Project: Educational Game In the Classroom

In this project, you will be integrating an online educational game for a class (elementary and up).

Outcomes

After completing this assignment, you will be able to:

  • design and develop a learning activity that integrate a web-based game into your teaching practice
  • state the three primary types of learner analysis criteria and describe the role of the criteria in the systematic planning process for learning
  • discuss the rationale and purpose of learning objectives
  • write learning objectives that include the audience, behavior, conditions, and degree of mastery
  • describe the procedures for selecting, modifying, and designing instructional materials, including when each choice is appropriate.
  • create examples of the five basic steps in utilizing technologies, media, and materials.
  • describe and justify methods for eliciting student participation when using technology and media during instruction
  • compare and contrast the techniques for evaluating student achievement, technology, media, strategies, and the instruction.

Overview

This assessment item is designed to assist you to implement a game-based learning activity in your teaching practice. As you have learned from the course, game-based learning requires many hours of planning, design, and development. In this assignment, you will go through the entire process of implementation of a game-based learning activity for a single instructional unit (1 – 3 hours).

In order to guide you through the process, we will be using the ASSURE model introduced in Module 8. The ASSURE model is widely adopted by many professionals and teachers when it comes to technology integration. This model particularly addresses the selections of media/technology/tools in the design process. Given the nature of game-based learning, this model fits our needs very well.

To guide you through the whole process, six parts aligned with the ASSURE model are created. Please read through the following the instructions for each part carefully.

Due Dates

  • Project, Part 1: Analyze Learner (Due: the 1st day of Module 9)
  • Project, Part 2: State Standards and Objectives (Due: Due on the 1st day of Module 10)
  • Project, Part 3: Select Strategies and Resources (Due on the 1st day of Module 11)
  • Project, Part 4: Utilize Resources (Due on the 1st day of Module 14)
  • Project, Part 5: Require Learner Participation (Due on the 1st day of Module 15)
  • Project, Part 6: Evaluate and Revise (Due on the 1st Monday after Module 15)

Part 1: Analyze Learners

Outcomes

During this part of the project, students will identify their learners by analyzing their general characteristics and entry competencies.

Instructions

  1. Review Analyze Learners section of ASSURE model introduced in Module 8.
  2. Identify your learner population for this game-based learning activity.
  3. In MS Word, report your analysis of your learners.
  4. Check for any spelling and grammatical error before posting onto Weebly.
  5. Create a new page on your Weebly site and post your text—DO NOT save your report as word file and upload it to your page.
  6. Label your Weebly page appropriately.
  7. An example for your analysis report is listed below.
Analyze Learners  | Instructor(s) / Trainer(s): Corey Lee, Michael Smith
Grade: 9th Grade

Subject Area: English

General Characteristics

The students are 14 and 15 years old. Several students have learning disabilities, whereas others are above-average readers and writers. The students come from primarily moderated- to low-income socioeconomic environments and represent and ethnic population common to an urban setting. Generally, the students are well behaved. However, some show lack of interest and apathy toward learning when activities are textbook and paper-pencil oriented.

Entry Competencies

The students in general are able to do the following:

  • Create and save word processed documents
  • Navigate the Internet
  • Create and save digital video
  • Respond via written and verbal communication that ranges from below to above grade-level proficiency

Learning Styles

The students appear to learn best from activities that incorporate technology and media. Using computers provides intrinsic motivation through the creation of personalized work and the careful reflection of learning. The students vary in their preferred forms of express; some favor inputting their thoughts as written text, others choose to capture them with digital video, and still others prefer audio recordings. It is also found that most of the students have difficulty working in a completely silent atmosphere and therefore it is suggested to allow students the option of listening to much on MP3 players when they work on their digital portfolios.

Submitting

  1. To submit your work, post URL of your Weebly page to the corresponding link under Submissions inside Moodle before 11:59 p.m. U.S. EST/EDT on the 1st day of Module 9.
  2. Submission Example: Project, Part 1: Analyze Learners

Part 2: State Standards and Objectives

Outcome

During this part of the project, students will discuss the rationale and purpose of learning objectives.

Instruction

  1. Review State Standards and Objectives section of ASSURE model introduced in Module 8.
  2. In MS Word, compose standards and objectives for your game-based learning activity for a single instructional unit.
  3. Your game-based learning activity should cover an instructional session between 1 and 3 hours. As the result, your standards and objectives should be attainable within 1 – 3 hours of instruction.
  4. Check for any spelling and grammatical error before posting onto Weebly.
  5. Create a new page on your Weebly site and post your text—DO NOT save your work as word file and upload/embed it to your page.
  6. Label your Weebly page appropriately.
  7. An example for your standards and objectives is listed below.
State Standards and Objectives | Instructor(s) / Trainer(s): Corey Lee, Michael Smith
Standards

Curriculum—National Council of Teachers of English Standard. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g. conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. Common Core State Standards, ELA Literacy. SL9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Technology—National Educational Technology Standards for Students 3 (Technology Productivity Tools): Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.

Lesson Objectives

  1. Given the following questions, the 9th-grade student will demonstrate ability to express reflective thinking by answering the following questions in a written or video reflection that meets the “Final Year Reflections” criteria listed on the assignment sheet.
    • What did I learn about myself, reading, writing, learning, and overall during the past year?
    • What do I hope to accomplish in these areas next year when I am a sophomore?
  2. Using Weebly.com, the 9th-grade English student will create a new page title “Final Year Reflections” that meets the formatting criteria for being included in the electronic portfolio reflections folder.
  3. Using files of previously completed work, the 9th-grade student will be able to add the written reflection or upload a video reflection in an accessible format to the “Final Year Reflections” page in the electronic portfolio folder.

Submitting

  1. To submit your work, post URL of your Weebly page to the corresponding link under Submissions inside Moodle before 11:59 p.m. U.S. EST/EDT on the 1st day of Module 10.
  2. Submission Example: Part 2: State Standards and Objectives

Part 3: Select Strategies and Resources

Outcome

During this part of the project, students will describe the procedures for selecting, modifying, and designing instructional materials, including when each choice is appropriate.

Instruction

  1. Review Select Strategies and Resources section of ASSURE model introduced in Module 8.
  2. From previous modules, you’ve learned more than 30 educational games (web-based and app-based). It is time to make your own choices. Select one educational games and describe your rationale of your selection. Your rationale must be supported by the readings in Module 8 and the module readings.
  3. Select and describe resources. Selecting appropriate technology and media can be a complex task. From this course, you are introduced a variety of educational games. Select ONE educational game by referring to module readings/learning logs/discussion forums and selection rubric criteria introduced above. Again, please describe your tool and provide rationale for your choice.
  4. In MS Word, compose your your answers to steps #2 and #3.
  5. Check for any spelling and grammatical error before posting onto Weebly.
  6. Create a new page on your Weebly site and post your text—DO NOT save your work as word file and upload it to your page.
  7. Label your Weebly page appropriately.
  8. An example for strategies and resources is listed below.
State Strategies and Resources | Instructor(s) / Trainer(s): Corey Lee, Michael Smith
Select Strategies

I select rotation model with station rotation. This model is a combination of small-group direct instruction, individual learning, and modeled and independent hands-on activity. The small-group direct instruction is chosen for reviewing the overall goals of using an electronic portfolio and to introduce student guidelines for completing the final reflections. The individual learning is used for students’ written or video reflections of their learning that are added to electronic portfolios. Modeled and independent hands-on activity is employed for students’ use of the web 2.0 tool— Weebly.com.

Select Resources

Technology and Media. This lesson involves the continued use of Moodle course management software and Weebly.com to create web-based portfolio. The lesson also calls for a digital video camera (or a smartphone) to record student reflections and the use of iMovie (or MovieMaker) to edit the video reflections. The following guidelines help me assess the appropriateness of my technology and media selections:

  • Alignment with standards, outcomes, and objectives. The software provides the necessary tools for my students to meet the learning objectives.
  • Accurate and current information. Not applicable for the chosen technology and media.
  • Age-appropriate language. The software applications are written at a level appropriate for 9th-grade students.
  • Interest level and engagement. The software applications provide features that enable the students to personalize their electronic portfolios.
  • Technical quality. The software applications have superior technical quality.
  • Ease of use. The applications require initial training and periodic review of functions for students to easily use the features.
  • Bias free. The software applications are bias free.
  • User guide and directions. The online help featues of the software are moderately easy to use. Students most frequently ask each other, the teacher, or the technology assistant for help with technical difficulties.

Select Materials

This lesson includes a teacher-produced student assignment sheet that explains the details of creating and adding the final reflections to the electronic portfolio. I was able to use available materials or modify existing materials because the assignment sheet requires details very specific to the lesson.

Submitting

  1. To submit your work, post URL of your Weebly page to the corresponding link under Submissions inside Moodle before 11:59 p.m. U.S. EST/EDT on the 1st day of Module 11.
  2. Submission Example: Part 3: Strategies and Resources Selection

Part 4: Utilize Resources

Outcome

During this part of the project, students will describe examples of the basic five steps in utilizing technologies, media, and materials.

Instruction

  1. Review Utilize Resources section of ASSURE model introduced in Module 8.
  2. According to the ASSURE model, this is the phase you actually implement your game-based learning activity. There are five processes involved: preview and prepare the resources; prepare the environment; prepare the learners; and provide the learning experience. You need to provide a narrative description for each phase. If any artifact (websites, PowerPoint, video, or multimedia) is created in this phase, you need to attach it to your Weebly page. Your description for this five process has to be as detailed as possible. Remember, you are the technology integration leader in your school/school districts. You need to make sure others can follow your written instruction.
  3. In MS Word, compose your description for five processes.
  4. Check for any spelling and grammatical error before posting onto Weebly.
  5. Create a new page on your Weebly site and post your text—DO NOT save your work as word file and upload it to your page. In addition, attach any artifacts associated with each process.
  6. Label your Weebly page appropriately.
  7. This phase requires lots of your time in planning. That’s why this part is allocated additional weeks for you to complete. In this phase, you need to implement this game-based learning activity in one of your teaching or training units.
  8. An example for resources report is listed below.
Utilize Resources | Instructor(s) / Trainer(s): Corey Lee, Michael Smith
Review Resources

I previewed the Weebly tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu50A7sZPCQ) and explore all the basic functions provided by Weebly.

Prepare Resources

I created a handout that explains what students should do to complete their “Final Year Reflections” in written or video formats. I also provided a “Final Year Reflection” example for students to preview.

Prepare the Environment

The lesson took place in the computer lab and in the video recording studio. Each computer in the computer lab needed to be checked to ensure that Weebly, iMovie, and MovieMaker software programs were functional and that all computer s can save to the disk and have the Internet connection. The studio needed to be arranged for recording student video reflections by setting up the tripod for the digital video camera and arranging the seating in a location with an appropriate background. I also needed to check that the digital media storage device has enough space to store the student video reflections. Meanwhile, I needed to ensure 2-3 students are trained to operate the digital camera.

For small-group direct instruction, I prepared a roundtable with 5 seats and a projector. For individual learning (watching video tutorials), five computers with Internet connection were ready for student’s use. For hands-on activity, another five computers were checked to see if Weebly was running smoothly on those machines.

Prepare the Learners

To prepare the students, I introduced the lesson and reviewed the learning objectives. Students receive a handout about completing the “Final Year Reflection” for their electronic portfolios. In addition, the handout also includes the evaluation criteria for the reflection.

Provide the Learning Experience

First I gave out the handout to the direct instruction group and explain the required for the “Final Year Reflection”. For hands-on activity group, I guided students learning by reviewing how use the various tools to add reflections to their electronic portfolios on Weebly page.

Submitting

  1. To submit your work, post URL of your Weebly page to the corresponding link under Submissions inside Moodle before 11:59 p.m. U.S. EST/EDT on the 1st day of Module 14.
  2. Submission Examples: Example 1, Example 2

Part 5: Require Learner Participation

Outcome

During this part of the project, students will describe and justify methods for eliciting student participation when using technology and media during instruction.

Instruction

  1. Review Require Learner Participation section of ASSURE model introduced in Module 8.
  2. In this part of the project, in 1-2 paragraphs you need to discuss how you:
    • require active mental engagement by learners.
    • engage learners in practice of new knowledge or skills.
    • support learning with technology and media.
    • provide performance feedback prior to formal assessment.
  3. In MS Word, compose your answers to the four questions listed above.
  4. Check for any spelling and grammatical error before posting onto Weebly.
  5. Create a new page on your Weebly site and post your text—DO NOT save your work as word file and upload it to your page.
  6. Label your Weebly page appropriately.
  7. An example for your learner participation report is listed below.
Require Learner Participation | Instructor(s) / Trainer(s): Corey Lee, Michael Smith
Student Practice Activities

Students individually write responses to the reflection question, “What did I learn this year about myself; about reading, writing, and learning; and about life generally?” Students have the option of using written or video reflections.

The students use computers and Weebly.com as a production tool to add reflection pages to their personal electronic portfolios. Students who choose to write their reflections add them directly to the page. Those choosing video meet with me to record their reflections with a digital camera. The file is then transferred to computers for editing with iMovie or MovieMaker before uploading to the their Weebly page.

Feedback

I used the assignment criteria to review each student’s electronic portfolio. I added individualized comments to each students’ file in the gradebook section of Moodle for the electronic portfolio assignment.

Submitting

  1. To submit your work, post URL of your Weebly page to the corresponding link under Submissions inside Moodle before 11:59 p.m. U.S. EST/EDT on the 1st day of Module 15.
  2. Submission Example: Example #1, Example #2

Part 6: Evaluate and Revise

Outcome

During this part of the project, students will compare and contrast the techniques for evaluating student achievement, technology, media, strategies, and the instruction.

Instruction

  1. Review Evaluate and Revise section of ASSURE model introduced in Module 8.
  2. In the last part of the project, you need to evaluate your implementation of your game-based learning activity and make some revision to your lesson plan. Specifically, you need to
    • Use traditional and authentic assessments to determine learner achievement of stated standards and objectives.
    • Examine the entire instructional process and the impact of using technology and media.
    • Examine the efficiency of your game -based learning model. Which part works well, and which part does not?
    • If discrepancies between learning objectives and student outcomes are identified, revise the lesson plan to address the areas of concern.
  3. In MS Word, compose your answers to the four questions listed above.
  4. Check for any spelling and grammatical error before posting onto Weebly.
  5. Create a new page on your Weebly site and post your text—DO NOT save your work as word file and upload it to your page.
  6. Label your Weebly page appropriately.
  7. An example for your evaluation and revision report is listed below.
Evaluate and Revise | Instructor(s) / Trainer(s): Corey Lee, Michael Smith
Assessment of Learner Achievement

I used the following rating form to evaluate students’ Final Year Reflections:

Reflection Rating Scale

1 = Reponses is minimal, primarily states facts

2 = Response is adequate, reveals moderate reflection

3 = Detailed response that demonstrates meaningful reflection

  • At what level did the student write reflections for each item in question 1, “What did I learn about the following?”
    • Myself
    • Reading
    • Writing
    • Learning
    • Overall
  • At what level did the student write a reflection for question 2, “What do I hope to accomplish in these areas next year when I am a sophomore?”

Technology Rating Scale

1 = Did that complete the task as described

2 = Completed task as described.

  • Did the student use Weebly to create a new page titled “Final Year Reflections” in his or her electronic portfolio?
  • Did the student add a written or video reflection to the “Final Year Reflections” page in his or her Weebly electronic portfolio?

Evaluation of Strategies and Resources

To evaluate the strategies and resources utilized, I conducted debriefing activities with the students. In addition, I talked informally with students during the entire process. I invited comments that address the importance of using an electronic portfolio to assess learning over time. The primary purpose of this debriefing session is to determine whether the students think creating electronic portfolio is worthwhile. In addition, students were asked to write their ideas for improving the lesson.

Revisions

The students and I completed a teacher-developed form for an overall evaluation of learner achievement, strategies, and resources. I compared the student responses and overall average rating with my perceptions. For items that appear discrepant, I addressed the need for revision in my choice of learning activities, recourse selections, and evaluation materials.

Submitting

  1. To submit your work, post URL of your Weebly page to the corresponding link under Submissions inside Moodle before 11:59 p.m. U.S. EST/EDT on the 1st Monday after Module 15.
  2. Submission Example: Part 6: Evaluate and Revise