Week Two Overview

Essential Question: What are the common components of serious games? Justify your answer.

Overview

Dates to save:

TUESDAY 4:30 AKDT Web Ex Meeting (invitation will be sent one hour prior to the meeting)

THURSDAY 4:30 AKDT Twitter Session (#ETLEAD) Hosts: Tomas and Leslie!

This meeting will assist you in clarifying any aspects of the weekly activity with which you are unclear. We’ll also discuss our responsibilities with the Gamifi-ED OOC.

Preparation

Read/watch the following resources

• Games and Learning with Dr. James Gee
• Good Video Games and Good Learning
• Stories from the History of Czechoslovakia, a serious game for teaching history of the Czech lands in the 20th century – notes on design concepts and design process
• Balancing Three Different Foci in the Design of Serious Games: Engagement, Training Objective and Context

Assignment

In some weeks of this class, you will participate in activities meant to strengthen the Gamifi-ED experience for both students and teachers. This is an aspect of leadership which is quite important. As leaders in technology, and in innovation, exploring those concepts which might make teachers uncomfortable, and assisting them in seeing the potential uses of these innovations will be a role that can be quite welcome in a school district. When you engage in activities meant to strengthen the Gamifi-ED experience, you will post on your group page in the Gamifi-ED Wiki. 

Teams:

(To get to your team wiki, go to the Gamifi-ED Wiki, click Projects, and then click the name of your group under Higher Education Gamemakers.) 

Minecraft: Tomas, Colin, Tiffany, Nicole

Team Two: Brandi, Gary, Keri, Leslie, Dean, Sara H.

Team Three: Bonnie, Donna, Meagan, Shauna, Sara L. Scott, Thanh Tam

Four of us haven’t joined the Wiki, and aren’t assigned to a team.

 

Assignment for Week Two

You spent last week immersed in a serious game (I hope :-)) and immersed in exploring information about serious games.  This week you will come up with your own criteria for a “serious game”.

If I were to outline my criteria, it would be something like the following:

1. Collaborative – A game that is collaborative has a positive social impact and can help students build relationships.
2. Linked with some measurable standard – The game doesn’t have to measure the standard – I can do that after the game has been played, but the game has to promote, reinforce, and give simulated real-world experience with the standard at an application level or higher (Blooms)
3. Promotes development of healthy dispositions  – The game has a side effect of potentially being integrated in real life in a way that will be healthy for the child and the community
4. Promotes  creation over destruction. – The game allows students to create something new…not destroy things.

Now – you may not agree with some of these. For instance, my #1. Some of the games we looked at last week were more like apps, with single-player options. Is this the same as a game?  Maybe, maybe not 🙂

I think that we can create our own criteria, but if we are challenged, we first of all should not take offense, and secondly, should be able to point to resources/evidence which can support our recommendation.

On your group’s Wiki page, collaborate to create one list that reflects the beliefs of the group in terms of common components of what you would consider “serious games”. Now, it is very possible (and quite healthy) that everyone will have a different perception of this – and I would like to reinforce that no one is wrong, nor is anyone right in their perceptions. There are several definitions of serious games out there. Some I agree with, some I don’t. You have the right to your own definition, but within the group, you should justify your definition, negotiate with your group and determine your own criteria which establishes a “serious game”.

Blogging

About Week Two

This week you will create an answer to the essential question:  What are the common components of serious games? Justify your answer. 

On your blog, you will be able to explain and justify your reasoning for the criteria you have chosen and presented to your group. Your group (and the rest of the class) can discuss with you your reasoning, and their own ideas. The reading this week should help clarify your thinking. Of course, your own moral compass and comfort level with games will also impact your recommendations.

Finally, you are not restricted to the resources I have provided. If you’d like to go outside of these resources to find good criteria for serious games, you certainly can. Do remember that you should cite at least three unique resources in your initial blog.

Due Friday:

Create a blog using WordPress,  Weebly, or another blogging tool. Please remember that by definition, a blog is a place where one may post information, and at which others may comment on the information that has been posted. So the ability to comment will be very important! Post your response to the Essential Question on your blog.

Use Twitter to share your blog address for this week with the #ETLEAD community.

Due Sunday:

Comment on the blogs of others.

Create a blog entry outlining the way that you contributed to the learning of others, and the impact of your interaction with others through social media (Twitter, blog responses) on your learning.

Submit the URL for your Blog Postings to Livetext on Sunday.