Escaping!!

     I played Polleke's Blue Room four times because I was attempting to escape from the room just a bit faster each time.  I was intrinsically motivated and engaged which is one of the arguments for teachers to implement such games according to Stephan Franciosi.  In his article   "A Comparison of  Computer Game and Language-Learning Task Design Using Flow Theory"  Franciosi  stressed that games can  facilitate language learning because of immediate feedback and clear, concrete goals.  He wrote "computer games and language learning tasks are fundamentally identical  in that both can be considered goal-oriented and rule-driven activities."  I  never considered such  benefits online games offer to foreign language students until I learned about gamification, which entails using game style logic  in a non-game situation  so  the lesson is more enjoyable and participatory.  Hence, learning objectives can be met by problem solving which includes solving puzzles and working collaboratively.  Completion of a puzzle and a search for hidden objects are  required to escape from "Polleke's Blue Room."  
     "Polleke's Blue Room" would enhance a language learning lesson because as  students converse, they  would  practice using  prepositions, vocabulary words and  imperative verb forms as well as reinforce listening and reading comprehension skills.  So, reinforcement of prepositions, key vocabulary and imperative verb forms would be the language learning objectives. Prior to this game, students will have studied necessary vocabulary.  Each person would also be given pictures of the room (as shown online) as one way to anticipate what will happen in this lesson.  I subsequently describe how to play the game showing images of the room and a walk through.  This way, students  sharpen listening comprehension skills. Reading comprehension skills are addressed when I distribute a script of the instructions to escape from the room. I would add about four or five questions at the end of the walk through script to ensure understanding. Students  help each other answer questions after first attempting to answer the questions themselves.    By labeling items in  pictures, and making notes about where things are, students practice vocabulary and review prepositions.  Working in groups of three, so one person would  write what their group does to problem solve, one person would explain what to do using imperative verb forms and prepositions and the third person would be actually playing the game.  Roles are switched partway through the game.
     To assess learning, students would write their own reflections about this lesson in a journal.  Journal entries would be in response to teacher questions such as where the particular items were found (to assess preposition knowledge) or how they would tell another person to escape from the room (to assess knowledge of the imperative verb forms and vocabulary).