Securingbelongingandgamification1

CollaborativeInquiryProjectPart1:
Securingbelongingandgamification.
LauraHall,JessicaHolder,BenKing,BrittanyReidandKateWilley.
Dr.AlexanderdeCosson
ETEC532/65A
March20,2016
UniversityofBritishColumbia

Securingbelongingandgamification2

Introduction
Communitiesoflearningarebeingredefinedasnewtechnologiesgrowmoreprevalentinthe
everydaylivesofeducatorsandstudents.Whilenewtechnologyhasbecomeaseamless,
integratedpartofdailylife,itsinclusionintotheclassroomisoftenclumsyandawkward.As
educators,weseektousesmootheffortstomeetstudentswheretheyarebybringingauthentic
opportunitiesfortechnologyuseintotheclassroom,whilehelpingstudentsgrowinindividual
identityandincivicandglobalcitizenship.Veletsianos(2011)challengeseducatorsbystating
that[w]eshouldaspireforlearningthatchangesthewaysalearneractsintheworld(p.45).
Thisliteraturereviewanalyzestheuseofgamebasedlearning(GBL)asameansforproviding
richandmeaningfullearningexperienceslearningexperiencesthatallowanewgenerationof
learnerstobecomecriticalthinkersandproblemsolverswhilegrowingintobettercitizens.

ANewGenerationofLearners
Whatishappeningtoouryoungpeople?Theydisrespecttheirelders,they
disobeytheirparents.Theyignorethelaw.Theyriotinthestreetsinflamedwith
wildnotions.Theirmoralsaredecaying.Whatistobecomeofthem?
Plato,4thCenturyBC
Theideathattheyoungergenerationisdifferentinsomewayfromtheoldergenerationisnota
newconcept.AsthequoteabovebyPlatoattests,thethinkersoftwothousandyearsagowere
wonderingwhatwasdifferentinthegenerationbelow.Withtheriseofdigitaltechnologywe
arelivingthroughanothergenerationalshift.Weareseeingagenerationoflearnerswhose
comfortlevelsandfamiliaritywithtechnologystandincontrasttothosetaskedwitheducating

Securingbelongingandgamification3

them(Siegel,2014).Thisnewgenerationhasbeengivenawiderangeofnamesincludingdigital
natives,millennials,theGGeneration,andmore(Siegel,2014,Zicherman,2011).Whattraits
aresharedbythisgeneration?Whatdoesthismeanforeducation?
Asistraditionalwhenthereisadifferencebetweengenerations,thenewgenerationis
oftendescribedusingnegativetraits.Thismillennialgroupiscommonlydescribedasbeing
inattentive,easilybored,anddisengaged(Zicherman,2011).Arethesetraitsintrinsictothe
group,oraretheyappearinginresponsetoaneducationsystempoorlysuitedtotheirstyleor
learning.Thesedigitalnativeswereraisedinaworldsurroundedbydigitaltechnology.This
hascreatedagroupoflearnerscomfortableinamultitudeofliteracies(Siegel,2014).The
learnersoftodayarenotsuitedfortraditionaldidacticinstruction.Instead,thenewlearners
thriveinactivelearningenvironments.InthearticlebyJong,Shang,LeeandLee(2008)this
ideallearningenvironmentisdescribedasonethatisgoaloriented,contextual,interesting,
challengingandinteractive(p.1).Thisideallearningenvironmenthasledresearcherstolook
intousingadigitalmediumalreadypopularamongstthenewlearners,videogames.
Oneofthemostpopularformsofdigitalmediaconsumedbyyouthtodayisvideo
gaming.Thevideogameindustryhasbecomemultibilliondollarinstitutionwithamassiveuser
population(Shaffer,Squire,Halverson&Gee,2005).Asgaminghasbecomemorepopularand
advanced,itsusersarenolongersimplyparticipatingindexterityexperiences.Instead,gamers
arenowparticipatinginimmersiveandcomplicatedsocialandculturalexperiences(Zicherman,
2011).Thisadvancementhasledtomoreresearchersexploringhowbesttousegamingtocreate
thelearningenvironmentsbestsuitedforthelearnersoftodayandtomorrow.
GameBasedLearning

Securingbelongingandgamification4

ErhelandJamet(2013)defineGameBasedLearning(GBL)asanemergingmethodof
instructionwherestudentsengageingamelikeactivitiesthathavedefinededucationalgoalsor
learningoutcomes.Theeducationalgamesaredesignedtopromoteeitherknowledgeacquisition
orthedevelopmentofcognitiveskills.GBLinaneducationalsettingcantakeavarietyofforms
butmostoftentakesonthequalitiesofasimulationwherelearnersassumetheroleofanother
andemploytheirskillsandtheknowledgetheyhaveacquiredinavirtuallearningenvironment.
JordanShapiro(2014)in"HeresWhyWeNeedVideoGamesinEveryClassroom"emphasizes
thatgamificationisnotaformofGBLbecausegamificationrequiresstudentstobeinconstant
competitionwithlearnersreceivingrewards,badgesandopportunitiestolevelup.Theuseof
thesetypesofrewardsencourageslearnerstobemotivatedbyacommodifiedmotivation
system(Shapiro,2014).Instead,GBLservestomotivatestudentsintrinsicallybyencouraging
themtounderstandthesystemandhowthingsworkratherthanengaginginanactivityinorder
toreceiveabettergradeorbadge.
QuesttoLearn(2016)isapublicschoolbasedoutofNewYorkthatservicesstudents
fromgrades612.Theschoolisinnovativeinthateducatorscollaboratedirectlywithinhouse
gamedesignerstocreateauniqueeducationalphilosophywhereeducationalgamesmakeupthe
coreofthecurriculum.TheschoolsuggeststhatwelldesignedGBLapplicationsare"carefully
designed,studentdrivensystemsthatarenarrativebased,structured,interactiveandimmersive"
(QuesttoLearn,2016).Thereisavarietyofprinciplesthatvariousorganizationsfollowwhen
designingeducationallearninggames.QuesttoLearnhasidentifiedsevenprinciplesofgame
basedlearningthattheyincorporateintoeverygamethattheydesign.Theseprinciplesinclude:
participationandengagement,constantchallenge,learnbydoing,immediateandongoing

Securingbelongingandgamification5

feedback,failurereframedasiteration,interconnectedness,andthenotionthatlearningfeelslike
play.
JaneMcGonical(2010)suggeststhatingameworld,webecomethebestversionof
ourselvesbecauseweareabletofaceproblemsofanymagnitudeandusecollaborativeand
criticalthinkingskillstosolvetheproblemsfacedwithinthegame.Gamebasedlearning
requireslearnerstoemployhigherorderthinkingskillsincludingcriticalthinking,creative
problemsolvingandcollaboration(DevlinSchereretal.
,2010).
Thesehigherorderthinking
skillsaretheskillsnecessaryforsuccessinallareasofeducation(Shapiro,2014).Therefore,
researchingamebasedlearninghasincreasedinthelastdecadeaseducatorsbegintostudythe
benefitsanddrawbacksofusingeducationalgamesinthetraditionalclassroom.
EducatorscanuseGBLasameanstoteachstudentstheskillsnecessarytobeactive
citizenswithintheircommunity.McGonicalexplainsthatifweharnessthenotionthatanything
ispossibletoachieveinagamewecanusetheseskillstoactivelysolverealworldproblemslike
hunger,poverty,climatechangeandglobalconflict.

SimulationsProvidingOpportunitiesforExperience
Simulationsareunderstoodtobetheactofimitatingasituationorprocessinordertostudyor
practiceatask(simulation,n.).Theemergenceofthetechnologicalworldhaseffectively
developedopportunitiesforonlinesimulationstoenhancelearningthroughtraining
opportunities.Toassistinproblemsolving,simulationshavebeendevelopedtoimprovethe
qualityofstudentlearningexperiencestoengageandinteractwithinformationproviding
opportunitiestomakemeaningindividualized.Fromvirtualmuseumsandfieldtripsto

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opensourcedplatforms,researchindicatesthatthereisanincreasedrateinstudentengagement
andmotivationwhenworkinginenvironmentsofproduction,suchassimulations
(DevlinScherer,etal.,2010).
Simulationsofferstudentstheopportunitytointeractwithinavirtualenvironmentto
effectivelysatisfytheirinformationgapandtoencouragethedevelopmentoftheircuriosity,
interestandengagement(CIE)(Arnone,2011).Themethodsofinformationacquisitioninthe
twentyfirstcenturyworldarechangingthefaceofeducation.Althoughslowtoadopt,thefield
ofeducationisdevelopingtoreflecttheneedsofthelearnerstoproperlypreparethemfor
successfulparticipationinciviclife.TheNewLondonGroups(1996)famousmanifestostates
thatthefundamentalpurposeofeducationistoensurethatallstudentsbenefitfromlearningin
waysthatallowthemtoparticipatefullyinpublic,community,andeconomiclife(p.60).With
emergingtechnologies,thepreparationofstudentstofullyparticipatemustechothemodesof
communicationandinformationtransmissionoftheoutsideworld.Simulations,ascreatedby
programssuchasEdmodo,offeropportunitiesforstudentstoimmersethemselvesintoanonline
communitywheretheycanhavetheopportunitytopracticeeffectiveuseofandparticipation
withinthatsaidcommunitywhilestillbeingscaffoldedandmonitoredtosupportstudents
growthandmaturationonline.DeCosson(2016)stateslearningshouldinvolvean
understandingofitassociatedstructure,tofurtherexploreone'sunderstandingoftheirsocial.

SimulationsandGamesEnhancingStudentEngagement
Simulationsandgamesenhancestudentengagementandlearningexperiencethrough
contextualizedinteractionwithmaterials.Thesemediumsallowforabridgewherestudentscan

Securingbelongingandgamification7

internalizetheinformationthroughtheirabilitytocontroltheirexperience.Thelearnerhasthe
potentialtomakechoices,investigateinformation,andproblemsolve,allwhileworkingatthe
appropriatepaceandlevelofindividualcognition.Thisgeneratesdeeperunderstandingand
reflectionasthelearnersareabletonegotiatetheirownexperience(Moon,2001).Thecreation
oftheseoccasionsthroughonlinesimulationsandgames,asSherryTurkle(2007)explains,
providesthelearnertheabilitytodealwithexperiencebycreatingmodelsituationsandto
masterrealitybyexperimentingandplanning(p.12).
Simulationsandgamesarenotanewpedagogicalapproachtolearning.Farfromit,
educationalpedagogiesremindusthat
playishowchildrenmakesenseoftheworldandisan
effectivemethodoflearningforyoungchildren.Ideasandskillsbecomemeaningfultoolsfor
learningarepracticedandconceptsareunderstood(BestStartExpertPanelonEarlyLearning,
2007,p.15).Theseconceptshavebeenextendedtoincludetheonlineplatforms.
Voithofer
(2005)observes,wechangetheworldbychangingthewaywemakeitvisible,drawingour
attentiontothefactthatitisnottheconceptthatwevealteredbutratherthemedium(p.3).
OpportunitiesforlearnerstodefinetheirowneducationalexperienceisexploredbyRennieand
Masson(2008)whenstatingthatthelearnermustactivelyengageintheconstructionoftheir
experience[throughonlineandgamebasedactivities]ratherthanpassivelyabsorbingexisting
content(p.45).
Theneedtoindividualizestudentexperiencetomeetstudentscognitiveabilitiesalong
withamalgamatingonlineexperiencesisanopportunityforteacherstoapproachtheirpracticein
anewanduniqueway.Simulationsandgamesfunctiontoenhancestudentlearningandinturn
motivateandengagestudentsintheirlearningexperience.MarjorieSiegel(2012)asserts,

Securingbelongingandgamification8

Studentswillneedtobecomedesignersofmeaningwithfacilityinthefullrangeof
designelementsormodesofmeaningmakingincludingvisual,audio,gestural,spatial
andmultimodalmeaningsinordertosuccessfullynavigatethediversitiesoftexts,
practices,andsocialrelationsthatarepartofworkinglives,publiclivesandpersonal
livesinnewtimes,furtherextendingtheneedforparticipationformeaningfuland
practicallearning.(p.672)

Thiseffectivelysupportsstudentadvancementthroughpreparationforinteractioninrealworld
contexts.

TheNeedforEvolvingEducators
Aseducatorsadvancethroughthe21stcentury,theneedtoadapttothechangingneedsofthe
studentrequiresanevolutionaryapproachtoimplementingnewtechnologyintolearning
environments(Zhao&Frank,2003).Thisimplementationrequiresteacherstochangetheway
theyteachinresponsetostudentsengagingindifferentwaysoflearningoutsideofthe
classroom.Shappiro(2014)promotesvideogamesasanessentiallearningtooltochangehow
teachersteach,howstudentslearn,andhowboththinkaboutknowledge.HeassertsthatGame
BasedLearningopensupavirtualworldofopportunitytoteachstudentshowtothinkabout
ideasandexperiences,ratherthantoteachstudentsaboutfactsandinformation,orwhat
Shappiroreferstoasthings.Shappirosuggeststhatgoodteachingisalwaysaboutopeningthe
possibilityforthinkinganditisthroughthisopeningofpossibilitythatstudentshavefreedomto
identifyproblems,implementstrategies,experiencefailureandthentryagain(2014,6:146:18).
Byprovidingopportunitiestodevelopthesemetacognitiveskills,teachersarehelpingstudents
growintoyoungcitizensforafutureworldthatisbetterthantheoneweliveinnow
(Shappiro,2014,22:3622:39).

Securingbelongingandgamification9

Schaffer,Squire,HalversonandGee(2005)alsoemphasizethatgamebasedlearning
providespowerfulopportunitiestogrowyoungcitizens.Theyproclaimthat[g]amesbring
togetherwaysofknowing,waysofdoing,waysofbeing,andwaysofcaring:thesituated
understandings,effectivesocialpractices,powerfulidentities,andsharedvalues(Schafferetal.,
p.107)thatarenecessarytoshapeeffectiveandgrowingcitizens.AtthetimeofSchafferetal.s
(2005)writing,theypremisedthattheeducationalsystemasawhole,andteachersas
individuals,werenotyetadaptingtotheopportunitiesofgamebasedlearningtechnologies,and
wereinsteadcontinuingtoembodystandardizedcurriculumandtraditionallearningtheoriesand
instruction.Siegel(2012)and
Veletsianos(2011)
alsodocumentthislackofengagementinnew
transformativelearningopportunities.Thislackofengagementresultsinanevengreatergap
betweenteachersteachingandstudentslearning.AsnotedbySiegel,teachersoftenreporta
lackofpreparationfor,experiencewith,andconfidenceinteachinganythingotherthan
conventionalliteracy(2012,p.673).Thisdeficiencyinimmersingoneselfinmultiliteracies,
promotesa2Deducationalenvironment,ratherthana3Deducationalexperiencethatreflects
whatstudentsarehighlyfamiliarwithinregardstotheirnaturallearningactivitiesoutsideofthe
classroom.

CitizenshipandIdentityfortheDigitalGeneration
Asthisreviewhaspreviouslyexplored,theworldaroundusischanging,andourstudentsare
changinginresponse.InthewhitepaperpublishedbyJenkins,
Purushotma,Weigel,Clinton,&
Robison
(2006)thatishostedonawebsitededicatedtothetopicofnewmedialiteracies,they
quotetheNewLondonGroup(2000):Ifitwerepossibletodefinegenerallythemissionof
education,itcouldbesaidthatitsfundamentalpurposeistoensurethatallstudentsbenefitfrom

Securingbelongingandgamification10

learninginwaythatallowthemtoparticipatefullyinpublic,community,[creative,]and
economiclife(p.9).Ourcollaborativeinquiryprojecttakesthisconceptandendeavoursto
demonstratehowgamificationcanencouragestudentstobecomeparticipatorymembersof
culture,anddeveloptheirsensesofselfasresponsibledigitalcitizens.

Ontheirwebsite
NewMediaLiteracies
,Jenkinsetal.(2016)outlinewhattheyconsider

tobecoreculturalcompetenciesofstudentswhoareabletofullyparticipateinnewmedia.
Thesecoreculturalcompetenciesbuildonthetraditionalskillswithintheclassroom,butstress
theimportanceofassessing,creating,andengagingwithonlinesourcesandtoolswithintegrity.
Whattechnologyaffords,butinturnshoulddemand,isaformofteachingthattakesfullcontrol
awayfromtheinstructorandinsteadasksthemtoprovideopportunitiesforengagementand
transformation,andthatlearningoutcomescannotbeforcedorachievedunlesslearners
exploitsuchopportunitiesasareprovidedtothem(Veletsianos,2011,p.47).Kalantzis&Cope
(2010)perceivepedagologicalchangessuchastheseasarevolution,onethatheldtheteacher
asthefocalpointandkeptthestudentslargelysilentandpassive(p.200).Theyexplain:
Thistypeofeducation,inasense,workedperfectlywellforasocietyinwhichlearners
weredestinedtobelongtotraditionalworkplaceswhichrequireddeferencetoauthority
andwhoseskillsrequirementswereminimal,predictableandstable.Itwaswellsuitedto
thecreationofhomogeneousandsubmissivecitizenries(p.201).

AsArnoneetal.(2011)write,studentswhoarebeingbornandgrowingupdigitalarenot
showingengagementinclassroomswhereonlythemosttraditionalformsofteachingareused,
andarechallengingusasteacherstochallengethem(p.182).

Technologywithintheclassroomcannotonlyencouragecuriosityandexploratory

behaviour,butifimplementedinwaysthatrelatetostudentsalreadyfamiliarcontextsi.e.
throughgameandsimulationbasedlearningopportunities,encouragethemtoseekout

Securingbelongingandgamification11

opportunitiestoapplythesequalitiesinthegreaterworld.InherTEDTalkGamingcanmakea
betterworld,JaneMcGonigal(2010)outlinesfourthingsthatshebelievesgamesenhancein
players:urgentoptimism,socialfabric,blissfulproductivity,andepicmeaning(8:52).These
qualitiescharacterizewhatKalantzis&Cope(2010)callGenerationPPforparticipatory
(p.203):anewtypeoflearner.Gamingallowsplayerstobecomeacharacterwhoisableto
overcomechallenge,iswillingtotakerisks,andtakeresponsibilityfortheoutcomeallof
whicharecriteriaforvaluable,investedcitizensinmoderncultures.

Conclusion
Despitethepopularrhetoricaboutthecurrentgeneration,ourstudentsareseekingout
opportunitiesforselfexpression,autonomy,andpersonalchallenge.Althoughthewaysin
whichweasteachersareperceivedbythem,andhowourrolesmaybeconductedinthefuture,
arechanging,wearestillchargedwiththetaskofmeetingtheneedsofourstudentswithwhatis
madeavailabletous.Gamebasedlearningandsimulationsprovideopportunitiesforall
students,includingthoseintheartsandhumanities,toparticipateinengagingandauthentic
activitiesthatcanbetranslatedtoexperiencesoutsideoftheclassroom.Withtheadventofthe
internetandthesteadyintegrationoftechnologyintosomanyspheresoflife,therearemore
opportunitiesforstudentstoseethemselvesastheyarenow,andaswhotheymaybecome,in
broader,deeper,andmorefarreachingwaysthaneverbefore.
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