Education and Technology Over Time

Education and Technology Over Time

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Education and Technology Throughout The Ages
As time goes on more young people are being educated; likewise, the technologies that are available are affecting their education process. Most students have a computer, tablet, or smartphone. It is very important to adapt the learning process to fit these advancements. By creating and showing students the educational capabilities of the technology they already own, educators will be able to educate students better. Basically what I'm trying to say is as the technology available to the students advances the education they receive needs to reflect that. As a group we want to modify the learning process using technology, as well as games.

Educational ipad Games Part:1

Educational ipad Games Part:1

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I have "forced" my sister to help me with this project even more. I got a bunch of ipad games and asked her to play them and answer some of my questions. I made all of these on the same day and I was to lazy to type it all out so I recorded all of it.

The first game we played was called Kids' Vocab by MindSnacks. It offers one free section of vocab games and the other 24 are $4.99. My sister chose the astronomy section.  This game had really great graphics and it definitely helped her learn these words, which she was studying in class.

I apologize in advance if this is really awkward but I've already recorded four or five and I'm not re-doing them now.

Interview with a student.

Interview with a student.

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Teaching games from the perspective of a student. I wanted to see what kind of games students like the best so today I am going to ask my little sister some questions about learning and games. If this works well I think it would be good to ask more students of different backgrounds and ages.

Amelia: age nine third grade.

V- Do you play a lot of games at school?

A- Yeah

V- What kind of games do you play most often?

A- Uh, puzzles and connect four.

V- Do you play a lot of games that teach you things?

A- We play games like fast math and type to learn at the beginning of the day.

V- Do you like these kinds of games?

A- Sort of, there not the best but they’re good.

V- Do you play any games as a class?

A- Not really

V- Does your teacher try to make learning fun?

A- Yes

V-How does she do that?

A- For example when we were doing math we were doing a rays and we did them with candy, and um we also were doing a sentence game and when we got all around the game board we got to eat candy.

V- So you do play games...would you like school more and learn better if you played more educational games?

A- Yes

V- What kind of games would you like to play?

A- Smart board games!

V- Ok thanks, anything else you would like to say?

A- *Shakes tiger stuffed animal head* no

Educational Video Games for the iPad

Educational Video Games for the iPad

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          As technology develops, so do the uses that go along with it. This technology was integrated into educational systems to enhance learning. Now, many students are receiving iPads for educational use. However, one does not necessarily need the iPad to be distributed at school to use it for educational purposes. Many apps and games have been released for the iPad, and many of these are education-based.

          One type of education-based game is direct. This is the kind of game that teaches english, math, science, or some other topic through a straightforward, graphic lesson. I saw my 6-year-old cousin playing some of these on her iPad. It was basically just a group of interactive activities that taught various science subjects such as the water cycle, float v. sink, and plants. However, I don't feel she was actually learning anything since she just memorized how to get through all the activities without even listening to the directions. And she thought it was boring because of this. I would recommend having an adult play with the child, so that the kid might actually learn something. There is a large number of games of this sort to download, and are especially helpful for young kids.

          The other type of education-based game is a lot more popular with a larger audience. These would be puzzle games such as Unblock Me, Flow, and Four Pics One Word. They help improve critical thinking skills while still providing a challenging form of entertainment. However, because they do not teach a specific topic and are thus viewed as entertainment-only, these games are not as suitable to integrate into education systems as the first type.

          Many iPad games (or apps) are a good supplement to school education. Others may also improve a person's puzzle-solving skills. Also, they are not a hindrance to society in any way. This makes video games a great platform for learning.

Types Of Educational Games

Types Of Educational Games

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Educational games come in many different formats. Board games, electronic games, card games and so many more can be adapted to fit an educational format. Some of the most popular games with students are the simplest to create and run. From my experience it is best to introduce competition between classmates and offer a small prize. Games like flyswatter, jeopardy, and football are often very popular. Most of the time, the best games are the simplest to create and play. It will probably be hard to create a new game but there are a lot of ideas moving through our heads. In the coming weeks we will be introducing our first concept. We will probably be starting with an activity that doesn't require too much equipment or time.

How games teach students best.

How games teach students best.

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The Art and Science of Teaching / Using Games to Enhance Student Achievement

"Games are a regular part of students' lives, no matter what their grade level. Students play games throughout the day on their computers, the Internet, and their cell phones. One of the few places they don't regularly play games is in their classrooms. Although some teachers use games as a part of their instructional repertoire, most teachers do not, and those who do include them may not be using them to their potential."

I found this article by the  Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development very relevant because it says exactly what we have been trying to. Kids like games; introducing games into the classroom is an effective way of keeping them interested in their learning. 

This article did not discuss specific effective games but it did give ideas for making games more effective which included...not making the stakes too high, targeting specific topics with the game, and asking what students thought of the games.