Gamififcation Part Two: The Serious Game

The serious game is the game that is designed with a purpose other than entertainment only.  There are a number of very good serious games that can be used for learning outside of the classroom.  I played the game The Garbage Game one time.  This game required the player to manage the waste produced by New York City.  I chose this game because it seemed to have an interesting and relevant theme to it, which is important for learner motivation. 

The game involved a lot of reading and use of reading comprehension skills.  This game would be very difficult for anyone below the advanced level of ESL.  For advanced learners this game is a very good way to practice intensive English reading in an authentic way.  Intensive reading comprehension is an important learning objective for advanced ESL learners. The theme of the game is a relevant one as well, the idea is to consume as little waste and use as little energy as possible.  Energy production and usage and its environmental impact has had an increasing voice in popular media as of late.  It is an important question that needs to be addressed in the coming generations and an interesting and relevant topic for discussion.  As ESL speakers become advanced they need to be stimulated by advanced readings that capture their ideas and help them to process more complex language usages such as thinking about and discussing real life hot topics such as waste management.

As a teacher this is a game that could be used as a homework assignment in comprehensive reading.  To check that the learning objective has been met you can require students to write a report on their results and and thoughts on the content and its real life implications.  A presentation could also be made to present their assignment as well as create an opportunity to practice speaking skills.

The Garbage Game  is an excellent game to use for advanced learners to practice their reading comprehensive skills.  It is best completed outside of the classroom as there is a lot of reading which can take a while for ESL learners.  Overall the potential for success depends on learner motivation, Gamification is an excellent resource to use in the classroom to help stimulate students and keep them motivated to learn.

Gamification: The Impact of Games on Learner's Motivation in the L2 Classroom

There are many innovative ways to impact student motivation in the L2 classroom.  One interesting way to stimulate motivation in learning is through games.  Gamification "is the application of game elements in non-gaming situations, often to motivate or influence behavior" (Educase, 2011).  Through the increase in classroom technology it is becoming easier and more relevant to include games in school curriculum, particularly in L2 classrooms.

Gamification may seem abstract or even distracting for some classroom teachers, however, much can be said to rationalize the usage of games for second language learning.  For starters "Gamification offers instructors numerous creative opportunities to enliven their instruction with contests, leader boards, or badges that give students opportunities for recognition and a positive attitude toward their work" (Educase, 2011).   In language learning it is often quite common for shy students to fall behind, not because of some type of cognitive dysfunction but due to their shy and introverted personalities.  This is an area in which games can be very useful in second language classrooms: "Gamification  has the potential to help build connections among members of the academic community, drawing in shy students, supporting collaboration, and engendering interest in course content that students might not have otherwise explored" (Educase, 2011).

The game Phantasy Quest is a game that has a lot of potential in an ESL classroom.  I personally played the game once and found it to contain a wealth of new vocabulary for early intermediate speakers. The objective of the game is to click around the environment to rescue the girl and sail away.  By clicking on different items throughout the environment and through the use of logical thinking the player is able to achieve small tasks and victories that build up on each other and lead to the eventual achievement of winning the game. As we learned from Tom Chatfield's TEDTalk: 7 Ways Games Reward the Brain there is great importance of multiple long and short term aims as a way to keep the learner or game player continually interested.  The idea behind Phantasy Quest is to find missing puzzles pieces to unlock small achievements little by little until the final goal is reached.

There are many learning objectives that can be met through incorporation of this game.  One significant learning objective is vocabulary, a teacher can easily set up a lesson plan that teaches nautical vocabulary, the game has many vocabulary words associated with water, beaches, and even piracy.  The teacher can introduce worksheets and other traditional teaching methods to prepare the students for the vocabulary needed for the game.

Listening and speaking skills could also be strengthened through use of this game.  For example the teacher could separate the class into small groups depending on the number of computers available.  Each group member could have a role and different pieces to the walk-through.   The goal of the game is for the students to use their listening and speaking skills to work together to complete the game, groups could also compete against each other and time.  The teacher can serve as moderator, time keeper, and helper to the students.


To meet specific learning objects through games with out an abundance of computers is more challenging, however, it does not mean that it will not be useful.  For example most modern classrooms have one computer with projection capabilities.  The teacher could show the game on the projector and work through the process with the class.  Through this platform the teacher could instill question and answer format learning objectives.  Students could be separated into small groups, each group has the walk-through with various vocabulary words missing, they can offer their ideas for what to do next by "ringing-in" with their best idea for what to do next by utilizing the proper grammar and sentence structure.  The teacher will move the character in accordance with the students explanation and see if it works.  This is a good way to test if the learning objectives have been met; if the students complete the walk-through with the correct vocabulary and missing L2 information then the shipwrecked mate should be able to complete the necessary tasks.

The Phantasy Quest game uses a lot of logical and creative thinking in order to be successful.  This is an excellent platform for students to get comfortable thinking logical and creatively in their L2.  Whether this game is played in the classroom or outside of the classroom it is a very useful platform for a second language user to practice and learn English while staying motivated through a fun game.   

Twitter Use in the Classroom

Twitter is a rapidly growing social media platform where ideas and thoughts are exchanged between people all over the world.  In the classroom twitter has a lot of potential and usefulness for student and teacher interaction.  In the web article A Must Have Guide on Using Twitter in your Classroom it lists several excellent ways in which one can use twitter in their classroom.  The article is broken down into 5 main subjects: communication, organization, resources, writing skills and twitter exercises.  As a teacher I could see myself using twitter as a means of communicating with students.  For example if a student misses class they could check twitter for a link to the days lesson and assignment that I could post.  Also keeping track of important deadlines for students is another great way to use twitter.  Also there is potential to allow students to tweet either with each other or with the teacher if they have questions about certain topics such as vocabulary or a quick grammar explanation.

Getting connected and sharing ideas with other professionals is another great way to use twitter.  Getting started in twitter is a little tricky and it is important to connect with the right people and topics.  Using hash tags correctly is a great way to connect to the right people and relevant topics.  The online article The Teachers Guide to Twitter  is a great resource for teachers new to twitter who want to get a better understanding of how to properly use twitter.  It offers a lot of useful information with regards to creativity, networking, and resource sharing.  Resourcing is perhaps the greatest benefit to professionalism for teachers using twitter.  As a future teacher I anticipate using twitter to communicate with other professionals and share ESL teaching resources and ideas.
 

Twitterchat The Good The Bad and The Ugly

I joined twitter chat #edtechchat on Monday March 10 from 8-9pm after reading Lilliy Marshall's blog post: What is Twitter Chat and How Can it Help You in Fifteen Minutes or Less?

The Good:
There are several good aspects about Twitter Chat.  It is an excellent place to connect with other educators and discuss ideas.  Upon entering the chat it is clear that the main topic was about the blending online and face to face classrooms and their effect on learning.  There were many questions proposed by the moderator that were well developed and thought provoking, this helped to guide the chat in a general direction.  Users were able to share resources and ideas with each other in real time as well as answering relevant questions on interesting topics.  

The Bad:
In addition to the good aspects of Twitter Chat there were some bad aspects as well.  Mainly the speed at which the chat flows.  I found that the chat I participated in moved very quickly, too quickly in fact.  I found that I would read a question posted by the moderator and in the time it took me to think of an interesting and relevant response there were already 30+ responses, and by the time I got through reading the next 30 there were 50 more.  This pace made it very difficult to follow and be involved with. This pace made it difficult to even read all of the questions asked by the moderator let alone answer them. 


The Ugly:
The ugly refers to a few specific aspects, in particular the character limit and "troll" responses.  The character limit for tweets makes it difficult to express your self with clarity to some rather deep and thought provoking questions.  This results in several responses that are incomplete or appear to be disorganized.  Also the use of abbreviations short hand is frequent and if you are not familiar with it it can be difficult to understand.  For example I noticed the expression f2f come up in several responses and at first I was confused as to what it meant.  After coming across it many more times in different contexts I was able to decipher its meaning as face to face.  However in the time it took for me to figure this out I had already missed out on understanding many tweets and thus fell behind in the discussion.  Finally by troll responses I refer to responses that are too short to mean anything or are way off topic and clutter the page with multiple tweets you must read through. 

Overall I would say that it was a difficult and slightly confusing experience.  I think some of that had to do with my own inexperience with twitter and Twitter Chat.  Many of the tweeters in the chat expressed a great fondness for the chat and perhaps with more experience I will have better experiences in the future.  I think that there is a high level of potential for sharing information and communication with other professionals but there are some formatting limits to the forum.

Social Networking

The networking is very useful in the professional world.  It allows us to communicate with other professionals in the the field from across the world.  There are many useful social marketing sites worth using.  One such site is EFL Classroom 2.0.  I joined this network to connect with other ESL teachers and professionals out there.  I felt this site could be useful to me as a teacher because it is an area where teachers and researchers in ESL and SLA gather to express ideas and current trends in teaching.  I can definitely see myself making good use out of this network in the future by discovering new ideas and ways of expressing materials relevant to the coursework. 

Learners and Chocolate and Motivation in Society

To modify an oft quoted piece of American cinema history: "A learner is like a box of chocolates......you never know what yer gonna get."  I'm not sure second language learners were what Mr. Gump had in mind as he dropped that little morsel of wisdom on the average mid-nineties American, however, the analogy fits rather nicely.  

When assessing second language learners there are a multitude of factors that go into considering what type of learner, and whether or not they will be successful by some measurable standard.  Factors such as biology, motivation, age, self-identity, instruction methods, and sociocultural connectivisim.  In his presentation of What is connectivisim? George Siemens of the University of Manitoba states "...much of what we know is shaped and influenced in our exchange and dialogue with others."  Although he is speaking on knowledge and learning in a more general sense, this idea is at the forefront of language learning.  So much of our learned language comes from societal interactions with those around us.  Language is born out of the need to interact and understand one and other and second language learners need to adapt to their new society to be successful.  How a learner interacts with the people around them plays a significant role in whether they will be successful or not.  Often language is learned through socialization and the need to connect with the members of the society and culture being experienced by the learner.  

Another factor of language learning that fits the analogy is motivation.  There are many factors that contribute to a learner's motivation.  One of the most important factors in learner motivation is the concept of practical worthiness.  Before the process of learning something new can take place the learner must decide if the subject is worth the process of acquisition and  how will the learner directly benefit from this knowledge.  The subject of worthiness is discussed aptly by George Siemens in his written post titled: Connectivisim a Learning Theory for the Digital Age, he states that: " The need to evaluate the worthiness of learning something is a meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins." This subtle skill is a base for all learning that may or may not take place.  It is something all learners do and is a necessity for learning something new. 

 With so many different aspects of learning to be considered, it is no surprise that every learner is different.  As teachers we must take this into consideration, especially with second language learners.  We should have a good idea as to how their motivation and social interaction as learners will play a part in their language learning going forward.  no two learners are ever really the same and as teachers we'll never really know what we're gonna get.

DIIGO and Scoop it a Comparison

When using information sharing websites there are several factors to consider to decide which medium serves your needs best.  DIIGO and Scoop it are two very good platforms for creating an information sharing identity.  Both sites offer different ways of expressing ideas and articles.

DIIGO allows you to access information you have stored online from anywhere-not just your home computer.  It allows articles to be highlighted to reflect on significant passages or ideas.  This is an excellent tool for remembering significant pieces form the articles.  The layout of DIIGO is very straightforward and easy to navigate.  Websites are listed on your home library and are easily accessible to your followers.  DIIGO also allows for very easy annotation and website addition to your library, so it is easy to continue to add new articles, websites and ideas.

Scoop it is slightly different than DIIGO.  Although it too is an information sharing platform the set up is much different.  I found Scoop it more of a challenge to figure out how to use than DIIGO.  The styles are very different.  For Scoop it you can create ideas or topics and then it assists you in finding websites, videos and other URL related material to add to your topic, learn about and share with others.  Although it is a slightly more complicated procedure to get started, overall I think the potential to learn and discover new information is higher with Scoop it.

Overall both platforms are very good resources for gathering good ideas and web sources I think that Scoop it does a better job of producing new material to discover.  As DIIGO makes it easy to annotate found information it doesn't actively help you discover new information.  Scoop it helps you to find new and relevant information based on the topic you have created.   However if I had to choose only one to use in the future I would choose DIIGO for it simplistic layout and for the fact I am always looking for constructive ways to store websites and internet resources in a well organized manner.