This week's reading reminded me of a tech tool I used in elementary school, but had forgotten about for many many years. This tool is not commonly used for educational purposes, but can be very successfully utilized as such. The tool I am talking about is video games. Programs such as Prodigy were used to great degrees of success in Math programs because they embodied the “operant conditioning” method mentioned in this week's reading.
By utilizing a ‘levelling up’ system, educational video games can act as “reinforcement” while students work, filling the profile as the “operant.” Moreover, just as the reading mentions “cues” to prompt an operant response, video games encourage students to work harder by using specific cues. For example, if you are close to levelling up, Prodigy shows an Experience Bar. Once that bar was full, the student would be able to level up. This cued students that if they were close to having a full bar, they should focus and work extra hard to get where they wanted to be. Moreover, math battles in Prodigy were often indicated by entering new virtual territories. This cue of conflict made the game more exciting because using suspense as a cue as the student travels helps them stay focused and engaged, and anticipate the ‘reinforcement’ that they want and expect once the battle has been fought and overcome.
EdithW@NUO
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