That is a very deep question. At Fort Leonard Wood all ofour courses are assessed through some sort of performance based analysis. Sometimes it is using check on learnings, sometimes it is a hands-on-demonstration,and others it is by training others.
The goal of my project is to use a little of each. Throughout each scenario there will be check on learning activities to help the students retain what that specific scenario introduced. At the completion of all scenarios the students will demonstrate their skills and knowledge by preparing and presenting a briefing on a topic of their choice. With the successful completion of this program they will be equipped with the information they need to help others improve their presentation skills. The interns at Fort Leonard Wood actually teach a course that is called Civilian Staff Officer Course. The purpose of this course is to prepare individuals for their duty as an action officer.
Anyone employed at Fort Leonard Wood will at some point in their career, brief someone; their boss, coworkers, a planning committee, a project committee, etc. It is inevitable that they will be presenting something. The purpose of the CSOC course is to prepare them for that. The purpose of my project is to prepare them (Interns) to teach these skills in the CSOC course. Interns are required to brief something every other week in the biweekly intern meeting. The success of my project will be evident in their briefing during this meeting.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Game/simulation design: thoughts, concerns, and motivation
If you could design a game or simulation of any kind, what would it look like? Does it stem from your thoughts and concerns or doe it seem unrelated? What motivates you to think about it?
I have started to answer this question several times. However, I never had a real answer. Today, I have an answer. Today, if I was to design a game or simulation I would create something that helped my co-workers. I have listened to several of them express how they didn't know what they were doing, they didn't feel they had the training and knowledge for some of the rotations and assignments assigned to them. My game or simulation (I haven't settled on which it would be yet), would apply some of the principles we learn throughout our training to help them understand what is expected of them. We use the ADDIE model, Gagne's nine events model, and Bloom's taxonomy in most of our course designs. My game or simulation would introduce the ADDIE model in layman terms. It would introduce Gagne's nine events, and it would demonstrate how to apply Bloom's taxonomy to instructional design. The game/simulation would go through the "crawl, walk, run" phases the military applies to all training. In the crawl phase they would learn about ADDIE, Gagne's evens and Bloom's taxonomy. In the walk phase they would take examples of each and generate examples on their own. In the run phase they would apply each to instructional design. They wold author Action, Condition, and Standard statements for a mock class. They would simulate if the principles have been applied; if not, how would they rework the mock lesson to incorporate each principle/model. At each phase there wold be a check on learning to ensure they have learned the material before proceeding to the next phase. if they failed any of the phases there would be another module for each phase to assist them in progressing and learning/retaining the material.
It stems directly from my thoughts and concerns! It frustrates me to hear my fellow interns complaining that they don't feel adequate for the assignment presented to them. Unfortunately, in my position I can give guidance but I am not really in a position to teach them the material. they are supposed to be getting what they need from the training we attend. the problem with most of our training is it is just that, you sit in a classroom for 40 hours getting drilled on this information. Each model is introduced briefly during this 40 hour class and then you don't see it again until you rotate or get assigned to a project that requires the information you were given six months ago. If the intern hasn't used that information at all, then they tend to forget most of it. This tells me that the information wasn't introduced in a way that invoked transference.
I am learning a lot about learning and learners and how they learn. I have come to realize that if the instruction is lacking interactivity and immersion then it is possible that the learner will not retain most of the information. All of our training authentic (relevant to the learner), but it does lack learner involvement. In most of our training we will have some hands on activities, but I don't feel it is in-depth enough to invoke critical thinking and it is not causing retention. I know I still have a lot to learn about what aides the learner in absorbing the information and retaining it. to answer the questions, what motivates me to think about it? I would have to say that this course is making me reconsider how my fellow interns learn and retain information and as I ponder what I want my final project to look like, I can't help but consider the dilemma most of my fellow interns are in. could I develop a product that enhances long term retention? Right now I think not because I am not knowledgeable enough to present the information in a product that incorporates all the learning models I have experienced during this course. Would I like to? Definitely!
I have started to answer this question several times. However, I never had a real answer. Today, I have an answer. Today, if I was to design a game or simulation I would create something that helped my co-workers. I have listened to several of them express how they didn't know what they were doing, they didn't feel they had the training and knowledge for some of the rotations and assignments assigned to them. My game or simulation (I haven't settled on which it would be yet), would apply some of the principles we learn throughout our training to help them understand what is expected of them. We use the ADDIE model, Gagne's nine events model, and Bloom's taxonomy in most of our course designs. My game or simulation would introduce the ADDIE model in layman terms. It would introduce Gagne's nine events, and it would demonstrate how to apply Bloom's taxonomy to instructional design. The game/simulation would go through the "crawl, walk, run" phases the military applies to all training. In the crawl phase they would learn about ADDIE, Gagne's evens and Bloom's taxonomy. In the walk phase they would take examples of each and generate examples on their own. In the run phase they would apply each to instructional design. They wold author Action, Condition, and Standard statements for a mock class. They would simulate if the principles have been applied; if not, how would they rework the mock lesson to incorporate each principle/model. At each phase there wold be a check on learning to ensure they have learned the material before proceeding to the next phase. if they failed any of the phases there would be another module for each phase to assist them in progressing and learning/retaining the material.
It stems directly from my thoughts and concerns! It frustrates me to hear my fellow interns complaining that they don't feel adequate for the assignment presented to them. Unfortunately, in my position I can give guidance but I am not really in a position to teach them the material. they are supposed to be getting what they need from the training we attend. the problem with most of our training is it is just that, you sit in a classroom for 40 hours getting drilled on this information. Each model is introduced briefly during this 40 hour class and then you don't see it again until you rotate or get assigned to a project that requires the information you were given six months ago. If the intern hasn't used that information at all, then they tend to forget most of it. This tells me that the information wasn't introduced in a way that invoked transference.
I am learning a lot about learning and learners and how they learn. I have come to realize that if the instruction is lacking interactivity and immersion then it is possible that the learner will not retain most of the information. All of our training authentic (relevant to the learner), but it does lack learner involvement. In most of our training we will have some hands on activities, but I don't feel it is in-depth enough to invoke critical thinking and it is not causing retention. I know I still have a lot to learn about what aides the learner in absorbing the information and retaining it. to answer the questions, what motivates me to think about it? I would have to say that this course is making me reconsider how my fellow interns learn and retain information and as I ponder what I want my final project to look like, I can't help but consider the dilemma most of my fellow interns are in. could I develop a product that enhances long term retention? Right now I think not because I am not knowledgeable enough to present the information in a product that incorporates all the learning models I have experienced during this course. Would I like to? Definitely!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thoughts evolved
Chapter 16 of this week's reading, Games and Simulations in Online Learning, completely changed my perspective on avatar type games. Until I watch the movie, Avatar, I hadn't really given avatars a lot of thought. I took my reading and applied it to a simulator we use at work, VBS2 and realized that using an avatar that is operated by the learner can truly enhance the learning experience. I started thinking about the role playing game I play, World of Warcraft, every time my avatar gets in a ticklish situation, my heart rate increases. When we get in an awesome battle, at the end I am on an adrenaline rush. So if I am experiencing all these feelings and emotions, why wouldn't learners when they are involved in simulations and avatar driven games. I am sure if I talked to the soldiers playing VBS2 that I would discover they experience similar emotions and adrenaline rushes while working the simulator. When an IED goes off beside the vehicle the avatar is riding in, I am sure as real as VBS2 is, that they get an immediate adrenaline rush and experience a wide variety of emotions.
I am also learning that there is a wide variety of game which could evoke some sort of learning experience. For example, playing the Tetris this week, granted I never got the score widget to roll any numbers over (my game was broke I am sure), but that game could be used for several learning scenarios. there is hand and eye coordination because if you don't get those tiles lined up just right you end up with a hole you can't fill. It increases strategy planning because the learn is force to think ahead to determine where they want that particular element to rest. It teaches keyboarding skills because you have to hit the right key in order for the tile to rotate the way you want it to. And lastly, it improves decision making. you no not have a lot of time to strategically study the tile to decide its final resting spot. Those tiles fall fast!
Beside helping me step outside he box and think critically about games, I have also began to explore various learning theories and principles. I had always pretty much taught instinctively. I realize now that there are many theories and principles which could improve my teaching methods This has been a very enlightening learning experience which I am enjoying immensely and look forward to expanding my thinking much more.
I am also learning that there is a wide variety of game which could evoke some sort of learning experience. For example, playing the Tetris this week, granted I never got the score widget to roll any numbers over (my game was broke I am sure), but that game could be used for several learning scenarios. there is hand and eye coordination because if you don't get those tiles lined up just right you end up with a hole you can't fill. It increases strategy planning because the learn is force to think ahead to determine where they want that particular element to rest. It teaches keyboarding skills because you have to hit the right key in order for the tile to rotate the way you want it to. And lastly, it improves decision making. you no not have a lot of time to strategically study the tile to decide its final resting spot. Those tiles fall fast!
Beside helping me step outside he box and think critically about games, I have also began to explore various learning theories and principles. I had always pretty much taught instinctively. I realize now that there are many theories and principles which could improve my teaching methods This has been a very enlightening learning experience which I am enjoying immensely and look forward to expanding my thinking much more.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Prensky's GBL model & game development
What of Prensky's GBL model would you keep in mind if you were about to develop a new game or conduct research on one?
One of Prensky's key elements is fun. Students need to be actively engaged, the more engaged thy are the more motivated they will be about their learning experience and in the end, more transfer and retention of information.
Games also need to have balance and structure. According to Prensky, elements of game design include a clear overall vision, a constant focus on the play experience, a strong structure, highly adaptive, easy to learn and hard to master, stays within the flow state, provides frequent rewards with no penalties, includes exploration and discovery provides mutual assistance--one thing helps to solve another, has a very useful interface, and includes the ability to save progress (p. 135-136).
With these elements in mind, I would try to develop a game that incorporated as many of those elements as I could. I believe that keeping the students engaged and motivated should be the key element of any game based learning. The interface should be user friendly, easy to navigate, with a clear and concise structure and flow. Rewards are great incentives to help keep the learners interested in the game. Feedback is one of the key elements that I would be sure to include in my game.
While i was working as a volunteer at my daughter's elementary school when she was in second grade, I was asked to help with remedial reading. Her teacher had several students that couldn't read and one of the m didn't even know his alphabet and she didn't have the time to give individual attention to each student. My goal when I began working with these students was to make sure they all knew they were equals. no student was allowed to make fun of another student's struggles. Next I tried to get all students engaged. To ensure success I developed visuals which I used in the class. I believed that if their reading didn't improve from the use of rote reading from class books previously then it wouldn't improve by me using the same method. i wanted the students to have a fresh start and began the instruction with phonics and alphabet recognition. My next step was to introduce sight words with the use of my visuals. However, in order for the students to make a connection to the sight words, I used objects found in the classroom making the activity authentic. Studentsw would take the sight words and attach them to the object in the room. At times I would have them removed the sight word from the object by telling me what the word was. I made it a game and I made it fun. My next key ingredient was what I coined as the reward apron. I made an apron that had three small pockets, two medium pockets and one large pocket. They were rewarded on their performance level. The students who just sat back and didn't really put any effort into the exercises and activities were able to select from the small pocket and they worked their way up to the large reward pocket. Since I had implemented the rule that no one was allowed to pick on anyone else, if someone did they had to leave the class. The class was so much fun that no one picked on anyone because they wanted to stay, in fact they helped each other so they all succeeded. I eventually stopped putting items in my small pockets because no one was ever at that level. My goal was to have them fully engaged while making the learning experience fun and safe . I worked with these students for six months before I went to work full time. By the end of those six months the student that didn't know his alphabet when we started was an avid reader along with the rest of my students. I was so proud of them and they were proud of themselves! That is what made my program a 100% success!
It was a year later that I began to get interested in game-based learning. I worked from intuition with those kids and it worked fabulously. If I was able to have 100% success with my program with just intuition, can you imagine how successful others would be by applying my simple principles? That is what Prensky offers us with his research. Prensky lists five game based learning principle questions that should be asked whenever a designer is developing a new game. I would try to use these questions as a baseline for beginning the development and design of my game.
Nancy
One of Prensky's key elements is fun. Students need to be actively engaged, the more engaged thy are the more motivated they will be about their learning experience and in the end, more transfer and retention of information.
Games also need to have balance and structure. According to Prensky, elements of game design include a clear overall vision, a constant focus on the play experience, a strong structure, highly adaptive, easy to learn and hard to master, stays within the flow state, provides frequent rewards with no penalties, includes exploration and discovery provides mutual assistance--one thing helps to solve another, has a very useful interface, and includes the ability to save progress (p. 135-136).
With these elements in mind, I would try to develop a game that incorporated as many of those elements as I could. I believe that keeping the students engaged and motivated should be the key element of any game based learning. The interface should be user friendly, easy to navigate, with a clear and concise structure and flow. Rewards are great incentives to help keep the learners interested in the game. Feedback is one of the key elements that I would be sure to include in my game.
While i was working as a volunteer at my daughter's elementary school when she was in second grade, I was asked to help with remedial reading. Her teacher had several students that couldn't read and one of the m didn't even know his alphabet and she didn't have the time to give individual attention to each student. My goal when I began working with these students was to make sure they all knew they were equals. no student was allowed to make fun of another student's struggles. Next I tried to get all students engaged. To ensure success I developed visuals which I used in the class. I believed that if their reading didn't improve from the use of rote reading from class books previously then it wouldn't improve by me using the same method. i wanted the students to have a fresh start and began the instruction with phonics and alphabet recognition. My next step was to introduce sight words with the use of my visuals. However, in order for the students to make a connection to the sight words, I used objects found in the classroom making the activity authentic. Studentsw would take the sight words and attach them to the object in the room. At times I would have them removed the sight word from the object by telling me what the word was. I made it a game and I made it fun. My next key ingredient was what I coined as the reward apron. I made an apron that had three small pockets, two medium pockets and one large pocket. They were rewarded on their performance level. The students who just sat back and didn't really put any effort into the exercises and activities were able to select from the small pocket and they worked their way up to the large reward pocket. Since I had implemented the rule that no one was allowed to pick on anyone else, if someone did they had to leave the class. The class was so much fun that no one picked on anyone because they wanted to stay, in fact they helped each other so they all succeeded. I eventually stopped putting items in my small pockets because no one was ever at that level. My goal was to have them fully engaged while making the learning experience fun and safe . I worked with these students for six months before I went to work full time. By the end of those six months the student that didn't know his alphabet when we started was an avid reader along with the rest of my students. I was so proud of them and they were proud of themselves! That is what made my program a 100% success!
It was a year later that I began to get interested in game-based learning. I worked from intuition with those kids and it worked fabulously. If I was able to have 100% success with my program with just intuition, can you imagine how successful others would be by applying my simple principles? That is what Prensky offers us with his research. Prensky lists five game based learning principle questions that should be asked whenever a designer is developing a new game. I would try to use these questions as a baseline for beginning the development and design of my game.
Nancy
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
What are your initial thoughts and concerns about game-based learning?
I did my Master's capstone on Game-Based Learning and did my final research paper for my Bachelor's degree on Game-Based Learning.
This generation of students are so game oriented that they can learn almost any new technology much faster that their older counterparts. The difference between my oldest son and my youngest son is even noticable. My oldest son has always been a gamer and it fun to watch these two siblings when they get together.
I think educational games could be integrated into curriculums but teachers are concerned with what parents will say, how the change will be accepted, and which games to use when.
According to eSchool News, January 2010, "when developed correctly and used appropriately, can engage players in learning tht is specifically applicable to school curriculum--and teachers can leverage the learning in these games without disrupting the worlds of either "play" or school" (pg 1). The article goes on to say that 75% of American children play computer and video games. This article supports my theory that instructors are hesitant to bring "games" into the classroom for all teh reasons I mentioned above. The article defines another barrier as being design and development of appropriate games, which can be costly. Technological advancements are another barrier as to why teachers are hesitant to include games due to the fact that they become outdated too quickly.
For the military, they are getting big into game based instruction. Games and simulations are being integrated into most all learning modules.
This is a subject I will be watching closely because I think game-based instruction will and can enhance learning for our students.
This generation of students are so game oriented that they can learn almost any new technology much faster that their older counterparts. The difference between my oldest son and my youngest son is even noticable. My oldest son has always been a gamer and it fun to watch these two siblings when they get together.
I think educational games could be integrated into curriculums but teachers are concerned with what parents will say, how the change will be accepted, and which games to use when.
According to eSchool News, January 2010, "when developed correctly and used appropriately, can engage players in learning tht is specifically applicable to school curriculum--and teachers can leverage the learning in these games without disrupting the worlds of either "play" or school" (pg 1). The article goes on to say that 75% of American children play computer and video games. This article supports my theory that instructors are hesitant to bring "games" into the classroom for all teh reasons I mentioned above. The article defines another barrier as being design and development of appropriate games, which can be costly. Technological advancements are another barrier as to why teachers are hesitant to include games due to the fact that they become outdated too quickly.
For the military, they are getting big into game based instruction. Games and simulations are being integrated into most all learning modules.
This is a subject I will be watching closely because I think game-based instruction will and can enhance learning for our students.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
A little about me
There really isn't a lot to say about me. I am a relatively simple person. I am an Instructional Design Specialist Intern for the U.S. Army. It is a two year program and I graduate in June of this year. I have worked civil service for almost 20 years. It was two years ago that I did a complete career change to this position from a secretarial position. I really love my job!
I live in the country with my wonderful husband, Randy. Together we have nine children. Our 12th grandbaby (a grandson) is due in about two weeks (1 Feb). Of all those grandbabies..we have four that are just over the age of two and two that are age one or eight months. They were about even but this new grandson will make it seven boys to five girls.
My hobbies are baking, reading, and writing. I am what you could call an aspiring romance novelist. I write mostly paranormal romance but do have a couple contempory and one erotica. I have a children's book completed and I am waiting for my sister to illustrate it. The two I am working on right now (they will be a series) are Cookbook for Life: Recipe for love and Cookbook for Life: Recipe for success. They are preteen/young adult romance (written at a preteen level--no sex) but they teach the young ladies morals, respect, and adapting to like themselves for who they are not what their friends want them to be.
I have a Master's degree in elementary education. These classes are to enhance my knowledge and performance in my current position. They are basically required courses for graduation from the intern program. Eventually I plan to enroll in Boise's PhD program.
I have probably given you more information than you would ever want to know! :-) I look forward to sharing this educational journey with you all.
I live in the country with my wonderful husband, Randy. Together we have nine children. Our 12th grandbaby (a grandson) is due in about two weeks (1 Feb). Of all those grandbabies..we have four that are just over the age of two and two that are age one or eight months. They were about even but this new grandson will make it seven boys to five girls.
My hobbies are baking, reading, and writing. I am what you could call an aspiring romance novelist. I write mostly paranormal romance but do have a couple contempory and one erotica. I have a children's book completed and I am waiting for my sister to illustrate it. The two I am working on right now (they will be a series) are Cookbook for Life: Recipe for love and Cookbook for Life: Recipe for success. They are preteen/young adult romance (written at a preteen level--no sex) but they teach the young ladies morals, respect, and adapting to like themselves for who they are not what their friends want them to be.
I have a Master's degree in elementary education. These classes are to enhance my knowledge and performance in my current position. They are basically required courses for graduation from the intern program. Eventually I plan to enroll in Boise's PhD program.
I have probably given you more information than you would ever want to know! :-) I look forward to sharing this educational journey with you all.
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