Digital+Games

 =Digital Games = Michael Thaxton media type="custom" key="9272110"

Description and Uses of Technology
====Digital Gaming is an up and coming method of teaching that is showing great promise especially in regards to student engagement. Digital gaming takes the thought that learning should be fun for students and runs with it in a productive learning-centered direction. This particular method comes in a wide variety of formats and has a wide range of uses but all of them boil down to a basic understanding that there is a give and take between the student and the game that requires the student to be engaged (Becker 2007). Digital games have been shown to help students with "Developing context-specific problem solving skills; promoting student-directed learning environments, free inquiry, and explorations; and supporting constructivist environments conducive to various forms of social learning" (Neville 2010) among other things.====

====One of the great things about digital games is that they can be used for just about any subject across any grade and arguably any and every topic. These games can give students the one-on-one attention that they need with elementary reading (Steinkuehler 2010) or show high school juniors the effects of World War II and the consequences of Hitler's decisions (Neville 2010). Technology of this kind is not limited simply to the classroom. There have been studies, not mentioned here, that look at the positive educational effects of students playing games that are not thought of as "educational". I would venture to guess that companies could use digital gaming in their own way to look at a potential employer's decision making and thought processes. That may be deemed unprofessional but I think that companies could learn a lot about a candidate by doing something like this.====

Important Findings on Student Outcomes
====Using digital games is definitetly becoming a widely used practice among teachers. Digital gaming can be used to enhance student learning in any subject from Math to Reading to History. The most promising aspect of digital gaming is its ability to engage the students in learning. Digital gaming allows students to venture into a world different than their own and then, by means of playing the game, "develop a schema for information they may encounter during school" (Abrams 2009). Many students get feelings of nervousness or shut down during class for one reason or another. Not all students shut down when interacting with a game and a large part of that deals with transitions or "flow". Admiraal looks at the concept of flow which he defines as, "The state of deep absorption in an activity that is intrinsically enjoyable" (2007). Creating a lesson or game with good flow prevents the student from breaking concentration during the transition and then having to refocus. Games allow the students to sink into their own world and focus exclusively on having fun and learning at the same time. "Educational games require strategizing, hypothesis testing, or problem-solving, usually with higher order thinking rather than rote memorization or simple comprehension" (Paraskeva 2010). It is these skills that are sometimes difficult to teach students with a textbook and a chalkboard. But with digital gaming these skills can be taught to and practiced by all students.====

Emerging Trends and Open Issues
Digital gaming in itself seems like a pretty cut and dry tool for education. Students play games on the computer and learn through their play. In actuality however there are a great deal of trends and emerging issues with regard to digital gaming. Parental acceptance is often listed as one of the primary reasons why some districts are not employing this new method (Bourgonjon 2011). Parental acceptance of digital gaming covers the entire spectrum from the thought that it is a wonderful idea to it being an impediment in student learning. There does not seem to be an overly large rush to attempt to educate parents on the benefits of digital gaming and districts are being convinced by the uneducated parents that these games are not necessary. Another interesting idea stemming from digital gaming is the effect of multiplayer games. Many educational games nowadays are designed for one learner at a time to personally interact with the computer in an effort to learn. However some systems are being created in an effort to encourage students to work together in order to solve a problem. This method of learning mirrors what students may be likely to see when they find themselves working their daily jobs (Paraskeva 2010).