Computer and Video Games In Education Amanda Sikora, Randi Markley, Kayla Lewis, Travis Siegle

1. Computer and Video Games In Education Amanda Sikora, Randi Markley, Kayla Lewis, Travis Siegle CONCLUSION: After analyzing the findings of our research, the most important thing that we found was that the majority of teachers surveyed used video/computer games in their classroom or thought that the use of them is a good idea. We found that the usage of video/computer games is used for a variety of reasons that include the strengthening of topics, more practice in a certain area, or even just for fun. We also found that the majority of users of video/computer games did so 1-2 times a week. Answers from the survey also showed that video/computer games are useful for the students because it motivates the students to learn, it is fun for them, it is a good way for them to concentrate on a topic, and because the games are interactive. Even though we did get some very good responses, there is more to be researched about the topic. Especially because the range of how many teachers responded was very limited, more questions need to be answered. One could even just elaborate more on a couple of our questions. For example, in what grade levels are video/computer games used the most, or what grade level benefits the most from video/computer games in the classroom. Because we are in an age where technology is getting merged with many areas of life, this is very relevant and important topic to be further researched What grade level do you teach? K-4 5-8 High School 2. Do you use video/computer games in your curriculum? yes no 3. If the answer to the above question is yes, what kinds of computer/video games are used in the curriculum? Explain. 4. What areas of the classroom/ curriculum are video/computer games used? Computer Skills Reading Comprehension Mathematics Social Studies Science Other 5. What are your reasons for using these games in the curriculum? Explain. 6. How frequently do you use video/computer games? 1-2 times a day 1-2 times a week 2-3 times a week 3-5 times a week 7. In what ways do you find video/computer games useful for the student’s education? Explain. 8. If you do not have access to video/computer games would you like access to them for your classroom? Yes No 9. How do you fit the video/computer games into the curriculum? 10. What are the video/computer games used for in the classroom? For fun To teach new material To strengthen the understanding of a topic More practice in a certain area INTRODUCTION: Today the use of video games in the classroom has become increasingly popular compared to previous years. Modern teachers are being forced to incorporate technology into the curriculum due to studies showing the positive impact video games can have on students’ education. Teachers are beginning to use different forms of multimedia, such as interactive websites, television programs, or computer/video game within the classroom. Teachers have found various technology strengthens students’ content knowledge in an actively fun manner which captivates the students attention and eagerness to learn. For the purpose of our survey, we will be looking at the use of video/computer games in the classroom more specifically. We gathered evidence through survey’s and studies done on the topic of video games in the classroom. After collecting and analyzing the information gathered it became obvious that although video games are being used in curriculums of all ages the most common age group to incorporate video games was seen at the Elementary levels. When reflecting on our Elementary Education we came to the conclusion that video games were incorporated into our education but in a minimal manner compared to frequent inclusion of video games in today’s education curriculum. METHODS: Our goal was to answer the questions : 1.“How do teachers use computer and video games in education?” 2.“Are computer and video games beneficial to education?” To answer these two questions we created a 10 question survey using Survey Monkey . Our survey contained 2 yes/no, 4 multiple choice, and 4 open-ended questions. Once the survey was created it was sent out to educators teaching from kindergarten through high school. Our survey was e-mailed out with a description of what we were trying to determine, and the 10 questions as follows: This graph shows that 65% of the educators surveyed uses computer/video games in their curriculum, and the other 35% do not. This graph shows that the main subject area in which computer/video games are used is in mathematics courses. This question educators were able to choose more than one subject, so it shows that educators incorporate them into their curriculum wherever possible. This graph shows that educators mainly use computer/video games to strengthen the understanding of a topic, and to give the students more practice.