Simulation Games in Education (Edutainment)

I chose to respond to Jerry Seay’s blog at http://www.cofc.edu/~seay/cb/simgames.html.

Jerry, I agree with you that if students are not entertained when learning (Edutainment), we lose many of them because they have limited attention spans and a more visual learning style than their predecessors. But, your clarification is on target that students may not need entertainment so much as they need interaction, or interfacing with information. You call this an interactive learning style that is more complex than a visual learning style. And, I think you are right that simulation gaming will reach students with an interactive learning style.

I think that you are absolutely correct that simulation games provide students with a simulated environment so students get insight into the process or event from the real world which is being simulated. I agree with you that there is much promise in these types of games as educational tools. I like the idea that gaming is considered a new language with which to educate. I agree with your two propositions that people learn better through active experience rather than passive listening; and people learn better through interacting with one another rather than working alone.

For your Library 101 class, I think it would be a good move to use simulation gaming, or interactive experiential training to form student teams, to diversify how they research topics of interest, to emphasize continuous learning that follows certain trends in their fields of interest, and to use computers to design and deliver interactive, not passive, training. Interactive instruction is better than data-dump approaches.

I would use simulations in biology and physics for sure. I like the Biopac Science Lab handheld device. It shows how students can make electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings of their occipital lobe while performing a number of different tasks to demonstrate how the brain’s electrical activity varies depending on the task. The software filters the raw EEG signal to separate and display alpha, beta, delta, and theta rhythms. This is part of a biomedical engineering lab on human physiology and health science. It correlates to the National Science Education Standards.

This Biopac Science Lab (Biopac Corporation, 2009) allows students to explore the inner workings of the human body inexpensively. It displays, records, and analyzes students’ heart signals (ECG), brain waves (EEG), muscle activity (EMG), and eye movement (EOG). Students stick on the snap adhesive electrodes, connect the leads, and follow their software prompts to perform exciting lab experiments. Students are excited about seeing their own physiological data live on screen. The handheld Biopac Science Lab works with a computer’s sound card or USB audio adaptor and is as easy as connecting headphones. It runs on Windows and Mac.

Of course, students can’t really jump inside their brains to see the electrical activity. But, the handheld Biopac device simulates brain activity so students can analyze and theorize about electrical responses to certain activities. I wonder if higher order thinking skills could be simulated in brainwave patterns to show the difference in strength or area(s) of most activity when doing mathematical equations in comparison to language arts activities or playing a computer game. Does the brain pattern have a different signal when the answer is correct than when the answer is not correct for a mathematical problem? Does doubt about a procedure in math generate a different brain wave pattern or fuzziness from frustration than when the mind is sure of how to process an answer? Does the brain wave pattern differ in Web 2.0 social networking, typing in live chat, or texting, as compared to verbal talking on the telephone? Does simulation game playing have as high or higher brain pattern electrical activity as performing mathematical calculations? The Biopac site is at http://biopac.com/SecondaryEducation.asp?Cid=437&Level=3.

Reference

Biopac Corporation. (2009). Secondary education: SO5 EEG 1 brain rhythms. Retrieved May 11, 2009, from http://biopac.com/SecondaryEducation.asp?Cid=437&Level=3 and http://biopac.com/SecondaryEducation.ASP