I'll admit that I have not used much digital gaming in my marketing classes. This is due to the lack of searching for games that utilize marketing and career ready concepts in addition to not knowing that gaming in the classroom has research-driven benefits. According to the World Economic Forum's 2016 report, New Vision for Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning Through Technology, "To thrive in the 21st century, students need more than traditional academic learning. They must be adept at collaboration, communication, and problem solving, which are some of the skills developed through social and emotional learning (SEL)" (Elias, 2017). A marketing course provides these job-transferable skills, but they become enhanced through gaming simulations and activities. Students are attracted to games and they can "be used as a tool to build kids' SEL skills, show how these skills matter in all kinds of jobs, and help children better understand how to prepare themselves for success in life" (Elias, 2017).
According to Patricia Deubel, "Digital game-based learning has the potential to engage and motivate students and offer custom learning experiences while promoting long-term memory and providing practical experience" (Coffey, 2009). In order to benefit students, these games need to be related to the curriculum and utilize problem-solving skills. Role plays, simulations, and adventure games are suggested because they require more than one skill. The relative advantage of digital games in the classroom is clear. When students are enjoying what they are doing, in this case, playing a game, they have fun and learning takes place without them even realizing. After reading about the benefits of digital gaming in the classroom, it appears that I have been missing out on the positive learning that gaming provides for students. I am excited to explore more digital games and simulations, and hope that I am able to find some that will work well in my marketing classroom. References: Coffey, H. (2009). Digital game-based learning. Learn UNC. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4970. Elias, M. J. (2017, January 6). How gaming connects to SEL and career readiness. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-gaming-connects-sel-and-career-readiness-maurice-elias.
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AuthorReflection blog for Master's in Educational Technology course EdTech 541 at Boise State University. Archives
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