Posted by Unknown
As the year comes to an end so does this blog, we've done some pretty cool stuff this year but its time to go our separate ways, bye.
Monday, June 3, 2013
End of the year wrap up
Posted by Unknown
This year we have spent our time in Gifted trying to better the school, ourselves, and the lives of the people around us. In our efforts we have tried to keep our group collaboration related to our individual topics of interest. Third quarter we decided to shift our topic to better reflect what we wanted to achieve in this class and in the discussions that followed we decided to focus our time on the different aspects of educational games.
We have been able to study and post about a number of different kinds, benefits, and parts of educational games. In the beginning we focused on what and how games were able to teach students. Ryan focused on how video games could educate student. Jordan worked with the language of games. Lindseys posts examined the story line of games and how it affected the game. Victoria researched how new technology affects games and how students respond to these games. Of course we included a lot more into our blog which helped us to build a greater understanding of what works and why.
But what did we accomplish? As group we were able to pick a topic and not only study it but do so in a way that incorporated topics that really interest us. We have found what we believe to be the best techniques for teaching students and what games best utilize these techniques. One of the ways we were able to find some of the best games was by interviewing a student who we thought was in the age group that could best benefit from the use of educational games. This isnt quite finished but here is the wrapup of our progress this year
We have been able to study and post about a number of different kinds, benefits, and parts of educational games. In the beginning we focused on what and how games were able to teach students. Ryan focused on how video games could educate student. Jordan worked with the language of games. Lindseys posts examined the story line of games and how it affected the game. Victoria researched how new technology affects games and how students respond to these games. Of course we included a lot more into our blog which helped us to build a greater understanding of what works and why.
But what did we accomplish? As group we were able to pick a topic and not only study it but do so in a way that incorporated topics that really interest us. We have found what we believe to be the best techniques for teaching students and what games best utilize these techniques. One of the ways we were able to find some of the best games was by interviewing a student who we thought was in the age group that could best benefit from the use of educational games. This isnt quite finished but here is the wrapup of our progress this year
Friday, May 31, 2013
Current Language Games
Posted by Unknown
Language games already exist, and I decided that I need to know what language games already exist for children to get an idea for what a language game I create would look like.
- Word Puzzles. These can be fill-in-the-blank, or other formats. These games require certain words to be found to complete objectives.
- Reading comprehension. These games require players to look at a page of text and identify what certain words mean using context clues or prior knowledge.
- Word/Letter sounds. These games use audio to help players understand how words and letters sound when spoken.
- Synonym/Antonym. These games require players to find which words are opposites of each other or similar to each other.
- Crossword Puzzles. These games require players to find a word to fit in a certain space using definition and word length as the only clues. As more words are discovered, words that cross other words also give hints to what another word may be. These can be as simple or as advanced as the gamemaker wishes.
These are just a few examples of the hundreds of language games that exists, but these are extremely common types.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Indirectly educational games.
Posted by Unknown
Most kids, students, people in general, don't like learning. This is probably because of schools and their techniques and I'm sure I could make 100 posts on how that's true but that's not what this post is about. Games are often underutilized as teaching techniques. Many games teach valuable skills but do not do so in a direct manner. For example, a direct learning game is flyswatter, jeopardy, or memory. An indirect learning game often teaches skills including problem solving or strategy. I think it is important to incorporate indirect games with direct games when teaching. These games seem less like learning exercises to students while still providing an education on skills that are not often taught in schools.
This is a collection of what I believe to be important indirect learning games which I have in my house.
Visual eyes is a game where players must decipher phases from a number of pictures. This game relies heavily on critical thinking skills and it requires people to think outside the box. This game can be hard to start because most people don't think visually but with a little time this game really builds up these skills. I included pictures of some examples of phrases so you can see what the game is like. Another good thing about this game is that as long as everyone can see the dice there are no strict player limits.
Dominoes is a classic game and it, along with its more modern counterpart triominos, can be a really good game with regards to strategy and number recognition. These games would be really valuable learning instruments for teachers of younger kids. This game is not really heavy on the learning but it is pretty fun, I admit to spending quite a few days playing triominos as a child. Plus these games provide a nice break from the constant repetitive memorization of math facts.
Quiddler is another game that I believe would be really important for young students. It focuses on making little words as well as some "big" ones. This game helps students recognize how letters combine to make words and to make this recognition quickly.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Best Learning Game 2012
Posted by Unknown
Blood Typing Game
Nobel has a prize for best educational game each year. Last years was a game about blood typing.
Here is the description of the missions in the game.
Hi and welcome to the emergency department at this hospital!
Your challenge is to save three patients who have been in a car accident and need blood transfusions. It is your job to blood type each patient and give them the correct blood. Try to avoid making mistakes or the patient's condition will deteriorate! If you make no mistakes you will get all five out of five blood drops in the end.
First you select a parent
Then you look at the contents of their blood and give them the transfusion that reflects this.
You have to select all of the bloods that the patients body can accept so they don't die
This game is pretty hard to start but it gets significantly easier and it would definitely have helped me a lot when we were working on blood types in Biology. This game is really educational and visually pleasing. If I was a biology teacher I would show it to my students.
Nobel has a prize for best educational game each year. Last years was a game about blood typing.
Here is the description of the missions in the game.
Hi and welcome to the emergency department at this hospital!
Your challenge is to save three patients who have been in a car accident and need blood transfusions. It is your job to blood type each patient and give them the correct blood. Try to avoid making mistakes or the patient's condition will deteriorate! If you make no mistakes you will get all five out of five blood drops in the end.
First you select a parent
Then you look at the contents of their blood and give them the transfusion that reflects this.
You have to select all of the bloods that the patients body can accept so they don't die
This game is pretty hard to start but it gets significantly easier and it would definitely have helped me a lot when we were working on blood types in Biology. This game is really educational and visually pleasing. If I was a biology teacher I would show it to my students.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Language Games: How Should We Make Them?
Posted by Unknown
Earlier, I made a post on the effectiveness of teaching a secondary language or advanced language to children at a young age. Since their brains are more capable of language learning, it makes sense to do this. The last step is how to make the game. I can think of several options.
- Flash Cards. Good, reliable, but boring flash cards. This is probably the easiest method, but it fails to captivate children to the extent that it should.
- Some form of board game. Whenever you roll the dice and land on a space, you draw a card and attempt to define the word. It can be in a foreign language or an advanced word. If it is defined correctly, some benefit could be given. If not, the child can write the definition down and use it should the word turn up again. Board games can be extremely captivating for children, given that they are done correctly.
- Flyswatter. Words appear on a canvas produced by a projector, an instructor calls out the word's definition or meaning in the students' current language, and the first one of the two to hit the correct word gets a point for their team. Some students may find this boring, but others find the idea of challenge exciting.
Other options exist, of course, but these three seem the best on a gamemaker's standpoint. I may update this list if I think of anything new.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
End of the year review games.
Posted by Unknown
So I am going to be posting some games I have thought of that would be cool quick and easy review games that would help teach for finals or any tests you are taking at the end of the year. I have no idea if anyone has thought of these before but I tried my best to create something somewhat original.
1) Hunger Games Review Game
So you get a bowl filled with numbers and assign a number to each student. Take two numbers and have the cooresponding students come up to answer a question. The losing student gets eliminated and their number is removed from the bowl. You can continue choose numbers until their is one student, the victor, remaining.
1) Hunger Games Review Game
So you get a bowl filled with numbers and assign a number to each student. Take two numbers and have the cooresponding students come up to answer a question. The losing student gets eliminated and their number is removed from the bowl. You can continue choose numbers until their is one student, the victor, remaining.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Making a game
Posted by Unknown
As the year ends we are starting to actually brainstorm/create a game. Here are some of the resources I have found that aid in this process.
http://noshowconf.com/presentation/how-to-make-a-card-game-in-30-easy-steps/
This one is mostly for card games but the step by step process could be adapted to any kind of game.
http://m.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Board-Game
Board games are more complex than what we will be making but it is good to have all of the details for how to make a game.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/egg-celent-way-end-school-year
And finally this one is not how to make a game but a really cool game which is like something I would like to create.
http://noshowconf.com/presentation/how-to-make-a-card-game-in-30-easy-steps/
This one is mostly for card games but the step by step process could be adapted to any kind of game.
http://m.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Board-Game
Board games are more complex than what we will be making but it is good to have all of the details for how to make a game.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/egg-celent-way-end-school-year
And finally this one is not how to make a game but a really cool game which is like something I would like to create.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Children's Mindsets: Using Language Study in Children's Games
Posted by Unknown
The developing child's mind is an interesting subject to analyze. The most interesting aspect of developing infant and toddler's brains are capable of learning a language at a much faster rate only by listening. An adult never has to take a baby or toddler to a language instructor, they are capable of teaching themselves, in a way. Whereas adults and teenagers must go through rigorous learning, memorizing, and testing to comprehend another language. Even after the innate period of language learning is over, a four year old with a decent vocabulary in their native language can still learn another language much quicker than an adult.
Now, what does this have anything to do with children's educational games? For starters, if the game was targeted at children from 3-5 years old, having this game help them understand another language besides their own would help if the child needed to be bilingual. Playing this game along with teaching them basic vocabulary in the desired language to be learned would help them develop the second language rather quickly.
What if, though, the child didn't need to be bilingual or their parents did not find it valuable enough? The game could also help them learn advanced English vocabulary, if that is their native language. The young brain's ability to learn languages does not have to be two or more, it can simply be one. This one language, however, can be refined very well and give the child an edge in their early-level English classes.
Now, what does this have anything to do with children's educational games? For starters, if the game was targeted at children from 3-5 years old, having this game help them understand another language besides their own would help if the child needed to be bilingual. Playing this game along with teaching them basic vocabulary in the desired language to be learned would help them develop the second language rather quickly.
What if, though, the child didn't need to be bilingual or their parents did not find it valuable enough? The game could also help them learn advanced English vocabulary, if that is their native language. The young brain's ability to learn languages does not have to be two or more, it can simply be one. This one language, however, can be refined very well and give the child an edge in their early-level English classes.
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.
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