The anytime, anywhere, and on any device characteristics of mobile technology offer opportunities to explore the potential benefits of game-based learning. In this presentation, we review the educational possibilities of mobile games, offering examples discussed in the literature that have been experimented with in and out of the classroom.
The massive penetration of mobile computing is undeniable, with the draw of mobile games reaching epic proportions. This popularity, along with the unique characteristics of mobile computing, has ignited mounting interest in the use of these games in educational contexts. Perhaps most notable is the anytime, anywhere, and on any device characteristics of mobile technology, which has been said to have created new opportunities for those interested in exploring the potential benefits of game-based learning (GBL).
The location-aware (i.e., Global Positioning System [GPS])) capabilities of mobile phones may offer new ways to embed learning in authentic settings. Digital content can be infused with the real world in an augmented reality, blending the virtual world and real life. This mixed reality is incredibly important because it allows students to experience the real world, while at the same time interact with virtual objects in a real space; taking students and learning out of the traditional classroom setting (Grant et al., 2007; Huizenga, Admiraal, Akkerman, & ten Dam, 2009; Roschelle & Pea, 2002). This is believed to provide students with a truly reflective experience (Price, Rogers, Scaife, Stanton, & Neale, 2003; Rogers, Scaife, Gabrielli, Smith, & Harris, 2002; Sharples, Corlett, & Westmancott, 2002; Stanton, O’Malley, Ng, Fraser, & Benford, 2003). Mobile games have been used, for example, at historic or geographical sites (Huizenga et al., 2009), as a way to immerse and motivate students, helping them learn about past people, locations, and events.
In this presentation, we review the educational benefits of mobile games that take advantage of the portability and location-aware capabilities of mobile devices. In doing so, we offer examples of games discussed in the literature that have been experimented with to explore mobile GBL in authentic and academic settings. The past 15 years are rich in examples of games that have been used to integrate learning in real world settings. These games, while providing different experiences and learning contexts, demonstrate the educational potential of mobile computing. Some of these games, for example, illustrate opportunities to align educational institutions more closely with local communities; recreate past events, by placing students in the role of historical figures; or show how location and time can be used to teach important concepts, while promoting collaboration.
In the augmented reality mobile game project, Mentira, Holden and Sykes (2011) described how students practice their Spanish while solving the prohibition-era murder of Dionisio Silva, through the exploration of various locations in the neighborhood of Los Griegos, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, using clues provided on a popular mobile device. Along with moving learning outside of the classroom, the project sparked interest among residents, who were excited that students were going to be learning about their neighborhood. Huizenga et al. (2009) described Frequency 1550, a mobile game project where students acquired knowledge of medieval Amsterdam, by placing the students in the historic city, and with the use of GPS capable smart and video devices, asked them to complete tasks at certain locations. Also moving learning outside of the classroom, this project demonstrated the use of authentic settings in the learning process. While Colella (2000, 2002) showed how students can learn about the spread of infection using a classroom-based participatory simulation, in which they interacted with one another in a physical location using custom-build devices to learn how quickly disease can spread through everyday contact. Although the location was not necessarily of importance in this project (as it has been in others), it demonstrated how concepts can be simulated with the aid of mobile devices in a physical space.
The list of games discussed in this presentation is not exhaustive. Instead, this compilation can be viewed as a starting point for those interested in examining mobile games that have been used to explore GBL in the context of mobile computing’s unique features. The applicability of these mobile games in learning is also far reaching, and is anticipated to be of interest to those at all levels of exposure to GBL who are involved with learners in K-12, higher education, industry, and government. Altogether, the purpose behind this presentation is not to debate the use of video games in classrooms, but instead open a dialogue with those interested in exploring the educational possibilities mobile games have to offer.
References:
Colella, V. (2000). Participatory simulations: Building collaborative understanding through immersive dynamic modeling. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 9(4), 471-500. doi: 10.1207/S15327809JLS0904_4.
Colella, V. (2002). Participatory simulations: Building collaborative understanding through immersive dynamic modeling. In T. Koschmann, R. Hall & N. Miyake (Eds.), CSCL2: Carrying forward the conversation (computers, cognition, and work) (pp. 357-391). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, Associates.
Grant, L., Daanen, H., Benford, S., Hampshire, A., Drozd, A., & Greenhalgh, C. (2007). MobiMissions: The game of missions for mobile phones. Proceedings from the ACM SIGGRAPH 2007 Educators Program. New York, NY: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1282040.1282053.
Holden, C. L., & Sykes, J. M. (2011). Leveraging mobilegames for place-based language learning. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 1(2), 1-18. doi: 10.4018/ijgbl.2011040101.
Huizenga, J., Admiraal, W., Akkerman, S., & ten Dam, G. (2009). Mobile game-based learning in secondary education: Engagement, motivation and learning in a mobile city game. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25(4), 332-344. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00316.x.
Price, S., Rogers, Y., Scaife, M., Stanton, D., & Neale, H. (2003). Using ‘tangibles’ to promote novel forms of playful learning. Interacting with Computers, 15(2), 169-185. doi: 10.1016/S0953-5438(03)00006-7.
Rogers, Y., Scaife, M., Gabrielli, S., Smith, H., & Harris, E. (2002). A conceptual framework for mixed reality environments: Designing novel learning activities for young children. Presence, 11(6), 677-686. doi: 10.1162/105474602321050776.
Roschelle, J., & Pea, R. D. (2002). A walk on the WILD side: How wireless handhelds may change computer-supported collaborative learning. Proceedings from the International Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning 2002 (pp. 51-60). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Sharples, M., Corlett, D., & Westmancott, O. (2002). The design and implementation of a mobile learning resource. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 6(3), 220-234. doi: 10.1007/s007790200021.
Stanton, D., O’Malley, C., Ng, K. H., Fraser, M., & Benford, S. (2003). Situating historical events through mixed reality. In B. Wasson, S. Ludvigsen & U. Hoppe (Eds.), Designing for change in networked learning environments: Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning (CSCL2003) (pp. 293-302). Springer Netherlands.