What are the potential benefits of emerging technologies, such as gaming and simulated learning environments, for students with disabilities?
Historical Perspective: Educational Gaming and Simulation
The use of games and simulation in education has been used in all educational, business, and military settings (Dempsey et al., 1997). As noted by D.R. Cruishank (1980), there are two types of games:
- Non-simulation games – participants solve problems in a school subject such as mathematics or spelling that makes use of principles of that subject or discipline.
- Simulation games – participants are provided with a simulated environment in which to play; games are intended to provide students with insight into the process or event from a real-world perspective which is being simulated.
Games were used to make decisions on marriage, career exploration, hiring decisions or admission to college (Ifill, 1994). The focus for simulation gaming has changed since the 1970’s and has expanded the use of simulation and games for training and education.
Technology and Education, Retrieved: 2/16/08 (http://.cofc.edu/~seay/cb/simgames.html)
Learning with Games and Simulation
Computer games and simulations can be defined as interactive multimedia with dynamic elements that are under user control. They range from games that require simple, repetitive actions, such as Tetris®, to complex digital worlds. Unlike much of the multimedia, games and simulations are highly interactive, with many user controlled features (Rieber, 2005). Researchers have studied and found that educational games and simulations effectively support learning.
Multimedia Game Formats: Benefits for students with disabilities and diverse learners
Epistemic game is a game simulation of professional training that supports students with disabilities in their transition process by providing an experience for participating in a structured environment. It is a variation of the educational multi-user virtual environment (MUVE). The focus is to help students learn to think like professionals. For example, Shafer (2006) described science.net, (developed by researchers David Hatfield and Alecia Magnifico) as a way for students to learn real-world experiences as journalists while learning to apply many skills of a professional journalist. In this game, students are journalists reporting on current scientific issues in a weekly online newspaper. The students learn scientific skills and the skills of journalism, such as conducting an interview and organizing information for reporting and copyediting. Shafer (2006) has suggested that this technology might be valuable for students with disabilities where school internships are impractical and unavailable.
Shafer, D.W. & National Center for Technology (2006). Epistemic games as career preparatory experiences for students with disabilities. Journal of Technology, 22(3) 57-69. http://www.cited.org./index.aspx?page_id=159)
Augmented reality simulations and games integrate a fictional story into the real-world environment. Students actually gather information from the environment through digital devices (e.g. handheld technology). An example of an augmented reality simulation is Environmental Detectives, an outdoor game in which players try to uncover the source of a toxic spill. Working in teams and using handheld devices with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), the students interview virtual characters, conduct simulated environmental measurements and analyze data. Although there is a lack of research reported on use of augmented reality simulation and games with students with disabilities, the implications are that high school students, including students with disabilities, have a real-world experience of using handheld devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) for accessing information. Therefore, the successful use of a learning game, such as Environmental Detectives, would help students with applying skills such as gathering data from the actual environment and applying the information to real-world experience.
(http://www.cited.org./index.aspx?page_id=159)
Rationale for using gaming and simulation: students with disabilities and diverse learners
- According to a 2006 report published at the Summit of Educational Games, businesses and schools are increasingly turning to interactive worlds and simulations for training because succeeding in such games has a strong correlation with skills required to operate in a modern world.
- Games allow the participation of students of all ages, diverse learning styles, and disabilities, to be active learners interacting with knowledge instead of simply reading and listening.
- Thirty-five percent of computer and game players are younger than 18, according to the Entertainment Software Association.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/61702%20.html - When using instructional materials and activities designed for ESL learners, computer simulations and games can provide a rich environment for language learning.
(http://unice.fr/sg/resources/biblios/biblio_esl_technology_writing_a.htm - Without transition access, students with disabilities are more likely than students without disabilities to be unemployed and receive lower pay (Shafer, 2006; Dunn, 1996; 1996; National Council on Disability, 2003).
- According to Shaffer (2006), students with disabilities may have trouble envisioning themselves as members of a profession and may develop unrealistic expectations of what will be required. The assistance of transition resources may improve their outlook on their possibilities.
Shafer, D.W. & National Center for Technology (2006). Epistemic games as career preparatory experiences for students with disabilities. Journal of Technology, 22(3) 57-69.
Examples Online resources: Gaming and Simulated Learning Environments
- River City Resources – Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, an interactive MUVE for middle school science students.
- Epistemic Games: Building the Future of Education- This weblog includes information and resources related to epistemic games, including science.net.
- The Education Arcade- Is developing and researching several online multi-user games. The website includes an online community with current information on various games. It is associated with the MIT Handheld Augmented Reality Simulations project.
- MIT Handheld Augmented Reality Simulations- MIT’s Teacher Education Program, along with Education Arcade are developing a collection of Augmented Reality Simulations using handheld technologies.
7 comments:
As promised, I spoke to my son who currently is a junior majoring in computer engineering, about the state of the art with regards to gaming and simulations such as second life. Since much of this, particularly Second Life, is fairly new to me, I knew he wouldn't miss the opportunity to "school" his mother.
He shared that neither he nor his friends participate in Second Life or similar social simulations. He said that this was very old school and they instead enjoy posting pictures, tunes, videos, etc. to their Face Book pages. In fact, he had nothing positive to say about Second Life and suggested that it was archaic compared to many of the gaming platforms that are available at this time.
He suggested that Second Life was slow, cumbersome, and inhabited by folks from my generation who have time on their hands and money to burn. He hypothesized that since computers were popularized during our lives, people my age were more impressed with the capabilities than his generation. Kids his age want faster, more acurate depictions, most often found in the gaming platforms. It was a very interesting discussion. I thought I had experienced something new and intriguing. He reminded me of my age and how much more was out there to experience.
Based on my limited experience and his comments, I believe that the potential for using emerging technologies for teaching students with disabilities is important. I just think the definition of "emerging" needs to be considered. I think what schools view as "new" might be old, boring, and unsophisticated to our students. We must catch up to keep them engaged.
I also have lingering concerns about the accessibility of some of the emerging technologies. Students with significant disablities may still have a difficult time navigate through these new arenas.
To answer this question. we should review and critique the characteristics and traits from instructional materials and delivery methods which have resulted in students with learning disabilities performing at their best.
These include:
● Instructional materials that allow our students to be creative;
● They are relaxed and confident rather than stressed and pressurized;
● They have sufficient time to work at their own pace, double-check their actions or output, and to undertake
multiple practice in new tasks;
● They are given time and space to work out how to perform a task ‘from within’;
● They are allowed to demonstrate their understanding in the means that best suits their disability (variously,
by voice, hand-writing, typing, voiced software, production of artifact, practical demonstration, etc.);
● Visual (such as overheads/handouts) and sound (such as tape) stimuli are good quality;
● Unnecessary hurdles are removed in due consideration for the additional time that tasks can take;
Lets see how these characteristics compare to the early research on using interactive game and virtual environments for learning.
Marc Prensky is a speaker, writer, consultant, futurist, visionary, and inventor in the critical areas of education and learning. He founded an e-learning company whose clients include IBM, Pfizer, Bank of America, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Louisiana and Florida Virtual Schools. According to Prensky (2001) and all his followers, there are many advantages to digital game learning. He notes that it is in our human nature that people tend to be more motivated to play a game than to engage in other forms of learning,
The delivery method of digital games is more in-line for the students and young workers of today, the members of the test messaging or cell phone generation Prensky (2001).
Several studies have been conducted over recent decades to determine what effect video games and computers have had on the children who grew up with them. Consequently, many publications have come out recently that claim these young people’s minds have been ‘reprogrammed’ by playing computer and video games (Herz, 1997; Tapscott,.1998).
But can we be satisfied with this small-amount of research for a technology strategy that is still growing?
Prensky (2001) argues that our students no longer think like previous generations, causing a tremendous gap between the teaching methods that practicing teachers are comfortable with and the learning methods that are most familiar and comfortable for today’s students and young workers. Advocates of using digital games for instruction believe it is this learning method that will help bridge this gap.
I agree that higher-order thinking skills are built into many of these games but do they possess the content to create learning objectives from?
Overall, digital game-based learning has not been widely explored as an instructional and learning method for students with learning disabilities. However, I believe digital gaming and simulated environments *can be* particularly well suited to the needs of our students.
For this to happen, the characteristics described earlier in this response must be the focus of future researchers as they figure out how this technology can help our students learn and represent their knowledge in creative ways that minimize their learning difficulties.
In response to the posted blog challenge, the concept of "user control" emerged that could be key in helping educators to link gaming simulation to teaching and learning. Angie and Maltilde defined games and simulations as interactive multimedia with elements of user control. Richard Halverson (2005) http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=81 discusses the mismatch between students' cognitive abilities, developmental stages and the school learning environment. This mismatch, particularly with regard to student's with disabilities, is addressed in games and simulations designed to provide "increasingly complex, customizable learning in user-defined worlds in which players' develop their own learning paths according to their interests, what they know and what they need to know to meet the established goals. The learning principals upon which these games are built include opportunities for risk-taking and immediate feedback based on the players assumptions and strategies. These elements of user control, according to Halverson (2005) should be a source of inspiration for educators and he encourages us to situate game-based pedagogy in the traditional school context to create more compelling learning environments.
Howard Pitler (2007) further notes that in gaming simulations, players may select their skill level and practice that skill as many times as necessary to achieve mastery without frustrating others. He identifies this "judgment-free practice" feature as one of the potential benefits of gaming and simulated learning environments. Here again,the player has some degree of user control.
Other benefits:
-Gaming and simulated learning environments offer opportunities for students to engage with artificial worlds that facilitate the development of background knowledge that would be impossible in the classroom. For instance, in the game Ancient Civilization, the player actually builds an empire with minimal resources. You are an absolute monarchy who can acquire wealth but you must build a military to protect your empire or you can be taken over. The player is also required to make decisions each of which have consequences. (Would you like to see a live demonstration in class one evening?)
- The nature of the activities that take place within the simulations can accommodate students who require multiple input strategies or alternative methods of expressing what they have learned.
-Multiplayer simulated games allow students to interact with and, at times, team with each other in situations that resemble real-life but may not be as manageable in the classroom setting.
As noted, games have been used to teach both direct and “hidden” curriculum for years. Whether it’s recess at the elementary level or playing Monopoly in a consumer math course, the notion of “gaming” as a vehicle to skill acquisition is well established. It makes sense that as games have become more sophisticated outside of the classroom the application of those in an educational setting too would evolve. The problem, as Kim noted, is how do you draw the line for what has educational benefit and what doesn’t and when are we using technology just for technology’s sake with no end purpose? I know I can easily think of several examples where I’ve gone in to observe a class and there is a game or activity that seems more like a diversion rather than an educationally focused event.
As you all know, I am curious about the benefits of such applications like Second-Life or in a simpler form, The Sims, as a conduit for teaching social skills (and basic life skills) for kids with several types of disabilities, but particularly kids with autism and/or cognitive delays. That being said, I have grave concerns about the accessibility of the current slate of gaming options for kids with disabilities. I believe in the principles espoused by Halverson, as Pam quoted, that games can work to meet students at their level, a feat often unaccomplished in the typical classroom, yet I don’t know if this is wholly accurate.
Let’s consider Second-Life – to maneuver your character, you have to use a combination of complex key strokes, navigate several action sub-menus, deal with multiple stimuli – both visual and auditory that are continuously dynamic as screens change and other users try to interact, in a world that is not contingent upon reality. I’ve got a problem when my student with autism sees a guy who looks like Santa outside of December; it will blow their mind that they can now fly in this “world.” The point is – I’m not seeing games that are being developed with the cognitive patterns of users who could greatly benefit from these types of programs. Students with autism are known for being concrete, linear thinkers who have a hard time with abstract concepts. They typically present as rule based individuals who find comfort in structure. From that perspective, programs like Second-Life may be very difficult for the average individual with autism or any sort of processing delay to navigate. Obviously, we want to nurture and develop these skills, and that’s why I’m interested in quantifying how these types of programs can be best serve populations of non-typical learners, but from a development standpoint, there needs to be stronger emphasis on what Pitler described as simulators versus typical games.
A study by the University of Haifa used virtual simulators to teach safe crossing of the street. A study out of Northwestern University found positive results using simulated virtual peers for practicing communication.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/tual-peers-may-help-develop-social-skills-in-autistic-children_10023079.html
Strickland et al. (1996) investigated labeling skills of kids with autism who used a full-fledged virtual reality helmet to enter into an online world. Again – the world was very contrived and free of outside distraction, though the helmet was bulky and problematic for most kids. Oxford is running the YourWorld project which is similar to Second-Life with more controls and just geared toward kids with autism. It still suffers from the lack of generalization in the interface – using a keyboard, mouse, or controller is far different than performing those actions in real life.
So there are promising findings out there, and the trend is showing that simulators, versus “games,” hold the greatest potential, but the simulators are all expensive, cumbersome, and at this point restricted to lab access. That’s why mediums like Second-Life offer so much potential of being a readily available avenue for practice, but in their current state, most of the MUVEs will leave that potential unfulfilled.
The question of the potential benefits of emerging technologies, such as gaming and simulated learning environments, for students with disabilities is an enormous concept to think about in the context of education. All students benefit from the use of technology, a medium that has always been in their lives. The first games of Pong and Atari were simple and yet exciting. The technology has grown rapidly since then.
Gaming and simulated learning environments are a normal part of a child life today. In most cases, introduction to technology games was in the form of toddler toys that ask questions and provide feedback for correct answers, toys that make sound of animals and produce sounds of alphabet letters, and talking books. The industry has exploded in the ability to make game environments that are almost as realistic as a movie.
The benefits of these environments for students with disabilities are easy to see. Our students have access to worlds that they have never been to, opportunities to play with others that may not happen in real life, physical access when that is not possible for them in their own skin, and learning at a pace that is comfortable for their ability levels. The excitement of the technology environment is essential to engagement for all students, especially students with disabilities that frequently are behind the pace of the majority of students in the classroom.
I whole-heartedly agree with Colleen. The benefits of gaming and simulated learning environments can be enormous for children with disabilities but only when the games and/or simulated learning environments are carefully matched to their abilities and tailored to meet their interests and needs. Of course, this is true with "live instruction" (since we must now distinguish between live and virtual learning). Hopefully, we can generate enough research to enable teachers to select from an array of evidence-based games and simulated learning environments that are matched to the abilities and needs of their students and enhance learning.
Gaming and simulated learning environments have the potential to be very beneficial to students with disabilties. Technology can be very useful in reinforcing skills for students with special needs. Technology addresses the varying learning styles of students with special needs.
As with any instructional tool, educators need to be sure that these emerging technologies are tailored to the needs of students with disabilties. I agree with Pam and Collen regarding the point that I just mentioned.
Kim raised an interesting point when she mentioned that her son told her that second life was "old school". I think it would be wise to find out from students (e.g., those who are capable of discussing the types of technology that they use) the types of technology that they use. Based on this information, this technology could possibly be used to instruct students with disabilities. It's important to reach students where they are.
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