Games, games, games
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Karen Brennan
Member
July 18, 2009
We've been looking at games this morning at the Creative Computing workshop. What games do you play? What did you think of the games we've been seeing and creating today? Where do games fit into school?
Vicki posted about a game she works with: " If you haven't used Medmyst from Rice Univ. - you might want to check it out. It is all about Infectious Disease and I think they have done a wonder job! The URL is http://medmyst.rice.edu/ "
In the Creative Computing workshop, we used genres as a way of thinking about how Scratch can be used in different contexts. I would argue that games can be used in both ways. I was inspired, for example, by an elementary school teacher who encouraged older students to create number concept games for younger students.
Games are a great way to engage students utilizing critical thinking and problem solving skills. I have created Jeopardy and Hollywood Squares games in PowerPoint for class review. Students also create their own games as a way of introducing topics and learning vocabulary. My Virtual Business class play Virtual Business--Retailing and Sports simulation games on the computer from Knowledge Matters through individual lessons on running a convenience store or a sports stadium, creating their own new store or stadium, and an online competition section.
Games are great in school if they directly enhance the curriculum while engaging the students. They are also great for review (Jeopardy, for example) and add variety to a class. The hard thing is finding the right game at the right time, and finding the time to create a game specific to the curriculum...