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| Minecraft Logo with background www.minecraft.net |
In a way, I have used some aspects of gaming in the classroom without knowing it. I have had students use animations for some basic laboratory techniques in order to have them better understand a lab topic before they come to lab, but it was not a "gaming" tool. So, after being given an assignment to challenge me to use a game in an educational way, I chose to try Minecraft.
My son has played Minecraft for years, and I have watched him create some pretty amazing things throughout the years. So, I thought it might be a tool I could try to integrate into a biology lesson.
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| Minecreft Genetics by ObsiLP |
As I began search for ways to incorporate this gaming experience into at least one of my science classes, I came upon two "mods" that I thought were interesting. "Mods" are downloaded content that can players can add to their came to modify game play. The mods were called, "Advanced Genetics" and "DNA Science".
Currently, I teach a couple of courses where I thought I could use this content: General Biology 1 (during the genetics and dna units), Genetics, and Recombinant DNA. One of the areas that students tend to have trouble is in genetics. So, I thought I would have my son download the mod for Advanced Genetics and give it a try.
One thing I noticed with the Advanced genetics mod is that it did let you genetically alter organisms. In the genetics mod, you could obtain genes from bees, trees, butterflies, and flowers. The genes could be "isolated" and "sequenced" and then added to the database to alter organisms. It is a very interesting game. I really enjoyed trying to learn how to use it. For me, someone that does not play games, I had no experience with Minecraft. So, not only was I having to learn how to use Minecraft from my son, we were also having to learn how to use this mod. While I can honestly say I do not fully understand the mod, I did think it was interesting to try and genetically modify organisms in a game.
One thing I did not like about using this mod for genetics is that it did not accurately use genetics to create organisms. For me, there was not a lot of "real science" to it. I felt like it was a great idea and concept, but I would not be able to use to it teach the content in any of the classes.
The second "mod" I found, but did not try out was the "DNA Science" mod. While I did not download it or play it, I did find an overview of how it is done on You Tube. You can watch it below or click here to watch it on YouTube directly.
The biggest issues I have is the inaccuracy of the science in the game. While the game and the mods are really interesting and make me want to play more, I think I would not be able to apply this in the science courses I teach. It is very important for the concepts to be accurate in order to use it as a tool. I think I could mention it in passing as an interesting thing to try, but I would make sure to reiterate that the science is not accurate. I also think it may be a little difficult to find college students that would think this is interesting. I may be making an incorrect assumption, but when I hear college students talk about gaming, it is usually other games (e.g. Call of Duty) that I hear them talk about. So, I wonder if there would be a lot of college students playing Minecraft?
I do think it could be a really useful tool for primary and secondary education in other subject areas, but I am not sure if I can apply it directly in my courses.
I will keep my eyes open for any other options out there. I think I would be great to find other games that I could use in my courses.
