Tag: media literacy

Module 5 Information Leadership in Schools

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It is interesting to consider that students have been provided with devices to demonstrate and engage in learning in classrooms and now synchronously and asynchronously, but digital citizenship is not a part of the Ontario Curriculum. Media Literacy is a part of the Language Arts Curriculum, Critical thinking is a part of the Mathematics Curriculum and Cyber Bullying is a part of the Health Curriculum, however, there is not an explicit one-stop-shop for teachers in Ontario to know what is important to ensure students know and understand in terms of Digital Citizenship. One could argue that educators are preparing students for their future, however, what does that mean practically for educators who didn’t attend Univesity using their own device to engage in learning? What does that look like for teachers who didn’t use Web 2.0 to complete their formal education?

As the Technology Enabled Learning Teacher Contact for a K – 8 School Board in Ontario I have begun to collate a list of skills are required for students to know and understand before leaving the system to attend high school. The scope and sequence is not an all-encompassing list of skills, but rather it will provide a baseline assessment of what students know and understand and what is the next step for educators to begin integrating digital citizenship, digital literacy, transliteracy, and information fluency skills into the classroom. Baseline data will be collected during the month of June to determine where students are at. Educators across the board will be asked to complete a survey that will paint the picture of where our students are at. The findings will inform planning for student programming and workshops as well as educator professional development.

Media Smarts is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that is committed to providing educators with lesson plans and programming ideas. There is no curriculum for digital citizenship skills. Common Sense Media does provide a digital citizenship curriculum that could be utilized in the classroom, however, it is American content.

The school board I work for has released the Strategic Plan for 2020 – 2024. One of the pillars is Focus on the Future. Under this pillar are Information Communication Technology (ICT), Blended Learning, and Digital Fluency. Although current job descriptions outline the importance or need for ICT or Digital Literacy Skills. I wonder if this will be stressed through the interview process. I also understand there is the understanding of coaching educators through workshops and professional development to grow professionally. The Ontario College of Teachers encourages Ontario educators to develop a positive online presence.

Assessment 4 Part C: Reflection

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My learning goals for this course were to learn how game creation and development can meet Ontario Curriculum Expectations and understand the theory behind why students are motivated to learn through games. Game-based learning is not a new concept, I notice how students are engaged with learning with technology and observed how students enjoy learning through digital games such as Kahoot, Reflex Math and Scratch Coding. However, prior to this course I did not see a direct correlation between game-play and academic success. I did not fully appreciate video games as a learning medium and my perception was that video games were a waste of one’s time. Furthermore, I did not understand students’ learning can be positively impacted through digital gameplay. 

Game genres such as competition, strategy and role-play are factors that make game-based learning a motivating and rich medium for learning. Students are motivated to learn through video games since they are a medium for students to learn by doing and actively participating in their learning. Video games provide students with multiple entry points to learning. Each students’ perspective and experiences will naturally differentiate how they engage in this learning environment. Students have a safe and inclusive environment to learn through trial and error. If students are not able to pass a level they continue to persevere and strategize new ways to be successful. 

Digital games create a narrative learning environment through role-play and storytelling. Throughout this course, I learned game elements support student engagement, immersion and learning. Game interaction through audio and visual elements provides students with immediate feedback. Digital games as a learning medium embed choice and agency for students. Immersion is positively impacted through student choice in character development, game environment and the narrative. 

Game-based learning supports student’s development of 21st-century learning competencies, media literacy, digital literacy and information literacy, as well as the games, target subject content areas. Through gameplay students practice critical thinking to solve problems, communicate with the game or peers through controllers, touch screens or kinesthetically. Digital games organically support student’s information literacy skills as students find, process, analyse and evaluate information through game mechanics and the game environment. 

Students think creatively while playing and constructing their own games. Based on my experience creating a digital game, I can state with confidence that I learned more through creating the game then students will learn through playing the game. In order to create the Superior North Digital Race (SNDR),  an understanding of the Grade 4 – 6 Social Studies Curriculum was needed; research of the content areas within the curriculum was required to find engaging questions. Furthermore, consideration of all the possible answers to the clues and questions was researched. There are many digital tools learned through building the game; Google Maps, Slides, Forms, Read and Write, Kahoot, Geogussr and Online Voice Recorder. Connecting these digital resources together in a comprehensive way, that can easily be integrated into the classroom by educators, was a learning experience.

The next step as a technology leader within the school board will be to actively pursue and promote game-based learning and create digital games similar to SNDR to share with teachers to be utilized as classroom resources. Since a significant amount of time was required to create SNDR and considering that time is a barrier for classroom teachers to create their own games, I will model the use of digital games during my classroom visits, share games with students and model for teachers how digital games can be implemented. Engaging students in creating their own digital games to share with their peers will also be part of my long-term plan. Using my SNDR game as a template will allow students to collaboratively work together and build their own digital games. This supports student media literacy and information literacy skills and will alleviate the barrier of a teacher’s time. Finally, I will continue to promote the implementation and creation of digital games into the classroom and follow up directly with students and teachers for concerns or challenges.

Assessment 4 Part A

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Game Description and Overview

The Superior North Digital Race (SNDR) game mimics Amazing Race Canada. Each team will be created by students based on their individual strengths and be comprised of two students. Students will create a team name that accurately depicts them as a team. This planning will support problem-solving and decision making throughout the game. Teams begin with a clue; players decode and solve the problem to navigate to their next clue. Teams cannot progress to the next stage of the game without resolving each obstacle. If unable to complete a challenge, a 10-minute penalty is added and they continue their game. A hint from their teacher or another team adds a 5-minute penalty. Players continue the process until the first team wins by reaching the final pitstop. Penalties are added to the team’s final time. Teams encounter obstacles in the form of roadblocks and detours. At a roadblock, only one team player can complete the challenge- players will need to decide who will best conquer the roadblock. Detours allow teams to choose which challenge they would like to complete based on the description. As noted, students can request a hint from the teacher.

Benefits of  Digital Game-Based Learning

Game-based learning is an application of game design principles into the classroom to engage students (Adams, 2009). Students enjoy learning through immersive digital platforms, collaboratively with their peers and learn through trial and error (Liu, Cheng, & Huang, 2011). Digital games engage students with short attention spans by quickly moving from one challenge to the next (Latham & Hollister, 2013). Active learning methods increase student overall engagement and retention of information (Meegen & Limpens, 2010). Game-based learning promotes students’ ability to think and act creatively while acquiring knowledge in a motivational learning environment (Adams, 2009)(Lacovides, McAndrew, Scanlon, & Aczel, 2014). Students are both extrinsically and intrinsically motivated through educational games (Liu, Cheng, & Huang, 2011). They apply logic, memory, visualization and problem-solving skills while completing an authentic task that is both collaborative and competitive (Meegen & Limpens, 2010). Students will have meaningful discussions and discourse exploring digital resources to solve problems to complete the race (Lacovides, McAndrew, Scanlon, & Aczel, 2014). Constructivism learning theory highlights the importance of students learning through play and doing. Students construct knowledge as they actively engage in hands-on authentic learning tasks (Lacovides, McAndrew, Scanlon, & Aczel, 2014). Players who engage in games have an environment to make connections from their current knowledge and create new knowledge through collaboration with teammates and skillfully scaffolded questions and challenges (St-Pierre, 2011). The key to game design is to facilitate learning within the player’s zone of proximal development. The goal of SNDR is to provide a learning medium that engages students in a flow learning experience. Research suggests that student learning, persistence, and strategy development are improved through flow experience (Liu, Cheng, & Huang, 2011).  Students play in an immersive and interactive learning environment that captures and holds their attention with an urgency to be the first to complete the race (St-Pierre, 2011) (Veach, 2019).  This race allows teams to find the best way to balance the challenges and clues to student’s skills and abilities.

Desired Learning Outcome

SNDR targets elementary students in Grade 4 to 6 and supports the development of students’ spatial skills and spatial literacy. The Ontario Social Studies Curriculum 2013, outlines the importance of students’ “spatial skills as they underpin spatial literacy enabling students to develop and communicate a sense of place” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013, p.24). This concept naturally embeds literacy, mathematical literacy and technology. Students will extract information and analyse data from maps and graph and hone information literacy skills as they engage in real-world problem solving by completing the roadblock and detour challenges. Students will develop 21st-century learning competencies, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, character and creativity, solve problems, communicate their thinking and work as a team to achieve optimal results (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016). SNDR uses digital tools such as Google Maps, Slides, Forms, Read and Write, Kahoot and GeoGuessr. These applications are readily accessible to students. Through gameplay, players will practice media literacy, engage in information-seeking through exploring and extracting information from maps, graphs and various digital resources to deduce answers to solve clues (St-Pierre, 2011)(Latham & Hollister, 2013). Information literacy skills will be refined as the game demands students to select relevant information quickly and apply the information to the context of clues and challenges (Robinson & Robinson, 2013).

Classroom Implementation

Each team will require a device such as an iPad or Chromebook to navigate the game. The game will take 60 minutes to complete and each team must have time to complete the entire game. Students who may require accommodations to fully engage in the game will benefit from a peer buddy and assistive technology. Working as a team to access digital tools and assist with reading clues and inputting answers into the Google Form (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). Additional support is accessed through the Google Read and Write a program that engages students’ senses by reading and tagging the text in the clues (Veach, 2019) (St-Pierre, 2011).

Assessment 

SNDR can be used as a diagnostic assessment or a minds-on task. The assessment data gathered through observations and assessing the challenge responses will support educators’ understanding of students’ spatial and literacy skills (Menezes, & De Bortolli, 2016). The game also serves as a  template for students to develop their own Amazing Race Canada type game as a final assessment task (O’Brien, 2011). The role of the classroom teacher during the game will be to observe and record anecdotal assessment comments. A rubric is included as a template. Teachers will also serve as a coach for all teams, supporting students by questioning or troubleshooting technical questions. As a coach, teachers can ask students to open-ended questions to help guide problem-solving. The teacher will also be the game’s commentator and announce the winning team. Google Forms is the program that students will use to input their responses to successfully obtain their next clue or challenge. Incorrect answers immediately cause students to revisit the clue and submit a new answer. Trial and error will direct student exploration and discovery through instant feedback (O’Brien, 2011). Additional assessment data will be gathered through the answer input into the Google Form. Kahoot responses are collected instantaneously for further review. By the end of the SNDR teachers will have the Google Form responses, the Kahoot results and data from students engaging in Geoguessr which can be utilized to direct student’s next steps (Menezes, & De Bortolli, 2016).

Emerging Trends

SNDR provides an immersive learning environment for students to roleplay their favourite team from Amazing Race Canada or take on the persona of their team name (Adams, 2009). The competitive and strategic gameplay with the moment by moment quest to complete clues and challenges first tactically and strategically immerses players (Adams, 2004). Clues will provide students with answers they can quickly answer within seconds and seek and plan what challenges, detours and roadblocks the team will best be able to complete quickly (Veach, 2019). The game is interactive, providing students with choice throughout the game. Universal design for learning and differentiated instruction are achieved through game mechanics. Players have options while participating in roadblocks and detours which allows for differentiated content, process and product (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). Students as players have the opportunity to affect their learning environment by choosing their teammate (Mena, 2012). Player persistence positively correlates with agency (Veach, 2019) (Extra Credits: Gamifying Education, 2012, May 13). SNDR provides students with a choice from the beginning to end, allowing players to strategically select options that suit the team’s strengths (Adams, 2004)(Meegen & Limpens, 2010).

References

Adams, E. (2004). Postmodernism and the three types of immersion. Retrieved January 12, 2015, from http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2118/the_designers_notebook_.php Adams, S. S. (2009). What games have to offer: Information behavior and meaning-making in virtual play spaces. Library Trends, 57(4), 676-693. Extra Credits: Gamifying Education. (2012, May 13). Gamifying Education – How to Make Your Classroom Truly Engaging – Extra Credits [Video file]. Retrieved from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuDLw1zIc94&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5BIUqSDPmfBuKjTN2QBv9wI Latham, D., & Hollister, J. M. (2013). The games people play: Information and media literacies in the Hunger Games trilogy. Children’s Literature in Education, 45(1), 33–46. doi:10.1007/s10583-013-9200-0 Lacovides, I., McAndrew, P., Scanlon, E., & Aczel, J. (2014). The gaming involvement and informal learning framework. Simulation & Gaming, 45(4-5), 611–626. Retrieved from https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1177/1046878114554191 Liu, C.-C., Cheng, Y.-B., & Huang, C.-W. (2011). The effect of simulation games on the learning of computational problem solving. Computers & Education, 57(3), 1907–1918. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.04.002 Meegen, A. van, & Limpens, I. (2010). How serious do we need to be? Improving information literacy skills through gaming and interactive elements. LIBER Quarterly, 20(2), 270–288. Retrieved from https://www.liberquarterly.eu/articles/10.18352/lq.7993/ Mena, R. J. R. (2012). Player types, play styles, and play complexity: Updating the entertainment grid. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 2(2), 75–89. Retrieved from http://www.igi-global.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/gateway/article/66882 Menezes, C. C. N., & De Bortolli, R. (2016). Potential of Gamification as Assessment Tool. Creative Education, 7, 561-566. O’Brien, D. (2011). A taxonomy of educational games. In Management Association, I. (Eds.), Gaming and Simulations: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications (pp. 1-23). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-60960-195-9.ch101 Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Learning for All: A Guide for Effective Assessment and Instruction for all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Queens’ Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/learningforall2013.pdf Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). The Ontario Curriculum Grade 1 – 6 Social Studies. Queens’ Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/sshg18curr2013.pdf Ontario Ministry of Education. (2016). 21st Century Competencies Foundation Document for Discussion. Queens’ Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/About21stCentury/21CL_21stCenturyCompetencies.pdf Robson, A.  & Robinson, L. (2013). Building on models of information behaviour: linking information seeking and communication. Journal of Documentation, 69(2), 169–193. doi:10.1108/00220411311300039 St-Pierre, R. (2011). Learning with video games. In P. Felicia (Ed.), Handbook of research on improving learning and motivation through educational games: Multidisciplinary approaches (pp. 74-96). Hershey, PA: . doi:10.4018/978-1-60960-495-0.ch004 Veach, C. C. (2019). Breaking out to break through: Re-imagining first-year orientations. Reference Services Review, 47(4), 556–569. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-06-2019-0039

Module 2 Digital Games, Narrative and gameplay

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Video games are a new medium that is highly engaging, immersive and participatory for users. Many video games are extensions of a narrative story or film. Video games expand the possibilities and move users from spectators to participates. Moreover, video games are fun, engaging, immersive and interactive. (Tyner, 2009) The question becomes how do we use video games effectively to integrate instruction into the classroom?

Video games are narratives, but much different than a linear text story. I hadn’t considered it before, but video games are stories that can be in part authored by the player and their gameplay. The player has agency in the game, a sense of control and valued participation. According to Tikka, Kankaanranta, Nousiainen & Hankala (2009) reading a computer game is similar to reading traditional text, the skillsets overlap – interpreting images, animations, understanding the rules and decoding the narrative story.

Creating games takes participation in games one step further. Providing students with the opportunity to create a video game supports literacy instruction. Students will develop character, illustrate the setting and describe the plot to the players. The medium of the video game is an engagement piece that supports students’ understanding and immersion into narrative writing.

Today’s games allow the user to use kinesthetic movements to interact with a game or device. Augmented reality provides users with experiences that are literally out of this world, but yet still realistic. For example, using technology to allow children to engage with wildlife. Applications are moving standard two-dimensional images to interactive, three-dimensional videos and information that expands beyond images. According to Tyner (2009), the media literacy curriculum is outdated and does not meet the interest of students.

References

Telling Stories with Digital Board Games: Tikka, S., Kankaanranta, M., Nousiainen, T., & Hankala, M. (2009).

The Fun Theory Case http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqOn9zng_M

Tyner, K. (2009). Media Literacy: New agendas in communication. Chapter 8 Media Literacy 2.0  http://CSUAU.eblib.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=465586