Learning Research: 2011 Horizon Report

The Horizon Report is an annual publication that outlines six emerging technologies or practices that are likely to enter mainstream use within higher education over a five year period of time.

Near-term Horizon (adoption within one year):

Electronic Books - an easy alternative to printed materials. Most allow for bookmarking, annotation, commentary, and dictionary lookup, and some allow for richly visual and interactive interfaces that include multimedia.

Mobiles - a viable alternative to laptops. Smartphones allow for web browsing, reading, watching videos, navigating, and playing games. They also provide access to the Apple or Android application markets. Mobiles can be used for anytime, anywhere and just-in-time learning.

Mid-term Horizon (adoption within two to three years):

Augmented Reality - A computer-assisted layer of information over the real world. Can be activated by visual metaphors and cues via a camera or location based cues via GPS systems. Allows learners to interact with virtual objects and view or annotate existing spaces with an overlay of information.

Game-based Learning - Can be goal-oriented, social, non-digital, or serious, ranging from paper-and-pencil games to massively, multiplayer online games. They allow for experimentation, exploration, problem-solving, and decision-making within a safe environment.

Far-term Horizon (adoption within four to five years):

Gesture-based Computing - a new era of interface design that foregoes the keyboard and mouse and opts instead for touching, tapping, swiping, and moving to engage with information. Approaches to gesture recognition can include applying pressure, motion, shaking, rotating, or tilting to manipulate interfaces and objects.

Learning Analytics - data collected from student activity in order to assess academic progress, predict future performance, and identify potential issues. Collected data includes assignments, social interactions, and discussions as a means to personalize educational opportunities for students.

Reference:
2011 Horizon Report. Retrieved from: http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2011/

Learning Research: Gaming Principles

"Some people think of learning in school - for example, learning biology- as all about learning "facts" that can be repeated on a written test. Decades of research, however, have shown, that students taught under such a regime, though they may be able to pass tests, cannot actually apply their knowledge to solve problems or understand the conceptual layout of the land in the area they are learning." (Gee, 2008) Games can be educational, engaging, motivating, and entertaining.

James Paul Gee, in his article, "Good Video Games and Good Learning", cites 16 learning principles that good games incorporate. I've chosen 10 of these principles to explain in more detail as follows:

Production - Players co-produce games with their actions.
Interaction - "Games do talk back." They react to players actions and decisions.
Risk Taking - The consequences of failure are low, allowing for more risk.
Well-Order Problems - The difficulty of problems is ordered in levels.
Challenge - Routine challenges allow for "virtually routinized or automated" solutions.
"Just in Time" - Players recieve information at the precise time of need.
Situated Meanings - Meaning is determined via actions, images, and dialogues.
System Thinking - Players need "to think about relationships, not isolated events."
Cross-Functional Teams - Each member of a team must master his/her own specialty, and then learn to work in collaboration with other players.
Performance before Competence - Players perform tasks until they are competent, not when they become competent.

Reference:
Gee, J.P. (2007) Good Video Games and Good Learning. New York. Peter Lang. Retrieved from: http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/documents/Good_Learning.pdf

Image: http://www.betaoutcdn.com/inbound/2013/08/gamification_vjgus.png

Learning Development: ZPD and Gaming

DevLearn 2010 presentation on gaming




9 reasons to use games for learning:

1) Gives learners choice
2) Customize needs
3) Non-linear approach
4) Keeps learner in ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development)
5) Leverages failure in a positive way
6) Immerses learner in context/ role
7) Evolves learners into problem solvers
8) Makes data visually appealing
9) Games are fun!

I found #4 particularly interesting. Vygotsky’s ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) is the distance between a learner’s actual developmental level and potential developmental level. He defined potential development as “determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers.” So, in order for a learner to progress from actual to potential developmental levels, he/she needs to be provided with concepts in a supporting and collaborative environment. As the learning progresses within such an environment, the learner's reliance on scaffolding decreases over time as the learner develops their own autonomous learning strategies toward mastery. The combination of choice, customization, and context provided by games seems like a great way for learners to be provided the scaffolding necessary for learning. It is also possible to simulate real life situations and social interaction using games to help learners learn from mistakes and solve problems.

Reference:
http://www.innovativelearning.com/games/9-reasons.html