Discussion Question 2 Responses

 Discussion Question 2, Response 1

Sierra, great post.

Technology has changed the way we live. Technology has also created sedentary lifestyles which has led to less active children (Yuksel, 2019). Children spend most of their week in school, so it seems like a spectacular place to ensure physical activity. They can learn how to be healthy and have fun while participating in physical activities by incorporating educational games that require physicality. Research shows the use of gaming to incorporate physical activity is effective in increasing engagement, and people tend to do it for a longer period (Maher, Olds, Vandelanotte, Plotnikoff, Ednay, Ryan, Desmet, & Curtis, 2022). Many of the physical activity games involve challenges, collaboration, and even competition for those who like to compete. I think the important take away is getting kids to be more active.

I grew up in a time before computers, cell phones, and hundreds of tv channels. We had three channels that we received with an antenna on top of our house, and one phone located in the kitchen, which was a rotary phone. If we were not in school, and it was not raining, we were told to go outside to play. My point is I grew up outside playing practically every day because my mom made us, and we had tons of kids to play with in our neighborhood.

Maher, C. A., Olds, T., Vandelanotte, C., Plotnikoff, R., Edney, S. M., Ryan, J. C., DeSmet, 

            A., & Curtis, R. G. (2022). Gamification in a physical activity app: What 

            gamification features are being used, by whom, and does it make a difference?

            Games for Health Journal, 11(3), 193-199

            https://doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2021.0207Links to an external site.

Yuksel, H. S. (2019). Experiences of prospective physical education teachers on active 

            gaming within the context of school-based physical activity. European Journal

            of Educational Research, 8(1), 199-211.  doi: 10.12973/eu-jer.8.1.199 

 

Discussion Question 2, Response 2

I agree that gaming must be for learning and not entertainment. I teach at a college healthcare program so I can't comment on gaming in education for K-12. Gamification in education does serve a purpose. In healthcare education serious gaming is increasingly used for medical education. Serious gaming is not for entertainment but used to teach a skill or knowledge in healthcare education (Olszewski, & Wolbrink, 2017). Serious games may include virtual simulation, problem-based cases, adaptive scenarios, and other platforms. It is important to note that using gamification in healthcare education creates a safe environment for learners to practice procedures and skills multiple times before performing it on a patient under supervision. Serious games are learner-controlled and learner-paced as well as offering immediate feedback and repetition which promotes learning (Olszewski, & Wolbrink, 2017). 

 

Olszewski, A. E., & Wolbrink, T. A. (2017). Serious gaming in medical education: A proposed 

structured framework for game development. Simulation in Healthcare: The Journal of 

the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, 12(4), 240-253.