide for Lester’s needs, such as helping him to properly deal with his loss or to accept his interests. Vladek’s second wife Mala, does not listen to him and their relationship lacks respect. His conflicted relationship with his son Artie stirs up a wide range of dysfunctional emotions as well. 

                          

Excellent and Free Game-Based Educational Sites

 

         Game-based learning is becoming a more prevalent tool for classroom instruction and for the reinforcement of educational skills and concepts.  While there is a plethora of pricey software and costly sites that teachers and students can use to enhance instruction, there are also some really effective, well-recommended, free game-based learning sites on the web.  The main educational sites that I’ve explored are the American Library Association’s (ALA) list of Top 25 Educational Websites and the educational sites on Time Magazine’s 2012 list of 50 Best Websites.

Photo Provided By: Philip Taylor

    In many school systems, the school librarian is also the person in charge of purchasing educational software for the school. He or she is also responsible for maintaining the school computer lab, and accountable for recommending online educational sites for students to use to enhance their instruction.  This is why a list of recommended educational websites from the American Library Association is so credible.  The ALA’s list is broken down into six categories and each of these groupings feature sites that help to meet instructional goals and objectives that support the Common Core Initiative. The categories are: 

•  media sharing  
• digital storytelling
• management and organization
• social networking and communication
• content resources
• curriculum collaboration   

    The ALA’s website states that they chose these sites because of “their exemplary histories of authoritative, dynamic content and curricular relevance” (ALA).

            I spent some time checking out each of the ALA’s recommended sites.  From my personal point of view as a student, my favorite was in the realm of digital storytelling.  “Comic Master” is a digital graphic novel creator, much like the program “Comic Life” that I’ve used in other Mass Comm. classes.  It allows users to set up a graphic novel page, choose from a series of backgrounds for each section on the page, choose characters, create text bubbles, and text to write a graphic novel.  While it is limited in its characters and backgrounds, the user’s imagination is unlimited in the stories that can be created.  An additional fun feature of this site is that there is a music player at the top of the page that allows the user to set the mood with music as he or she works.  This program could be a great introduction to creating graphic novels at an upper elementary to middle school level, and I think it’s a great way to get students interested in writing and creating in general. Please click on the link to check out the ALA’s entire list of recommended sites to learn more.

            TimeMagazine’s 2012 List of 50 Best  Websites features websites that could be used in many venues, but only four that they consider specifically educational:

1. Learnist
2. Coursera  
3. Codeacademy  
4. Vocabulary  

     Learnist, is an information sharing site that features user-created lessons that bring together web pages, videos, Google e-books and other items on a specific topic. Coursera features free courses from universities from all over the world.  Codeacademy features free courses on topics such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript.  Vocabulary is a multiple choice site designed to help enhance your vocabulary.  Much of the vocabulary is similar to or is featured on the SAT exam.  I personally found this one the most fun, simply because I really enjoy word games and word play.  Click on the links to check all of these sites out!

            As the classrooms of the future evolve, it is inevitable that an enormous feature of them will be the usage of technology and game-based learning.  That’s why it is so crucial that educationally solid, credible sites are freely and readily available for all learners.

Game-Based Learning: The Way of the Future!

Will Game-Based Learning be the Future of Education?

I’m a digital native.  I was born with computers and the internet at my disposal. I don’t think that any of elementary, middle, or high school classrooms lacked computers. Most of my classmates and I have virtually no knowledge of a time without Google, iTunes, or video game systems.  This makes me wonder what my potential children and the children of my classmates will grow up being native to.  What technology will be available to them and what will their education be like?  What is the future of education?

I recently read Jamie Sarrio’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution interview with Bill Gates discussing his vision of the classroom of the not-to-distant future.   He envisions students grouped according to their abilities using computers and simulators, and being taught lessons by both human and virtual teachers.  Gates foresees a technology focused, game-based learning environment in classrooms across the United States.  His foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has recently pledged to invest $20 million dollars in teacher tools and technologies to make the classroom of the future a reality for students and they’ve already given $500,000 to the state of Georgia’s educational system.

Image Provided By: vdowney

            As a software developer, Gates recognizes the enthusiasm that kids have for playing video games.  He believes that winning is a great motivator for them and feels “that students should be able to move to the next level when ready,” a known educational benefit of game-based learning (Sarrio).

            Gates sees the implementation of the Common Core Initiative, a state-led plan by the National Governor’s Association to prepare students for college and the workforce, as a huge opportunity to integrate even more technology into the classroom in the form of game-based learning.  Because of this initiative, the Gates Foundation has brought together a team of the best test designers and game designers to create games to help students become college and workforce ready. Gate’s says, “Imagine if kids put their time and enthusiasm into a video game that taught them math concepts, but they barely noticed, because it was so enjoyable” (Sarrio).  Gates recognizes the appealing attribute of game-based learning.  Students are drawn into a game and begin learning before they have a chance to let their hang-ups about learning kick in.

            I think Gates’ view of the classroom of the future is a necessity to prepare students for college and the workforce.  The majority of today’s students enter the classroom equipped with a wide variety of technological experiences.  They’re accustomed to using the computer, playing video games, and using a laptop, iPad or smartphone in a home setting and are often disappointed, or bored, with the traditional “old school” learning environment.  In my opinion, schools of the future will be forced to adapt to a more technology-based, game-based classroom to meet the growing technological needs of their students.

Sources:

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/opinion/game-based-learning/nQXGw/ 

http://www.corestandards.org/

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx

           

Gaming in Schools: A Beneficial Tool to Students

 

       In my previous blog I introduced my semester blogging topic: “The Uses and Effectiveness of Game-Based Learning.” I shared that game based learning is utilized in three main realms, in schools, in the military and in some industries.  Of these three realms, its use in schools is probably the widest reaching. Students from preschool through postgraduate school can benefit from learning games to acquire needed and required knowledge. The games that they participate in could be as basic as an old fashioned game of Multiplication Bingo, or as complex as video game used by medical students to learn gross anatomy. No matter what the genre of the game, if it is effective, its outcome is usually learning.  Why is game-based learning such an effective tool in schools?

Photo Provided By: Lyn Lomasi

                  According to the North American Simulation and Gaming Association, learning games provide many elements that students and their teacher’s desire. Learning games provide students with a motivation (NASGA). Most students would prefer to actively involve themselves in the learning process rather than just participating in lecture, pen and paper learning.  They also cause students to learn in a more relaxed way without inhibitions (NASGA). Many times, students will focus on the game as a game rather than as a learning tool.  They’re having fun and learning specific information is a latent effect of the game playing.  Additionally, games help students build bonds and encourage teamwork among classmates (NASGA).  They also provide practice of skills in a safe environment (NASGA). It’s much less stressful to get an answer wrong while playing a computer game by yourself, than it is answering a question incorrectly in front of your entire class!  Learning games also allow students to experiment with different roles and different ways of being a leader (NASGA).

Photo provided by: Librarian In Black

Children who may never experience being a leader in their normal school life may be thrust into a position of leadership in a computer or small group game.  Games serve to make the material being taught more memorable, thus the student will have better retention and their learning will be deeper.  Games also can serve multiple roles (NASGA).  They can teach a student a new skill; help the student retain that skill and then be used as an evaluation tool by the student and the teacher.  Game-based learning is also a wonderful way of reaching children and adults who may have different learning styles (NASGA). Being a visual and kinesthetic learner, I was always very excited when a teacher provided learning through games involving movement and computers. Additionally, learning games help to make abstract concepts more concrete, teach decision making skills, encourage deeper thinking, and provide reinforcement and rewards to the students playing them (NASGA).

 In addition to all of the above cited benefits of game-based learning, Jessica Trybus of Carnegie Mellon University also finds that game-based learning in schools allows students to learn at their own pace and is very cost-effective. “Well-designed games permit learning experiences that aren’t possible in real life—for example, “designing” a dolphin to find out how body size and fin position affect how far it can swim” (Trybus).  A computer program about dolphins is much less expensive than taking a large group of students to an aquarium to experience a dolphin in real life. 

With all of the wonderful benefits of game-based learning coupled with the available technology, there would seem to be nothing to discourage the use of these imaginative and engaging resources whenever possible.

                 

Sources:

http://www.nasaga.org/page/why-use-games-to-teach

http://www.newmedia.org/game-based-learning--what-it-is-why-it-works-and-where-its-going.html