2. Games and Simulations in Educational Technology Lacey Scott EDTL 509 “I’m calling for investments in educational technology that will help create... educational software that’s as compelling as the best video game. I want you guys to be stuck on a video game that’s teaching you something other than just blowing something up.“ President Obama 2011

3. What are Games and Simulations? An educational game is a game designed to teach humans about a specific subject and to teach them a skill. A simulation is something that represents something else — it isn't the real thing. www.dictionary.com

4. Pros of Gaming and Simulations Many people have a stigma against games being played, but they can actually be very positive. People feel that children will become hyper, violent, stupid, and anti-social Important to know that video games in the classroom does not mean the end of books Can be the best of both worlds http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/13/benefits-of-gaming-what-research-shows/

5. Pros Cont. Researchers have begun looking into the positive impact of playing video games in the classroom. There are four types of positive impact found in playing video games: cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social. http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/13/benefits-of-gaming-what-research-shows/

6. Positive Impacts Types of Impact Cognitive Impact Motivational Impact Emotional Impact Social Impact Why It’s Positive Improves attention, focus, and reaction time Encourage an incremental, rather than an entity theory of intelligence Induce positive moods Use prosocial skills learned through multiplayer games to interact with family members and friends http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/13/benefits-of-gaming-what-research-shows/

7. Building Confidence Through Games and Simulations

8. More Pros May improve math, spelling, and reading skills Students learn about real life problems Student’s attention span can increase No materials other than a computer are required usually No mess to clean up Lots of options for skills that can be practiced http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/trends/661-video-games-in-school-infographic

9. Cons of Games and Simulations Does not always promote social skill Children may develop bad posture, strained eyes, headaches, neck and wrist pain Less physical activity May lack in differentiated instruction Sometimes difficult for teachers to assess progress made May give a false expectation of real life http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/trends/661-video-games-in-school-infographic

10. Research on Games and Simulations Today, in the United States, 91% of children between the ages of 2 and 17 play video games A nationally representative study of U.S. teenagers found that up to 99% of boys and 94% of girls play these games When studying 700 children from ages 7-16, the children preferred to play educational games in pairs and small groups 487 5 th graders agreed that games and simulations were more engaging and fun than pencil and paper activities http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/1879019.stm http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=143

11. How Can Games and Simulations Be Used in the Classroom? Children can play educational games to learn names, colors, shapes, letters, and numbers Older grades can learn more advanced skills through educational games Educational games are also found in colleges. In a U.S. survey, 65% of college students were regular or occasional game players. Students can use the following interactive educational games to practice skills: www.starfall.comwww.abcmouse.com www.pbskids.comwww.funbrain.com https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3004.pdf

12. White House Education Game Jam First-ever education game jam President Obama wants more compelling educational software Developed with the U.S. Department of Education 100 game developers, 35 teachers, learning researchers, and students gathered at Difference Engine Split into 23 teams and brainstormed new educational video games to teach difficult subject matter in schools https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/10/06/white-house-education-game-jam

13. White House Game Jam Cont. Participants then went to the White House to present their games to the Federal Games Working Group Developers attended the sharing session and will look further into creating these games Videos of the prototypes can be found here.here https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/10/06/white-house-education-game-jam

14. Resources Bhaskar, Santosh K. (2013, September 30). Video Games in School: Pros and Cons. Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/trends/661-video-games-in- school-infographichttp://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/trends/661-video-games-in- school-infographic DeLoura, Mark. (2014, October 6). The White House Education Game Jam. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/10/06/white-house-education-game-jam https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/10/06/white-house-education-game-jam Engles, Rutger C.M.E, Granic, Isabela, and Lobel, Adam. (2014). The Benefits of Playing Video Games. American Psychologist, 69 (1) pp. 66-78. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf Oblinger, Diana. (2006, May). Simulations, Games, and Learning. Educause Learning Initiative. pp. 1-6. Retrieved from https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3004.pdf https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3004.pdf Shapiro, Jordan. (2014, June 13). Benefits of Gaming: What Research Shows. Retrieved from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/13/benefits-of-gaming-what-research- shows/http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/13/benefits-of-gaming-what-research- shows/ (2002, March 18). Video Games ‘Stimulate Learning’. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/1879019.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/1879019.stm Learning with Computer Games and Simulation. CITEd Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=143 http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=143 www.dictionary.com