Preparing students for learning a new culture imposed by our virtual era (Adell and Castañeda
2012) is a challenge for educators and it forces us to rethink the goals of education (European Commission
2013; Mishra et al.
2011). From our perspective—that of our initial training of future teachers—we must address this change by developing training activities that include the most suitable opportunities and strategies for successful acquisition not only of teaching skills (Esteve et al.
2014a) but also those fundamental to resolving problems and situations in the digital world. Digital learners, or digital natives, have grown up in a technological and digital environment (Palfrey and Gasser
2008) and their prevalence is recognized by the growing expansion of ICT (Esteve et al.
2014b).
In recent years, the changes experienced since the creation of the European Higher Education Area have generated new educational formulas geared towards active and dynamic learning designs and teaching methods that are student-centred and linked to the availability and use of technologies that can be integrated into the classroom. Some teachers and education policies interested in introducing innovative strategies have not hesitated to add video games to the long list of possible tools and resources (Gómez
2014). The
NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition (Johnson et al.
2014) identifies the emerging technologies that are bound to have a significant impact on learning, teaching and creative thinking in higher education. The aforementioned report targets gaming and gamification as technologies whose impact on university education will arrive in two to three years. The edition of this report, which analyzes the major trends and emerging innovations that may affect elementary and secondary education environments, also identifies games and gamification along with emerging technology implementation in the medium term (2–3 years).
From our perspective as teacher trainers, we decided to investigate and analyze opinions about emerging technologies that use gamification and game-based learning in initial training for future teachers, as well as the real presence of these key trends in university training contexts. To do so, we relied upon the implementation of MinecraftEdu (
http://minecraftedu.com), the educational version of the popular virtual world Minecraft.
Theoretical framework
According to Kapp (
2012), “Gamification is using game-based mechanics, aesthetics and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems” (p. 10). It is a method used to create a meaningful and motivating experience through the integration of mechanical play in non-recreational environments and applications. Thus, game-based learning refers to the use of games to enhance the learning experience, while maintaining a balance between content and gaming and its application in the real world. With the introduction of gaming, the methodology was renamed digital game-based learning (Prensky
2001). Van Eck (
2006) sets out three aspects to the use of this approach in the classroom: a) the use of commercial titles—motivating and attractive games that can be used for educational purposes, but which require trained teachers and curriculum planning so as not to lose sight of the pedagogical approach; b) the so-called ‘serious game’—those specially developed to educate, train and inform (Michael and Chen
2006); c) games built by the students themselves that therefore develop problem-solving skills, programming and game design. Gertrudix and Gertrudix (
2013) add one more aspect: d) gamification process integration in educational activities mediated by technology. Despite the differences between concepts, we agree with Kapp’s (
2012) statement, “when you get right down to it, the goals of both are relatively the same. Serious games and gamification both are trying to solve a problem, motivate, promote learning and using game-based thinking and techniques” (p. 16).
Numerous investigations have focused on the influence of video games in education (Barab et al.
2007; Barab et al.
2010; Blunt
2007; Gee
2004; Kafai
1998; Prensky
2001; Squire and Jenkins
2003). Many of these studies agree that statistically significant improvements in terms of increased motivation and task commitment and enjoyment are connected with video games (Cebrián
2013). Revuelta and Guerra (
2012) provide a list of educational learning processes that favour the inclusion in classrooms of the game: a motivating and flattering performance element, the use of edutainment, the acquisition of or use of skills for problem solving, socialization and cooperation, increased concentration, personal autonomy, close teacher-student relationship, a multi-area and multi-tasking tool, the ability to interact, the assimilation and interconnection of content, the development of values, the simulation of situations, improved decision-making, and immediate feedback.
We also found less positive reviews. For Blunt (
2007) “there is not enough research to determine the relationship between video games and learning” (p. 2). De Freitas and Oliver (
2006) argue that “although a number of frameworks exist that are intended to guide and support the evaluation of educational software, few have been designed that consider explicitly the use of games or simulations in education” (p. 262). De-Marcos et al. (
2014) state that “there are drawbacks to their use for educational purposes associated with educational content, transfer of learning, assessment, potential problems of teacher involvement or technical infrastructure” (Borrás et al.
2014, p. 2). And others like Akkerman et al. (
2009), and Moshirnia and Israel (
2010) in the article by Young et al. (
2012) agree that when it comes to integrating gaming in areas such as the present one (history) “adding text or historical information to gaming is not enough to foster learning” (p. 80). Overall, despite the criticism, it is undeniable that video games are technological tools that are fully integrated into society (Revuelta and Guerra
2012). As for incorporation into classrooms, a 2012 study by the Spanish Association of Games indicates that 67 % of Europeans and 58 % of Spaniards consider the use of entertainment software in general and video games in particular as educational tools as something beneficial (aDeSe
2012; Marín and Martín-Párraga
2014). The report also states that 30.9 % of Spanish elementary teachers acknowledge having used video games in their teaching, mainly in subjects like maths, science and Spanish. Moreover, 79.2 % of teachers believe that video games’ great teaching capacity and their introduction in the classroom can function as a stimulating teaching method (aDeSe
2012, p. 32). However, they also state that due to a lack of information and guidance regarding the possibilities of applying video games in schools (75.9 %), there should be more support from the public administration to provide resources and facilitate the realization of this type of activity (64.4 %) and, in general, the centres are not adapted (poor Internet connections, lack of computers, etc.) for this type of activity (63.4 %).
In this regard, the need to promote adequate initial ICT training of future teachers (derided in the curriculum) has led us to train students enrolled in the Social Sciences II: History and Teaching subject in the second year of their master’s degree in Primary Education course in the Faculty of Education of Albacete, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. By following a TPACK model as an intervention approach, we have educated them in the pedagogical integration of video games for the teaching of historical and artistic content. To do this, we relied upon the use of MinecraftEdu (
http://minecraftedu.com), the educational version of the popular virtual world Minecraft. This is an immersive environment that responds to the sandbox model, with its own educational community composed of teachers and programmers, and with a set of specific tools for the development of educational activities within the environment personalized by and adapted to different educational levels and subject areas (Gertrudix and Gertrudix
2013).