Game-based Learning (Majumdar, 2015)

Educators in the primary school setting are constantly researching, finding, creating and implementing new ways of imparting knowledge and skills to their students. In these unprecedented times, of mandatory isolation, school closures and wholesale remote learning educators have endeavoured to do this in many ways, with the inclusion on digital technologies and games being at the forefront of many remote learning activities. Educators have been up-skilling at a phenomenal rate, with proponents of game-based learning quietly cheering them on, encouraging them to embrace effective and stimulating games to enhance their students learning journey.

Studying INF541 during this time of remote learning has enabled me as an educator to actively pursue new and existing game-based learning applications with confidence and a sound knowledge base. Modules 1, 2 and 3 gave the background knowledge to the simply complex question;

What is a game-based learning?

Assignment 2, the critical review of a game and the discussions had with the INF541 cohort enabled the creation of an evaluation criteria that I have used to assess educational games before using them with my class. I have become more critical of the aspects of educational games, now acutely aware of the importance, of context, feedback and motivation (Whitton, 2009) and the need for a balance of all three to create an entertaining but educational game.

Investigating the sheer plethora of available resources in the game-based learning arena has been challenging. The extensive amount of games and applications available to educators in all fields of education can at times be a negative, with educators overwhelmed by the number of resources available. INF541 has introduced commentators, experts and developers who are doing this work for educators. Youtube channels like Extra Credits and Podcasts like Teachers Talking Teaching, give educators a reliable point of reference to begin their game-based learning journey.

The diversity of the INF541 cohort and their professions has enlightened and encouraged me to implement game-based learning with more confidence. The views and knowledge of the Librarians of the cohort have encouraged me implement game-based learning into my students’ research skills studies through the implementation of literacy and story-based activities. This culminated in the creation of the Re-Search game.

Digital Communities (Ramaswamy, 2016)

One aspect of Game-based learning that was present at the beginning of my INF541 journey (Wood, 2020) and remains a constant is the joy I have found in the communities that emerge and grow from a game. This was highlighted many times over in the discussion forums (2020) and blog posts (Pavuna, 2020) of my fellow students. Growing up BD; Before Digital I am consistently amazed by the depth of connection people can attain through participating in digital games. This was highlighted by the story of Mats Steen, a Norwegian with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Mats lived his life in a wheel- chair, unable to participate in most aspects of life, but on his death in 2014 his parents discovered that Mats had lived a whole and fulfilling life in the game World of Warcraft. People all over Europe mourned the death of Mats, and to this day commemorate his friendship (“My disabled son – ‘the nobleman, the philanderer, the detective’”, 2019).

The power of this story and the people it describes underpins my hope for game-based learning. If we as educators can embrace the vast, complex digital worlds available to our students, we can co-create engaging and entertaining learning experiences which will allow all learners to actively construct their own meaning and become life-long learners.

References

Majumdar, A. (2015). Game-based Learning [Image]. Retrieved 19 May 2020, from https://elearningindustry.com/gamification-and-game-based-learning-yes-they-are-different.

My disabled son – ‘the nobleman, the philanderer, the detective’. BBC News. (2019). Retrieved 14 May 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/disability-47064773.

Pavuna, E. (2020). Now Entering… Virtual Worlds for Learning [Blog]. Retrieved 15 May 2020, from http://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/eddie/.

Ramaswamy, S. (2016). Digital Communities [Image]. Retrieved 15 May 2020, from https://medium.com/@sararamaswamy/building-online-communities-from-the-few-to-the-many-4217501e9b99.

Whitton, N. (2009). Learning with Digital Games : A Practical Guide to Engaging Students in Higher Education. London, UNITED KINGDOM: Taylor & Francis Group.

Wood, A. (2020). INF541 Assessment item 1 – Game-based Learning; Where there is doubt there is freedom! [Blog]. Retrieved 15 May 2020, from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/awood/category/assignment-item-1-inf541/.

(2020). [Blog]. Retrieved 2 May 2020, from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/conference?toggle_mode=read&action=list_forums&course_id=_44369_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&mode=view.