(Image credit: www.hotbloodedgaming.com)
The NMC Horizon Report, an annual joint publication of the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative, highlights emerging trends in educational technology. The latest report that has been published is the 2012 Higher Education Edition. This edition of the report examines the possible (and probable) development of technology in education over the next 1-5 years. The language used by Johnson, Adams and Cummins of the NMC Horizon Report for this edtechvolution is the “time-to-adoption horizon.” The Report is meant to “indicate likely timeframes for their entrance into mainstream use for teaching, learning, and creative inquiry” (p. 6). Three time-to-adoption horizons (One Year or Less; Two to Three Years; and Four to Five Years) were identified in the report. Two technologies were associated with each horizon: Mobile Apps and Tablet Computing – One year or less; Game-Based Learning and Learning Analytics – Two to three years; and Gesture-Based Computing and The Internet of Things – Four to five years.
I chose to focus on the emerging educational technology of game-based learning. As the father of two boys (ages 13 and 10) and as an academic librarian working with traditional undergraduate students, I am very aware of the impact of video games in our culture. I have often wondered about the educational opportunities to be found in “fun” games (not just games marketed as being educational). What, for example, are my sons learning when they play Lego Star Wars? What are the college students learning when they play late night sessions of the massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Halo? Is there “educational” value to be had or are these just the cerebral version of junk food?
What I read in the Horizon Report encouraged me. The authors of the Report (2012) note “this type of game brings many players together to work on activities that require collaborative problem solving” (p. 19). Collins & Halverson (2010) observed, “gaming may help young people learn a variety of leadership skills, such as resource allocation, negotiating with friends and adversaries, manipulating situations and environments, actively pursuing their goals andrecovering from failure” (p. 22).
Armed with this information and material from other researchers I decided to pursue a lesson involving the integration of the emerging technology of game-based learning and the Idaho history curriculum for the fourth grade. I often help with Idaho History Day and volunteer at the school my children attend. My boys have recently discovered the game Minecraft and I saw some potential there for educational application. They have shared with me that other kids at their school, boys and girls alike, enjoy playing Minecraft.
What I developed was an initial lesson plan using Minecraft to integrate the teaching of Idaho history and math. Students use the simulated world of Minecraft to create their own early Idaho settlement and build their own house. Along the way, the math concepts of perimeter and area are reinforced. Minecraft allows for a game-based learning experience that is physically safe (no one is injured while building a house) and brings math and history to life thus providing strong elements of fun and motivation.
This particular assignment for EDTECH 501 supports several AECT standards including Standard 1.1 Instructional Systems Design, Standard 3.1 Media Utilization and Standard 3.3 Implementation and Institutionalization. The act of creating material for instruction meets the requirements of Standard 1.1. The intentional (“systematic”) use of the technology resources of computers, video and a gaming environment for this assignment support Standard 3.1 Media Utilization. The fact that this lesson plan exists and can be used in a rudimentary sense in a classroom (there is no Minecraft Idaho seed but any Minecraft seed would allow for this activity) supports the implementation and institutionalization components in Standard 3.3.
During the course of the assignment I was reminded of how challenging it is for me to think in the micro world of lesson plans. I am much more of an abstract-random, big idea, creative, macro-focused thinker. It’s not to say that I cannot do lesson plans. They just do not come naturally for me. I am so glad that I work with many talented and available educators who were willing to let me bounce my ideas off of them. It also took a while to create the additional collateral materials. This is one of the banes of creating original content. This was a very stimulating and rewarding project. My boys are quite excited about the possibility of exploring the Minecraft Idaho seed (created worlds). Perhaps I will enlist them in helping me create the seed world for use in their school.
References:
Collins, A. A., & Halverson, R. R. (2010). The second educational revolution: rethinking education in the age of technology. Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 26(1), 18-27. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00339.x
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M. (2012). The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Lance McGrath: EDTECH Learning Log 