Center for Children and Technology Reports on DS Games at AERA

I’m honored to be invited to participate in a discussion group this fall put together by the Education Development Center’s Center for Children and Technology (EDC/CCT). The research this group is involved with in the field of classroom gaming is impressive.

The list of projects EDC/CCT is working on is extensive. Among many, one project with the U.S. Dept. of Education involves the design of educational game modules for the Nintendo DSi handheld, aimed at middle school science and literacy.

A paper by Marion Goldstein, Marian Pasquale, and Katie McMillan Culp, members of the Possible Worlds team at CCT, was presented recently at AERA 2011. Here is the abstract for the paper, entitled Using Students’ Naïve Theories to Design Games for Middle-Grades Science:

This paper reports on one phase of a long-term research and development project that is creating video game modules for middle-school science classrooms. The games are intended to help teachers address common scientific misconceptions by providing students with opportunities to interact with visualizations of otherwise abstract or inaccessible concepts or phenomena that are the source of those misconceptions. The visualizations serve as metaphors for natural phenomena, and linking activities help teachers build connections between the visualizations and the targeted concepts. Findings presented here are derived from formative research conducted to inform the development of a game and associated classroom materials that address genetics and heredity. The paper discusses how teachers in our sample typically teach this material in seventh grade, student expressions of common misconceptions about genetics and heredity, and how an initial design for the game responds to and addresses those misconceptions. Students’ misconceptions were associated with the concepts of randomness of inheritance, gene expression, and natural selection.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the team’s approach to instructional handheld gaming design is the commitment to research-based efforts. Through direct research with middle school students, the team uncovered several misconceptions held by the students through a series of experiments. When showed a mixed race couple, students’ assumptions regarding the physical makeup of the couple’s children were based on misconceptions. Other experiments uncovered faulty assumptions based on genetic adaptations of beetles and the random characteristics of lotteries. With this research in hand, the team set out to tackle common misconceptions among students at this age and grade level. The remainder of the paper discusses results with prototypes of the resulting game modules.

It’s an excellent report of a work in progress. Research and design such as this will ultimately result in stronger and more effective educational video games.

Five Video Games for ESL and Language Development

Kathy Sargent, outgoing editor for TechEdge, (who is a great editor and has done a remarkable job over the years as Director of Communications for TCEA) recently accepted my article on “Virtual ESL” for the next issue. This post expands on the article with games suitable for ESL and the ongoing development of English skills. Certain video games are particularly well-suited to language acquisition and development, a point I made here a couple years ago. There is a heavy dollop of personal opinion in the assertions below, and I welcome dissenting views. Some of these suggestions are relatively expensive, some are free, and all but one are available online.

1. Second Life
   Second Life has a long history of educational adaptation, and the idea of using the environment for ESL purposes was adopted early. Like many efforts with no external motivations however, some formal ESL initiatives have fizzled over time. One still going strong is the Second Life English Community. Founder Kip Boahn had a nice article profiling his work in Forbes a while back. Players from almost 100 different countries regularly gather for such online ESL activities as phonetic treasure hunts through SLEC.

   The global reach, open nature, and ease of use offered by SL, (not to mention the fact it’s free), have helped academics around the world key in to the platform for language training. Since avatars can type or talk over a simple computer connection, engaging native speakers in an interesting 3D environment that is not overly taxing to most hardware results in an ideal environment for language learning.
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2. World of Warcraft.
   Of the millions of players frequenting the popular MMORPG, you might be surprised to learn there are some engaged in educational activities amidst all that medieval fantasy action. The most famous group devoted to exploring pedagogy in WoW is the guild Cognitive Dissonance, run by Lucas Gillespie and Peggy Sheehy. Lucas’ blog EduRealms follows his educational efforts in the game.

   It is very easy to start up groups and guilds in WoW, and while Asian gold farmers have annoyed North American players in the past, Dr. Edd Schneider over at SUNY-Potsdam gained considerable attention in 2007 for suggesting WoW was a promising platform for ESL in Asia, provided stateside supervised guidance was included.
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3. My Word Coach
   Although available for the Wii, the DS version of My Word Coach offers players an easier time writing, with its included stylus and touch screen. Plus, the “DS factor” makes it more portable and affordable for classroom or after-school use. It’s not promoted as an ESL product, but the vocabulary training couched in a gaming environment works just as well for non-native speakers.
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4. Webkinz
   The popular children’s game tied to collectible plush dolls offers a restricted communications feature. “Kinz chat” uses basic sentence elements for players to communicate. While Webkinz probably is not suitable to older ESL students, for the younger crowd it offers a fun and relatively painless way to introduce English. It’s also offered in 12 other languages, so gamers can play in their native tongue as well as the Queen’s.
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5. Whyville
   Whyville is the free online world designed for children learning, and it has an impressive pedigree with corporate and government sponsorship stretching back several years. Although its strengths lie in STEM games and activities, one of the key features of Whyville appealing to teachers is the sanitized chat feature where cursing is automatically edited out.

In the process of investigating the many mini-games out there, a couple of nifty titles rose to the top. The advantages to using online mini-games for ESL include the fact that teacher supervision is not as heavily needed as it is for the above examples. On the other hand, mini-games typically focus on a much narrower skill set, and kids may tire of them quickly.

A couple of my favorites in the mini-game category included Word Frog, which is a neat way to drill antonyms and such, ala Number Crunchers. I also enjoyed Grammar Ninja,which drills identifying parts of speech in a playful way.

Nintendo: Walking is a Game Now

We’ve discussed Zyked, and efforts to link workout stats in an online social or gaming environment. Now, Mike Musgrove over at the Washington Post has a nice article on the Nintendo DS title, Personal Trainer: Walking. Seeking to capitalize on the success of such effort inducing products like the Wii Fit, Nintendo essentially tied a pedometer to software that runs on the DS. Players download their pedometer data to the DS and it tracks statistics, compares your daily distances walked with your friends’ records, etc.

Musgrove discovered he walks around 8,000 steps a day. Out of curiosity, he attached the pedometer to his dog one day. The animal recorded 4,000 steps. Alas, the pedometer he gave his son was quickly lost at summer camp.

“Walking is a game now?” one of the lad’s incredulous campmates asked as they waited for the morning bus to arrive one recent weekday. “Nintendo is genius.”

Yes, walking is a game now. And, physical activity continues to be mated with video games in interesting ways.

References:
Musgrove, M. (2009, August 23). Nintendo makes some strides. The Washington Post. [Online]. Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082104305.html?nav=emailpage

On the Way: Nintendo DS Classroom

Part of a translated press release:

Nintendo and Sharp System Products announced today Nintendo DS Classroom, a new educational system targeting elementary, junior high and high school students.

Known as “Nintendo DS Kyoushitsu” in its native Japanese, the new system pairs up the DS with a PC. Teachers make use of software on the PC to interact via Wi-Fi with students through their individual DS, DS Lite or DSi units that have been equipped with a Nintendo DS Classroom cartridge. The system allows a single PC to interact with up to 50 DS units. Everything is handled locally, so no internet connection is required.

Nintendo detailed a few sample uses. The system can be used for interactive tests, where student responses are reflected in real time on the teacher’s computer. Teachers can also send students multiple sample problem sets, with the software automatically checking answers. Teachers can conduct surveys of students, with responses tabulated and charted in real time on the teacher’s computer.

Read more at OllieBray.com.

via A Gamer’s Education.

Study: DS Neither Better Nor Worse than Paper for Memory Games

Game researchers are talking about a new study out of France regarding Nintendo’s Brain Training line of mind-stimulating games for the DS. Alain Lieury over at University of Rennes, Brittany, conducted a study of 67 ten year old players. The students were divided into four groups and given pre and post tests on memory and mathematics. Two groups used the Nintendo DS games for seven weeks. Another group used traditional paper puzzles like Soduko while the fourth group was offered no intervention. Adam Sage with The Times Online details the results:

Researchers found that children using the Nintendo DS system failed to show any significant improvement in memory tests. They did do 19 per cent better in mathematics – but so did the pencil-and-paper group, while the fourth group did 18 per cent better. When it came to memorising, the pencil-and-paper group recorded a 33 per cent improvement, while the Nintendo children were 17 per cent worse. In logic tests the Nintendo children registered a 10 per cent improvement, as did the pencil-and-paper group. The children who had no specific training improved 20 per cent.

The variety of results comes as no surprise. Researchers have long known that all things being equal, the media in which content is delivered does not affect test results. For instance, if one student attended a lecture in person while another student watched a video recording of the same lecture and a third student read a transcript of the lecture, then all things being equal the three students will likely offer identical answers when queried on the lecture’s content. The reason for this is, the content is identical despite the different delivery methods (Clark’s delivery truck metaphor).

Therefore, it seems reasonable that the same or similar exercises performed on digital devices will yield similar benefits for students as exercises performed on paper. Other variables play into the equation, however, when technology is used. For instance, a computing device on which to perform the exercises may offer a novelty effect for students, resulting in an initial increase in exercises performed. After the novelty wears off, the number of exercises between groups may level out. On the other hand, a program may be poorly written so that students using it obtain an inaccurate representation of the facts leading to lower scores in the post test.

In short, it does not appear this study either hurts or helps the notion of improving cognitive abilities through the use of handheld games. However, it can be portrayed negatively in the press since it does not fully support the notion. Anyhow, according to Sage’s news report the study will be detailed in Prof. Lieury’s new book, Stimulate Your Neurones, (his spelling) due out soon.

References:
Sage, A. (2009, January 26). Nintendo brain-trainer ‘no better than pencil and paper’. The Times Online. [Online.] Retrieved January 30, 2009 from http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article5587314.ece

How the Nintendo DSi Could Be Educationally Useful

We’ve talked a lot recently about the ascendency in educational gaming of the Nintendo DS, the descendant of the once ubiquitous GameBoy Advance handheld gaming system. New research is showing positive results for appropriate DS games to increase test scores, and gaming companies are porting over titles for studying the SAT to the platform. Now Nintendo is releasing an update to the system, called the DSi. It has generated quite a stir. Here are some ways the DSi may prove useful for educational gaming.

Larger Screens
Screens for the DSi are slightly bigger than the older DS. I’ve joked about the GBA and DS being designed for young people, as folks over 20 often complain about the size of the displays. But larger screens set in thinner cases will help players see more of the action. For the sake of education, larger screens means more text on the screen, either in quantity or quality (size of font). Admittedly the increase is small (3.25 inches up from 3.0 inches), but the increase will most certainly be worth it. Especially for old(er) people.

Cameras Outside and In
The DSi will have two cameras built in: one facing out and one facing in toward the player. I see this as benefiting ARGs, where players use devices to electronically enhance surrounding reality for the sake of the game. We’ve seen increased ARG use in lessons at historical sites thanks to the potent new crop of cell phones lately, but with two cameras added to the mix on the DSi, possibilities suddenly blossom. Students armed with Nintendo’s device could easily take pictures of objects on scavenger hunts, for instance, and share them with other teams. Pictures of players from the inward pointing camera provide proof of presence, and one imagines an easier way for teachers to remotely track students roaming about a site.

Built-in Web Browsing
Web support brings the DSi into Sony PSP territory. The nice thing is the price of the DSi is expected to fall somewhere south of $200. Imagine handing a fifth grader the equivalent power of an iPhone for a fraction of the cost and with no long-term contract. Downloading games might provide developers an inexpensive means of distribution for educational titles which may not otherwise be carried in traditional gaming venues.

SD Memory Card Support
Portable memory is a key issue for educators, as it eases dissemination of lessons and collection of data. SD memory cards are the de facto standard for portable data on a lot of devices, and many laptops and desktops have SD ports built in. A backwards compatible GBA slot is eliminated in this newest model, perhaps helping to keep the case slim. But with the SD slot, might the possibilities for home-made programming help up-and-coming educational game makers, ala the R4 Revolution, aka Majicon?

MP3 Support – sort of
The music-playing capabilities of the DSi will help with audio books, and flash cards that read words back to students. It’s not true MP3 support; users will have to use the AAC format. At least, that’s the current specs. But, folks adroit at gaming and such will have few problems converting MP3s to AAC.

Alas, American players will probably have to wait until fourth quarter, 2009 to buy one. But for players, and educators, it looks to be worth the wait.

Study: Brain Trainer for Nintendo DS Raises Test Scores

London’s Daily Telegraph reports a study of 600 students in 32 schools across Britain led by Learning and Teaching Scotland found test scores increased after playing “Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training” each day for nine weeks. The students were ages nine and ten, and played “a 20-minute problem-solving session” on the game each day. Scores increased on the post-test for all students, but up to 50% more for the experimental group. The experimental group also had higher attendance, better behavior, and finished the test quicker. Gains were equal among boys and girls. Finally, whether children had a Nintendo DS at home or not did not affect their scores. Here are the key quotes:

Derek Robertson, LTS’s national adviser for emerging technologies and learning, said: “It shows teachers needn’t be afraid to use technology in the classroom.”

Lorna Neilson, a teacher at Hillhead Primary School in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, took part in the study.

She said the game had now become part of her daily classroom routine.

She said: “It’s had a really positive effect. The children settle much more quickly, they concentrate better and are more motivated.

“I have a Nintendo DS at home and I was already a fan, but it’s been a great tool in the classroom. I think it’s something we should see used in more schools.”

References:
Irvine, C. (2008, September 26). Playing Nintendo’s Brain Trainer ‘can improve childrens’ maths skills.’ Daily Telegraph. [Online.] Retrieved September 29, 2008 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3084265/
Playing-Nintendos-Brain-Trainer-can-improve-childrens-maths-skills.html

Two New Video Games for Studying the SAT

Jim McDermott over at the Technology Omnivore notes the two largest test prep companies, Princeton Review and Kaplan, are turning to videogames to help students study for the SAT. eSchoolNews reports that Kaplan has teamed up with Aspyr Media to produce futureU for the PC. The game costs $40 and prepares students for all elements of the SAT. A version for the DS will be ported over later this year. The Princeton Review has partnered with Ubisoft to develop My SAT Coach for the DS, available later this month.

The Art of Marriage Proposals Through Gaming

We Aggies know a thing or two about proposing to our beloved, especially if she is an Aggie too. (Alas, my wife is from Louisiana, where everybody professes loyalty to LSU, whether they attended that fine school or not.) There is one tree on the A&M campus in particular, the Century Tree, that has a tradition of serving as a pop-the-question spot for thousands of couples. Here’s a YouTube video of one such marriage proposal. (If a woman is lucky enough to be or snag a member of the Corps of Cadets, as in this video, she gets quite a bit of extra pomp and ceremony throughout the entire wedding process than the average Aggie these days. The Corps has dwindled from comprising the entire student body back in the day to a couple thousand or so students now.)

There have been many other creative proposals at TAMU over the years (probably mostly by guys who weren’t in the Corps (see parenthetical above)). During my graduation ceremony, for instance, an Aggie awaited his beloved to descend from the podium, her diploma in hand, before going down on one knee. The MC had been briefed ahead of time and paused in calling out names to wish them well, and everybody in the coliseum whooped and hollered for the couple.

Another story that comes to mind dates back to when a thriving hot air balloon business existed in College Station, and Kyle Field was left unlocked and accessible most of the time. The fellow had friends buy hundreds of paper plates, and had them spell out the Marry me? question on the bleachers so she could read it as they floated over in the balloon.

So, Aggies know a thing or two about proposing to their sweethearts. But there are lots of neat stories about guys finding creative ways to pop the question. I recall one fellow hiding the ring in a box of Cracker Jacks and setting up a picnic for his girlfriend on a cliff overlooking the ocean. After the couple finished off the meal, for desert he handed over the box, and waited nervously for her to open the “toy surprise.” She reared back her arm to toss the packet over the cliff, willing to carelessly toss away what was usually a cheap trinket. He went ballistic, grabbing her arm and yelling, “Wait!” She opened it, and was surprised, but it was a close call and he almost lost an expensive diamond engagement ring.

Guys dating women who like games seem to consistently hit upon the idea of sneaking marriage proposals into the game. Several men over the years have popped the question through crossword puzzles, convincing complicit editors to run rigged games. Here’s one example.

But finally, we have a real gaming geek story. This fellow re-programmed his girlfriend’s game so a ring and wedding cake appeared upon reaching a certain score. Bernie Peng ported over a copy of Bejeweled to the Nintendo DS, and gave it as a present to his girlfriend. There is no official version of Bejeweled for the DS, you see, so this was something special for her. Ordinarily such shenanigans might be frowned upon by corporate, but PopCap Games (owner of Bejeweled and other popular casual titles) turned it into a publicity event.

There have been marriages in virtual worlds, notably in Second Life and World of Warcraft. Somehow, cheating in marriage garners more publicity. But electronic marriage is old news, since any enhancement to communication leads inevitably to more social interaction. The book, The Victorian Internet, detailed a legal marriage performed at a distance via telegraph and Morse Code. But as video games continue to gain a stronghold in the public psyche, look for more social interactions like marriage, and social research, online.

R4 Revolution Majicon May Provide Homebrew Educational Games Solution for the DS

Here’s an intriguing story about the R4 Revolution, nicknamed the Majicon in Japan. The device provides an interface for micro SD cards to be read by the Nintendo DS. Consequently, they provide an avenue for piracy since game cartridges could be copied and shared without paying. In light of that, Nintendo has sued manufacturers, and retailers in Japan have become reticent about current inventories.

However, from an altruistic, educational gaming viewpoint, such devices may make it easier for aspiring programmers to share their creations with others. Previous efforts to create educational cartridges outside of traditional game companies were possible but rather difficult, requiring emulators and the purchase of dedicated hardware and cartridges if one wished to actually play the games on the devices.

With the R4, no fancy hardware is necessary. Programmers can save their code on micro SD cards and easily distribute and play the games. That would be a revolution indeed.