103522029劉書豪 From traditional to digital: factors to integrate traditional game-based learning into digital game-based learning environment

From traditional to digital: factors to integrate traditional game-based learning into digital game-based learning environment 

by Sheng-Hui Hsu, Po-Han Wu, Tien-Chi Huang, Yu-Lin Jeng, Yueh-Min Huang
Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University obs945@easylearn.org, cincowu@easylearn.org, kylin@easylearn.org, jeng@easylearn.org, huang@mail.ncku.edu.tw

Abstract

Traditional game-based learning is widely used as pedagogy(教育學) to motivate students more and attract them in learning process. Digital game-based learning is a new trend in instruction. With high-tech equipments we are able to bring novel experience to learners. Both of game-based learning strategies are with their own advantages. However, the previous difficulty of gamebased learning is to integrate these two kinds of learning strategies and strike a balance(平衡) between them. Therefore, this study aims to utilize activity theory as an analytics tool to analyze the factors of each gamebased learning status. After the analysis, we discussed the contradiction of each activity system. Furthermore we had also some suggestions for the instructors and learning activity designers to make game-based learning more useful and meaningful.


Introduction

Game has a long history and even scholars(學者) cannot investigate the origin of game and when it exists. Psychologists think that the infants(嬰兒) start to play game in their childhood and the first game they played is to play with their hands [1]. Most of infants have the habit to suck their hand. It is nature for creatures to observe and use organs. The hand-sucking game not only makes infants to use their tactile(觸覺) and visual ability but also fulfill(完成) their physiological and psychological needs. When they grow up, they will find more ways to play their hands, such as: grabbing objects, using hands to make things to other appearance, and so on. Besides the function of game, it is also a method for children to know things. Many researchers find that games are not only exiting in the human society but also games exist in the life of mammals.(哺乳動物) Thus Karl Groos the Germany biologist modified Spencer’s conserving mental theory [2], Schiller’s surplus energy [3], and proposed an evolutionary instrumentalist theory of play [4]. He proposed that playing game is not an activity without a purpose but a preparation for the real life in advance. Give examples such as playing house is a game for girls to familiar to the housework, piggyback fight is a game for boys to gain physical power to against enemies for someday, and the kitten grabbing the woolen ball in order to practice hunting mice. Besides games such as leapfrog and piggyback fight that played with human body, the other games are played with some equipment. These equipment or tools we called them as toy. In addition to above games, there are some classic paper-based game like hang man, crossword, and Sudoku. These games are all popular and famous. The reason why they are successful games is that the game can attract people and lead people to ecstasy state. Maybe players will suffer failure or frustration in the progress, but we can believe that players will finally feel happy in the game process. By looking back in the game history we can discover that games are naturally created. The usage of these games is approximately to develop skills or just for fun. As time goes by, people know the importance of education and also realize that games can not merely for fun but also can ease the tension atmosphere.(紓緩緊張氣氛) And this is the original idea why people combine learning and play together. This is the origin of game-based learning.

Conclusions

This paper adapts AT as an analysis tool to describe traditional GBL and digital GBL environment. The analysis reveals(揭示) the inner conflicts in each activity system and the suggestions to overcome the contradictions also been given after the description of contradiction. However, activity system can change into different of representations while the points of view are changed. Therefore there are still many hidden contradictions in both traditional and digital GBL because the activity system in this research is just constructed according to the view which integrating from traditional to digital GBL. But we are for sure that traditional and digital GBL both are important to education so that we cannot give up any one of them. For the reasons that we want to take advantages from these two learning strategies and the way to make this realize is to integrate traditional GBL into digital GBL. At last, we will achieve the final goal: to make students learn more and better with fun.  

The article is from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4700734