Educators and video game creators around the nation are striving to link certain instructional games to Common Core State Standards, while administrators are concerned about the use of games in the classroom. This might be the apex of instructional video game development.
“You’re going to see instructors and kids working together to make games,” said EdTech insider Garrett Fuller at New York Comic-Con. Fuller, a former teacher, is a writer and software configuration management game creator. At this year’s New York Comic-Con, he kicked off the panel Games and Education, a professional development session for educators.
The panel, which also included panelists Sue Parler, Justin DeVoe, and Beverly Decker, brought together teachers and video game designers to demonstrate how next-generation technology is being used in schools to educate K-12 learners while also assisting students in their college careers.
“It’s a desire that motivates you to study and play, and it constantly pings your brain in new ways.” “It’s the same thing you’re going to see, the instructors’ love for kids learning, and that’s really, very important,” Fuller said. “Once you deliver the content in a manner that youngsters will grasp and desire to learn, forget it; you’ll be working together the whole time.”
He emphasized how, as an educator, he can readily supply game producers with critical input through gaming platforms like Steam, and how they’re “harnessing their communities to help make better games.”
“I believe that’s the climate you’re going to see more and more of,” he said.
Fuller also works as an industrial relations manager for New York Comic-Con, Penny Arcade Expo, and the Chicago Entertainment Expo, and has an invested interest in this business like many other EdTech participants, although his goals seem pure in their vision.
“It is vital to get new technologies into classrooms.” Making ensuring that children in regions like north New Jersey have access to laptops and iPads since that’s what everyone else will use,” Fuller said.
Many educators are asking whether video games can operate within Common Core requirements, as recently documented by the Hechinger Report, amid a surge in video game usage in schools.
“With a game like Jeopardy, you’re incentivized to be fast on the buzzer, to memorize things, and to believe that memorization is important,” said Daniel O’Keefe, regional director of the North Carolina Institute of Play, to Hechinger Report. “In the best games, you learn a subject like algebra in such a way that you don’t even realize you’re learning it.” Because algebra is similar to a puzzle, students end up enjoying it. You’re untying a knot, and it’s a pleasurable experience.”
Popular learning games like Minecraft, according to O’Keefe, are a perfect fit for Common Core, with a variety of dedicated resource sites available to teachers to apply the video game to lessons, even from owner Mojang.
“Games are, for better or worse, the gateway for most students into computer programming, so let’s embrace the STEM opportunities there and roll with it,” wrote Shawn Cornally, headmaster and lead teacher at Iowa’s project-based high school Project Big, in a recent Edutopia blog post.
Cornally uses gaming to teach physics, calculus, and other subjects, and he includes a list of games that he has successfully used in the classroom in his post. He’s successfully taught physics using Portal 2, Valve’s physics-bending puzzle game, noting that the game is so popular with teachers that the developer created a port specifically for educators. Among other things, he included Minecraft on the list.
During his panel presentation, Fuller expressed his love for live sports and emphasized that eSports provide the same intensity as live sports. He stated that scholarships are currently being offered to competitive gamers to help pay for college and other expenses.
“College eSports teams will exist within the next five years if I’m not mistaken,” Fuller predicted. “It may sound shocking, but you can play video games to pay for college, and I don’t think that’s going to change.” Over the next ten years, that will continue and grow larger and larger.”
He pointed out that defining gaming as “educational” is flawed because gaming serves so many purposes that many games are inherently educational in their own right. To bolster his case, Fuller stated that a gamer’s brain can process up to 55 different functions at once when playing a role-playing game like Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
“After eSports, the question becomes, ‘What challenges do we face, right?'” I know it’s been fifteen years since we sort of flipped the millennium, but there are still educational gaps all the time… We do have an old, guarded administration that was still teaching years and years ago and doesn’t adhere to these new ideas, which is fine, because everything worked perfectly fine [laughs] 30 or 40 years ago, but you can’t deny the growth of technology and how much it impacts people,” Fuller said.
Almost three out of every four elementary and middle school teachers say they use video games in their classes, but some districts are skeptical of games that claim to align with Common Core.
“The best games are all about solving problems, and they can help us move away from just having kids know facts to pass tests,” James Gee, professor at Arizona State University’s education school, told Hechinger Report. “However, games aren’t for everyone. Big publishers want to sell games to schools as a stand-alone product; however, just as with textbooks, games must be part of a larger learning system.” Educators and video game creators around the nation are striving to link certain instructional games to Common Core State Standards, while administrators are concerned about the use of games in the classroom. This might be the apex of instructional video game development.
“You’re going to see instructors and kids working together to make games,” said EdTech insider Garrett Fuller at New York Comic-Con.
Fuller, a former teacher, is a writer and software configuration management game creator at TenTonHammer and MMORPG.com, respectively. At this year’s New York Comic-Con, he kicked off the panel Games and Education, a professional development session for educators.
The panel, which also included panelists Sue Parler, Justin DeVoe, and Beverly Decker, brought together teachers and video game designers to demonstrate how next-generation technology is being used in schools to educate K-12 learners while also assisting students in their college careers.
“It’s a desire that motivates you to study and play, and it constantly pings your brain in new ways.” “It’s the same thing you’re going to see, the instructors’ love for kids learning, and that’s really, very important,” Fuller said. “Once you deliver the content in a manner that youngsters will grasp and desire to learn, forget it; you’ll be working together the whole time.”
He emphasized how, as an educator, he can readily supply game producers with critical input through gaming platforms like Steam, and how they’re “harnessing their communities to help make better games.”
“I believe that’s the climate you’re going to see more and more of,” he said.
Fuller also works as an industrial relations manager for New York Comic-Con, Penny Arcade Expo, and the Chicago Entertainment Expo, and has an invested interest in this business like many other EdTech participants, although his goals seem pure in their vision.
“It is vital to get new technologies into classrooms.” Making ensuring that children in regions like north New Jersey have access to laptops and iPads since that’s what everyone else will use,” Fuller said.
Many educators are asking whether video games can operate within Common Core requirements, as recently documented by the Hechinger Report, amid a surge in video game usage in schools.
“With a game like Jeopardy, you’re motivated to be incredibly quick on the buzzer, to learn stuff, and to believe that memorizing is essential,” said Daniel O’Keefe, regional director of the North Carolina Institute of Play, to Hechinger Report. “In the finest games, you study a topic like mathematics in such a manner that you don’t even realize you’re learning it.” Because algebra is similar to a riddle, students end up loving it. You’re untying a knot, and it’s a joyful experience.”
Popular learning games like Minecraft, according to O’Keefe, are a wonderful match for Common Core, with a variety of specialized resource sites accessible to instructors to adapt the video game to lessons, even from owner Mojang.
“Games are, for better or worse, the doorway for most kids into computer programming, so let’s embrace the STEM prospects there and roll with it,” stated Shawn Cornally, headmaster and lead teacher at Iowa’s project-based high school Project Big, in a recent Edutopia weblog.
Cornally utilizes gaming to teach physics, calculus, and other subjects, and he includes a list of games that he has effectively utilized in the classroom in his article. He’s successfully taught physics using Portal 2, Valve’s physics-bending puzzle game, saying that the game is so popular with instructors that the developer created a version exclusively for educators. Among other things, he listed Minecraft on the list.
During his panel talk, Fuller expressed his affinity for live sports and emphasized that eSports provide the same intensity as live sports. He said that scholarships are now being provided to competitive gamers to help pay for education and other expenses.
“College eSports teams will emerge within the next five years if I’m not incorrect,” Fuller said. “It may seem strange, but you can genuinely play video games to pay for college, and I don’t believe that’s going to change.” Over the next 10 years, it will continue and get larger and larger.”
He pointed out that classifying gaming as “educational” is flawed since gaming serves so many purposes that many games are essentially instructional in their own right. To further his case, Fuller said that a gamer’s brain can handle up to 55 separate processes at once while playing a role-playing game like Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
“After eSports, the question becomes, ‘What difficulties do we confront, right?'” I know it’s been fifteen years since we kind of turned the Millenium, but there are still educational gaps all the time… We do have an old, guarded administration that was still teaching years and years ago and doesn’t conform to these new concepts, which is good, since everything worked just well [laughs] 30 or 40 years ago, but you can’t ignore the rise of technology and how much it effects people,” Fuller said.
Almost three out of every four elementary and middle school teachers say they use video games in their courses, but some districts are skeptical of games that claim to comply with Common Core.
“The finest games are all about solving issues, and they can help us move away from merely having students memorize information to pass examinations,” James Gee, professor at Arizona State University’s education department, told Hechinger Report. “However, games aren’t for everyone. Big publishers seek to sell games to schools as a stand-alone product; but, just like with textbooks, games must be part of a larger learning system.”
