Education Technologies Blog: Games, Simulations, and Virtual Environments

ACTIVE WORLDS

The URL (https://www.activeworlds.com/web/index.php) Active Worlds is the game of selection to enhance adult education. This technology allows the educator to use critical and creative thinking to provide the learners with various types of situations for them to solve difficult situations. The technology is a sandbox platform where the educator creates situations that relates to the desired learning outcome. This learning tool allows the adult learner to build upon real-world related issues and use a decision making model to meet the learning objective.

The reason for selection is that this tool allows the learner to think and apply decisions based upon the given scenario. The technology provides the educator with an opportunity to create different types of situation that pertains to the curriculum and requires the learner to make the necessary decisions based upon the desired outcome. Barab, Gresalfi, and Arici (2009) discussed that by helping students connect virtual accomplishments to real-life scenarios, we lead learners closer to John Dewey’s ideal of learning. Dewey (1938/1963) argued that education should be about giving learners the motivation and expertise to act in problem-filled contexts where applying that expertise makes a difference. Although, this was a concept of many years ago, the situation still exist because there is technology that supports the efforts of providing students with the skills and knowledge of the curriculum.

This would be a model that would support the efforts of my organization to provide future military leaders with an opportunity to use this technology to increase the desired skills needed in their future assignments. The use of this technology would provide the instructors to become creative with different lessons by adding different set-ups where it represents a scaffolding process. Additionally, using this technology allows the students the opportunity of role playing by explaining their methods or decisions made based upon future Army missions.

            Another means of using this technology in meeting the needs of the organizations is to use it as a strategy for students to obtain an understanding of their future organizational structures. This is ideal for providing students with representation of the overall operations of a given organization where the students need to make necessary decisions. Instructors could use this technology with creativity that offers the students a certain level of difficulty that requires a group effort to build upon and solve.

INNOV8

The URL (http://www-01.ibm.com/software/solutions/soa/innov8/index.html) INNOV8 is another technology gaming of choice. This game explains the connection between Information Technology (IT) and the business world. The game offers adult learners to acquire an understanding of how two processes are connected. Using this game allows learners to obtain the skills and knowledge of the processes used in developing smarter traffic patterns, provide better customer, service, and understand the methods of the supply chains. These components of the gaming technology allow the educator to create various situations in each of the area that requires students to use creative and critical as part of the solution.  This game allows students to acquire an understanding of the systematic process of the IT and business world. Squire (2011) discussed how games appear to be particularly good for immersing learners with systems and enabling them to explore the emergent properties of systems. Overall, this game focuses on creative and critical thinking.

The reason for selection of this game is that it prepares adult learners for various encounters in the business world that also relates to the information technology world. Educators have the ability to become creative with the use of this gaming technology where students must apply their collective thinking to solve issues in the component areas. Barab, Gresalfi, and Arici (2009) pointed out that students will need guidance to see the bigger picture and gather knowledge and tasks into a larger conceptual understanding. Strengthening students’ conceptual knowledge might involve discussing key concepts, posing “what if” scenarios, or engaging individuals or the class in Socratic questioning. Using this game offers adult learners the opportunity of acquiring an understanding the procedures, needs, and approaches to each component in both the IT and business worlds.

The use of this game would be a great asset to use in my professional practice. Instructors could use this form of technology because it relates to the majority of the issues and decisions requires of the students in their future military assignments. Using this game provides educators with the opportunity to create scenarios that applies to students’ area of concentration for providing communication assets to their various organizations.  This game would allow students to work together in groups to meet the needs of the customers they serve.

Another use for this game within my organization would be to provide skills and knowledge to these learners in reference to supply and demand. This would support the requirements for learners to have an understanding of how the supply chain works and the need for the proper accountability. Using this game allows instructors to create supply scenarios of the IT and business world for students to use different decision making solutions.

 References

Active Worlds (n.d.) retrieved from http://howtoedu.org/2010/50-free-online-educational-games-that-are-more-fun-than-youd-think/

INNOV8 (n.d.) retrieved from http://www-01.ibm.com/software/solutions/soa/innov8/index.html

Barab, S. A., Gresalfi, M., & Arici, A. (2009). Why Educators Should Care About Games. Educational Leadership, 67(1), 76-80.

Squire, K. (2011). Video games and learning: Teaching and participatory culture in the digital age. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.