1.Games and simulations are modern day approaches
to enhancing successful eLearning. Games may seem like a waste of time and not
educational, but according to Diana Oblinger’s (2006), Simulations, games, and learning,
“games are complex, take up to 100 hours, require collaboration with others,
and involve developing values, insight, and knowledge. They are immersive
virtual worlds that are augmented by a more complex external environment that
involves communities of practice, the buying and selling of game items, blogs,
and developer communities” (p.1). Games have become systems geared toward
learning. In addition, games do not require an instruction manual, its
instructions have already been programmed and its interface has a visual and
auditory visual appeal for its audience.
In referencing simulations, “simulations and
visualization tools make it possible for students to bridge experience and
abstraction helping to deepen understanding of ambiguous or challenging
content” (Thomas,p.6). Simulations
are great examples of complex and meaningful interaction. They are the trial and error process of creating and testing a game. In eLearning, this
interactivity is essential to help an
instructor develop a learning style that compliments their students. In a simulation a student can create a
question and later receive feedback.
2. The key characteristics of simulations
are collaborative workings and operability with e-Learning management systems
(Thomas, p.9). In addition, the synchronous sharing of simulations is essential
to enhance communication. “This includes concurrent access to the same running
simulation models, different visualizations to suit the varying roles and
preferences of users, and access controls to allow each user appropriate access
to the model variables” (Thomas, p.8).
3. The strengths and
advantages of games and simulations are that “simulations provide group
experimental learning, the exploration of multiple perspectives, and the use of
collaborative learning to develop and share alternative views” (Thomas, p. 4).
The strengths of games are its cognitive advantages. Games are repetitive and
played over and over again. This also includes the problem-solving advantage,
where a player cannot move on to the next round until the level is completed
successfully. Another advantage is the immediate feedback that a game brings
along with its transferability of cognitive elements (Games and Simulations,
2012, Par. 9).
4. The weaknesses and
disadvantages of games and simulations are that simulations need to improve on
the cost of production (faster, more efficient processes) and improve quality
in the end product (increased reusability)( Games and Simulations, 2012, par.
5). In terms of games, eLearning professionals “need to leverage 3D virtual
immersive environments for real, contextual-based learning” (Games and
Simulations, 2012, par. 12). In addition, subject matter experts need to be aware of other game products on the market and keep up to gain a competitive advantage.
5. As an after-school
teacher for first and second graders, I understand this is the age where most
of their learning is obtained through visual and auditory storytelling. In addition,
this helps to enhance their reading and writing. I have decided to research the
learning software, Toontastic. This software is a great iPad learning
tool. According to Launchpad
Toys, Toontasitc was “designed in partnership
with Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and Zeum: San Francisco’s
Children’s Museum, Toontastic inspires the artist and writer in every child
while teaching key storytelling principles that help to promote Creativity at a
young age” (par. 2). The game itself is a visual representation of a story. It
asks students to create “a Setup, a Conflict, a Challenge, a Climax & a
Resolution. Together, these scenes form the Story Arc. Toontastic guides kids
through the Story Arc, introducing key concepts and helping them to define the
turning points in their stories. The first step in creating a cartoon is to
select which scene you’d like to edit” (par.5).
6. Toontastic has an
instructional technology team that includes an Educational Media Producer, a
Designer/Developer, three Software Engineers, one artist, and one art advisor
(Launchpad Toys: Mission Crew and Learning Goals).The development cycle
deals mainly with the core
standards for English Language Arts and Literacy that includes," Character Development, Emotional Expression, and
Descriptive Language" (Russell, 2012). Toontastic began with a " pilot study [that examined] the wealth of data from the hundreds of
thousands of cartoons on our global storytelling network, ToonTube. With this, we hope to
combine quantitative and qualitative research methods to not only better
understand how kids are improving their storytelling skills with Toontastic,
but to develop better digital learning tools and provide meaningful feedback to
parents, teachers, and kids” (Russell, 2012). This references the testing stage that the development cycle must address.
Here
are the downloading steps:
1. Go download Toontastic: All Access from
iTunes or from Apple's Volume Purchase Program (up
to 50% off). Why All Access you ask? Well, the All Access version is custom
designed for schools to offer all the features of the regular Toontastic, but
with all the Characters and Settings already unlocked (future playsets will
update automatically free of charge). That's 150 Characters and Settings to
spark your students' imagination! Also, the in-app Toy Store is disabled and
you'll automatically upgrade to future school-specific features as we release
them.
2. Create a cartoon. Once you've
completed it, hit the "DONE" button and upload it to ToonTube.
3. Toontastic will now prompt you to
create an account. Follow the instructions to create an account.
4. Once your account is finished, type
the password you created into the app. Your cartoon will upload.
5. Now that you have your account
created, you can setup the rest of the iPads in your classroom on the same
account. Open up the Device Settings app on each iPad.
6. In Device Settings, scroll down to
find Toontastic. It's on the left near the bottom (silly alphabet).
7. Input the email address and password you
used for your ToonTube account.
8. Hooray! You're done. Now every time
your students create and upload a cartoon, you'll receive an email to approve
it for public viewing on ToonTube. You can also go to "My Toons" in
the app or on the website to see every cartoon your class has created (Support
Central).
Most importantly the way
to continue to track the success of this game would to collaborate with numerous teachers of K-5
students from different schools over a period of time. What have they learned? Are
they enjoying the software? Have their reading and writing skills improved? Can they maneuver through the game and create the story
of their dreams?
Resources
Games and simulations.
(2012). The eLearning Coach.
Retrieved from
http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/games-and-simulations/
Oblinger, D. (2006).
Simulations, games, and learning. Educause
Learning Initiative.
Russell,
A, & Chang, A.(2012). Pilot study: Creative play with Toontastic. Launchpad Toys: Mission
Crew and
LearningGoals.Retrieved
fromhttp://joanganzcooneycenter.org/Cooney-Center-Blog-272.html
Thomas, R. Interactivity
and simulations in e-Learning. Multiverse. Retrieved from
http://www.jelsim.org/resources/whitepaper.pdf
We're
creating digital toys and tools that empower kids to create, learn & share
their ideas through
play.Launchpad Toys. Retrieved from
http://launchpadtoys.com/about/
