Source: Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, Volume 19, Issue 3, October 2011, 261-286.
In this article, the authors describe the preliminary findings associated with training pre-service teachers to use Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) in their classrooms.
The authors examine how a simple instructional intervention may emphasize salient, educational attributes of MMOGs (e.g., motivation, reading and literacy, communication, collaboration, exploration, problem solving, and situated activity) and reduce the perceived curricular cost of MMOGs.
To do so, this research applied a learning in technology perspective that describes immersive technology as a medium in which the environment and player become one.
Specifically, 13 participants were assessed in terms of their perceptions of games in general, their views about the potential for games in education, their views about the negative consequences of games in education, and their content knowledge about the World of Warcraft.
Participants’ discussions following the intervention were also analyzed for themes relevant to learning.