Future in Digital Games
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Abstract
With the rapidly developing and digitalising world, it has become necessary to carry out some innovation studies in the education system and to raise generations that produce, implement and present projects. The gaming cultures of the generations born in the digital world of the 21st century have also changed. The generation born into evolving technology is not expected to stay away from the digital world. The aim of the project is to introduce children to the digital world, develop critical and strategic thinking skills, reduce their anxiety levels and protect them from cyberbullying in the online world.
Introduction
This study was created to enable students to grow as individuals with the qualifications required for their age with project-based . With project-based and game-based activities and applications. The aim was for students to learn by living, and as this was seen as a need, it was integrated into all courses with a multidisciplinary approach. Project studies are of great importance in helping our students understand the importance of digital games and game production, emphasising the importance of coding, developing analytical thinking skills and problem solving. The realisation of active learning through the use of game-based learning, project-based learning, cooperative learning and problem-based learning methods reveals the richness of the project. In addition, it aims to design innovative learning environments with the contributions of learning teachers and to develop students’ knowledge and skills about technology in the designed environment. Innovative applications of technology, distance learning processes and alternatives, coding practices in education and the teaching of digital literacy to students are among the sub-objectives of the project. Making learning effective and easy with different learning methods and web 2.0 tools and enabling students to communicate with their peers from different cultures shows the versatility of the project.
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Theoretical framework
The 21st century has been a century of change and transformation. The century we live in has turned into a rapidly digitalising universe, especially since 2010. This digitalisation has also affected education systems and made it necessary to change traditional teaching methods. The creation of the concepts of digital literacy and digital citizenship in education is the most concrete indicator of this transformation. In this context, prominent standards for future generations are 21st century skills and education, holistic and life-based programmes, literacy (digital, science, technology, environment…) and basic virtues (wisdom, honesty, chastity, justice, generosity). courage, tolerance, compassion, temperance, sense of responsibility, commitment and loyalty), moral and ethical values, aesthetic values, interpersonal relations, empathy, character education is an overriding value for educators and educators. Concepts that serve to be human come to the fore (Bouri, Cepni, Gabauer, & Gupta, 2020).
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About the project
The project is an international coding project involving Jordan, Tunisia and Turkey. The aim of the project is to enable students to think in 3D, to produce solutions to problems, to keep up with the digitalised world and to show their own existence in the digital world by using the game-based learning method. There are 11 teachers and 53 secondary school students from Tunisia, Turkey and Jordan. Our age range is 10-14. It started in September 2020 and will end in February 2021.
Inference
The project serves the outcomes of the curriculum, according to which the activities were organised. The project included activities related to the Disabled People’s Week and Teachers’ Day, as well as activities related to the students’ value education (love, respect, tolerance, etc.). The project enabled the students to realise the place and importance of their country among the countries of the world, with the study showing the locations of the schools on the map. As students worked with students from different provinces, the project made students aware of the cultural richness at a national level. Through the project, students had the opportunity to learn about the cultures of different countries on an international level and to present their own cultures through online meetings. During the project the students used 11 Web 2.0 tools individually, managing websites with wix, preparing logos and banners with canva, coding with code.org, preparing games with scratch, adding and deleting text on padlet, storyjumper, tricide with e-mail. They had the opportunity to experience different Web 2.0 tools through activities such as preparing a book, taking part in a poll with Google form, creating a word cloud with wordart and taking part in an online meeting with zoom and Adobe Connect.
Suggestions
The following suggestions can be made within the scope of the Future in Digital Games project:
- Game-based learning approach, coding programmes and digital literacy activities can be included in the curriculum in every semester, so that the rapidly developing digitalisation in education can be adapted.
- In education and training, the digitalisation of students can be prevented by adapting them to education starting from pre-school.
- Considering that distance learning and digitalisation are part of students’ lives, the desired behaviour can be created by turning this process into an opportunity and disseminating digitalisation and Web 2.0 tools in education.
- In face-to-face education, Web 2.0 tools can be included in the curriculum so that students can easily adapt to the digital transformation in education.
- Game-based learning approaches, coding programmes and digital literacy can be provided to educators as in-service training.
- The following suggestions can be offered to educators considering a game-based learning approach, coding programmes and digital literacy projects:
- At the beginning of the project, training from experts within the game-based learning approach, coding programmes and digital literacy can help to run the project effectively.
- Students can develop different digital game production skills with a game-based learning approach.
- Scientific results can be achieved through process-oriented, long-term projects.
References
- Bouri, E., Cepni, O., Gabauer, D., & Gupta, R. (2020). Return connectedness across asset classes around the COVID-19 outbreak. International Review of Financial Analysis.
- Korkmaz, H., & Kaptan, F. (2001). Fen eğitiminde proje tabanlı öğrenme yaklaşımı. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 20-20.
- Sezgin, S., Bozkurt, A., Yılmaz, E. A., & Van Der Linden, N. (2018). Oyunlaştırma, eğitim ve kuramsal yaklaşımlar: Öğrenme süreçlerinde motivasyon, adanmışlık ve sürdürebilirlik. Mehmet Akif Ersoy Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 169-189.
About the author
Muhammet Tunçoğlu is a literature teacher. He teaches students between the ages of 10-18. He has been coordinating eTwinning and Erasmus projects for 6 years. He has been a Scientix Ambassador since 2021.
Tags: analytics, coding, critical thinking, Digital Literacy, digitalisation, game-based learning, gamification, learning strategy, project-based learning, web 2.0