This session will explore the complexity of implementing game-based learning pedagogies in classroom environments. Delivering research on current tools and techniques being used in classrooms in North America, the session will discuss the best practices to help engage students, support teachers and explore strategies with software to help with this transition.

1. Bringing Gaming
into Classrooms
at Scale
Serious Play
July 16, 2018
Andy Cargile

2. Body Defenders (1994)

3. SMART: what we do
SMART
Learning Suite
Software
SMART Boards
Classroom
Mobile Apps

4. SMART: what we do
SMART
Learning Suite
Software
SMART Boards
Classroom
Mobile Apps
SMART Lab

5. Classrooms are evolving
game-based learningworksheets

6. We saw a big challenge initially

7. We wanted to make things easier for teachers
Difficulty
10
1 few
man
y
Usage
time
Most teachers
have the desire,
but not the time
or the skill.
Our biggest
challenge has
been awareness.

8. Let teachers create games
+ =
teacher content
thematic templates
gamified activities
44% of our
teachers use Lab
daily; 38%
weekly.

9. Here’s an example

10. Best Practices
Supporting Teachers

11. But first, a word about teachers…
teaching
experience
comfort bringing technology into the classroom
+
–
– +
Disbelievers
“not interested”
Smooth Educators
“in the zone”
Up and Comers
“on their way”
SEEs
“showing the
way”
Tech-ready Newbies
“starting out”
Disillusionists
“leaving the system”
Unscaffolded Sages
“ready to grow”
Tech Stagnators
“not moving”
Tech Educators
“innovating with
technology”
Status Quoers
“set in their ways”

12. Reinforcement, not replacement

13. Design strong onboarding within the game/tool
1. Select an activity
2. Add content
3. Select a theme
~ 5 min.
Both content and
pedagogy.

14. Provide a repository of pre-made content
Teachers like to
borrow and tweak
content to make it
their own.

15. Keep it simple
1. Select an activity
2. Add content
3. Select a theme

16. Fast is essential

17. Automate (formative) assessment

18. Test in the lab…and in the classroom
“…and I also
have no idea
how to play this
game.”
“Hmmm. I am
just stumped.”
“Now I’m just
confused.”
“I want to make
one of those
things. Hmmm.”

19. Listen to wants…and watch for needs
An early “paper
prototype.”
What’s missing?

20. Let kids help
(Teachers don’t
have to do
everything.)

21. Best Practices
Engaging Students

22. But first, a word about Gen Z…
Gen Z
Digitally Native
Generationally Different Authentically Driven
Smart Phone Centered Gaming is Core Socially Hyperconnected
Consumption Focused Multi-dimensionally Stressed
Kids are going online more
often (doubled from 2009-
2016) 3
Multi-taskers when doing
homework (5 screens)22
95% of households with
kids 0-8 have smart
phones; 42% have their
own tablet 14
They are not tech-savvy;
they are tech dependent.23
Kids are using technology
at a very young age and
develop expertise 8
91% of kids play video
games 15
Parents are now gaming
advocates: 75% of parents
now play video games with
their children.19
Lines are blurring between
gaming and social19
Mean age for a smart
phone is 10- 4
Among 0-8 year olds, a
third of screen time is
mobile 14
Digital Natives (kids K-
12+) don’t stay attached
to anything for very long. 1
They don’t need adults to
facilitate acquisition of
information 22

23. Put fun first
This is
what you want
to see in the
classroom!

24. Respect kids’ abilities
Really?!

25. Empower collaboration
Øivind Wiborg
Damsgård skole - Norway
We’re talking
IRL* here!

26. Enable competition
This is
the way we
juice it up, juice
it up, juice it up!

27. Facilitate physicality
Oh no!
I don’t have
fingers!

28. Let kids use their own devices
“Students feel more
confident being able to use
their devices instead of
being at the board in front
of the entire class.”
Did you miss
me?

29. Create appropriate challenge
Again, really?!

30. What’s Next?

31. SMART is evolving
gamified activities game-based learning

32. “Torturous”
“Savage”
“Death”

33. Monsters vs. Fractions

34. ?
Questions
Thank You!!!

35. 1 - Digital Kids 2/20/17
2 – Erlauer (2003) “The Brain-Compatible Classroom: Using What We Know About Learning to Improve Teaching”. ACSD.
3 - Research and What to do With It...)
4 – KidsSay - digital-kids-special-edition
5 - Jensen (2005) “Teaching with the Brain in Mind”, 2nd ed. ACSD.
6 - Education 2.0
7 - Salen & Zimmerman (2003) “Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals”. MIT Press.
8 – SMART student learning ethnographic research
9 - Sprick (2009) “CHAMPS: A proactive and positive approach to classroom management”, 2nd ed. Pacific Northwest Publishing.
10 – SMART Lab Teacher Survey 2018
11 – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: TeachersKnowBest_Digital-Tools-2-Pager
12 – Yee (2015) “Gamer Motivation Model: Overview & Descriptions” in Quantic Foundry (blog).
13 - UNICEF SOWC_2017_ENG_WEB.pdf
14 - Common sense media 2017 census (Common Sense Media 0-8_executivesummary_release_final_1)
15 – NPD Group (https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/91-percent-of-kids-play-video-games-says-study/)
16 – Csíkszentmihályi (1990) “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience”. Harper & Row.
17 – Hamari et al (2016) “Challenging games help students learn: An empirical study on engagement, flow and immersion in game-based learning” in Computers in
Human Behaviour vol. 54, pp. 170‒179. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.045
18 – SMART Teacher ethnographic research
19 – 16 trends that will define the future of video games.
20 - Takeuchi & Vaala (2014) “Level up learning: A national survey on teaching with digital games”. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
21 – OECD/CERI (2008) “Assessment for Learning: Formative Assessment” presented at the 2008 OECD/CERI International Conference “Learning in the 21st Century:
Research, Innovation and Policy” in Paris, May 15-16, 2008.
22 – Meet Generation Z: Forget Everything You Learned About Millennials
23 - What do we know about the generation after millennials?
References