Gaming has never been part of my routine or interest! The first time I really paid any attention to online games was when it was mentioned by several of my friends when I first got into Facebook. Then I started getting invitations form my Facebook friends to play games like Farmville and Candy Crush Saga! I resisted the temptation easily because gaming really does not interest me in any way. In fact when I saw people stuck to their game consoles and talking about getting to bed late because they were playing a game with somebody from somewhere bemused me and always made me wonder if it was even worth the time spent! Tough I have not warmed up completely to playing video games (and I might never do that!) this week’s research into using video games to enhance adult education has been an informative activity. I learned why people play, about the avatars out there and how role-playing has taken over the world of gaming by a storm. I grew up knowing the meaning of the word “avatar” in my language to be “rebirth” and “reincarnation” but the research into video games has given me a new meaning to the word! I was also surprised to find out that 53% of adults over 18 played video games and nearly a third of adults older than 65 played everyday compared to the younger players (Lenhart et. al., 2008). My assumption that only the young play video games was proven wrong! This week I would like to share two games/simulations/virtual environments that in my opinion will be wonderful for adult learners.
Retraining Job Skills through a Video Game
1) Pixlwise (www.pixlwise.com)
This is a game that is still in the development phase but seems promising. The short video on the website explains how it is going to work and the users in the community will actually help educate each other through the interactive features, “redefining what an education experience should be, by pushing the limits of interaction and social sharing” (www.pixlwise.com).
This game is the brainchild of Ced Funches, the visionary designer, creative director and co-founder of Pixlwise. In his compelling blog about himself and his work, Ced Funches, writes about how his homelessness caused by the sudden loss of his job and income brought him to the idea of providing a platform to adults to retrain themselves to recreate their lives. He writes that, “More than three million Americans lack skills that would allow them to fill existing job openings. We're trying to change that. We found that it takes vision, technology, and most importantly, empathy” (to do that). This is his re-educate America initiative and has the vision of reducing unemployment by 2.5% through his games that help people master new skills (www.pixlwise.com).
Using gamification elements, Pixlwise is in the process of developing a videogame platform for adults to learn. This simpler approach built for understanding, “promotes engagement through a storyline, character association, interactive mini-games/lessons, and a dynamic content” (www.pixlwise.com). Like many interactive video games, Pixlwise allows participants to ask question when in doubt, and also help in answering each other’s questions through close collaboration with other participants and forges the feeling of belonging to a community that cares. This collaboration helps the participants truly master the skills. Pixlwise promises that, “once a game is completed, the experience isn’t over – it’s just beginning! With the continued support of the Pixlwise forum community, users are put into real world situations where they can exercise their newly developed skills to make actual dollars and cents” (www.pixlwise.com).
I could use Pixlwise as a training platform for my refugee and immigrant adult learners when they are ready to explore a more challenging world of work. They can get simulations by playing the video games at this site. They would also have the Pixlwise community support to voice their concerns to and receive advice from people who have been in the same fields or people who want to explore the same fields. This would also be a great platform for my adult learners to practice their conversational English as if they were on the job!
I am eagerly waiting for its launch. Pixlwise promises to be promising!
Creating Avatars for the Virtual Worlds
This is how Voki advertises itself:
“Voki is a FREE service that lets you:
Create customized avatars. Add voice to your Voki avatars. Post your Voki to any blog, website, or profile” (www.voki.com).
With Voki you can create any avatar and give your own voice. Your avatar can be dressed as you like,
bejeweled as you like and you can even tinker on the make-up! You are of course in full charge of what you
are going to make your Voki avatar say!
These avatars can be created and
used as an effective learning tool. The
use of the avatar will make the lessons interactive and fun at the same
time. There are also several lesson
plans educators can choose from. The
website also boasts of providing instruction to enhance language skills in 25
languages. We can create the Voki, and
then listen to the same message in a different language, or many different languages!
Voki opens up hands-on creativity
for learners. Learners can create and
use the Voki to demonstrate a myriad of activities. It also helps the learners change their
identity exactly as they want to look and also record and rerecord until they are
satisfied with the way they sound.
In an adult language literacy
classroom, Voki is going to play a very important role as learners can use
these avatars for role-playing. They can
record, listen and make changes as necessary.
The instructions are user-friendly and will be much appreciated in the
adult learning world. I can record
instructions and make my Voki give the instructions. I can then instruct the students to respond
to me by creating a Voki avatar of their own.
As my learners become more
proficient, I can instruct them to tell their stories digitally through their
various Voki characters. Learners can
collaboratively create stories or presentations using the Voki characters they
build. The things that one can do with
this tool are numerous.
References:
Lenhart, A., Jones, S., Macgill, A,.
(2008). Adults and Video Games. Pew Internet & American Life Project, Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Adults-and-Video-Games.aspx
Pixlwise:
www.pixlwise.com
Voki:
www.voki.com
Thank you for these games. They both look useful. I might use voki.com right away!
ReplyDeleteI would like to recommend another game that is very effective for real-world skill-building. It's called The Bakery shop at http://www.thebakeryshop.org/
It's aimed at second-graders but it is perfect for ESL learners and immigrants. It teaches the basic concepts of economics by having to run a virtual bakery shop. It's fast-paced and very entertaining.
Thanks for the suggestion. I think this would be a great activity for immigrant and refugee adult students who need to practice without being on a job, where the pressures and stress will be intensive!
ReplyDeleteI love Voki! I am going to incorporate this into my classroom. I love how it has lesson plans that go with the Voki. You are really spark my creative juices. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI think Pixlwise is a game site that will truly introduce older adults to the benefits of educational gaming because it hits them right in the pocketbook. Most realize that whether they like it or not they will have to get used to using technology in the workplace. While it could be hard to see the connection with other games, this site is focused directly on improving workplace technology skills.
ReplyDeleteIn my practice, I would encourage learners to specifically choose which games they want to use for skill building and then create a portfolio around it that can be showcased on LinkedIn. An example of how this could work would be:
1) A woman decides she wants to learn skills to change from manufacturing to banking industry
2) She looks through all the available games and chooses the ones that will build the skills she needs.
3) She prioritizes the games and writes an essay about her goals.
4) She plays the games and keeps track of her scores as she advances in the gaming environment.
5) She creates an online portfolio of the above information and connects it to LinkedIn
As Dr. Cavallo says, “We're often able to motivate learners first by being open to having them work on the problems that are most important to them” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012 p. 1). By having the learners decide what they need to get out of Pixlwise, it is more likely that they will rise to their own challenges further down the employment road.
Reference
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Learning through games. Baltimore, MD: Author.