Academics using new video game developed at SFU as teaching tool

A new bilingual online educational video game designed to break down the gender barriers is set for testing this spring. It will be among the core projects nearing completion as part of an intensive Canadian academic look at the education field on how children learn better through play. The video game, Contagion, is part of a SAGE For Learning (Simulation and Advanced Gaming Environments) project initiative led by educational experts at Simon Fraser University, York University, and in cooperation with Seneca College. Suzanne de Castell, a Simon Fraser University professor and one of the Contagion project leaders, said there is a significant difference between Contagion and other educational games. Most video games are "designed for boys," she said, but added that SAGE has intensively researched the gender issues surrounding video games and applied its findings in Contagion to reach both girls and boys. There is a huge popularity among Canadians for using the Internet and playing Internet video games. In 2003, according to Statistics Canada, 73% of children under the age of 18 used the Internet, 73.2% of multi-family member households had the Internet, and 27.9% of all households played Internet video games. Jennifer Jenson, a York University assistant professor of pedagogy and technology, is the most actively involved person in researching Contagion. She said a version of the video game will be ready by September, but that research over the next few years will be conducted to perfect the final product. Jenson tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that parts of Contagion could be commercialized, but added, "we’re committed to having it freely and publicly available." De Castell said that SAGE will own the game once it is developed, and should school boards choose to do so, they can license it, but the game will still be offered for free on SAGE’s web site. The game will be used to inform and teach boys and girls aged nine to 12 how to avoid contracting infectious diseases such as the new strains of flu, SARS, West Nile virus, and HIV/AIDS. De Castell said that Contagion will teach kids what to do when they come in contact with infectious diseases themselves or are around with someone who is ill. Contagion will reach kids and "get controversial issues, such as AIDS, into schools." In the past, she said, educators have not been successful in talking about AIDS in the classrooms, mostly due to it being a dry and boring subject for children. She also said the game will help youngsters get past the misconceptions people have about infectious diseases. "They (diseases) are not God’s punishments for being promiscuous, or for just living your life," she said. "They are medical conditions and they need to be treated medically." De Castell also mentioned about how children learn, and that "teachers need to understand that play is an essential part of learning," and added, "when we learn things deeply, we learn it from play." During an interview, de Castell brought up the example of the 2003 SARS outbreak in Canada, where fear was rampant, and people were scared to leave their homes. "People were told to go home, be isolated, and take care of themselves," she said. "Under these conditions, people were staying away from hospitals because they thought that is where all the diseases are." According to David Kaufman, SAGE project leader for Contagion with and Simon Fraser University faculty of education professor, Contagion is one just a few projects on the go at SAGE. Until recent times, SAGE only served the French Canadian market. "We’ve had web-based games with Télé-Université for eight years," he said, adding that in the beginning, people were able to play online video games such as Snakes and Ladders. "Contagion is one of the core projects with SAGE," he said. "It’s going to be transferred into French and English." SAGE For Learning is a bilingual, pan-Canadian initiative to explore the potential of technology-based simulations and games for learning. The Contagion game initiative is a SAGE project, and it is being sponsored by Social Science and Humanities Research in Canada (SSHRC).

Academics using new video game developed at SFU as teaching tool

News | 03/22/2005 5:00 am EST

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