MacLeod, K., Kraglund-Gauthier, W. L., & Griffiths, G. (2022). The efficacy of online games for teaching ocean literacy in Nova Scotia: Results from a pilot study. In M. Jacobsen & C. Smith (Eds.), Online learning and teaching from kindergarten to graduate school (pp. 526-553). Canadian Association for Teacher Education (CATE). http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40509

Abstract:

“In Nova Scotia, all citizens live within approximately 70 kilometers of the Atlantic Ocean with opportunities of both traditional and “newer,” non-traditional ocean-based careers. Yet there is an apparent lack of interest in ocean-based careers, perhaps due to formal education not emphasizing ocean literacy in engaging ways. Ocean literacy (OL) is not formally integrated into the provincial curriculum before Grade 11, at which time it is an elective course. This chapter describes qualitative research on how three specific serious online games were introduced to teach ocean literacy to pre-service teachers enrolled within a Nova Scotia-based B.Ed. program. More particularly, the focus here is on how one specific game, Salmon Cycle, was incorporated in classroom learning, and how pre-service teachers perceived the pedagogical value of the game for their students’ learning during practicum. Data collection via interviews of pre-service teachers focused on discussions of available classroom technology, the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) needed during their practicum placement, and their opinions on the effectiveness of Salmon Cycle as a catalyst to integrate ocean literacy learning with their science curriculum outcomes. The results from this study indicate that activities to increase ocean literacy can be infused into pedagogical practice by connecting cross-curricular — and culturally-relevant — interactive serious game content with science, technology, society, and environmental (STSE) outcomes, in so far as the pedagogy is the focus and the technology is not seen as the ‘add-on.'”