According to Wikipedia (2009), an instructional simulation is a simulation of some type of reality (system or environment) but which also includes instructional elements that help a learner explore, navigate or obtain more information about that system or environment that cannot generally be acquired from mere experimentation. Instructional simulations focus learners on specific facts, concepts, or applications. Simulations in and of themselves are not educational. They must incorporate instructional elements that help expose the learner to key parts or concepts of the system or environment.
Simulations provide opportunities for learning in a flexible environment that can be accessible from any place and any time. The goal of a simulation is to give an experience as close as possible to reality that would otherwise not be accessible due to various factors. Simulations are based on some reality and are intended to provide the user with a pseudo-experience without the danger, expense, or complexity of real life issues.
With increase accessibility to computers, access to the internet, and availability of resources, the use of simulations is expanding rapidly in all types of settings. Simulations are being used in education to provide learning experiences to help expose the learner to key parts or concepts of the system or environment. Simulations are currently being used in educational settings to provide access to distance learning. These learning environments have the potential to provide many opportunities for communication and collaboration.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Games In Education
Learning through video games had been largely ignored by the education community. It has not yet been widely accepted as a powerful tool for academic learning. Current research is very limited and remains largely unexplored. The little research that exists states that learning through video games has multiple advantages because it is user-centered. In other words, they can promote challenges, co-operation, engagement, and the development of problem-solving strategies. For this reason, it is important for the educational community to begin considering the learning possibilities offered by video game based learning.
Video games center on visual learning through iconic and spatial representations. Research indicates that children develop particular spatial skills since video games focus primarily on reading images, such as pictures and diagrams. Pictures are far more important than words in this type of learning environment. Children develop visual attention skills as they are continuously keeping track of a lot of different things at the same time. However, there is not sufficient research that links video game playing to higher developed attentional skills.
A number of studies have been completed to explore the role of games in supporting educational goals. Forty-six educational videogames were designed, covering almost the entire educational program in language and mathematics. Findings indicated that teachers responded positively to the use of video games in learning. They considered the videogame to be an easy-to-use educational instrument with potential as backup to other teaching material. Even though the response was positive, teachers stressed the difficulty of using videos games in their teacher due to pressure of time and the need to cover the educational curriculum outline. Most teachers, however, acknowledge that games contribute to the development of a wide variety of strategies that are extremely important for learning: problem-solving, sequence learning, deductive reasoning, memorizing. The following conclusions were an outcome of this study:
1. Videogames aid the development of strategies for reading three-dimensional images.
2. They help to develop learning through observation and hypothesis testing.
3. They broaden the understanding of scientific simulations.
4. They increase strategies for parallel attention.
The inclusion of video games in education has not been widely explored. Research begins to point to the benefits but a large body of research is still needed to fully understand the impact videos games can have in student learning.
Video games center on visual learning through iconic and spatial representations. Research indicates that children develop particular spatial skills since video games focus primarily on reading images, such as pictures and diagrams. Pictures are far more important than words in this type of learning environment. Children develop visual attention skills as they are continuously keeping track of a lot of different things at the same time. However, there is not sufficient research that links video game playing to higher developed attentional skills.
A number of studies have been completed to explore the role of games in supporting educational goals. Forty-six educational videogames were designed, covering almost the entire educational program in language and mathematics. Findings indicated that teachers responded positively to the use of video games in learning. They considered the videogame to be an easy-to-use educational instrument with potential as backup to other teaching material. Even though the response was positive, teachers stressed the difficulty of using videos games in their teacher due to pressure of time and the need to cover the educational curriculum outline. Most teachers, however, acknowledge that games contribute to the development of a wide variety of strategies that are extremely important for learning: problem-solving, sequence learning, deductive reasoning, memorizing. The following conclusions were an outcome of this study:
1. Videogames aid the development of strategies for reading three-dimensional images.
2. They help to develop learning through observation and hypothesis testing.
3. They broaden the understanding of scientific simulations.
4. They increase strategies for parallel attention.
The inclusion of video games in education has not been widely explored. Research begins to point to the benefits but a large body of research is still needed to fully understand the impact videos games can have in student learning.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Online Video Resources for Educators
This site provides a collection of learning videos for teachers seeking professional development or research information on the following topics: arts, foreign language, literature and language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies and history. There are plenty of videos that provide information about child development and topics that relate to learning. This is a great site for teachers to use because it’s easy to navigate (organized and clean look), it provides videos on K-12 topics that are directly related to education, the videos are high-quality and professionally made, and best of all they are free! This is a must see website for all educators. As a new national board candidate, I know that this will be a useful resource for science and mathematics concepts, which I recognize as an area that I need to learn more about. The best part of all is that this will be a fun way to learn. I am very much a visual/auditory learner and this will definitely benefit me in my professional development. The previously mentioned features are all pros. I am not area of any cons. The only con that I noticed, that specifically affects me, is that there are less videos for K-5 teachers.
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