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I teach students with severe disabilities, and even though they play games on the iPad, their ability to maneuver any other type of device would be difficult as most have limited hand control.  Also, they have a shorter attention span, so I would see them losing interest.  However, I do think this is a great idea for kids in general!
Heidi

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See all the wonderful things Tammy Block has made

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See all the wonderful things Tammy Block has made

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I would consider using video games in my classroom as an introductory activity to motivate my students or as an incentive after completing another part of the lesson. I think this is one way to build engagement and would be great as long as it was used in moderation and as just one component of a lesson.

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I feel that this may be highly engaging for my students. My students enjoy playing MineCraft, so I think they would enjoy this. However, they often have a hard time playing together, so I would be interested in more research in the set-up of these types of practices. I think it is important to collect qualitative and quantitative data, so it is important to look at assessment procedures.

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The use of Video games could be a great as a supplemental activity. Many students enjoy video games and this approach would entice learning. However I do not see it as a completely effective means of instruction. Students are often obsessive about video games, they may exhibit a lack of attention during non video game lessons.
With my current student population, I would not use video game learning activities.

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I believe that video games could be a great supplemental activity to teach students. I think my students would expect this all the time and it would cause more behaviors than them actually learning anything. However, video games are a great way to engage the students, maybe use a great whole group instruction.

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I believe that video games would be very interesting and useful for some students. However, not all students will be engaged in this activity and might decrease their willingness to participate. If I were to use video games in my classroom, I would offer it as a choice and not a requirement until I am sure of it's value for the population of students I'm teaching.

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I think it sounds like this game in particular was meant to be more of a supplemental activity.  I think that following the UDL principle this is a way to engage some of our students who are more reluctant to traditional learning strategies.  I would definitely use something like this in addition to traditional teaching methods.  Science is a great subject to teach with more hands-on activities, so I think students would be exposed to UDL practices with hands-on activities in addition to traditional teaching methods, and supplement with the video game.  I agree that whatever format you are using for teaching should also be utilized when testing.  If you are using video games for instruction, then I think we need to have the students explaining to us throughout their interaction with the game, what is happening in the game.  Why are you making the moves you are making and how does that affect the outcome of the game?  How does this game correlate with what we are learning in class?  I think sometimes it really just becomes a game and unless the students can explain what is taking place and relate it to what you're teaching, it's just going to be a game to them.  There has to be some guidance and interaction with the teacher.
Patti

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I think video games as an intervention would be great for some students. I have some students who seem to do very well when they practice on the computer, but others not so much. You would need to set up an experimental design study with an intervention group and a control group to determine its effectiveness. It would also be important to note the type of video game being used. Does the video game read text to the student? Is the material easy to follow/ user friendly? These are all questions that you would need to review for implementing. I'm not opposed to trying it, I'm sure it would be fun and hopefully helpful.

Cecilia

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In order to evaluate, you need to create an assessment that can measure the effectiveness of video games as an intervention. There would need to be an assessment that was more traditional and an assessment that was tailored to video games. I would compare the results of both assessments to evaluate whether or not video games are an effective way to learn science. I think the differences in assessment scores is because not all learners are going to benefit from that as an intervention. We all have different learning styles. Some learners are going to benefit from that, others are not. I'm not sure if I would consider implementing this in my classroom. I would recommend it to general education teachers that I collaborate with.

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I think this is a good idea, but definitely should be used in addition to direct teaching! Some students may not learn best through video games, and it’s important to incorporate direct teaching as well. From the standpoint of an SLP working with preschoolers, this wouldn’t necessarily work for me, but I can see how it would be beneficial!

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One question I would ask is how long do the students play the games verses a typical instructional period? If typical instruction is longer than the students were given to play the games then students are less exposed to content, so they wouldn't do as well on an assessment.
Also, was the game inclusive to the entire topic? If the students were only playing one role, trying to make the body sick, then they are only learning half the content as they should also be given the chance to play "the body" to fight off the germs.

Did the game give them review sessions throughout while it taught content, or was there an overall assessment at the end? I wonder if the students might not be generalizing the content taught, or if they are viewing it as a game and only processing in short-term memory? To me this is obviously a great way to get students interested in a topic, but should also be paired with typical teaching content. I don't know how the computer was able to check for understanding during the game, or if it could tell when a student was guessing. Teachers who know their students have a better understanding of their needs and can give a better quality instruction. The game is a great idea, but in my opinion, should be used as a reinforcement to the content being taught.

I'm not sure how my students would respond to video games. About half of my class would be capable of participating but I have many that would perseverate on certain elements of the game such as wrong answers or certain sounds. I use a few websites that have games to support individual goals (time and money skills, spelling, ect.) my students are given time to play on during rotation for reading and math. It's great to reinforce the skills students are learning, but I don't solely rely on that content to evaluate skills.
Tiffany

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I think that using the video game as guided practice is a great idea. The lesson should be taught with direct instruction and then practiced through the game. This is a great way to demonstrate UDL.
I would use this in my classroom if I taught science as a review activity or as guided practice.

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I think the reason why it was not fully effective is because the students did not receive the direct instruction in addition to the video game. The video game could be for practice and to ensure understanding but, students still need the direct instruction for the content.

I may think about using it  in my classroom if I taught science. I use games to help teach math skills. The games are used to review skills rather than teach skills.

Hilari

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I agree that video games follow the UDL model but I also believe it's important to pair it with an activity/lesson that is not technology based.  Some students do not like video games so if it is paired with a different lesson/activity, I think those students will get more out of it than with just the video games alone.

I wonder if the assessment was also video game based, would the students achieve the same scores as those who learned without the video game activity?

I would consider using games as a supplement to my instruction but not as the instruction itself.  I would also have students complete an activity that was in the same format as the assessment would be.

Alysha

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UDL stresses the importance of multiple means. The video games could be effective for some but not all students. It may work well to partner this type of activity with another activity not on a computer to gauge/compare effectiveness. I think I would consider using something like this in my classroom as long as I had some other options available as well in case it doesn't work well.

Tori

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The study showed that students were more engaged in the lesson when video games were used to learn. However, students did not do as well on the assessments after the video games compared to the traditional lessons. How would you propose evaluating the overall effectiveness of this teaching strategy (video games)? Other than the review sessions the researchers talked about, what are some other explanations for the differences in assessment scores? Overall, given the research that was done, is this something you would consider using in your classroom? Why or why not?