https://sites.google.com/view/etec523movablefeastmobilegames/home
Hi everyone, attached is a link to our movable feast. Our site has a section for discussions and conversation, but feel free to comment here as well. Enjoy!
(A2) Week 5: Mobile Gaming
14 responses to “(A2) Week 5: Mobile Gaming”
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Hi Spencer!
This is a great resource. There’s certainly something for everybody to pique their interest.
I personally don’t play video games, but the video about AI caught my attention. It’s good to see a positive example of how AI can be used in game development. I like the example of a ghostwriter to make writing of dialogue for NPCs. This is a great example of how AI can help professionals focus on higher level tasks. However, the video also talks about the pitfalls of AI particularly ethics.
A lot of artists put so much of their time, energy, and sometimes their lives to produce and perfect their work. Have you read or come across anything that may help them protect their work from being used without their permission?
Another question that’s looming is the extinction of certain jobs. How can professionals make sure that they are still employable despite of AI advancements? As an example, the video mentions that voice actors could be out of jobs. What could they possibly do in order to stay in their profession in the future?
It is great that you mentioned microtransactions as a potential risk. It is quite disappointing that Duolingo is trying to drive more revenue in expense of learning. The initial objective of including XP which are experience points that learners gain as they complete activities was to promote students engagement when the intrinsic motivation is decreasing. However, it seems Duolingo now is strongly promoting the purchase of these points to continue learning which is counterproductive! Also, it could give the perception that those who cannot afford to pay should have less learning opportunities…
I also want to add that, it is very important for educators and parents to educate students about these microtransactions before they engage in learning with the apps so they are aware of them. Some younger ones might not even realize that they are spending money (especially their parents’ money!)
Game-based learning is a fascinating aspect of the MET I have come to greatly enjoy learning about. Often at my school, we discuss how students are so good at shooting online but cannot kick a ball into a net, or they can tell you infinitely more about Pokémon than the local flora and fauna, or how they know so much more about the latest Zelda map than Canada’s Geography. The way games teach, constant and instantaneous feedback, problem-based challenges, and engaging storylines mean that the world created invests the user in learning its systems. In one of the posted videos James Paul Gee talks about teaching to the test, and how we still have a summative assessment based system where tests like the FSA’s and school wide writes still dominate time in the classroom, and data for funding. It might be a long time for gaming to truly be accepted as a primary function of learning for the classroom, but I hope one day we will get there. In the push to create lifelong learners, making learning fun, especially through gaming, is potentially more important than meeting specific benchmarks in skill sets that were chosen decades ago.
Excellent overview you guys! You touched on really great points. Another thing that should also be considered in relation to video game addiction, is dopamine. It was briefly touched on in the video, but one must also consider its relation to ADHD. Individuals with ADHD often have naturally lower levels of dopamine, and video games as noted can cause an increase of dopamine. They also often provide instant gratification, these two elements together pose a higher risk of video game addiction in individuals with ADHD. So while video games can be effective education tools, especially for neurodiverse students, educators must also be aware of these facts, and try and find a delicate balance between education and health.
Thank you very much for your presentation on Mobile gaming. I think there are a lot of advantages to mobile gaming a lot of which have been mentioned in your presentations and by others. I think with the increase accessibility to mobile devices we can see a lot more people being able to access games and materials. I wonder if that can also add to the challenge of having access all the time and the ability to not be able to disconnect. It is great to be able to have access wherever, whenever but being able to disconnect and is also important.
Another concern I can think of is more relevant to gaming culture and not educational gaming is the treatment of women who play games. This is a topic we talked a lot about in ETEC 544 with many women reporting abuse and discrimination online. Many women have a fear of joining the online community or revealing their identity for fear of bullying. Women are working together to help combat this and support from allies and the gaming community can help to move away from the gatekeeping culture towards a more inclusive gaming environment
Hi Meagan,
I agree, ETEC 544 was a great course, and prior to it I had never played a PC game, but now thoroughly enjoy them. You raised a great point about how women are treated in the gaming community. Another thing that should also be taken into consideration, in relation to his is how women are sometimes represented in popular games, which can lead to it being one of the factors to promotes discrimination towards female gamers. Anita Sarkeesian, on her YouTube channel, Feminist Frequency has a great series called “Tropes vs Women in Video Games – Season 2” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn4ob_5_ttEaZWIYcx7VKiFheMSEp1gbq&feature=shared), season 1 is also worth watching, that helps provide an interesting overview of female representation in video games.
Thank you for the wonderful work on the website and an interactive learning experience for me with all the resources. I want to add to those above on one potential advantage of mobile games in education, and that is application of their learning. I think most of the time when we test students, we are testing more on “memorized” answers, rather than “understood” knowledge and skills. Sometimes I wonder why there are knowledge I’ve learnt decades ago that I still remember, and then there are so many things I learnt in college that I simply don’t remember, even though I remember I was pretty good at it at the time. It is the application of knowledge that make us retain them. I think one benefit of mobile game is that it can help learners apply their knowledge to play, to understand and retain their learning. As Dr. Gee mentioned in his video, games don’t require assessment as we can trust that players must aquire the knowledge and skills to advance in the game. Similarly, if we can incorporate educational gamification in mobile technology, I think it will be a great way for students to apply their learning.
Thanks for your engaging website on mobile gaming!
I think that a huge advantage of mobile educational gaming, one that has yet to be realized, would be in increasing connections between online learners. Often, learners in an online course are logging in from different places, and never meet in person. Social constructivists (and connectivists) would argue that this is detrimental to the learning process. Mobile online gaming, as your video in the Potential Risks section (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LTHGts1EaE) says, offers the potential for learners to socially connect, despite being separated by distance. I can even imagine a game that allows for asynchronous social connection, so students separated in space and time could also communicate and collaborate.
As one of the other videos says (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5AN0JDmQY4), “complex multi-player games are usually most effective for learning”.
I also agree with James Gee in believing that educational gaming offers a chance to break out of the skill and drill paradigm, and to find ways of continually measuring and assessing skill and knowledge as a learner works their way through the game/learning experience.
I think we are really just at the start of what’s possible when gaming, mobility, and education are combined. Up to now we’ve tended to use existing games and employ them in educational contexts, or to amend existing games for the classroom – imagine a future where non-experts can design complex games based on educational theories and principles.
What are some advantages of mobile games in education?
Advantages for k-12 students:
○ enhances students’ cognitive and social-emotional development (highlighted in the YouTube
○ enhances their digital competencies
○ Improves their learning motivation, engagement, and achievements
○ Increases their joy, autonomy, critical thinking, creativity, and imagination
Advantages for teachers:
○ Creates a more student-centred, engaging and interactive learning environments
○ Facilitates and enriches the teaching process as it improves teachers’ communication and digital skills
○ Can be used in both face-to-face and online learning environments
○ Enables them to create motivational virtual learning environments that would engage and encourage students to actively participate in educational activities
What are some key barriers of using digital games in the classroom? lack of equipment, digital skills, and training for teachers
Hi Sebastian,
This is a good list. I would also like to add cost as a barrier to digital games in the classroom. As much as VR and AR are great pieces of tech, it does incur a huge cost for the school to finance. Only a few institutions could afford this kind of technology.
I’m unforunately getting an “Error 404 (Not Found)” message. If it is a Google Site, you may need to change the permissions to be viewable publically. I’ve found Google Sites, to be very picky about their share settings.
Thanks Sarah, I have reviewed the viewing permissions – please give it another go!
Hi Spencer,
All fixed, and looks great!