Digital Directions - Winter 2013 - (Page 20)

“ It really teaches you a lot subject-wise and real-worldwise because . . . you learn how to be , and that is what you need to in the world. independent survive real ” —Nautica Robinson 8th Grader_West Pender Middle School be in my own fantasy world.” In addition, Minecraft has helped her learn science and social studies concepts, she says. “It really teaches you a lot subject-wise and real-world-wise because ... you learn how to be independent, and that is what you need to survive in the real world,” Nautica says. Abigail Lopez, 12, a 7th grader at West Pender, is using Minecraft to learn about science. She says learning through games is “fun and educational.” In her class, students use the game to build a Hunger Games-inspired arena where students compete against each other to build colonies that ensure their survival. Because there are limited resources, students also have to use teamwork in order to survive, Abigail says. One of the biggest challenges in incorporating the game into the classroom was finding the right platform to house the curriculum, says Gillispie, who started with the open-source learning-management system Moodle but found that its structures were too rigid for his game-based course. Gillispie then discovered the 3D GameLab, a game-based learning-management platform created by Boise State University and now run by Boise, Idaho-based GoGo Labs, which aims to use education research to design and build educational technologies that support game-based learning. 3D GameLab uses experience points, virtual badges, and scorecards instead of percentage-based grades to track students’ progress. The platform allows for a nonlinear progression so students can choose where they go next, rather than being forced to follow a specific path. A leaderboard within the platform encourages players to keep playing even after they’ve completed their mandatory activities, says Lisa Dawley, a former researcher at Boise State who is the founder and chief executive officer for GoGo Labs. The platform was made available in a limited beta release that could be accessed only by going through a “teacher camp” where teachers learn how to create quests within the platform, incorporate games into the classroom, and do other tasks. Dawley expects to open it to a public beta early this year. “It’s been part of our strategy to focus on early-adopter teacher types who are willing to play and explore,” Dawley says. Gillispie uses the platform as the foundation for his class. “Kids access it and work on it at their own pace, choosing what quest or what area they would like to explore,” he says. He emphasizes that choice is an essential component of game-based learning. Support from administrators in the Pender County district has allowed Gillispie to move forward with a learning approach that can often be a tough sell to education officials— especially because the students in his World of Warcraft class actually play within the game, often interacting with nonstudent players. He feels such interaction is critical to their education. “We can talk about teaching kids digital citizenship and how to be responsible there, but we’re blocking their access,” Gillispie says. “They’re going into the Wild West with no one to help them navigate that wilderness.” In the class, students are supervised at all times, he says, and the parental controls on the students’ games do not allow them to access World of Warcraft outside of class time. But the biggest challenge can often be convincing teachers and other adults that students can learn through game play, Gillispie says. “It really depends on whether they have a vision for this or not,” he says. “The challenge is just reminding adults that play is powerful.” n Read Aloud Classics GOAL To help young readers increase reading comprehension GAME DESCRIPTION Read to yourself or listen along to 36 brightly illustrated stories, poems, and plays COURSES Reading K-5 PLATFORMS iPad, Android 20 >> www.digitaldirections.org  http://www.digitaldirections.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Directions - Winter 2013

Digital Directions - Winter 2013
Contents
Editor’s Note
DD Site Visit
Bits & Bytes
Digital Storytelling
Online Courses Turn on Gaming
Reading in the Age of Digital Devices
Movers & Shakers
State, Federal Leadership Seen as Key to Innovation
Open-Source Opportunities
BYOD Boundaries
E-Cloud Forecast
Digital Shift
Security

Digital Directions - Winter 2013

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