In this module, more than 20 app-based educational games are introduced. Given the plethora of the mobile, making informed decision about the educational games is a vital skill for a teacher. Please identify five app-based games that are appropriate for your subject discipline and justify your choices by citing sources introduced in this course.
Game One: iTooch Elementary School App
Alignment: Various fifth-grade Mathematics, Science, and English standards! It covers number & observations, fractions, measuring & estimating, graphs & statistics, and geometry in mathematics. In English, it covers grammar, verbs, and vocabulary & spelling. Lastly, in science, it covers physical science, life science, and earth systems.
Justifications from readings: The iTooch Elementary School App screams motivation through leveling up and XP! The app-based game relates to Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow because it allows the learner to be in control and choose what game to play. The player has the option to choose what subject they want to practice, and then what specific content they want to practice in that subject area. By having this option, it appeals to the player's interest and level of skill. The game also supports the flow theory because of the immediate, short, and long-term goals present. The immediate goal is opening the app and getting a daily reward, which Ellis would refer to as an "appointment dynamic." The short term goals are answering questions correctly to earn points. The long term goal is leveling up and earning a different colored belt. Additionally, Ellis would be supportive of the game because it meets three of her four main game dynamics. The three it meets are feedback, structure, and attention. The only social aspect available is if you download the app called Monster Messenger you can "ask your friends" for help.
Alignment: Fifth Grade Social Studies Standard 5-5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the social, economic and political events that influenced the United States during the Cold War era.
Justifications from readings: In Cold War Dare it is the player's job to stop the Soviet Union from taking over Eastern Europe. The player takes on the identity of President Bush to see what is happening, make decisions, and take actions. This relates to Lee and Hammer's sociological aspect of gaming because it allows the player to explore new identities and roles. It also relates to Lee and Hammer's emotional aspect of gaming because it shows the player how their actions and decisions affect certain countries and diplomatic relationships. Players also have the option to choose how hard they want it to be; they have the options to choose from "pretty easy, challenging, and formidable," which is a key characteristic of differentiation in an app. Lee and Cherner would rate this game highly in the design domain due to its functionality, which enables the players to interact smoothly and efficiently with the game. The interface tools are intuitive and one can easily access a "help button" for an explanation.
Alignment: Various fifth-grade Mathematics standards!
Justifications from readings: Karl Kapp would describe Prodigy as a true form of content gamification because it meets all five of his conditions. Hammer and Lee would support this game because it meets their cognitive, emotional, and sociological needs while teaching mathematical concepts. It meets cognitively because the challenges are tailored to the player's skill level indicated by a pre-test and battles scores. It meets there standards emotionally because it teaches students that failure is okay; if students answer incorrectly a page is shown with the correct solution. Socially, it allows the students to create their very own avatar and interact with each other during battles. Prodigy has really great feedback and progression features, which would be supported by Ellis. Teachers and parents using the Prodigy are able to produce progress reports based on student performance in the app. (However, it is important to note that teachers cannot view these reports on the app; it is synched to the teacher's account on the web-based version, which is one area of weakness of the app-based game. ) The app also issues a pre-test at the beginning to ensure that the level of content is appropriate for the player, which would score highly in "A.6 Level of Learning Material" in Lee and Cherner's rubric. According to Lee and Cherner's rubric, I believe it would have an average score of four in all three domains. Additionally, this game truly employs the flow theory, due to players being able to navigate through the different realms and become fully immersed in the reality of the game and the goals it has in place.
Alignment: Fifth Grade Science Standard 5.L.4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of relationships among biotic and abiotic factors within terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. *Specifically indicators 5.L.48.1 & 5.L.4B.2
Justifications from readings: iBiome transports players underwater with Professor Bio as their leader to create, explore, and learn about ecosystems and food webs. Karl Kapp would support this game because it engages players with interactivity that enables the learner to get fully immersed in the game with constant feedback; therefore, it meets all five of his conditions to gamification being done correctly. Since it takes place in a real-world context, it would also support Gros’ sociological approach. Because it takes place in a real-world context that enables students to create their own ecosystems and learn about dangerous environmental factors that could affect them, I believe it evokes an emotional response from playing. Hammer, Lee, and Fischer all mention how powerful eliciting emotion can be. Lee and Cherner would rate this game highly in the instructional domain, especially in 21st-century skills, connections to future learning, and rigor. The only downside of this game is that it has to be downloaded to an iPad.
Alignment: Fifth grade Social Studies Standard 5-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of American economic challenges in the 1920s and 1930s and world conflict in the 1940s. *Specifically indicator 5-4.5. I would have students create a movie about the leaders of World War II.
Justifications from readings: Lego Movie Maker forces students to utilize higher-order thinking skills in Bloom's taxonomy because they have to create a product. The players are in total control of what they are doing in the game, which directly relates to Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory. I also believe that Lee and Cherner would score this game highly in "Domain A: Instruction. A1 Rigor" of their rubric because it places cognitive demands on the learner "to create art to explain, assess, or critique a topic." (Lee & Cherner, 2015, p. 26). Lastly, I believe Gabe Zichermann would support this app-based game because it helps employ the "new creativity" discussed in his speech. The game also has some of the structural elements that drive gamification and creativity according to Zichermann, such as the discovery of true talent and skill!
Alignment: Fifth Grade Science Standard 5.P.2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the physical properties of matter and mixtures.
Justifications from readings: Although this game is confusing to learn at first and is not as educational as the other games mentioned above, I do believe it is a great game to help students learn the different types of matter and how they can react with other items. It also is a great game to teach strategies. The player has to match the colored balls falling from the sky to the tiles below. When the player mixes different types of matter new elements form. One aspect of the app that is supported by our readings is that it has the structural element of speed and pressure that Zichermann named as one of five structural elements that drive gamification and creativity. Since the player is also able to choose what specific level they wish to play on would score fairly highly on Lee and Cherner's "A6. level of learning material" dimension in their rubric.
Zichermann, G. (2014, February 25). The future of creativity and innovation is gamification: Gabe Zichermann at TEDxVilnius. Retrieved August 29, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZvRw71Slew&t=6s