Literature Review Topic and Reference List

The focus of my literature review will be on answering the question, "How do video games support the development of mathematical thinking?" 

Reference List 

 

Barko, T., & Sadler, T. D. (2013). Practicality in Virtuality: Finding Student Meaning in Video Game Education. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 22(2), 124+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA323759663&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Beecher, C. C., & Marino, M. T. (2010, Fall). Conceptualizing RTI in 21st-century secondary science classrooms: video games' potential to provide tiered support and progress monitoring for students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 33(4), 299+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA242754549&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Bristol, L., Hasselbring, T. S., Stegeman, C., & Zydney, J. M. (2010). Improving a multimedia learning environment to enhance students' learning, transfer, attitudes and engagement. International Journal of Learning Technology, 5(2), 147. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA234154957&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Calder, N. (2010). Using Scratch: an integrated problem-solving approach to mathematical thinking: Nigel Calder describes how Scratch can be used to design games to develop mathematical concepts. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 15(4), 9+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA243043140&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Chiappe, D., Conger, M., Liao, J., Caldwell, J. L., & Vu, K.-P. L. (2013). Improving multi-tasking ability through action videogames. Applied Ergonomics, 44(2), 278+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA306627343&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Children, teens, and entertainment media: a view from the classroom. (2013). Education Digest, 78(8), 21+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA325297107&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Fessakis, G., Gouli, E., & Mavroudi, E. (2013). Problem solving by 5-6 years old kindergarten children in a computer programming environment: A case study. Computers & Education, 63, 87+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA321157615&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Gillispie, L., Martin, F., & Parker, M. A. (2010). Effects of a 3-D video game on middle school student achievement and attitude in mathematics. Electronic Journal of Mathematics and Technology, 4(1), 68+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA219832394&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Gillispie, L. B., Martin, F., & Parker, M. (2010, August). Game play is important for learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 38(1), 28+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA238653661&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Girard, C., Ecalle, J., & Magnan, A. (2013). Serious games as new educational tools: how effective are they? A meta-analysis of recent studies. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29(3), 207+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA324867144&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Kaya, T. (2010). A 'Stealth Assessment' Turns to Video Games to Measure Thinking Skills; Avoiding complications like test anxiety is one benefit of a method for evaluating difficult-to-capture abilities. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 57(12). Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA241649749&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Mathematics education for a new era; video games as a medium for learning. (2011, June). Reference & Research Book News. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA257995475&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

The Impact of Recreational Video Game Play on Children's and Adolescents' Cognition. (2013, Spring). New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2013(139), 41+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA321997926&v=2.1&u=fairmt&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Scratch Game Reflection

What is your project? How does it work? How did you come up with the idea?

The idea for my project was inspired by my students.  They are struggling with learning their multiplication facts.  They are bored and uninterested in simply studying flashcards, so I wanted to come up with a game that would motivate them to learn their facts.  The storyline of my game is this: the player is a knight that has come to a town to save it from a dragon who is using fireballs to destroy it.  The knight must answer multiplication facts correctly in order to shoot the sword and stop the fireballs.  I came up with the idea by searching SCRATCH for math games.  I found one I liked and revised it to fit my storyline, which I thought would be appealing to my students.

What was your process for developing the project? What was interesting, surprising, or challenging? Why? What did you learn?

After I found a game I liked I began to revise it to fit my storyline.  The first thing I revised was the graphics.  I changed the background to a city at night.  I changed my sprite character to a knight with a sword, and I added a dragon to shoot the fireballs.  I used to the paint tool to make my own sword and fireballs.  I really liked this part of the revision.  It was pretty simple and I liked drawing my own sprites.  The second revision I made was adding the directions page.  This was a little challenging; it took me a little while to figure out how to add the new screen and get it to come up before the game began.  It worked out well though; I think the page cleared up the confusion that people were having on how to play the game.  The last revision I made was to add another level by making the fireballs come faster.  This was very frustrating and took a long time.  Now, when you are ready to advance to the next level you can hit the “a” key and the fireballs will come faster.  Throughout this project I learned just how difficult even simple game making is.

What are you the most proud of about your project? What would your change? What do you want to create next? Why?

What I am most proud of is the overall visual appeal.  I really think that if students saw this game they would be curious to play it and they would like it.  I think they would have fun moving the knight and firing the sword at the fireballs, and at the same time, they are learning an important math skill.  If I could change anything I would like to make it more complex.  In the next one I create, I would try to add different levels with different scenery in each one.  The knight could move to different parts of the town to defend it.  I would also make the dragon more interactive; maybe have him talk to the player or fly down at him.  I would like to do this because I think it would make the students even more invested in the game and learning their multiplication.

Provide explicit examples of the principles of good games and learning you applied in your game design. Then provide explicit examples of the principles of good games and good learning you could apply if you had more time and better Scratching skills.

In my game I applied identity to my design.  The player is in the game; they are the knight who is fighting to save the town from the dragon.  My game had well-order problems.  In the first level the player has more time to come up with the answer to the problem, but in the second level the fireballs come faster, so the player has to think faster.  It has challenge and consolidation.  If the player is having difficulty with the second level they can always go back to the first and practice until they are ready to try the second again.  My game has production because the player makes the call; they can stay on the first level until they feel they are ready to move on.  The player controls the levels because they hit a key to move on to the next one.  The second level is pleasantly frustrating because the fireballs are coming faster and I even found myself scrambling to move the knight, come up with the answer, and fire the sword before it hit the ground.  This game also has performance before competence.  I think a player would be able to just jump right in and figure out pretty quickly how the game works.

If I had more time and skills I would like to apply interaction.  I would like to make the knight and the dragon talk to the player.  I would also like to apply smart tools and distributed knowledge; where clues could pop up to help the player throughout the game.

Double Journal Entry #11

“If we want children to develop as creative thinkers, we need to provide them with more opportunities to create.”

I could not agree more with this statement.  I believe creativity is so important to the learning process in both children and adults, but, unfortunately, many people do not feel this way.  It makes me sad to hear other teachers talk about art, music, and computer class like they are just time fillers while we are in planning period.  They do not value them because they are not the core subjects, like math and reading.  I believe they are just as important, and when we belittle a child’s creativity we are discouraging them from becoming creative thinkers. 

In my own classroom I have seen how important creativity is.  My students are so much more engaged and motivated when they are using the content they have learned to create a project.  When they are actively working on something they retain what they have learned.  It is an authentic way to assess what they have learned.  I try to give my students the opportunity to be creative whenever I can.

Additional Resource

I love this video!  These kids are learning and they’re so enthusiastic about it.  You can see from their discussions just how much they know about the content. 

Resource

Wilson, Richard.  (April 2010).  Creativity and Education.  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdRQ9_h3D8w

Game Revisions

Here is the link to my revised game.  After reading the feedback from my classmates, I added a directions page to the beginning of my game.  I hope this eliminates all of the confusion.  I also included the directions in the project notes on the side of the screen.  For my game, you have to use the left and right arrows to position the sword under the fireball so that you can shoot it.  When you type the answer in the box you have to press the space bar, and if the answer is correct, that will fire the sword.  Thanks for all the positive comments!  I am still working on the second level of the game.

Double Journal Entry #10

“Later on these cognitive residues might resurface again in the form of specific behaviors…or as advanced thinking and reasoning.”

I chose this quote because I like the implications that gaming can produce long term learning results.  It isn’t the case of a child memorizing something for a test, and then forgetting it as soon as the test is handed in.  These thinking and reasoning skills carry on after the game is over.  They become a part of the child.

“The computer game is not treated as a thing in its own right, but rather, as something whose meanings, functions, and effects are shaped by how we use them and talk about them in different contexts.”

I chose this quote because I believe what your students get out of computer games is what you as the teacher put into them.  If you treat them simply as a device for skill drill then the students are not going to get much out of them.  If you just put them in front of the game and don’t have any discussion or interaction with it, then they also will not get anything out of it.  On the other hand, if you provide gaming opportunities that involve thinking and reasoning, or relate the game play to real life, the students will benefit from the gaming.

“The popular image of the computer gamer as a “lone ranger” has been made increasingly problematic by research that has demonstrated that gaming for the most part is a very social and collaborative activity.”

I chose this quote because, before this class, this was my opinion of a video gamer.  In my head, I pictured someone sitting holed up in their room, with no social interaction, playing games for hours at a time.  Now I realize that is not the case.  Gaming is actually a very social game; whether the gamer is playing with a group in the same room, online, or just talking about it with their friends.  It does involve socialization and collaboration with others.

Additional Resource

I chose this video because I have watched other videos of Sir Ken Robinson speaking and I think he does a great job.  What I really like in this video is how he compares our education system to the fast food model; everything is standardized and there is no room for individuality.  Instead, he talks about how each school should personalize education to meet the needs of the particular students being taught.  He also talks about incorporating technology into those needs.  He makes a great point, because no two schools are the same and no two groups of students are the same.  We should be able to look at them individually and decide what the best way to teach them is.

Source

TEDtalksDirector.  (May 2010).  Sir Ken Robinson:  Bring on the Learning Revolution!  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I