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Gaming in Education

Video Game Prepares Texas District for State Test

Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Texas is expanding the use of the DimensionM educational video games to seven middle schools and 15 charter schools. The expansion is part of an effort by the district to find innovative ways to help its students prepare for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) standardized test that all eighth-graders must pass in order to advance to the ninth grade.

The district said it based its decision on the results of a pilot test it ran last summer in a 10-day remedial course to help 350 eighth-grade students who had failed the math section of the TAKS for a third time. Students spent 30 minutes per day out of four hours class time playing the games, and teachers said the results were remarkable.

"We asked the impossible of Tabula Digita and its DimensionM games and they met and exceeded our expectations," said Norma Jost, secondary mathematics supervisor for AISD. "In just a few weeks time, they instructed our teachers on how to incorporate the games into the acceleration curriculum; students were given 30 minutes a day to play the games. What we saw next was amazing--our students were not only succeeding, but truly becoming interested in learning mathematics again."

DimensionM is a series of video games from software maker Tabula Digita designed to engage and excite students while educating them. Comparable to many games designed primarily for entertainment, they offer graphics, sound and sound effects, storylines, and multiple levels, but with the added component of middle school level math problems, including algebra, that challenge and test the players' skill and build understanding of the underlying mathematical concepts being presented.

"An important consideration in selecting the DimensionM gaming software for the pilot program," said Mary Thomas, who oversees state and federal accountability for the district, "was the mounting research showing that game-based learning is a highly successful 21st century teaching and learning tool for today's digitally-advanced students." Equally important, she noted, was its alignment to federal and state mathematics standards.

Finally, AISD took into account the students' own response to the games. In two surveys of the students in the summer mathematics prep course for the TAKS, 86 percent said they liked DimensionM and felt the games were helping them to improve their understanding of and performance in math.

About the Author

Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.

Comments

Wed, Jun 23, 2010 Tiffany Liu Valdosta, GA (GHP Technology)

As a student, I am very excited about the prospect of video game education. Although traditional classroom instruction is still fundamental to the learning process, I believe video game education would be a great study tool for current students as well as a good preview to advanced students in lower grades. I congratulate AISD for its success and hope that technology can migrate to GA.

Mon, Jan 25, 2010 Author

I really appreciate the feedback on this article. As I write more and more news items and features on ed tech, I learn more than I ever even imagined possible about the positive impacts technology can have on all facets of education. I'm grateful for any comments and suggestions knowledgable professionals can offer about educational games, but I should point out one thing that, to me, an eager novice in this extraordinarily vast field, is of critical importance: No table saw, no measuring device, no 500-foot-tall hydraulic chisel with the power and precision to sculpt the next Mt. Rushmore can take the place of a skilled and talented carpenter or engineer. And I would never imply that such a thing was likely or would be welcome. The same is true with teachers. There is a very deliberate reason we call all of the products we cover "tools." No device, software, or other technology will ever replace the caring and dedication, not to mention the skill and instinct, that only humans can offer. All we attempt to do here is show how the very latest tools, IN THE PROPER HANDS, can allow students to achieve and excel far beyond levels that many observers may ever have thought possible.

Sat, Jan 23, 2010 Romualdas Stanenas Milwaukee

Interested in the developments of educational online learning companies merging with educational on line gaming companies producing the advancing learning platforms for all kids can learn for k-12 in various subject areas. What companies exist for review. Our school is interested in reviewing the opportunities. Sincerely Romualdas Stanenas Faculty/Project Mgr. www.romualdas.com

Sat, Jan 23, 2010 Rees Midgley Ann Arbor, MI

We have found similar, remarkable effects with a serious video game developed for middle schools by our non-profit inDepthLearning. The game, developed with a $1 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is called DSI: Drug Scene Investigators (http://dsihome.org). It is strongly aligned with National Science Education Standards. We think it can be an important tool in grades 7-10 for teaching about drugs and many other topics in a way that encourages inquiry and evidence-based reasoning, topics that are difficult for many to teach. Students playing DSI learn important facts about drugs of abuse as they solve one of five drug-caused mysteries. They conduct online lab experiments, interview witnesses, and take notes from the DSI online library of books. They link observations from the case to library notes about various drugs and then decide if each linkage refutes or supports the involvement of a particular drug. When they’ve gathered enough evidence to reach a conclusion, they use their inquiry and reasoning to hypothesize the likely cause, answer a series of Socratic questions that focus their logic, read a final explanation as to why each of their major options was or was not the likely cause, and solve the mystery. Along the way, learn approaches to science while gaining drug knowledge. Life science teachers who played the game have said: "I thought that the activity was a great learning opportunity for students"; "What a great way to learn about inquiry science"; and "I liked that students were actively engaged in the learning process. The program enabled students to better learn about the process of science, research, & making conclusions." In school settings, pilot evaluations of several hundred students have shown that students love the game. Many called it "awesome." Teachers who particiate will be eligible to receive $50 for the first participating class plus $25 for each additional class and free access to DSI for one full year.

Fri, Jan 22, 2010 NC

I read the article twice and could not find anything in it that even suggested these games could replace teachers. Having taught test-prep math to remedial students in NY, I would have loved this tool. Unfortunately, the school's filter kept my students from playing ANY games, even ones with Math in the title. Even the best teacher cannot motivate every student, especially in math which has such a reputation (even among parents) as generally unfathomable. Would you say that a teacher who gave a workbook to a student to complete on his/her own was abrogating his/her teaching responsibility? No, of course not! Video games are a similar tool that just appeals better to today's students. There is much proof that a well-constructed game will focus a gamer's attention, teach necessary skills without being didactic, and encourage them to excel and advance to the next level. When you have a good game with an educational goal, that marries the good qualities of gaming to any teacher's goal.

Fri, Jan 22, 2010 Editor

I have to say also I haven't heard of anyone suggesting that a video game could replace teachers. It's just another tool, one that holds some promise for enhancing learning for some students. And, critically, maybe it will help make some teachers better teachers. There are 3.5 million K-12 teachers in this country, or about 1 percent of the population. Some of those 3.5 million are great at what they do--demonstrably so, in cases where all of their students are excelling. Some of them need help; some of them want help; and some of them want to use whatever tools they can that will help get their students engaged in cases when not all of the students are excelling. --David Nagel

Fri, Jan 22, 2010 Jake Boston, MA

I'm also a techie and former math teacher. While I agree that I have not seen anything that can replace a teacher for instruction, I think this serves as a potentially strong environment for *practice.* To me, developing math fluency is more about immediate feedback and dedication, which video games provide and inspire. I'm always cautious about endorsing academic games like this because they seem to provide an engaging game that is interrupted by "math." I've played the one in this article, though, and it seems to do a decent job (or better than others) of actually incorporating the math in the game play. Definitely a step in the right direction.

Fri, Jan 22, 2010 Jeremy Houston, Texas

Wow. This is pretty cool. Unfortuntaley, as a techie myself and a former math teacher, nothing will ever replace the teacher in the classroom. We need to get away from fads and start focusing on attractiing outstanding teachers! I dont those kids would have failed THREE TIMES with a teacher who did whatever it took to ensure they had an excellent education. At YES Prep (www.yesprep.org) in Houston, 100% of the students, for the past nine years, have been accpeted to college because of the hard work and dedication of teachers! No technology will ever replace that!

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