Educational
Technologies Blog
My investigation of games,
simulations, and virtual environments led me to a number of exciting
possibilities to incorporate into my classroom.
The first group that caught my eye was simulations. Two in particular are of extreme interest to
me (firearms training simulator/FATS and virtual defensive driving simulator). The other group that drew my attention was
games particularly investigative games.
The FATS simulator and the defensive
driving simulator are interactive virtual 3-D systems that allows the learner
to practice skills by completing scenario based exercises. Both system include problem solving, critical
thinking, and feedback to the students to assist with improvement of
skills. I selected these two because in
my occupation as a law enforcement trainer use-of-force and driving are high
critical areas of a law enforcement officer’s job. Both system would be used in the law
enforcement academy and also for officer refresher training.
The games arena offered many possibilities;
however, the one that I believe would be most beneficial to my teaching arena
was the investigative games. Students
structure their own learning using the "story" of the case as a
problem space (Stanley & Waterman, n.d.).
These games use the internet and
email to interact with the student. The
aim of the investigative game is to improve the student’s skills in analyzing
information and taking responsibility for their own decisions and skills in
problem solving in a real life application (Galik, 2007). The student receive an e-mail about a
fictional crime and must make decision on how to proceed. They receive further information every 5-10
minutes by e-mail. The messages contain
additional information that the student must deal with and decide whether or
not it is relevant and important. The
information is sent in various formats:
pictures, sounds, maps, databases, etc.
These investigative games would be useful in the law enforcement academy
setting and for officer refresher training.
An advantage of game based education is that
in virtuality everything can be measured (Chatfield, 2010). This evaluation and feedback are an important
aspect of learning. Squire (2011)
stated there is a saying that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to be an expert
at anything. Using the simulators and
the investigative games students can practice and increase their skill levels. This type of learning is problem based
because it focuses on learners being able to use information and facts to solve
problems (Squire, 2011). Cavallo (2012)
stated that a learner can grasp concepts through games and they can develop a
passion for learning. This situational
style of teaching and learning motivates the student to improve their skills
through interactive game play instead of memorization of facts and
figures.
References
Cavallo, D. (2012). [Video]. Learning
through games. Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2F webapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4210 676_1%26url%3D
Chatfield, T. (2010). [Video]. Tom
Chatfield: 7 ways games reward the brain.
Retrieved from: http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_chatfield_7_ways
_games_reward_the_barin.html
Galik, Z.
(2007). Learning through investigative games and internet on-line
activities. Retrieved from: http://www.icl-conference.org/dl/proceedings/2007/paper/53_Final_Paper.pdf
Stanley, E.
& Waterman, M. (n.d.). Using investigative cases. Retrieved from: http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/icbl/index.html
Squire, K. (2011). Video
games and learning. New York, NY:
Teachers College Press.
The National
Defense Driving Simulator (n.d.).
Retrieved from: www.nads-sc.uiowa.edu/
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