Teacher Training & Digital Games

Dawn Bikowski, PhD

English Language Improvement Program

Linguistics Department

http://linguistics.ohio.edu/ELIP/?page_id=494

Handout

Trace Effects Teacher’s Manual

http://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/trace-effects-teachers-manual

http://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/trace-effects-teachers-manual

Out of the Box Digital Game—not specifically for language learning

Digital-Based Games• Games that utilize technology but include non-digital

components

• Often created by instructors for their contexts

• Technology integral to game

What do Teachers Need to Know?

• Experience with Games

• Self-Confidence using Games in Learning

• Games’ Potential

• Games’ Limitations(Becker, 2007)

What will Digital-Based Games Offer for the Language Classroom & Teacher Training?

• Collaboration with a goal and strategy• Power of human connections & stories• Emotionally rich game play

• Learner agency

• Cultural expression and learning• Innovation and creativity• Engagement: challenge, play, premise, character

What will Digital-Based Games Offer for the Language Classroom & Teacher Training?

Preparation for Digital-Based Games Helping teachers-in-training:

1. Focus on language Meaning and Use

2. Develop their Digital Literacy as a Learner

3. Develop their Digital Literacy as a Teacher• High level of comfort and appreciation for using a variety of types of

technology for teaching

4. Develop their Creativity in approaching lessons/textbooks• Tied to strong SLA & Pedagogic Principles• Thinking creatively about technology use

5. Develop an appreciation for Games in language learning

Preparation for Technology-Based Games Helping teachers-in-training:

1. Focus on language Meaning and Use

2. Develop their Digital Literacy as a Learner

3. Develop their Digital Literacy as a Teacher• High level of comfort and appreciation for using a variety of types of

technology for teaching

Develop their Creativity in approaching lessons/textbooks• Tied to strong Second Language Acquisition Theories &

Pedagogic Principles• Thinking creatively about technology use

Develop an appreciation for Games in language learning

Components of Game Design I Like to Use

1. Outcome is uncertain

2. More than one “right” answer

Components of Game Design I Like to Use

3. Strategy is required

4. Games as problem solving

5. Alliance building/group work is rewarded

Components of Game Design I Like to Use

6. Story element

7. Feedback, time limits

Iterative Process for Game Design

Generate Ideas

FormalizeIdeas

TestIdeas

EvaluateResults

No problems with design

Problems with design

(Fullerton, 2008)

Gloom, Was Gloomed, & Have Been Gloomed: A Grammar Review Game of Grave Consequences

Goals of the game: • Grammar review in authentic communication• Demonstrate ways to adapt existing materials• Introduction to gaming & language

learning with technology

Game Play• Winner: Gets most negative points• Game is built on stories (dark humor)• Players add or take away points +

story

Note: “Gloom” is made by Atlas & was modified by D. Bikowski

Game Cards(come as a family)

Grammar Cards(Dawn made)

Gloom, Was Gloomed, & Have Been Gloomed: A Grammar Review Game of Grave Consequences

Point Cards

Grammar Cards: Passive, adj. clause, adv. clause, 1st conditional, 3rd conditional, modal of permission/ability/obligation, present perfect, past perfect, modal + passive, modal + present perfect, passive + present perfect

Gloom, Was Gloomed, & Have Been Gloomed: A Grammar Review Game of Grave Consequences

1. Make up Family Story. Tell other players.

2. Play Game by giving/removing points & telling stories. Draw Point & Grammar Cards.

3. Collaborative Writing in Wiki: Character stories using grammar points.

Sample from Collaborative WikiHelena Slogar is an eccentric inventor who has a particular love for dead people’s organs. She poisoned her husband a short while after they were married, because she wanted to study his brain. She preserved her husband’s brain in a box locked in the closet. One day, her daughter was able to steal the key and sneak into the closet, where she found the brain labeled as “Lord Slogar”. She reported to the police and the police put Mrs. Slogar into prison. In prison, Mrs. Slogar was infected with measles and died miserably! If she hadn't been arrested, she could have killed more innocent people...

• Game helped them review grammar in a natural way

• Game was engaging yet learning experience

• Game worked on many skill areas

• Game is an example of Learning-Oriented Assessment

• Game has many extension possibilities

Teacher Reflection

Building a Plagiarism Game

Goals I have for the game:• Identifying various types of plagiarism in student writing• Identifying various ways to correct plagiarism• Experience with gaming and language learning

Building a Plagiarism GameOpening it up:

• What can have more than one correct answer?• What can add an element of speediness or

competition?• How can work together but teams compete against

each other?• Where can I get some

conflict/challenge?• What can technology

offer?

Kahoot Kollaborative Anti-Plagiarism Game

1. Team based

2. Points awarded for identifying and correcting plagiarism

3. Kahoot! (getkahoot.com) online

Student device

Graph displays student answers.

https://getkahoot.com/

Treasure Hunt 2.0Create a Blended Game Space with Aurasma• Aurasma app • Teams “unlock” collaborative guidelines and provide

classroom implementation examples of those guidelines• Upload those guidelines to their own Aurasma channel

Tips on Creating Technology-Based Games

• Brainstorm with kids who play games

• Think of game design as system design

• Integrate the game into your course

• Use the strengths of technology

• Have clear teacher training objectives

• Have clear language or content objectives

Tips on Creating Technology-Based Games

• Build on something the teachers-in-training know

• Provide clear written, step-by-step directions

• Have a clear end point and winner(s)

• Think through rules, boundaries, and ramifications

• Allow the teachers time for reflection

What more can be done?Devote more time to digital games in L2 learning

• Hands-on Game Labs during class

• Discussions on societal concerns

• Development of a digital game project

• Creating a concept for a game

• Designing a learning situation that utilizes an existing game

• Development + research or learner usability testing

“Think of [technology] as a learning tool, not a

teaching tool. Become fascinated with how

learning can improve the lives of your students,

not the technology. Technology is adaptable—

force your will on it.”

—Terry Heick on Emerging EdTech

“Professional Development offerings

are desperately needed as ways to

provide basic games literacy as well

as to help develop teachers who

can add this new medium to

their repertoire.”

(Becker, 2007)

ReferencesBecker, K. (2007). Digital game based learning, once removed: Teaching teachers. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(3), 478-488.

Brathwaite, B., & Schreiber, I. (2009). Challenges for game designers: Non-digital exercises for video game designers. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Fullerton, T. (2008). Game design workshop: A playcentric approach to creating innovative games (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

bikowski@ohio.eduDawn Bikowski, PhD

English Language Improvement Program

Linguistics Department

Ohio University