{"id":4793,"date":"2019-05-04T10:55:58","date_gmt":"2019-05-04T10:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/?p=4793"},"modified":"2024-05-29T18:33:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T18:33:42","slug":"digital-game-based-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/digital-game-based-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Game-Based Learning: 13 Pros and Cons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"game-based<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Game-based learning was once the realm of board games, card games and Lego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the widespread availability of technology has mean digital games are now in classrooms around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post presents what I see as the pros and cons of digital games in the classroom. While they are here to say, teachers need to reflect on how to use digital games in ways that limit the \u2018cons\u2019 and amplify the \u2018pros\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the scholars, the concept of \u2018digital play\u2019 is increasingly being seen as a positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many in society see digital games as \u2018idle activity\u2019, a growing body of research shows digital play has many of the positive attributes of non-digital forms of play. As Marsh et al. (2016)<\/a> argue,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhat changes in digital contexts is not so much the types of play<\/a> possible, but the nature of that play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In other words, perhaps we should start looking at digital play as being beneficial for students\u2019 social development<\/a>, cognitive development, and even physical development in just the same way as we see non-digital play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, challenges persist \u2013 particularly around the potential side effects of spending too much time in our imaginary digital worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the pros and cons\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Pros (aka Advantages)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I think the pros of learning with computers in the classroom do outweigh the cons. Or, at least, I think you can minimize the cons while still taking advantage of the pros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, at the end of the day, I feel that students need<\/em> digital skills \u2013 so I\u2019d rather tackle computer gaming in the classroom head-on and see how I can make it work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here\u2019s what I see as the major pros of digital game-based learning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Digital Gaming Motivates and Engages Learners<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I will start with the most obvious, but perhaps most powerful reason to bring digital games into the classroom: motivation and engagement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital gaming can be a significant motivator for learning. Boys, in particular, appear very much drawn to the world of digital gaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, as a child, I was hooked on computer games. I played them the moment I got home from school and, yes, even in the morning before classes (much to my mother\u2019s chagrin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One rational explanation for why games are so engaging is their multimodality<\/a>. They use lighting, movement, sound and images to attract and maintain our attention. As the University of Toronto<\/a> highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cGames are designed to deliver an optimal experience to the user\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Thus, we can use games as an engagement tactic. Once we have \u2018hooked\u2019 our students with games, we can weave learning scenarios into the games to teach our students \u2013 on the sly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>>>RELATED POST: A List of 107 Effective Classroom Teaching Strategies<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Digital Games often require Team Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

20 years ago we were lucky to have one computer tucked away in the corner of the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember in my Year 5 classroom one person at a time would be given the privilege of using the computer to type up a story on the computer\u2019s word processor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, many schools have enough devices for one device per student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the growth of internet connectivity has enabled the devices in a classroom to talk to one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These new technological affordances have meant students are no longer working in isolation online. Instead, they\u2019re playing complex games that require teamwork to complete puzzles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, much like offline play, online play often necessitates that students learn, practice and apply their practical team-work skills<\/a> like communicating, coordinating, collaborating and negotiating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Anastasia Salter<\/a> from The Chronicle of Higher Education argues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe structures of games both demand and reward teamwork and use systems of clearly-defined roles and objectives to create better outcomes than any individual could achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

3. Ed Tech Automates Feedback and Progress Recording<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Something I love about educational technologies is that they do a great job of developing datasets about students\u2019 progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the clearest example of this is Duolingo<\/a>. Every time you play a game on Duolingo, it reports your scores and progress toward language fluency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also monitors when you haven\u2019t been exposed to a certain type of language formation in a few days or weeks and makes sure to re-introduce those concepts to ensure they\u2019re always fresh in your mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we still need teachers to interpret data output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Duolingo thinks I\u2019m 73% fluent in Spanish. I\u2019m certainly not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, the potential for instant feedback for students and behaviorist-style<\/a> rewards and punishments for getting problems right and wrong on computers can be a powerful motivator for learning and measuring progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: How to use wearable technologies in the classroom<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Digital Play Can Promote Creative and Lateral Thinking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While many parents and teachers tend to look at digital gaming as wasted time, many scholars highlight the incredible amount of creative decision-making that goes into gameplay in modern games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online sandbox games<\/strong> are my favorite examples of creative and lateral thinking<\/a> in digital games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sandbox games are \u2026 well, let me give you Techopedia\u2019s<\/a> definition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cA sandbox is a style of game in which minimal character limitations are placed on the gamer, allowing the gamer to roam and change a virtual world at will. In contrast to a progression-style game, a sandbox game emphasizes roaming and allows a gamer to select tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The creative element of sandbox games is in its \u2018build your own adventure\u2019 feel. Students have to make their own decisions and create their own goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some examples of sandbox games<\/a> include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n