Michael Panetta
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ETAP 623 Spring 2017 | My Mini-Course
About Me
My name is Michael Panetta. Currently (as of 1/23/17) I have a bachelor's degree from SUNY Cortland in Social Philosophy and am working towards a master's degree in Curriculum Design and Instructional Technology with SUNY Albany. I am currently (as of the above date) in my second semester in the program. I have some experience with educational standards from a previous major in Secondary Education and from one-on-one tutoring. This will be my first time designing online content, done concurrently with another course I am taking.
In my spare time, I enjoy playing most any sort of game (tabletop, board, and video) as well as tinkering with various odds and ends. My current project is an overhaul of a Nerf toy. I am also into Japanese animation and costume design.
My Topic/Purpose
This course, "Mario and Luigi as Educators: Commercial Video Games in the 21st Century Classroom", will help teachers analyze the educational qualities of video games through two case-studies of potential uses along with providing tools necessary to distinguish between games with significant educational value and are more meant for entertainment purposes only. The use of organized play in the classroom has long been associated with a greater retention of understanding of key principles. (Barab et al 2009, Brougere 1999, D'Angour 2013) My hope is that through this course I can provide evidence for their pedagogical soundness. In this course, participants will answer and reflect on the following questions:
- What constitutes educational soundness in a video game?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a video game as an educational anchor?
- How can we distinguish between video games by virtue of educational soundness?
- What are some examples of video games that can augment a curriculum?
- How can these examples help to anchor discussion of a given subject area?
- What skills do these video games help to foster?
- How can the skills these video games foster be transferred out of the game world and into real life?
By the end of this course, participants will be able to develop lesson plans around the use of video games as an anchoring factor within their curriculum.
Needs Assessment
Instructional Problem
Video games, since their conception, have been contentious parts of our collective cultural consciousness. Much in the same way the radio, motion pictures, television, and the Internet have caused societal shifts upon their popularization, video games have performed similar shifts. As a driving cultural force, for better and for worse, in the millennial and post-millennial generations video games cannot simply be ignored by the educational elite as being entertainment-only.
Although current classroom models take advantage of technology such as smartboards, tablet PCs, and Web 2.0 resources such as Skype, Google Drive, and Blackboard, the use of commercial video games is curiously lacking. Whether it is through the carrying through of the cultural stigma of the 1990s and early 2000s (Rice, 2007), through a lack of professional development materials focused on video game curation for education, or through a lack of affirmative evidence for the educational validity of video games (Charsky and Mims 2008, Squire 2005), this is the task we are faced with: to make the best use of the 21st century technology we already possess and are only using part of its potential.
What is to be Learned
Learners will become informed about best practices for researching the educational validity of video games, differentiating between games with educational value and games whose purpose is strictly entertainment. Although research has shown little increase in student learning as compared to other strategies, it is found that student engagement with the material is much greater than with traditional measures (Annetta, Cheng, Holmes, and Minogue, 2009). One lesson will be dedicated to this curation, providing critical details to help learners choose games from a historical library.
Learners will also be provided with practical examples of games whose purpose can combine education and entertainment. Through these examples, learners will be able to begin to form their own lessons and curriculum augmented with the use of commercially-available video games.
Analysis of the Learner and Context
Learners
Learners will, in general, be educators and other professionals interested in the use of video games in their classrooms for a synthesis of lecture, practical experience, and good old-fashioned fun. Learners will become more knowledgeable in the differentiation of games with educational merit and games meant for entertainment. They will also be able to apply knowledge gained in this unit to current and future classes.
Instructional Context
All instruction will take place online, therefore a computer, laptop, tablet, or other online device will be required to take part in lessons. Instruction will generally take place through readings, mini-lectures, and video examples. Participants will be assessed through out-of-class research into games and the development of a mini-portfolio of video games with attached ideas for lessons for various subjects.
Performance Objectives
Participants, at the end of the module, will be able to:
- Identify best practices regarding the use of commercial video games in the classroom
- Interpret, from given examples, identifiers of a commercial video game whose use can be additive to the educational experience
- Interpret, from given examples, identifiers of a commercial video game whose use would not be additive to the educational experience
- Design a single-day lesson around the use of a video game as an anchor
- Implement a long-term educational strategy through the use of a video game as an anchor
Task Analysis
Unit One: Video Games, A (Very Short) History
- Participants will explore the evolution of video games
- Participants will reflect on the effects this evolution has had on computer-based media
Unit Two: A (Very Brief) Overview of Games in the Classroom
- Participants will define the pros and cons of games in the classroom
- Participants will compare video games to traditional classroom games
- Participants will reflect on whether or not commercial video games share in the pros and cons of traditional and built-for-the-classroom games
Unit Three: The Curation Process, or How to Choose the Best Game For Your Classroom
- Participants will explore examples of video games
- Participants will define characteristics of commercial video games that are beneficial in the classroom and are harmful in the classroom
- Participants will evaluate several commercial video games for their educational merits
Unit Four: An Exploration of Two Video Games
- Participants will explore examples of commercially available video games used in the classroom
- Particpants will evaluate several examples of commercially available video games for their educational merit or lack thereof
- Participants will design their own one-day lesson plan around a chosen video game following the steps given in the course
- Participants will evaluate their lesson plan and determine what changes, if any, need to be made
- Participants will reflect on their learning by responding to prompts in a short-form journal
Essential Prerequisites
- Participants must have familiarity with web browsers and the Youtube website
- Participants must have the ability to use a Wiki-based course
- Participants must be open to the idea of games as a catalyst for educational experiences
- Participants must have high level reading skills
Supportive Prerequisites
- Participants should be interested in alternative routes for educational experiences
- Participants should be able to write clearly and concisely
- Participants should have creative thinking skills
- Participants should have critical thinking skills
Curriculum Map
Please use the following link to access the curriculum map for my course:
References and Resources
Annetta, L.A., Cheng, M.T., Holmes, S.Y., and Minogue, J. (2009). Investigating the impact of video games on high school students' engagement and learning about genetics. Computers & Education, 53, pp. 74-85. Accessed 3/1/17, http://www.sfu.ca/~jcnesbit/EDUC220/ThinkPaper/AnnettaMinogue2009.pdf
Barab, S.A., Goldstone, R., Ingram-Goble, A., Scott, B., Siyahhan, S., Warren, S., and Zuiker, S.J. (2009). Transformational play as a curricular scaffold: Using videogames to support science education. Journal of Science and Educational Technology, 18(4), pp.305-321.
Bourgonjon, J., Schellens, T., Soetaert, R., and Valcke, M. (2009). Students' perceptions about the use of video games in the classroom. Computers and Education, 54, pp. 1145-1156.
Brougere, G. (1999). Some elements relating to children's play and adult simulation/gaming. Simulation and Gaming, 30(2), pp. 134-146.
Charsky, D and Mims, C. (2008). Integrating commercial off-the-shelf video games into school curriculums. TechTrends, 52(5), pp. 38-44.
D'angour, A. (2013). Plato and play: Taking education seriously in ancient greece. American Journal of Play, 5(3), pp. 293-307.
Rice, J.W. (2007). New media resistance: Barriers to implementation of computer video games in the classroom. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 16(3), pp. 249-261.
Squire, K. (2005). Changing the game: What happens when video games enter the classroom?. Journal of Online Education, 1(6)
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