Introduction to Gaming
May 6, 2008When people think of the term game, they often tend to associate it with recreational fun. Today there are several different types of games, anything ranging from but are not limited to the traditional board games as well as video games. However, gaming can be used to help stimulate thought, teamwork, and critical thinking skills, all in which would help to further student’s learning abilities. James Paul Gee, a professor and author, comments of the advantages of video gaming saying, “The fact is when kids play video games they can experience a much more powerful form of learning than when they’re in the classroom. Learning isn’t about memorizing isolated facts. It’s about connecting and manipulating them.” Not only are video games as well as other types multiplying the amount of educational games produced each year, but more and more studies have started to show their educational benefits by integrating these within classrooms across the nation. Try to decide upon a favorite game of your own, within reason. Is there anything that you have learned from that game that benefits you as a student or even a particpant of society? (research your game and see if there are any documented benefits the game has to offer) Is there any way that you would incorporate that into your future classroom? If so, how will you incorporate it and why? If not, then please explain your reasoning.
~Ashley
One of my favorite board games, not really until this semester, is LIFE. Although it is fun to play, it really only enhances the fact that we live in a capitalistic society that works to train individuals at a young age to accept their social niche in the world. Not exactly the most uplifting explanation, but it is sadly true.
I love video games, and one that I play all the time is brain age. This game incorporates learning skills like reading writing and speaking but in a fun way. There are several different activities you can play ranging from math to speed reading. At the end it gives you your average braing age, but it tests pretty hard, so the first time when I received I think around 70 I wasn’t very happy. It even has a sudoko puzzle option.
Here are a couple of links about brain age.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/07/27/182919.php
http://brainage.com/launch/index.jsp
In the first article the blog author writes, “The thought of having to play a game every day for a possible pay-off was not appealing. But now I can’t go a day without picking it up and doing some training. And that is the beauty of Brain Age. It doesn’t require a time commitment, and you can pick how much time you want to spend playing it.” Although it is pretty addicting, it’s not the type of video game, like call of duty, that will suck you into playing for hours on end.
I can see myself incorporating this into my classroom. There is a speed reading section in the game. I could use this as a way to imrpove students reading skills. When you are finished with the section, your score comes up on the screen. To monitor progress, students could perform the activity, keeping a log of how they progress.
-Autumn
One of my favorite games is Cranium. My housemates and I play it all the time. This game calls upon different skills in order to answer questions. You can hum something, act something out, draw it, play charades, or build it out of clay.
http://www.whatsthediff.com/2007/11/cranium—build.html
” I can see how this work because in order to play, you need to test your brain in order to get your point across. Also, I believe that you use part of your brain that you do not use often, and this game helps exercise that.
In this blog, someone discusses how you can “get smarter” by playing the game. On person states, “Hey!!! This game isn’t about *being* smart, it’s about exercising the gray matter! The more you use it playing a game like Cranium, the smarter you get.
I would incorporate this game into my classroom because it is fun to play but also has educational value. I might use this in order to review for a test and have the students work on material that will be covered. Also, it just might be fun to play in order to take a little break
Alexis
Am I an English geek or what? My favorite game is Scrabble (and therefore my non-English major partner HATES to play it with me — just as I hate playing Monopoly with him — I’m always blowing my $ on every property I land on!).
I never even thought of looking online to see what is out there in regard to a Scrabble community. Great idea, Bree and Ashley! What did I find? An educational Scrabble universe! There is
a National School Scrabble Association,
http://school.scrabble-assoc.com/
a National School Scrabble Program,
http://www.hasbro.com/games/adult-games/scrabble/home.cfm?page=school
school Scrabble clubs,
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin444.shtml
and even the Girl Scouts are offering a new Scrabble patch (what happened to campfire building?)
http://school.scrabble-assoc.com/main.asp?id=52
Who knew?!
Dr. S
My favorite educational game is called Spell-Jam. Click here to try it! It’s basically a spelling bee, but there is a speed round between each actual round. The game exercises spelling ability, but also typing ability, which with the age of computers is quite a handy skill. For a full review and explanation of the game, click here.
In this article, writer Erin Bell says, “A largely American phenomenon, the spelling bee is serious business for the kids who are good enough to get to the elite competitions. For those who aren’t quite up to that level, there’s Merriam Webster’s Spell-Jam, which is a great way for word nerds at home to get a taste of what all the pomp and circumstance is about.”
I will absolutely include this is my course, because spelling and typing go hand in hand, and will create a much-needed skill for the flat future.
-GG
All the games mentioned so far rock, by the way! Life and Scrabble are both classics, Cranium is truly engaging and thought-provoking, and Brain Age is super super cool… Looks like English has the internet AND games on its side in the future!
I completely agree with Garrett. I think you all have mentioned great games that I would love to incorporate into my future class room. I love that everyone who has posted so far have all chosen a variety of games. I think we could all benefit from each other’s great ideas!
Im not necessarily a big gamer; however Ive always liked to play trivia games on the holidays with my family. One game which I enjoy and occasionally watch is Jeopardy. I think that modifying this game and applying its general concepts to the classroom would be extremely beneficial to students and best of all would be fun for everyone!!
One way I could see applying this to an English classroom would be by using it as an introduction into a book or piece of literature. Teachers always seem to be amazed at how many students have a general lack of knowledge when it comes to historical events and the sequence in which they happened.
For instance, if I was teaching a book that dealt with early American history I could begin introducing the book by organizing a Jeopardy-like game where students would be broken up into groups where they would compete with the rest of the class by answering a number of history related questions. This could help the teacher to gauge what is generally known by the student body regarding the time period and what needs refreshing. In addition this could help put the order and sequence of events in perspective which will help students when reading and interpreting key events in the book.
http://www.good-time.com/trivia/
Here is a website that offers trivia games that are customizable for subject and grade level.
-Frank-
My favorite game is definitely STRATEGO! I couldn’t find anything substantial that connected this game to education, but if you know anything about the game, here is a summary of the main ideas: http://www.farscapegames.co.uk/shopscr742.html
Players have to plan, CREATIVELY, in order to capture the other team’s flag, while keeping their own soldiers alive. This makes more sense if you read the above link. This game reminds me of the creative aspects of Pink & Friedman’s books. Students need to “think outside of the box,” using their minds for other types of thinking such as planning, strategy, and predicting.
If anyone likes this game, or wants to learn, I have it in my room and I challenge you all.
Krystina
Oh wow, Stratego has always been one of my favorites also. The game teaches you about strategy. It also teaches the players to read their opponents expressions and body language, much like poker, to determine if their piece in front of yours is the one that will be victorious in a battle. The game teaches you to learn from past games and from your opponents typical moves. While this game is fun, I really do not see its purpose in any classroom, let alone an English one.
Scrabble has always been my favorite game too. In fact, my friend’s mom who is an elementary school teacher always plays scrabble with her students when they have free time.
Jeopardy is defiantly not my favorite of games; however, in response to Frank’s ideas Jeopardy is very helpful in the classroom. My high school Spanish teacher always incorporated Spanish vocabulary and phrases that we needed to know into a class Jeopardy game. The classroom split into teams and the winning team got bonus points for the next test. In fact, my teacher incorporated a bunch of different games which really helped me learn Spanish. I can see how this could work in any classroom because the game will get the students motivated and learning. Games are fun to play and anything that incorporates fun into learning is great. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson306.shtml – this site has some resources for classroom Jeopardy, as well as Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, which is another great game for the classroom. Any sort of game that tests your knowledge is perfect.
Another Scrabble site that someone just told me about:
http://www.scrabulous.com
Apparently the folks at Mattel/Hasbro aren’t too keen on this free (and fun) site: http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/04/07/scrabble-scrabulous-piracy-oped-cx_man_0407scrabble.html
Nonetheless, I’m downloading the screensaver.
Dr. S.
Most of the games I play don’t have much educational value. However like frank, I do enjoy the occasional trivia game, like jeopardy.
Not only would jeopardy be useful in the classroom, at least for me, it already was.
Jeopardy was something that many of my history teachers used a bunch of times. It’s a fun and interesting way to review for tests and whatnot.
I think it would work fine in an English classroom as well- break up the kids into groups throw a few categories on the board like vocab and grammar and just let the learning begin!
i think playing games in the classroom is good for reviews or a better way to occupy time before vacation rather than watching a movie. kids liek to compete with one another you will always get a good response when you play a class game of jeopardy or anything else.
Gaming definitely has its place in the classroom. I remember playing “Gizmos and Gadgets” back in middle school. The game is a platformer, where your character is running around a warehouse, collecting items and throwing bananas at mechanical monkeys. But to open doors you had to solve rudimentary science problems; e.g. completing a circuit, concepts of magnetism. I think this is a great way of implementing technology in the classroom, because kids are enjoying themselves while gaining some knowledge.
In an ELA classroom, the game Garrett introduced seems like a great learning tool. Developing spelling, typing and quick thinking skills all under the guise of a “game”! I think gaming has a lot of potential to aid in the learning process.
p.s. I am Bryan!!!
Well I would have to agree with Dr. Sarver here. My kids and I play Scrabble. My 7 year old dies laughing at the crazy words we make up and we have to have the dictionary right by our side to dissolve the the debate over if it truly is a word or not. I know it builds vocabulary because I see how just playing a game allows them to use their scrabble words later in conversations. The best aspect is that a board game slows us all down and we can laugh and just enjoy one another’s company. I think Dr. Sarver killed any chance for me to find another website on the benefits of Srabble. However, my girlfriends and I get together weekly to play several games of SkipBo. Does that show my age? Just this year sixth graders taught me how to play chess. That really made the smoke roll out my ears! Here’s a pretty corny video that details the many benefits for youngsters (and adults) from playing chess.http:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=er5BlpoCwZE
One of my favorite games is Boggle. If you have never played it before, there are letters on dice and you shake the box and then let them settle. Next, you take off the cover and try to come with as many words as you can from the placement of the letters before the hour glass runs out. It would help students with spelling and creativity. You can play it online here:
http://www.fun-with-words.com/boggle.html
I agree with Jackie that playing games in the classroom is a much better alternative to watching a movie. At least the students will be thinking critically. I found this website: http://www.helium.com/items/655847-little-ranch-house-counting
It explains that “Playing a game with parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings, and friends all seated around the table having fun together teaches us all how to get along. Win or lose, that’s an education beyond price.” I agree with this statement. Learning how to work together or handle losing are important lessons for our students to learn. I know that even today I sometimes have a hard time losing! Can any of you relate?
I grew up playing all of these board games but I think Monopoly was really my favorite even though it took forever to finish. As far as internet games go, I really love this game called text twist. You can find it on any game website or addictinggames.com. It can get extremely hard to stop playing this game but its fun, you are given a set of letters and you have to figure out all the possible words you can make out of them while your timed. I could honestly play this game for hours and I think I would most definitely recommend it to future students. Once you’ve played it for awhile it really sharpens your skills.
I grew up playing many board games, just as meghan had mentioned, but i think Checkers was one of the only games that stood out to serve a academic purpsoe by improving strategy school.Now, that I think of it , so did the board game Guess Who and Clue. These kinds of games required memorization that would result in making a case for some conclusion. When think about online games today, I think some of them can be stimulating for the brain, while others can be redudant and uneducational. I think the ones that work best in an educational setting are those that provide trivia questions or even memorization and matching.
All though I am not a mathematician, I like online Soduku. It requires patience and problem solving with numbers and trying to get each number & column to equate to one another. That type of problem solving skill is good for the brain
)
http://www.onlinegames.net/games/764/3d-sudoku.html
Although I am not a mathematician, I would suggest online Soduku for an exercise that requires personal patience and logical problem solving skills. I think those kinds of skills are a good exercise for the mind
http://www.onlinegames.net/games/764/3d-sudoku.html
http://www.onlinegames.net/games/764/3d-sudoku.html
I prefer online Sudoku. Althought I am not a mathematician, I think that the logical thinking and patience needed for probem solving are acquired thorugh this type of game. That kind of skill is useful in all areas of learning.
http://www.dkmsoftware.com/sudoku/
I would definitely use gaming in my classroom one day. I think it is a great way to get your students involved in what they are learning. This could be way off and not make much sense to anyone, but it reminds me of learning a song. You can hear a song 3 times and know all the words, yet when studying for a test you could go over the information numerous times and still not understand or have it down pat. What I am thinking is that gaming in the classroom is like that song. It is easy memorized and hopefully, the things students have learned will stick with them forever, like a good song.
Playing board games, as Janet mentioned is also a really good idea. There are so many good things to be learned while playing board games. Not only do you learn memorization skills, students learn to wait their turn, pay attention, and in some instances count money and so on.
Below, I have posted a link of an article from the education quarterly about incorporating gaming into the classroom. I thought it was interesting:
http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/SeriousGamesIncorporating/39986?time=1210552194
I like a few other people have said am not really a gamer. I do however love any type of trivia game show or the trivia game . I think that games such as Jeopardy and my favorite, Who Wants to be a Millionaire are fantastic games to incorporate into the classroom. I think I would use these games for review sessions and on other days when I feel the information the students are learning needs to quizzed. I think it is a fun and exciting way to learn.