When I started this Action Research Project, I was excited about all the possibilities for change, research and potential. I have always been a big fan of educational games. At the very least I felt that the children that played games of this genre were being entertained and educated at the same time.
This was truly a fascinating journey for me. Because of the processes involved with regards to the running of both cycles and the need to keep pouring over the literature try hard to keep a handle on things while simultaneously creating above average class work that displayed my understanding of the concepts and methodologies involved, was certainly challenging, but also invigorating.
In order to speak intelligently on a subject, it’s imperative that one be versed in the history, the groundwork, the prior research, the current trends, and findings on a matter, etc. Through this process of discovery, I was able to learn a great deal more about educational games that I ever imagined possible.
For starters, the way I think about creating games is different. First of all, I am an artist. I have always been an artist, before CS4, I have always had a pencil and paper in my hand. When I decided to pursue Graphic Design as a career, I had no idea that the economy would eternally decide my fate in life. Upon graduation, it was near impossible to get work that could support myself and still allow me to retain my dignity. Everywhere, people were getting laid off, companies were downsizing, and the people they once had that did 1 job separately, were being downsized, and the remaining people and new recruits were being asked to wear many hats. This was done all in the name of the crumbling economy.
When I decided to pursue this degree, I felt that in a sense, it was a way out for me in terms of my voice. In commercial art, it’s difficult to get that voice heard. However, in the education world, there are many venues where your view points may be expressed, ideas listened to, and taken into serious consideration.These are my sentiments on the entire process…here I am able to get the word out about a subject that is near and dear to me, and I have an intelligent audience of interested people not only cheering me on, but also contributing valuable feedback. My environment has not changed drastically in terms of the research and its effect on the classroom where I work. However, some of the guiding principles that hold true when deciding on which piece of literature to review has been used by myself of and for a personal nature.
Throughout this entire year, we have been advocates of using valid and reliable information with which to conduct our research. However, my question is, “How can I conduct valid and reliable research, and I don’t have valid and reliable people surrounding me?” I have had to make some truly important decisions, ones which included excising people from my life who feigned sincerity, but were secretly jealous of my own successes and accomplishments in my academic and personal life. These so called friends threatened to be hindrances rather than help me in my strive for academic integrity. The decision to walk away from negative people and things has helped me embody the same principles I try to instill in my students on a daily basis. Stay focused. Take what you can use in life. Forget the rest.
Similarities that I have found in the findings of my research and the literature review are that yes, indeed these educational games are fun, intriguing, and motivating, but there is a serious issue with adequate equipment being made available to the students. Undertrained educators, or simply frazzled teachers who can’t deal with the tremendous issues that are brought about as a result of placing several children with varying levels of disturbing behavior in a room together, and telling them to site down and do their work.
What needs to be addressed is the disparity amongst the public schools in the access to functioning computers and internet access. There is even an issue with the most essential of school supplies being unavailable to certain schools. In rhetoric, wouldn’t the low performing schools need to be the ones that need special funding in order to get the appropriate learning materials for student success? Instead it appears to me that poor or low achieving schools are being made to get their performance up before they will receive funding. How can students be expected to perform well when they are sharing outdated books, or have no books at all, or as is the case here, sharing 1 book with many peers? This sort of backwards thinking needs to be done away with. However, since this realistically cant be done, then what needs to happen is that there needs to be an economical way to provide materials and support to schools in need without compromising the opportunity that children get in the educational setting.
In summary, essentially what needs to happen is that if there are going to be SAVE rooms in a school, enough effort needs to be made to ensure that patient, licensed educators are provided as room facilitators, the adequate technological advances have been made. (Having internet access and working computers) and New York State Standards based games that have been designed by knowledgeable instructional designers who are aware of best practices in terms of educational game creation, then there may be some truly positive implications.
My action research will add to the body of knowledge in that there has not been any serious ground covered in the use of game based education as a curricular activity in a Special Education setting. As far as what I’ve learned, game based learning has been mostly research. From a first hand observation during my cycles, games have been used rarely as a form of classroom instruction. for the most part, children are afforded game-based learning as an incentive or reward for desired behavior or performance. This needs to become less of the normal practice for educators.
Serious game play can truly change the way that games are perceived by educators, especially those who are digital immigrants. The images of purely fun and entertainment games as opposed to a viable, engaging, enriching and meaningful technologically-based learning exchange based on sound principles of design and instructional design needs to change.
A part of this change would be if mysaveroom.com became a staple in the educational language of teachers, and instructors. Mysaveroom, would be the bridge between, legislation and learning. It would be a way to express a sound doctrine of game - based learning within an LCMS environment.This research will help future practitioners of game based learning to look at ways in which their games can be more in line with those standards already in place. This project will be useful to anyone who has a problem with children who are outburst prone in their classroom.
Teachers will have the get a chance to offer a different mode of learning for children who should be in the suspension program. Administrators would get the chance to see the SAVE room online in action. This observation would help initial online SAVE room efforts to be more observable with more methods of observation, contribution and support. Although there may not be a lack of good intention in some instances for the education of children, there are supporters who are in favor of modifying or removing completely the No Child Left Behind Act. In spite of this, there are some who are heralding its praises as a much needed reform device. (Rotherham, 2007).
All images used under license from Dreamstime.com
Ke, F. (2008) Computer games application within alternative
classroom goal structures: cognitive, metacognitive,
and affective evaluation. Association for Educational Communications
and Technology.
Rotherham, A. (2007) Commentary, let’s keep the no child left behind
act. National Public Radio
.
