Showing posts with label Games. Show all posts
Friday, April 26, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Games and Story Lines
Posted by Unknown
Games usually have some sort of plot or story line to go with it, which provides a background for the player. Some can be as simple as running from monsters because you swiped an idol, (Temple Run) or as complex as Heavy Rain. However, some stories don't have a story line, just get from point A to point B or score a certain number of points.
(this is the story for Heavy Rain if you were wondering)
Heavy Rain--
The game starts with a man named Ethan Mars. He has a family of four and lives in a beautiful house. However, one day while the family is shopping, one of this sons, Jason, gets hit by a car. This drastically changes the family's life. Ethan and his wife get divorced, and he takes his other son, Shaun, to live in a small apartment.
Ethan has times when he blacks out and sees visions of the Origami Killer. The Origami Killer is man who kidnaps children and often leads to the father's death. One day, Shaun is kidnapped by the Origami Killer. From this point on, Ethan goes through various dangerous challenges to try to save his son. Throughout the game, it is also uncertain who the Origami Killer is, and one of the suspects is Ethan himself.
The player follows several different story lines, as every section has a different playable character. This includes Madison Paige, a reporter that wants to write a story on the Origami Killer; Scott Shelby, a retired police officer that investigates privately, and Norman Jayden, an FBI agent who is assigned to investigate the Origami Killer case and is addicted to a certain drug. The stories of these four characters are intertwined as everyone tries to figure out who the Origami Killer is and save Shaun Mars.
Other details in the story:
Madison and Ethan fall in love.
Scott Shelby is the Origami Killer. He became the Origami Killer because his father was a drunkard who let Scott's brother drown.
Norman Jayden has continuous drug addiction problems, which affect his ability to solve the case. However, his illness is caused by a combination of the drug and the FBI technology called ARI.
For most of the game, everyone thinks Ethan Mars is the Origami Killer, and he is constantly running from the police.
(this is the story for Heavy Rain if you were wondering)
Heavy Rain--
The game starts with a man named Ethan Mars. He has a family of four and lives in a beautiful house. However, one day while the family is shopping, one of this sons, Jason, gets hit by a car. This drastically changes the family's life. Ethan and his wife get divorced, and he takes his other son, Shaun, to live in a small apartment.
Ethan has times when he blacks out and sees visions of the Origami Killer. The Origami Killer is man who kidnaps children and often leads to the father's death. One day, Shaun is kidnapped by the Origami Killer. From this point on, Ethan goes through various dangerous challenges to try to save his son. Throughout the game, it is also uncertain who the Origami Killer is, and one of the suspects is Ethan himself.
The player follows several different story lines, as every section has a different playable character. This includes Madison Paige, a reporter that wants to write a story on the Origami Killer; Scott Shelby, a retired police officer that investigates privately, and Norman Jayden, an FBI agent who is assigned to investigate the Origami Killer case and is addicted to a certain drug. The stories of these four characters are intertwined as everyone tries to figure out who the Origami Killer is and save Shaun Mars.
Other details in the story:
Madison and Ethan fall in love.
Scott Shelby is the Origami Killer. He became the Origami Killer because his father was a drunkard who let Scott's brother drown.
Norman Jayden has continuous drug addiction problems, which affect his ability to solve the case. However, his illness is caused by a combination of the drug and the FBI technology called ARI.
For most of the game, everyone thinks Ethan Mars is the Origami Killer, and he is constantly running from the police.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Educational ipad Games Part: 2
Posted by Unknown
Monday, April 1, 2013
The Effectiveness of Games and Play on a Developing Child's Brain
Posted by Unknown
More details on this subject can be researched here.
The interesting effect of games on a child brain differs from when violent games are played to when nonviolent games are played. Violent games often stimulate the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, which often assists in planning and control. The more used to violence the player is, the less this part of the brain is stimulated. This, however, does not always desensitize the player to actual violence, and is not a leading cause in developing serial killers. Whether or not games help develop the player's brain or not is still up to debate.
The interesting effect of games on a child brain differs from when violent games are played to when nonviolent games are played. Violent games often stimulate the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, which often assists in planning and control. The more used to violence the player is, the less this part of the brain is stimulated. This, however, does not always desensitize the player to actual violence, and is not a leading cause in developing serial killers. Whether or not games help develop the player's brain or not is still up to debate.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Education and Technology Over Time
Posted by Unknown
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.
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.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Educational ipad Games Part:1
Posted by Unknown
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Interview with a student.
Posted by Unknown
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
Friday, March 22, 2013
Educational Video Games for the iPad
Posted by Unknown
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.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Types Of Educational Games
Posted by Unknown
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.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
How games teach students best.
Posted by Unknown
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.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
How to teach students using games.
Posted by Unknown
How to teach students using games
This website helps break down the steps you need to take in order to teach students using a game or other activities.
You need to have a clear plan of what you want to teach as well as how in order to keep the learning on track. Giving the game a story line can help keep students more interested in the game. Rewards and prizes are a good idea in almost every aspect of life. Adding one into the game also keeps students more interested and encourages competition. Creating a physical game element once allows you to use it again and again with your students. I'm not exactly sure if I agree with the "don't let students choose their group" sentiment but there are definitely drawbacks to each view.
This website helps break down the steps you need to take in order to teach students using a game or other activities.
You need to have a clear plan of what you want to teach as well as how in order to keep the learning on track. Giving the game a story line can help keep students more interested in the game. Rewards and prizes are a good idea in almost every aspect of life. Adding one into the game also keeps students more interested and encourages competition. Creating a physical game element once allows you to use it again and again with your students. I'm not exactly sure if I agree with the "don't let students choose their group" sentiment but there are definitely drawbacks to each view.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
List of Popular Kids Games/Activities
Posted by Unknown
Here is a list of games my friends and I played when we were younger. These games are all really good and can be adapted in a way that teaches students.
Four Corners
Simon Says
Flyswatter
Blob Tag
Hot Potato
If I think of a few more I will post them either as an addition to this post or as a new post.
Future Blog Plans
Posted by Unknown
We have been doing a lot of work towards research and more progress will be posted on our blog soon. Next we need to decide which teaching methods are the most effective. Before we design big phyisical games we will create smaller ones based on games and techniques we already know. I teach a group of little kids tae kwon do and I know that kids love moving around so it would be really good to include movement in our activities.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Popular Educational Games
Posted by Unknown
There are a number of games designed to teach kids while entertaining them. We would like to emulate these games when creating our own activities.
Funbrain
This website is really popular with elementary students. It takes normal games that kids are used to, like tic tac toe, and incorporates a learning element into them. The arcade is especially popular because students like to compete to see who can get to the finish first.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter
Games like this challenge your brain without you realizing it. The puzzles can be very challenging even for adults. Without directly incorporating any of the core subjects studied in school this game provides a good educational challenge for people of all ages.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Mission Statement and Group Roles
Posted by Unknown
This blog will be the place where we submit our research of children's learning techniques and how to make entertaining games academically beneficial towards their development.
Group Roles:
Ryan- Designing any physical games, Researching current educational games
Victoria- Researching effective learning techniques,creating game prototypes
Jordan- creating game topics, proofreading/editing games
Lindsey- Making games more appealing and kid friendly
Group Roles:
Ryan- Designing any physical games, Researching current educational games
Victoria- Researching effective learning techniques,creating game prototypes
Jordan- creating game topics, proofreading/editing games
Lindsey- Making games more appealing and kid friendly
Educational Video Games
Posted by Unknown
In recent years, various different methods of teaching children have been tested to try to depose of the traditional lecture method of teaching. One method evolved from the diffusion of computers. This was to use video games to educate children. As crazy as it sounds, it actually makes sense. Video games are visually pleasing and interactive, and can fully involve kids in their game. This makes it a more interesting medium for kids to learn from. Also, video games improve visual-spatial thinking skills and critical thinking skills. Overall, video games can be used to enhance the learning of a child.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Learning Through Games
Posted by Unknown
As a group we have decided to shift our group project focus. Our new project is kind of a mix of the other two we have done. Children enjoy playing games and it is important to keep them engaged in learning so they find it fun. We will be researching the most effective techniques and create games that follow these. Instead of creating one big game we will make several smaller games. We feel this will be a better project because it is more engaging and we will have an actual object that we can use as a result of our work.
The last project was very slow going and didn't have any definite endpoint. Our initial focus will be on younger children but we believe that we could eventually create activities that could help highschoolers learn easier.
The last project was very slow going and didn't have any definite endpoint. Our initial focus will be on younger children but we believe that we could eventually create activities that could help highschoolers learn easier.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
