Game Based Learning

This week marks the end of the game based learning which was fun. The different stations that provided a peek into what you can do.

What i have learnt...
I believe that games are divided into two: the educational games and the entertainment games. If you put these two games infront of a student, guess which one that student is going to pick up first. the one that interest him more. Now if you get something like trauma center where you get a chance to save a person's life or if the game is about CSI and youre a detective on a mission versus Maths blaster or Spelling bee, most likely the student will pick up the entertainment game. Yes, it is fun, but does the student learn anything valuable in that game? At that moment, they're probably thinking "Dont die on me, i want to get a Grade A surgeon!" or "Thats it! im not going to be a surgeon!"

But this entertainment games, do thy expand your horizons or enriched your life in any way?

Now, the idea is that people learn better when they are interested in the subject. what if you put in lessons that were subtle and that may create self directed learning. Students may be playing the game but they come across a certain object in the game which has reference to history or geography or even art.  They may go and research on that item ant thus ta-da learning is achieved!
An example,a child is playing CSI and says hmm that's interesting... i like that idea of fingerprints and how to lift them... this may give the child some energy to actually research on Fingerprints on the internet or even in his textbook and reads about them and then the child will learn about something.Yay!

So the child must be interested in the game and also the lessons that are embedded in the game. Although they might not know of it yet while they are playing the game, they could take notes on which things interest them in the game and they could do research and self directed learning (how i love that word!)

i found this video which explains what tangible learning in and the difference between learning and gaming.



The question that i have? Is how to get kids who are obsessed with gaming realize that they are learning while playing games? Should think about that and blog it next week.