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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.
I enjoyed your blog post on many levels - but two in particular.
ReplyDeleteMinecraft has been a very enjoyable way for me to connect with my eight year-old Goddaughter, Hannah. I originally bought the app for her, but after she drug me into the world of Steve I became hooked! I used to love playing with Lincoln Logs and Legos when I was a kid. This reminds me of that in a way, though it is far more sophisticated. Hannah will often say, "Uncle David, can I go into your world?" In one way this is a disturbing request. Anyone going into the chaos of my "world" - particularly an eight year-old - is subject to long-term damage!! Yet it has given us the unique opportunity to build a world together, and that has fostered conversations and creative exploits that we would never have been able to enjoy otherwise.
Coming at it from another angle, I believe that the Minecraft world is illustrative of what D.W. Winnecott writes about in his research on "playing" and its importance in the intellectual development of children. Just as we "play" with all of the items in Minecraft, assembling, disassembling, and even twisting ideas is a vital component for building critical thinking. Following classes in which I provide notes and other content, I like to dedicate time with my students to "play in the sandbox". This is, I admit, more of a challenge in an online classroom. However, it is the fulcrum of the transference from information to knowledge. My goal is to build learning constructs in the same way that we build our "worlds" in Minecraft and other intellectual destinations. Unfortunately the public schools now are curtailing the time for play - both physical and mental - in the pursuit of higher test scores. This is a travesty, and it goes against the best and most current research on how humans learn.
Thank you again for your blog! Now, Hannah and I have a meeting with Steve.
Kudos for trying Minecraft and making an effort to connect it to your teaching! I'm sure you and your son enjoyed the collaborative gaming experience. I think an interesting use of the mods you described would be for your students to identify the scientific inaccuracies in the mods and suggest rewrites or alternatives to make the game more accurate. I think even college students might enjoy that, and it would certainly require them to know the content well.
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