The 2012 Horizon Report acknowledges that is time for the adoption of 'Game Based Learning'. Alan November recently tweeted - ‘You never get an F in gaming, there's no penalty for risk taking in gaming.’
We are seeing the second generation of children who have enjoyed mastery of the word processor, with all its agility and opportunities to revise or refine, however, with this abundance of technology, assessment tasks rarely allow students to demonstrate their new multi-literacy skills or unleash their creativity.
Today's students need an edge. They need to engage in tasks that will make them comfortable with uncertainty, allow for team work, connect globally and permit creativity. Educators need to begin a journey of change that enlists the use of games within the curriculum.
The session, will focus on why and how gaming can equip students with 21st century learning skills, inspire them to stretch and enrich their knowledge and understanding, and demonstrate how 256 Middle School students took a journey of learning through an integrated assessment task focused on sustainability, using Minecraft to deliver their final product.
The outcomes of this workshop will demonstrate:
• How Minecraft was used for in an integrated assessment task,
• How gaming can enhance creativity and innovation,
• Student feedback,
• Examples of student work, and
• How to use tools such as video, blogs, Edmodo and Quia to gamify the classroom.
