Research: The Educational Value of Serious Games [11Mar11] - 0 views
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Literacy has evolved beyond the definition of the ability to read and write. Literacy now includes the ability to seamlessly interpret on-screen information, such as the graphics in a videogame, and the ability to rapidly decode symbols. To be effective, gamers must be able to quickly decipher each game’s symbols and conventions, which is essentially what good readers have to do in terms of deciphering the alphabetic code.
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Literacy specialists are just beginning to investigate how reading on the Internet affects reading skills. Students are developing new reading skills that are neither taught nor evaluated in school.
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Educational practices need to recognize today’s participatory culture and to find different ways of delivering content. Today’s new cultural competencies include the ability to navigate across different kinds of media and to “mashup” the various media content. Games are the ideal model for combining content in different ways and incorporating problem solving. There is a need for educators need to see games as an alternate learning system.
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Games today can be divided into entertainment and Serious Game categories. Games are getting much more realistic, and can be incredibly motivating. The use of Ggames as entertainment may be dwarfed by Serious Game applications
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Videogames, based on the training of socially valued practices, will create an educational system in which students learn to work and think as professionals. The purpose is not to train students for these professions, but rather to provide students with an opportunity to see the world in a variety of ways that are fundamentally grounded in meaningful activity and aligned with core skills, habits, and understandings of a postindustrial society. Games will help students create representations of professional knowledge.
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Videogames are very effective at teaching logical, consequential thinking. U.S. Army studies indicate playing videogames as much as ten hours can improve the ability to process visual information and improve overall spatial orientation skills.
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Games involve participation in collective intelligence, and blur the distinction between the production and consumption of information. They emphasized expertise rather than social status. They promote international and cross-cultural media and communities.