Gamification: Creating new education tools by applying video games to classroom learning
You may have thought gaming was a way for students to avoid the realities of education ... but some professors have designed entire courses as an online game. Teachers adding game-based learning to the mix say it improves critical thinking and keeps students engaged. Today we're looking at Reading, Writing and Avatars.
If you want to build something you can build something. If you want to talk to friends you can do that if you want to kill monsters you can kill monsters. It makes a lot of sense to take a game that's already fun and find a way to bring it into the classroom.- Joel Levin, co-owner of Teacher Gaming about bringing Minecraft into the classroom
A lot of kids, and probably a few adults, wore their thumbs red playing "Super Mario Brothers". And while video games are spectacularly successful home entertainment, some hope games can be equally engaging as learning tools.
Today, as part of our project By Design, we look at designing a curriculum that incorporates gaming. The buzzword in education is gamification. These students are studying game design, and taking a course from one of gamification's pioneers.
Lee Sheldon is a professor in the Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences program at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is one of the first to design his classes as multi-player games, and a leader in gamification.
Adam Clare is a professor of Game Design at George Brown, and a Lead Game Designer at Wero Creative in Toronto.
Rebecca Rufo-Tepper is one of the founding design partners of Quest To Learn school in New York City.
If you've had any experience with game-based learning - good or bad - let us know.
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This segment was produced by The Current's Sarah Grant.