For most people, gaming is something you do purely for fun, and
although you may be fine-tuning motor skills or even learning history as you go
along, it’s not likely you’re doing it with learning goals in mind. But for
some people, gaming is a real learning activity, and "serious games"
are an amazing teaching tool. In K-12 settings, games can motivate students to
stay focused, or even create academic competitions that make it cool to be
smart. At the college
level, students work with games to become designers of the future, creating
mass-market video games, and even learning games that schoolkids can use.
Whatever the setting, these 10 awesome schools show that gaming in education is
alive and well, and gamers of all ages can take advantage of the programs that
they offer.
Often, the hardest part of getting students to learn is helping them
find the motivation they need to get excited about their own education. At
Madison County Elementary School, the Kid’s College computer program helps
students stay focused and engaged in their learning by simply giving them a
little down time once they’ve achieved their tasks. Students answer reading and
math questions, and once they’ve done that, they can play a short game, like
basketball, volleyball, football, or even snowboarding. Students enjoy the
program, which gives them ample time to take breaks and stay tuned in to
learning. Teresa Craig, a computer lab aide at Madison County Elementary School
shares, "A lot of times, they don’t even realize they’re learning. They’re
motivated to do this." Students love the program so much that some of them
even play outside of school, logging in from home to compete and see who can
score the most points on games. Student Precious Maples praises the game
telling The Huntsville Times, "I can concentrate because I get
to play afterwards."
At Birmingham City University, students can take advantage of the
university’s game development finishing school, Gamer Camp, which offers
industry-endorsed training programs. Students at Gamer Camp develop games for
the iPad, PC, and PS3, with courses that are designed and run by veterans of
the gaming industry. The school offers both the year-long Gamer Camp, as well
as a nano and 10-week mini course that offers a bit more flexibility. Studio
manager Iain Harrison shares that Gamer Camp is a step above other game
development schools, offering hands-on experience that can better help students
break into the industry.
Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., has been called "a gamer’s
paradise" after the introduction of its new electronic game and
interactive development major. The degree is modeled after the game development
industry itself, following a team-based approach that gives students realistic
experience for their future careers. Students like Caitlin Goss appreciate the
approach to game design that Champlain offers: "I’m taking courses like
psychology, computer theory, and English, which will help me understand
everything that goes into a game, not just how to do the graphics or write the
story," offering a well-rounded education that will serve students well in
the game design industry. Fellow student Steven Tanzola appreciates the program
for the same reason as Goss: "The program is diverse, which will help me
get a job because I won’t just know about games; I’ll have all sorts of other important
classes under my belt that game developers in the gaming industry are looking
for."
In Manhattan, students can take advantage of a new school that teaches
almost entirely through video game-inspired activities. Popular Sciencepoints
out that this educational strategy is smart, and "geared to keep kids
engaged and prepare them for high-tech careers." The magazine also
highlights the fact that video games can command a student’s attention for
hours, a fact that’s not lost on Quest to Learn. Main designer Katie Salen
shares, "Games are exceptionally good at engaging kids." Teachers at
the school have noted that while often students give up when faced with tough
problems in a more traditional school setting, when they’re put into a video
game, kids will try again and again despite failing. In this approach, Quest to
Learn takes kids through several different courses, including math, English,
social studies, science, game design, and wellness. The students are able to
learn collaboratively through group projects in a research-backed environment
that helps them learn at their best. Quest to Learn welcomed its first class of
sixth graders in 2009, and plans to add a new class of sixth graders every
year, continuing to educate current students through high school.
Manhattan’s Quest to Learn has a sister school in Chicago,
appropriately named ChicagoQuest. The school follows the same structure as
Quest to Learn, using game design principles and collaborative, project-based
learning. In ChicagoQuest’s classrooms, you’ll find learning spaces that
include virtual reality and even Rube Goldberg machines. Interestingly, the
school does not practice traditional grading systems, instead using levels more
appropriate for game-based learning, ranging from novice to master. Ultimately,
ChicagoQuest aims to develop students’ abilities to find creative solutions to
problems, fostering critical and independent thinking while working in a team
setting and taking full advantage of technology. Like the Manhattan branch,
ChicagoQuest is able to keep its curriculum rich with content and relevant
within Illinois State and College Readiness standards, giving students a great
chance for success now and in the future.
USC in Los Angeles does groundbreaking work in video game design on a
regular basis, and their excellent program is evident in rankings from Gamepro
Media and The Princeton Review, who came together to award the
school with the top ranking for video game colleges not just in undergraduate
studies, but graduate as well. School of Cinematic Arts dean Elizabeth Daley
cites the school’s "extraordinary environment" that allows students,
faculty, and staff to expand the boundaries of game design each day. USC offers
courses in serious games, immersive environments, and game infrastructures,
with not just bachelor’s degrees, but master’s and even PhDs as well.
Interactive Media Division associate professor Tracy Fullerton shares, “I think
it is the balance of practice and theory, entrepreneurialism and research,
aesthetics and technology, individual expression and collaborative teamwork …
that makes our program such a special place to study game design." One
especially intriguing aspect of USC’s program is its incredibly popular Demo
Days, where student projects are on display for representatives from the gaming
industry and talent agencies.
Delano Middle School in the San Joaquin Valley has discovered what so
many other schools are catching on to: that gaming can make students love
taking part in lessons. Eighth grader Ariana Gutierrez agrees, remarking
"I think it’s pretty awesome," about the Dance Dance Revolution video
game that she uses in her PE class. "It’s a better way to work out. PE
used to be boring, but I really enjoy it now." Gutierrez’s enthusiasm is
thanks to her PE teacher Ken Dyar, who took it upon himself to organize fundraisers
to outfit the school’s gym with a suite of exercise-friendly video games,
including Dance Dance Revolution and stationary bikes that plug into the PS2
for racing games. At Delano, they’ve seen a real improvement in physical
education: in 1998, only 7% of students passed the state fitness test, but just
last year, 41% passed. This achievement is even more impressive when you
consider that the state average is only about 25%. Students have noticed a
difference too. Gutierrez says that she’s grown out of her chunky stage, and
together with her friends, they’ve "gotten healthier and we do more
things, like we can run and get a better time on the mile."
While kids in K-12 classrooms take advantage of learning through video
games, University of Delaware students go to work to create the games, learning
as they develop skills for real careers in game development. As part of an
Educational Games Development course in computer science, students created an
interactive computer board game called Shape Shifters, which
teaches fraction concepts to students at the Chester Community Charter School
in Chester, Pennsylvania. Through the game, students answer multiple choice
questions, moving spaces toward a finish line. Played in a social setting, the
game offers both competition and teamwork, encouraging students to learn not
just independently, but by helping each other as well. This course has been
incredibly popular at the University of Delaware, and has sparked attention
from Microsoft researchers, with whom the school may soon collaborate. Beyond
Microsoft, the university also plans to publish the games on the XO website, allowing students
participating in the One Laptop Per Child program to take advantage of the
project as well.
Students at Fairmount School love to play games, so much that the
campus has created a Gamestar Club, based on Scholastic‘s Gamestar
Mechanic curriculum. In the club, they use Gamestar curriculum to create their
own video games, learn about design, and collaboratively test and improve video
games created by the club. With design and testing complete, the club held a
Gamer Fair after school, highlighting their creations and allowing for an
opportunity to share their work with their fellow students and families.
Fairmount LRC director Kelly Farrow believes the Gamestar Club and Gamer Fair
to be a success, acknowledging that "students in our Gamestar Club worked
very hard, learning about game design and creating some games of their
own," teaching students valuable lessons about not just design and
technology, but also teamwork, editing, and sharing feedback.
At this elementary school, doing well in math is a status symbol, as
evidenced by colorful wristbands that students receive for their work in First
in Math, an online math game. Principal Tom Bowser says the program is great,
allowing students to "intrinsically motivate themselves" as they
compete not just against students in their own school, but other students in
Baltimore County Public Schools. He says, "now it’s a cool thing to be
academically achieving," thanks to the game and the wristbands that come
along with it. The program is really paying off, helping students build their
math skills in measurable ways. In 2009, students were 69.8% proficient and
advanced in math, not a bad number, but a poor showing in comparison to the
school’s 2010 percentage of 94.3. Although the school enacted other
initiatives, Bowser believes that the math game has made a very large impact in
the students’ skills.
Tim Handorf http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2012/01/11/the-10-best-schools-for-serious-gamers/
0 comments:
Post a Comment