001+Videogames+In+Schools

Samantha Laraia, Katie Bridgett, Jennifer Cosner Frostburg State University Spring 2011

 **Introduction** ====Videogames and other emerging technologies havebeen making their way into schools over the past decade all over the country as tools to get students more active in learning. Not only are games such as Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and other physically stimulating based games being used in Physical Education classes, teachers have begun to incorporate full lessons into daily assignments that are based on the use of videogames. Technology is an artifact of this generation’s culture (Simpson & Clem 2008) and this generation of learners more or less needs some form of technology in order for them to be even mildly interested in what is going on. ==== ====**Why use videogames in classrooms?** ====

 A key factor in introducing videogames into classrooms is that students should be learning in a similar environment in which they experience in the outside world. Students learn entirely different now than previous generations of learners because of the fact that our society as a whole is so technologically advanced. As stated in the journal //Videogames In The Middle School Classroom,//“The current crop of learners differs in significant ways from previous generations because, unlike their predecessors, they have literally grown up ‘digital’” (Simpson & Clem 2008). This generation of learners is a group who depends entirely too much on technology to meet many of their daily needs, so why not incorporate that into the classroom? Not only does the idea of using videogames in class motivate them, it also allows them to show skills in creativity and visualization that may not otherwise be available in a lesson without the use of technology. Videogames also appeal to multiple intelligences: visual, auditory, musical, kinesthetic, and interpersonal intelligences (Kuroneko 2008) which great because every person has a different learning style and strength in different areas of intelligence in which they learn. The use of videogames also could create more positive reinforcement for a student and their learning if they are good at playing games but not necessarily as superior at other typical classroom tasks.

 **How to Effectively Use Videogames in Classrooms **

The use of technology is becoming more common throughout classrooms. A new use, educational videogames, has seemed to help students become more focused on the information being taught to them in lessons. Technology such as Nintendo’s Wii, allows students to become more active and engage in physical activity (Hellmich, 2010). Staff members at Conlee Elementary School in Las Cruces, New Mexico decided to begin each school day allowing students to play //Just Dance// for the Wii. Students were only given five minutes each day to play but professionals noticed that kids were not only getting physical exercise, but tardiness rates dropped (Hellmich, 2010). Videogames can also take a dry subject and add excitement for students. “Immune Attack,” is a 3-D game designed by immunologists, teachers, and learning scientists that has recently been released to teach students about the immune system (Hoppock, 2008). To play the game, students must save an ill patient by navigating through the bloodstream to rehabilitate nonfunctional immune cells. Throughout the game, students learn about immunology and must apply their knowledge in order to advance to harder levels. This is an excellent way to get students involved and learning. This exact game has been used in multiple high schools all over the United States and all of the reactions from teachers have been positive (Hoppock, 2008). When used effectively, videogames can have beneficial impact on classrooms in more ways than one.

 ** How can teachers use creating videogames in class to help with student’s academics? **

Videogames have been given a name of being violence to children of all ages even though videogame companies have been finding ways to better this view in America, which is to become more educational. The use of videogames can be looked at in many ways for educational use such as for reading, writing, and not only academics but for children with disabilities such as ADHD. Children are able to watch and play videogames for long periods of time, even children with ADHD are able to concentrate which comes to why teachers can allow students to create their own games and both be effective, and a good reason to use in the classrooms (Sohn, 2004). In the journal by Sara Bernard **, **provides information about a free downloadable game system called Kodu, founded by director of Microsoft and how it is being used in schools to prom ote reading and writing. ** There was a study done by the University **** of Washington that found that children that use the program and write and create a narrative were connected in many ways (Bernard, 2011). The children are able to think in many cognitive ways because they are thinking about what viewers are going to see, which allows the students to write effectively. The use of this system can be used in any subject and can be used in many ways in each. This program has expanded and is being used in over 100 countries, allowing children to be creative in so many ways and learn and effective at the same time (Bernard, 2011). **

** Conclusion: **

 Videogames is an ongoing technology that is continuing to expand and grow to new areas of use. With the use of videogames becoming me educational, it is allowing the view of videogames as negative to be uplifted and be looked at as academic. These games like mentioned above like Nintendo Wii, DDR, Kudu, and many others are able to used in many areas of subjects from Physical Education to the use of writing and reading for young children. Therefore, with this emerging technology growing, the use of videogames will begin to grow for the pure reason of helping with not only academic reasons but for many others such as disabilities. With this technology classrooms will begin to change and start a new way of teaching and allowing students to be creative with there work.

 References:

Bernard, S. (January 28, 2011). Mind/Shift. In Can Creating Computer Games Develop Reading and Writing Skills?. Retrieved February 15, 2011, from http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/01/can-creating-computer-games-develop-reading-and-writing-skills/.

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Hellmich, N. (2010, November 10). Video games help schools get kids moving, exercising more. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Retrieved from <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[] <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">justdance11_CV_N.htm

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Hoppock, J. (2008, June 13). Playing to learn: video games in the classroom. Retrieved from <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[]

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Kuroneko. (2008, October 4). Using Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) in Schools and the Classroom | blog.classroomteacher.ca.//Educational Technology for the Classroom (K-12) - Blog.ClassroomTeacher.ca//. Retrieved January 26, 2011, from <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: windowtext; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[]

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Simpson, E., & Clem, F. (n.d.). Video Games in the Middle School Classroom - Middle School Journal. // National Middle School Association - the association for middle level education //. Retrieved January 26, 2011, from <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: windowtext; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[] media type="custom" key="9223186"media type="custom" key="9209028"Samantha Laraia Katie Bridgett Jennifer Cosner media type="custom" key="9202442"



Samantha Laraia:

[] This website provides us with a prime example of how videogames are being used in schools. The website has all the information needed to learn about the "Quest 2 Learn" school, which is a school formed entirely around technology in videogames providing students with different ways of learning lessons in all subjects. The school is for students in grades 6-12 and has a curriculum set for each grade based on using technology and videogames. This school was designed to bridge student's between old and new literacies and ways of learning in a new age of technological advances. The whole idea of the "mission" for the school is that videogames apparently have a way of being a great pedagogical tool. <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; color: black; cursor: pointer; margin: 0in;">[] This blog was written by an actual teacher who used DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) in the classroom. It provides the teacher's opinion, student's opinions, Pros and Cons to the use of game, some statistics, and other information that could be used. According to the blog at least 1500 schools in West Virginia and 10 states total are using the DDR videogame as a physical education tool as a way to try and fight childhood obesity. The comments from students range from liking the game because you can listen to music and dance at the same time and that it is a great cardio workout. All comments from the students were positive. The list of pros and cons of the game brings the reader back to the point that the cost of having videogames in schools can sometimes be a major issue or setback, <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; color: black; cursor: pointer; margin: 0in;">[] This article provides statistical information about videogames being used in positive educational ways in order to keep students motivated while still following the lesson. The authors discuss how the environment students are in outside of the classroom should be somewhat mimicked inside the classroom. The authors also provide a specific example of how one game was used in a classroom, including how the lessons were taught and how the lessons followed the curriculum.

Kuroneko. (2008, October 4). Using Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) in Schools and the Classroom | blog.classroomteacher.ca.//Educational Technology for the Classroom (K-12) - Blog.ClassroomTeacher.ca//. Retrieved January 26, 2011, from []
 * Works Cited: **

Simpson, E., & Clem, F. (n.d.). Video Games in the Middle School Classroom - Middle School Journal. // National Middle School Association - the association for middle level education //. Retrieved January 26, 2011, from []

q2lwebsite. (n.d.). // q2lwebsite //. Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://q2l.org/

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Katie Bridgett: [] This website is an article by Susannah Locke (2010), that provides results on a video game that is being used within the New York City Department of Education. It shows that video games gives children a different way of learning the required material and gives them an incentive to want to learn. This is because it is a way of learning that they enjoy and can use their imaginations. Even though the students still have to take the standardized tests, there is an improvement in their results. It is a good way to keep the children involved with the material and wanting to learn the material instead of it being placed in front of them having them keep failing. But by using computers for video games and other materials will allow the children to continue to learn and wont allow them to fail.

[] Within the following website Emily Sohn (2004),provides information regarding video games and children with ADHD. James Gee wrote a book on what video games can actually teach children about learning and literacy. Even though video games have the reputation of causing violance and bad habits for a child, it is not always a bad influence. Children who are not able to sit in a classroom not being able to pay attention and are always having to move, are capable of sitting in front of a video game for hours without moving and without breaking concentration. Therefore, it is showing that they are able to solve problems and sometimes change the possiblities and have different outcomes. This website also provides information how video games provide better reading skills for children and sometimes advance to higher levels of reading.

[] In the following blog by Larry Greenemeier (2009), it discusses if video games should be used in the learning environment for several reasons.This is because it allows for real life situations for the children and requires them to have critical thinking skills, and become much more informed with science and math. This following blog discusses how children today are born in a very technological world, and will being able to use video games to learn in school may lead them to certain careers. The following blog also gives examples of games and what they may teach the children which is reading, math, science, and many more.

Greenemeier, L. (January 1, 2009). Using Virtual Worlds and Videogames to Teach Lesson of Reality. In Scientific American. Retrieved January 30, 2011, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=using-virtual-worlds-and-video-game-2009-01-01.
 * Work Cited:**

Locke, S. (January 7, 2010). A New School Teaches Students Through Videogames. In POPSCI. Retrieved January 30, 2011, from http://www.popsci.com/entertainment-amp-gaming/article/2009-12/new-school-teaches-students-through-videogames.

Sohn, E. (January 21, 2004). What Videogames Can Teach Us. In Science News for Kids. Retrieved January 30, 2011, from http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040121/Feature1.asp.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Jennifer Cosner:



media type="custom" key="8971852" <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rick Scibelli (2010) mainly focuses in this article on how video games in the classroom help get students more active. Researchers have been able to prove that different Wii games allow kids to burn calories and can be equivalent to taking a brisk walk. These active games also allow students to become more alert during exams. The exercise before tests make students concentrate and improves attention span. Most importantly these video games are a great way to get students to learn how to pass their time more actively.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the following article, Jenn Shreve (2005) explains how many principals and teachers were very skeptic of buying video games to be used in school. A certain teacher was very disappointed in his students’ grades and wanted to come up with a better way to get students interested. He found that by incorporating educational video games into the lesson, students were not only excited about coming to class but they also wanted to learn history. These video games are also a great way of reaching out to students that normally do not get involved in the daily lessons. Video games also provide a way of making students apply critical-thinking, problem-solving, and other higher level skills.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Julia Happock (2008) describes in this news article a new video game used throughout high schools to teach students about the immune system. The goal of this game is for students to save an ill patient and while doing this, they learn key aspects about the immune system. It has been found that all teachers that use this program have only positive recommendations. The key aspect is that it makes students excited to learn. The game takes a dry subject and adds excitement for students. With a normal lesson through the text book, students are not really integrated in the information but with this video game, students become engaged in what they are doing. This is one example of how video games have become beneficial in the classroom.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Works Cited: **

Happock, J. (n.d.). Playing to Learn: Video Games in the Classroom - ABC News. //ABCNews.com: Breaking News, Politics, World News, Good Morning America, Exclusive Interviews - ABC News//. Retrieved February 7, 2011, from []

Scibelli, R. (n.d.). Video games help schools get kids moving, exercising more - USATODAY.com. //Health and Interactives//. Retrieved February 3, 2011, from []

Shreve, J. (n.d.). Let the Games Begin: Entertainment Meets Education | Edutopia. //K-12 Education & Learning Innovations with Proven Strategies that Work | Edutopia//. Retrieved February 7, 2011, from []media type="custom" key="9264202"