I think the playing of games is a very good activity. I have being playing games as far I can remember, both board and electronic games. I remembered playing an electronic car game as a teenager which has helped in driving skills, decision making and avoiding collisions. Since recently, I have being playing three electronic […]
Continue reading Chess, Monopoly and Chinese Checker Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
When I started playing 3rd World Farmer I was a little lost about what I should do. I thought that this was not a good educational game. But I decided to continue playing in order to figure out what are players supposed to do. While playing I was discovering the things that I had to […]
Continue reading When I started playing 3rd World Farmer … Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
Hey Angela,
I encountered the same experience as you while playing 3rd World Farmer. I wasn’t sure what to do, but after sticking with it soon found that it is a great way to exercise decision making and problem solving!
Good point Angela, I think this game could really benefit from a multiplayer version. It would be more interesting and I think more meaningful because you would have a more authentic community experience.
Angella,
I agree with you that it would be more attractive for users that the game could foster a collaborative learning. Doing this promotes higher level thinking skills, increases student retention, builds self-esteem in students, enhances student satisfaction with the learning experience, promotes a positive attitude toward the subject matter and develops social interaction skills.
Keisha
Hi Angela,
I like the listed benefits of playing games. I agree with you that the playing of games fosters creativity and critical thinking and create a friendly-user platform. I also think that the playing of games allows one to see the true character of a person. For example, the playing of a game will observe if a person gets angry easily or is competitive. Some ladies they used the playing of games to identify the characteristics of their partners.
Like Verena and Brenda, I have a bias against gaming. A lot of the games I have “played” were lame or low-level thinking. The one game that I really enjoyed during my high school years was “All the Right Type”. It was fun and easy to play, and you can set a goal for yourself […]
Continue reading Like Verena and Brenda, I have a bias ag… Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
Although I grew up with both a computer and nintendo I have never really taken to gaming and now would still rather learn through reading or interacting socially. For myself as a learning I find these more beneficial and associate gaming with leisure and it does not engage me as a learner as much as I get the sense […]
Continue reading Although I grew up with both a computer … Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
Dear Jay,
Although I remember the game, I have to admit I didn’t play it much and I appreciate your comment about not being a game based learner as much as a book/written word and social learner. This unit has made me think more about me as a learner, too. I tend to game for fun and relaxation but I think of how my child in grade 1 uses games to learn spelling right now on the computer.
So, a detective eh?
I too remember that game Jay…thanks for the reminder. I remember thinking that my kids would really enjoy it and I would sneak in some geography education on them…didn’t work – they really didn’t enjoy the game as it lacked the “action” they preferred.
Hi Jay,
Reading your post I can already see that the “Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?” is a game that would encourage the development of problem solving skills in addition to learning geography. I can also relate to associating gaming with leisurey, my take of it is that the skills it teaches are embedded and so are not apparent and it is just as well, because it is a way to make learning informal and fun in order to attract someone who does not like to learn in the usual formal way,
Hey Jay, I also remember playing “Where in the world is Carmen San Diego”. I agree with your post that I play games for the fun of it and don’t necessarily combined learning and games. However, there are some great games that do enhance learning, especially for young children.
I chose to play a number of the games that seemed to all put you in a first-person context. The first game that I played was the game Spent. Spent was a pretty well crafted game that was quite short and based on a number of decisions as a single parent that has lost everything. […]
Continue reading Games Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
I gave Spent a try too…and was wiped out financially in about 3 minutes…I see the point they are making about trying to make a living on minimum wage – I can see this being quite beneficial for those students who drop out of school before graduating because they got the “great job” at minimum wage – having no clue how much everything costs…But what disengaged me was the fact that the reason I was wiped out financially was because I didn’t pay for health insurance – very U.S. oriented. However, I then needed dental work and couldn’t afford it so I lived with the pain…a real-life experience. I found that my university bound students were much more intrigued with SimCity games where the development of a city or society required much more complex thinking and problem solving.
This game allows you to pretend to be a farmer in a third world country (Africa). It is a family of 4 (2 adults under 30 and 2 children under 9), with very little money. The children put in 38% labour each into the farm work while parents put in 100% each, The children have […]
Continue reading The 3rd world farmer game review Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
Dear Ifeoma,
Thanks for the great breakdown of what seems to me to be a fairly engaging and educational game. One of the concepts that game based learning pushes is the immersion of the player into the game and this certainly proves the point. There have been a number of games over the years that build on this idea. I played one that had to do with Chinese dynasties and until the workers learned how to do certain things, I wasn’t able to “graduate” into the next technological age. The Age of Empires series does the same. However, your game is from a much more “recent” time which can teach the immediacy of the situation. Thanks for the contribution.
Hi,
I definitely was immersed in the game and because i grew up in aAfrica and have a good sense of the context most of the concepts that were being brought up were not alien to me and so it was quite close to real life for me. I think the game is a successful one in terms of immersion.
Personally, I think people learn more when learning is situated for them and this game scores an A for that from my point of view.
Hi,
I played this one too. On my second year, I allowed a company to store their ‘harmless barrels’ on my land, and one of my kids died. Pretty depressing.
What I find interesting about this game, and the Spent game as well, is that there is a sort of authentic “will you ever win?” feel to it (just like real life). There are no hard and fast rules, and you have to deal with whatever the fallout is from your decisions and move on. There are some serious life skills here. Maybe this is an advantage of GBL.
Emily
Jarvise, I couldn’t agree more with you that this game teaches life skills and I might add with ease. I was particularly awed by the influences that were factored into the game including the fact that being pregnant was a factor too 🙂 It is a serious game for getting kids to understand cause and effect. I really enjoyed t,Thanks to your grup for opening my eyes to the potential lying within GBL
I am not a big game fan so my experience is very limited. I have tried a few before including jeopardy and hangaroo. The experience with hangaroo was rather rewarding as I used to play that game before but not in digital format. As a teacher of literacy, I was able to use this game […]
Continue reading Hangaroo Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
Hey Everton,
I have used Jeopardy in my classroom and the students love it! When I was student teaching, I would create a jeopardy page then alter it depending on what lesson was going to be used. I would use the SMART board to display the game and the students loved being chosen to answer the question, interacting with the board!
How effective was this game in your class? Did you use it for a specific subject area? I actually used it for comprehension classes and did it with competing teams. My students were serious competitors and therefore they made the process intense and interactive. I even designed a teacher-made jeopardy too.
Everton
Dear Everton,
I think having a kangaroo hurl insults at me would be kinda fun 🙂 Would be even better if it could hurl Shakespearean insults. Now there’s something kinda geeky for you. Interesting response from a person who professes to be a non-gamer. As well, I have used Jeopardy before in my classes. I love it and for some reason, the students seem to think that it isn’t “work” although the amount of review we get done in a couple of games is the equivalent of a whole unit of terms or concepts.
Hi Everton,
It sure sounds like you had fun playing Hangaroo I guess the hangman’s noose and the Kangaroo are the two major controls you have in the game, probably why it called Hangaroo 🙂 Evidently, these did the job well enough in getting not just the students but you to learn new words. I do not know this game but it sure sounds like scrabble of sorts to me.
Everton,
I have used Jeopardy in my class and it was fun for the students. It kept them alive, interested and motivated. Sometimes a little fun is just what students need to be re-inspired, and games can be an excellent way to learn, practice, and review a lesson’s content in interesting and creative ways.
Keisha
It’s really fun and a vocabulary and general knowledge builder. A great way to avoid conventional vocabulary strategies.
Everton,
I can recall our teachers using hangaroo with as children in primary and high school but I have never used it as a teacher. It is an exciting game; one sparkle interest in students. I have used jeopardy with my students which they like very much.
At the risk of disclosing my age, I am going to tell everyone the story of the one game that popped into my mind. It was a game that was played using a 5 inch floppy disk. My Dad got it for me to encourge me into learning about computers and their history. It was pretty much […]
Continue reading My Flashback – Quiz games Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
That reward system really works doesn’t it? I had the similar experience with the typing tutor which had a little guy jumping over hurdles. Whenever I missed a keystroke he would trip on the hurdle. It kept me typing for long periods of time to try to see how long I could go without the guy tripping. Such simplicity to get you hooked but it probably wouldn’t work today with the complex virtual worlds that are out there.
– Julie
I remember those typing tutors! Those were fun. The one that I really enjoyed was Typer Shark by Pop gap games. Very addictive, but it did improve my typing skills.
Juliana.
we must be from the same era..because I remember that too! 5 inch floppy disks were so up-and-coming!!
We are definitely from the same era then! It’s funny because now I have a memory stick that can hold up to 16GB of memory. Now that’s progress!
Juliana.
I am from the floppy era too and now when I look at one I just have laugh and say omg. You hit the nail on the head about reward. I dont know if it’s because most people experience more sad times than happy times in life why we embrace anything rewarding and successful. Games really have the power to motivate us and that’s the reason many persons are hooked on them. For some, this is the only medium where they find success.
Thanks Everton for your comments. You are right in that we seem to be a reward based society. I think it has something to do with how we are evolutionarily wired. Even when I am teaching it is amazing what people will do for a chocolate bar.
Juliana.
Juliana, I agree that rewards work for kids. Again there may have been an element of novelty there for you too even though the fireworks were in monochrome, there were not other games that could do that then. I wonder at what point that novelty wore off and then you started wanting more, perhaps asking your dad why the fireworks would not show color 🙂
Thanks for your question! I stopped playing the game when the fireworks weren’t enough of a pay off for me. I found that after a while I could do the whole test in 5 minutes flat without even really thinking about it. It is the same thing I face today with other games. I am only interested in them when I have to work to get to progress forward in it. However, when I get to a point where I am playing the game and having other thoughts running through my head (ie. what to do for work, grocery lists etc.), then I know it is time to move on to another game. When I start no longer focusing on the game, it means I am getting good at it and it is time for me to move on.
Juliana.
I have a lot of personal experience with gaming on the computer. At a young age my parents enrolled me in a computer program, outside of school, where I learned how to use the computer as well as playing games- math, reading, ect… Then throughout myK-12 schooling years we were constantly in and out of […]
Continue reading I have a lot of personal experience with… Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 05: Game-Based Learning
@jenaca – great learning experiences. Do you find that you’ve been drawn to any learning games as an adult? Given how engrained you have been with digital games since childhood I wonder how that’s impacted your perspective on the value of games for adult learning?
Wow! Jeneca, you are a true digital native! You had an early start. Your students I guess in a way using games to learn removes a stereotypical formality from the learning process. It is like placing the kids in the domain (play room) only you unlock learning at the same time. I remember non-computer games I played that taught me counting in twos and fives etc.
My gaming flashbacks take me to remembering my first job which was also my first encounter with computers. Not knowing how to find my way around was frustrating because my colleagues all seemed to be having so much fun playing games at lunch or after hours on the network. I really wanted to join in […]
Continue reading Gaming flash back Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
Thanks for the post! You’ve certainly mentioned some key things that gaming can help with such as team building. And i remember losing a few hours to Doom as well. I can still remember the key strokes!
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Chess, Monopoly and Chinese Checker | ETEC 522 | Chess IQ 7:24 am on October 6, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
[…] Chess, Monopoly and Chinese Checker | ETEC 522 Filed Under: Chess, General, NIC Tagged With: checkers-which, chess, chinese, […]
jarvise 9:37 am on October 6, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
You make some really great points, Conroy. As a math teacher, the ultimate skill needed by students is perseverence. How often do I have a student who can’t solve a problem quickly, gets frustrated and does not want to continue trying. Being able to work at something with no quick, obvious solution is one of the foundations of mathematics. Great post!
Emily
Keisha Edwards-Hamilton 7:24 am on October 7, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Conroy,
Games are great. Using activities and games in class encourages active learning, as well as collaboration, and interactivity. Games help and encourage learners to sustain their interest and work. These also provide intense and meaningful practice and also promotes life long learning. For example, a student will always remember a skill that was taught while playing a game embedded in a lesson at school.
Keisha
Everton Walker 10:39 am on October 7, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Conroy,
Good work man! Games really have the power to move us and keep us thinking. It was just yesterday I told my year two practicing teachers to explore the power of games in the classroom when they go out in a few weeks’ time. I have even encouraged them to play games too as I am noticing that they tend to ignore instructions on the blog and during exams. A game is all about following instructions and executing so I hope they will adopt that procedure.
Doug Smith 5:37 pm on October 7, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Conray, that’s really interesting that you have seen a correaltion between gaming and performance in your courses. Perhaps it helps the students to move away from “plug and chug” questions, or move away from decoding questions to really trying to understand them.
Tamara Wong 6:06 pm on October 7, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Great points! This explains my consistently bad scores between chess and math. I’m glad you mentioned how games help even with your relationship and stress levels. I imagine things like that might also transfer to our students.
Tamara
hall 7:08 pm on October 8, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
You are welcome. I am glad that I was some help to you. I really think that the playing of games is a very useful problem solving tool.
Deb Kim 6:16 pm on October 8, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Although I’m a secondary Math teacher, I’ve never played Chess or Chinese checkers.
I know that It requires some (mathematical) strategies and males are usually better at these kinds of games. I haven’t seen any of my femal friends play Chess or Chinese checkers.
Come to think of it, whenever I give my Tech Immersion students free time, I always see boys playing online games and girls watching YouTube music videos or working on their homework. I wonder if playing games has something to do with a differnece between sexes.
Deb
hall 7:13 pm on October 8, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Deb,
That is a very good observation. You have caused me to become more alert in observing males and females attitudes towards the playing of games. Maybe that can explain why males normally perform better than females in mathematics and science.