The Future of Education

Since the turn of the new century there has been an increasing focus on the role of new media in the teaching/learning process as well as the outcome of learning being achieved through learning by doing and learning by thinking [1]. This study focuses on the students’ work on a practical assignment, i.e., doing, involving video games, i.e., new media, and theoretical analysis that follows, i.e., thinking. It aims to determine if guided reflection on gaming experience can aid not only the understanding of learning mechanisms embedded in the mechanics and dynamics of digital games but also the understanding of learning theories themselves. The undertaken research investigated students’ perceptions of educational outcomes resulting from playing video games designed for entertainment followed by a structured analysis of games contents. The participants in the research were students in the ‘ICT and Learning’ study program offered to teachers and Teacher Education students by Nord University, Norway. The research method was qualitative content analysis of data collected from the reflection documents written by students as a part of an assignment in the course Digital Game Based Learning. The data analysis was aided by qualitative data analysis software NVivo. The results showed that interweaving practical experience with theoretical analysis contributed not only to achieving critical learning but also occurred personally meaningful. These results suggest that combining practical work with guided reflection can be an effective form of learner-content interaction in learning activities that require cross-disciplinary theory to practice linkage.

Keywords active learning, video games, learner-content interaction, teacher education 

References [1] Kalantzis, M., Cope, B. “New Learning. Elements of Science of Education”, Melbourne, Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 9