Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Fun Learning through Educational Online Games
In the process of our group project which involved selecting an educational online game, creating a rubric, and being able to present it using a presentation tool besides Power Point was a whole new challenge for some of the group members and myself. Some of us were only familiar with using Power Point but that's why we're here taking this course, to expand our knowledge.
Educational online games can be a great tool for teachers to use in classroom instruction. Our group's target was the elementary level from pre-k to 4th grade (ages 4-10). Children at this age range will usually, willingly participate in this type of learning activity especially when it involves computers. It's a great way to grab their attention and at the same time it keeps them interested on whatever topic is being taught. The International Society for Technology in Education mentions in their website, "Technology has forever changed not only what we need to learn, but the way we learn."(2008). This statement is very true. Students in this day and age learn differently and one thing is for sure, students are now using various tools of technology in their learning methods.
The online game our group chose was from a company named Leap Frog, one of the leading designers and creators of technology-based educational products. We chose a game that featured math solving problems such as addition and multiplication. The game looked simple enough for young children to operate and navigate throughout the site. The instructions were clear and easy to comprehend and featured attractive, striking colors but not too loud and without scattered assortments of advertisement surrounding the page.
When it came to the approach of creating the rubric, our group took in consideration what the important ingredients were in making a great online game. So it was decided that the criteria would include different values from; design/layout, interaction, critical thinking skills, goals, and so on. Scoring ranged from 1 to 3, 3 being the best score to obtain.
One of the challenges in this group project was timing. Our members have different schedules, work, school, and families to take care of. Luckily, we had Wiggio to assist us in a couple of our meetings and it kept us in contact and updated with one another when ideas needed to be shared.
I believe that introducing students to educational online games would be of great value especially in my content area, ESL. Although English is a second language for ESL students, the use of computers is a universal exercise for many. The use of these games in my opinion, would be very helpful assisting students in their learning practices. In a 2008 article, Ferlazzo discussed how, in his teaching methods, he uses online video games with his students as a language development activity. Also, educational online games offer a great selection of activities not only in language but also in math, science, history, and other important subjects. Exploring this type of teaching can be very beneficial not only for students but also for the teacher, as she/he can gather more ideas for classroom instruction.
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). iste nets: The standards for learning,
leading, and teaching in the digital age. Retrieved March 9, 2013, from http://www.iste.org/standards
Ferlazzo, L. (2008). TECH & LEARNING: Ideas and Tools for ED Tech Leaders. Free Online
Games Develop ESL Students' Language Skills. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/from-the-classroom/0015/free-online-games-develop-esl-students-language-skills/44788
