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Game Based Learning
Educational games are games specifically designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand known concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill – all the while engaging them in interactive events (i.e.: games). Currently, the educational titles within the video game market accounted for only 2% or $140 million of the $7.3 billion of retail sales in 2004. Some of the more prevailing attitudes and opinions held by teachers and students about educational games and game based learning in general are Teachers: Pros- Games have the ability to more accurately place students in the place or event that is being studied. Teachers also felt that games have the ability to improve group interaction. Cons- Teachers often find it difficult to justify the use of games during school time because their content did not map the national curriculum. They also are concerned with the games ability to accurately track and monitor progress of the students. Students: Pro’s- Games are more entertaining than one-dimensional textbooks. Games allow you free exploration of content. Cons- Most educational games are more educational than entertaining, so they are often bland and boring compared to commercial titles. According to a 2003 MIT study, student’s biggest qualm with educational software is the quality. To them, these titles look like infomercials due to their low quality, poor editing, and low production cost. Barriers to Entry
At The National Summit on Educational Games in October 2005, three groups – the Federation of American Scientists, the Entertainment Software Association, and the National Science Foundation - were generally positive about the impact of video games on the current educational climate. However, they identified seven potential barriers to the incorporation of games and simulations to the learning environment:
To this list we would add a few others:
GBL Case Study: 1990 Edutainment
This format is the most closely related to the "tell and test" method employed by most teachers. It is also the least interactive and engrossing to the player. There are numerous games within this segment- JumpStart, Reader Rabbit, The ClueFinders, Gcompris, eduProfix, Zoombinis, Pelmanism, Quest Atlantis, Urban Jungle, Storybook Weaver and Gizmo & Gadgets. Most of these types of games target young user from the ages of about three years to mid-teens; past the mid-teens, subjects become so complex (e.g. calculus, physics, etc.) that teaching via this standard format has proven impractical.
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