Developing a game based virtual learning environment

It‟s a common misconception that “digital natives” have a short attention span when in fact, they are just bored of the old methods of teaching and prefer to learn through fun, interactive games. These learners crave to be the active participant rather than the passive observer. Educators are slowly beginning to acknowledge the advantages of incorporating video games in the class to complement the old tell-test method of teaching. The online learning platform that I have developed will provide students with a number of educational games that cover a wide range of localisation awareness topics such as cultural appreciation, linguistic diversity, calendars, currency, and writing systems. Various motivational techniques such as in-game achievements and high score lists will be implemented to promote friendly competition amongst the students and to encourage them to continue playing the games. Our platform has also been developed as a general purpose virtual learning environment (VLE) in an effort to get more Irish primary schools interested in the product.