Game Logic in Moodle Overview

Intelligent Tutoring System in Moodle

Introduction

Three sections follow in an attempt to outline considerations for the creation of a better *PLE (personalized learning environment), drawing on the established editing game logic, for Moodle. Therefore, the main underpinning principle for this project includes the notion of activities and resources that can be selected automatically by the computer and shown to the student.

• PLE (personalized learning environment) enables students to make progress at their own pace (affording achievement and/or attainment).
  • Gaming involves advancing across a game whereby there is a sense of choice, freedom and control for the player. This means the learner has an opportunity to progress along individual learning trajectories at their own pace and chosen level/pitch.

Building a RPG (Role Playing Game) A game for learning with Early Years and KS1 (age-range 5-7)

Section 1

Gaming: key definitions in relation to learning and teaching

• Game objective
  • The new player starts with zero across a small number of skill-sets.
• Gaming variables
  • Skills: The way to advance across the game is to gain more points in order to build skills-sets/levels/pitch. For a computer to figure out how skills are linked together, skills are defined and then added to a skill tree.
  • Skill tree: A skill tree is taking individual skills and linking them to one another; setting up conditions for the skill tree in a game, comprises of an iterative process in that a skill is acquired through successful application before the next skill can be developed. This compares to the early stages of learning to read. For example, involving the process of phonological awareness: sound-symbol correspondence, progressing to an understanding of the associated written representation of the sound/symbol orientation then moving onto blending sounds and so on.
  • Traits: Traits in game can include things like stamina, dexterity, health, power, magic, armour resistance and so on. Traits can be conceptualised similar to that of "skills" in programming, it is just a way to emphasise how information is applied and displayed. In a classroom setting this might compare to that of how lessons are paced and the mode for learning, e.g. whole class delivery, group, independent activity, pairs and so on.
  • Artificial Intelligence: In the context of gaming, this variable is related to the counter attack/opposition and how the materials are programmed to support that position. This compares with how materials are used in a classroom setting, in as much as what and who makes a selection across available activities and resources. Again, pitch can be a focus, as we often see in games that ask the player to choose a level from easy, medium or difficult where the points are set for each level and achieved through completion of the related level. To return back to the example about learning to read, such leveling can be matched o the leveling/process involved. There is an element of Artificial Intelligence that can bring variables together e.g. skills, skill trees, traits, etc in order to make a decision. Similarly, this might be considered akin to a teacher conducting a Q/A session with a student to establish the baseline level of achievement and/or attainment with the aim of facilitating movement forward. Overall the limitation of Artificial Intelligence is interactivity for learning is limited, unless there are other players in the game. However, this variable can be useful in terms of its ‘selection’ feature.
  • Quests: Games can have multiple possibilities, from dealing with clans, to continuation of a story in games and telling the story as quests are completed. Resources can be collected for the creation of units; finding specific types of items and combining items. Other quests might involve obliterating an enemy, completing other quests (categorized quests, where there are main quests, and sub quests to the main quests). In defining quests, at its most simplest, can be considered as offering alternate pathways to ensure continuity and progression by enabling learner choice, self direction, self regulation, and selecting own pitch and pace to reach a goal.

Section 2

Connecting Early Years and Key Stage 1 Education principles

• Generic educational focus across Early Years and KS1 (pupils aged 5-7)
  • Learner-readiness: The developmental processes involved in learning are underpinned by cognitive development to aid maturity across key areas such as communication, problem solving, social, emotional, physical and creative skills. The ideal mode for development is through the vehicle of play.

• Theoretical implications: bridging what we know about the development of cognition and play for learning
  • Piaget (1962) outlined an age-related, staged-process for cognitive development:

1. Sensori-motor stage (0-2 years) 2. preoperational stage (2-7 years) 3. Concrete operational stage (7-11 years) 4. Formal operation stage (11+)

And, Smilansky, (1968) elaborated on Piaget's sequenced frameworks and categorised play in the following way:

1. Functional Play: simple repetitive movements with or without objects 2. Constructive play: manipulation of objects to create something 3. Dramatic Play: imaginary activity such as role play 4. Games with Rules: acceptance of prearranged rules and adjustment to these rules

• Other developmental theories, and there are many, tend to focus on either a blend of constructivist principles, such as that of Piaget and Vygotsky (1978), whereby the latter focuses on social, cultural and historical connections to support the notion of communication as being at the heart of development, for example during peer-peer activity that includes engagement with the child's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), 'what a child can do with assistance today she will be able to do by herself tomorrow'...or, there is Bruner's holistic stance (1960) where the emphasis is on different modes for exploration during play:

1. Enactive: direct manipulation of objects 2. Iconic: mental manipulation of objects 3. Symbolic-abstract manipulation of symbols

And this challenged a staged approach. The reason being is that Bruner suggests any concept can be introduced to a child in some form at anytime, because those three different modes of exploration can be used without restriction.

• Environment
  • It was Nicholson (1971) who stated that in any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it. The implications of this theory (Loose Parts) suggest when the child is afforded freedom to construct their environment, using a range of self-selected materials, then this can enable a sense of choice, ownership and control during engagement.

In sum: connecting sections 1 & 2

TO BE COMPLETED TOMORROW 08/02/2015 DA

Third section....to be completed tomorrow....DA 08/02

1. 1. • in school with moodle. this would be going to www.yoursite.com/moodle -> logging in as a editing teacher or higher -> goto course -> turn on editing -> create or edit an existing activity / resource, and adding/editing/deleting completion options and availability options.
        • in order to repeat, repeat, repeat, for every student and allow for students to learn at there own pace. Quests, are used as goals, that can be assigned to students, as needed / when needed. they are pre-planned lesson plans per say. instead of a teacher saying hey we are all going to learn what 4 + 4 = 8 is today and cover material in class for everyone. setting up a quest, allows a student to learn 7+7 and then when the get to 8 + 8, that quest is already "pre planned" and the student can go through it in there own personalized learning environment. without teacher standing beside student and going through material for each individual student as they get to 8+8, in idea it is "thinking ahead, and pre planning"
2. save and restore
   1. in game, you normally either save game or go to some safe area and exit game. and if you do not you die.
   2. moodle as a LMS (learning management system), moodle = a TURN BASED GAME. you play your turn. and then next person does there turn, so on and so forth.
      • in moodle in school, each activity is kinda like a turn. goto one activity / resource, you complete it, and it acts as 1 turn. goto next activity / resource another turn.
      • in each activity / resource each one kinda acts like its own mini game. were it handles any saving of information between each step of going through it. as a result save functionality is already built into moodle per each individual activity and resource.
   3. out side of moodle = browsers (Chrome, firefox, internet explorer) if you log into say google through the browser, your session history is saved. and can be access a crossed multi devices.

rough draft quick draw....

the below flow chart created with http://Draw.io CLICK HERE to edit you will need a google drive account and possibly connecting draw.io to the account to edit. (setup as anyone can edit the flow chart on purpose, feel free and encouraged to do so)

TIP: for below image, keep on clicking image, eventually you will get full size image (4 to 5 clicks), and horizontal and vertical scroll bars will appear in browser.

DISCUSSION

Home / ► Moodle in English / ► General / ► Moodle research / ► "fork 1" of What is "differentiation" and how can it be achieved?

NOTES

Ryan here, i do not want to mess up "Dawn's" re-edits... got my hands on... the science of the mind and behavior 6th edition by gross. "the conformity and group influence" interaction between students within there own grade ( K - 12), and not a lot of interaction between students within grades. beyond say clubs and activities outside of core subjects. vs say MMO (massive multiplayer online game), were folks do not know age,sex, etc... clans vs loners in games, and overall group interaction. can this be brought into personalized learning environment. and applying game logic.... so there is some connections between different in/out groups. that could be made, to help act as one of the factors of driving self learning...errr i should say group learning....