Week 3: Integrating Technology in Education: Pedagogical Change, Integration Frameworks, and Engagement

The integration of technology into education, for me, has always been a nature process. Recognizing your student's needs and utilizing the appropriate pedagogical approach is essential. Kolb (2017) identified six important themes to consider when integrating technology into learning: Instructional strategies, engagement, access, application of use, authenticity, and co-use (p. 10). Okojie, Olinzock, Okojie-Boulder argue, "the degree of success teachers have in using technology for instruction could depend in part on their ability to explore the relationship between pedagogy and technology" (p. 66). The relationship is a give-and-take partnership.  



For me gamification and game-based learning highlights the relationship of teacher and pedagogy. 
Game-based learning (GBL) is a branch of serious games, games that encompass edutainment but also extends to all aspects of education, that utilize a variety of games, simulations, and role-playing to target predefined learning outcomes. Gamification, a set of motivational triggers such as rewards and competition, involves “using game-based mechanics, aesthetics and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems” (Kapp, 2012, p. 10). Games are productive; providing clear actionable steps and a progression towards a goal (McGonigal, 2011, p. 55). Game-based learning and gamification in the classroom may increase student engagement and is shown to increase student motivation, strengthen and form positive social relationships, promote student ownership of their learning, allow students the freedom to fail, offer opportunities for differentiated instruction, and promote the development of empathy. When digital game-based learning is placed within the Triple E framework one can see the potential benefits for the students.

http://www.tripleeframework.com/uploads/2/2/8/7/2287991/triple-e-framework-1_orig.png

Fullan's (2013) book, Stratosphere: Integrating technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge, spoke of the concept of flow and student engagement. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a psychologist who recognised and named the psychological concept of flow, a highly focused mental state. While researching the topic of the incorporation of game-based learning and gamification to promote student engagement in 07.714 Educational Research Methods, the ideas of Csikszentmihalyi featured predominantly in the related research materials. The question I ask myself is seems counter-intuitive but agrees with the research, why does engagement not automatically correlate to academic success (Kolb, 2012, p. 12)? The concept of flow as related to engagment just seems to resonate with my personal research interests. 

Flow is a state of absorption where individuals find pleasure in the work and the activity is intrinsically valuable (Admiraal, Huizenga, Akkerman, & Dam, 2011, pp. 1185-1186; McGonigal, 2011, p. 38; Fullan, 2013, p. 33). Active learning occurs when students are dynamically focused on learning goals. The goal, over time, of GBL is to establish a learning environment comprised of intrinsically motivated students whose behaviour is self-determined by whether they find the activity interesting and they want to successfully achieve the outcome. An autotelic activity is a self-motivated, self-rewarding activity that engages one entirely (McGonigal, 2011, pp. 45-46). Abuhamdeh and Csikszentmihalyi (2012) note, “the most enjoyable games were those in which player’s outplayed higher rated opponents by relatively small margins” (p. 326). Optimally challenging games in terms of outcome seem to be important for the enjoyment of goal-driven, intrinsically motivated games and simulations that increase student’s self-efficaciousness and increased student achievement (Abuhamdeh & Csikszentmihalyi, 2012). The chart below demonstrates Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow:

https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontopsychology/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2014/05/image003.jpg

The following videos explore the concept of flow in greater detail:

FLOW BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI: ANIMATED BOOK SUMMARY

TED Talk – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Flow – 2004

FLOW by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi | Core Message

Check out digital pedagogy and game-based learning from University of Toronto here.

Sources

Abuhamdeh, S., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2012). The Importance of Challenge for the Enjoyment

of Intrinsically Motivated, Goal-Directed Activities. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(3), 317-330. DOI: 10.1177/0146167211427147 Retrieved from SAGE Journals database.

Admiraal, W., Huizenga, J., Akkerman, S., & Dam, G. T. (2011). The concept of flow in

collaborative game-based learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(3), 1185-1194. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2010.12.013 Retrieved from CRKN Elsevier Science Direct database. 

Fullan, M. (2013). Stratosphere: Integrating technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge. Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada. (pp. 33-54)

Kapp, K. M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based methods and strategies for training and education. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Kolb, L. (2017). Learning first, technology second: The educator’s guide to designing authentic lessons. Portland, OR: ISTE. (pp. 9-37)

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change

the world. New York, NY: The Penguin Press.  

Okojie, Mabel CPO, Olinzock, Anthony A., & Okojie-Boulder, Tinukwa C. (2006). The Pedagogy of Technology Integration. Journal of Technology Studies, 32(2), 66-71.