The 2012 Horizon Report (p.21) explains that games in education make students feel like they are working towards a goal, allow them to feel successful, and provide the opportunity to problem solve and collaborate with others. Learning-based massively multiplayer online (MMO) games are also growing in popularity. Interaction with other students in MMOs will be an interesting development in education. danah boyd (she spells her name in lowercase) has been writing about teens and social media in her book It’s Complicated: Social Lives of Networked Teens she points out that kids today don’t have the same freedom to interact as children from other generations. They use social media to “hang out” with their friends, see the New York Times article.

Augmented reality is when computer- assisted information is “layered” over real-world information. Augmented reality can rely on visual reference points, or GPS to recognize information. The 2012 Horizon Report points out that augmented reality is an “active” technology, a student can be visiting a museum and have the opportunity to access information about the art, or use and app to help recognize the constellations. Medicine, it seems has been using augmented reality to assist in surgery and resident training.

Virtual Reality provides the opportunity for individuals to explore and manipulate “computer generated three dimensional environments in real-time. Virtual reality can occur on a desktop using a computer and mouse or in a “total immersion” environment where they can interact through their body movements. To me the most interesting development in virtual reality is that it is used not only to teach but also to change behaviors and you can see the video about PTSD and veterans. I did a quick search in MEDLINE and discovered that virtual reality is used to treat PSTD and also eating disorders, addiction disorders, and stroke rehabilitation.

I think that game-based learning virtual/augmented reality will have a big impact on education because they can take ideas and concepts and make the real and interactive to the student. In the hands of educators that know how to implement it wisely in their classroom, gaming and virtual reality will be innovate and be useful. 

  

Minecraft a few months ago I had my friend’s kids show me Minecraft because it was their favorite game. It is interesting because you need to problem solve and figure out how to build a dwelling before nightfall when the zombies and other creatures find you. The graphics actually seem a little rudimentary but hasn’t stopped people from creating complex dwellings by themselves or with others.

Fieldtrip – is one of my own selections. It is considered augmented reality. It simply provides historical information, interesting facts, and places to eat as you encounter them. I experienced this app traveling through Detroit and it was full of interesting facts.

Goodgame Empire – This was a simulation game where I created a village, collected resources, constructed buildings, and raided other villages. It requires a certain amount of patience and problem solving skills. It illustrates history and urban planning. As with many games there are “add-ons” that can be purchased so students will need to be cautioned to be careful and not purchase anything unintentionally.