Week_2-Jennifer_Groff-HD_720p-final
Hi. My name's Jennifer Groff, and today we're going to explore how to find and use the games that best
meet the needs of your classroom.
There are many, many apps and games available that can be used for instructional purposes in the
classroom. But finding the right ones for your classroom can be a bit tricky, unless you know how to look
for them.
Before we start looking for games, it helps to know what types of games are available. A very basic
breakdown of the types of games available looks at two dimensions. First there are short-form games and
long-form games. A short-form game is one that can be played and picked up easily and quickly, and
played in a short period of time. Two examples of this type of game that we've already learned about are
the Ubiq games and Lure of the Labyrinth.
Other games may take a bit more time to play, usually a class period or more. And it may take a little more
support to get students set up and going as they start to play. An example of this type of game is the Radix
Endeavor, which is a two-dimensional world where players can spend quite a bit of time exploring and
completing various quests. Short-form games can be used in a class period or less, whereas long-form
games may require multiple class periods or curriculum time.
The second dimension is the nature of the games' purpose. There are, of course, games that have been built
specifically for educational purposes such as those we've mentioned. Some commercial games that were
built for entertainment purposes have also been used in powerful ways by educators in the classroom.
For example, Angry Birds is a short-form game that can be played in mere minutes, but has been used to
teach physics concepts. And the game Civilization is one of the most popular strategy video games of all
time, where players seek to build their own personal civilization and empire, depending on the priorities
they select. There are many great examples of educators using the game to teach civics, agriculture,
international relations, and even negotiation.
Remember from before, Lure of the Labyrinth was our example of a short-form educational game, and the
Radix Endeavor was our example of a long-form educational game. As you might imagine, there are many
great games that fall in this spectrum. How do you find the right game for your classroom needs?
There are several useful platforms online where you can go to find all sorts of games for learning.
BrainPOP, an online educational media provider to schools around the globe, has created a free online
platform called GameUp. The GameUp platform has organized more than 50 short-form educational games
in various topic areas that are appropriate for students ages 5 to 14.
You can explore the site by curriculum topic and each game page details what curriculum topics the game
covers, lesson plan ideas, related videos that support the topic, and even a quiz to go along with each game.
Best of all, you and your students can play the game right there on the web page.
If you can't find the game or topic you're looking for on GameUp, you can browse the Playful Learning
website, a free online knowledge base of both commercial and educational games for all ages. A project
powered by the Learning Games Network, a nonprofit in partnership with the MIT Education Arcade,
Playful Learning is designed to be a free resource where educators can share lesson plans and best practices
for all sorts of games.
You can search for a specific topic or keyword, or browse the games based on appropriate ages, costs, and
even the type of technology you have. Each game page details any information you might need for using
the game in your classroom, including the games' learning goals, teacher reviews, and even case studies of
how the game has been used. You can also find implementations which describe step-by-step how to use
the game in your classroom, and connect with other educators who have used the game before.
Both sites provide a broad but curated list of games that might be useful in your classroom.
But with all of that available, how do you know which game might be a good fit for you and your students?
There are a number of elements you can review.
Is the game age appropriate for your students? Are they at the developmental level necessary to understand
the concepts of the game? Is the content appropriate, generally, for school, and is it motivating and
engaging to your students? Does the game target the right learning goals, or does the game create an
opportunity to leverage the learning goals you are targeting? Does it provide a quality experience? Is it a
well-designed game, or is it just learning activities where the player is rewarded for right answers?
There are few general elements to look at as well. Does the cost fit your budget? Many games are free, but
some require you to purchase a copy for each computer to run it in your classroom, or a subscription to the
platform that hosts the game.
Does the game run on a platform you can use? Is it a console game such as for the Wii or Xbox? Is it a
Flash-based game and you have iPads? Games built in Flash won't run on iPads or other iOS devices.
Is there a certain type of technology needed? For example, does the game require a certain amount of
memory to run? A game like Civilization does have these types of constraints. Does the game have an
embedded assessment or a way of giving structured feedback to either the teacher and/or the students? Or
are there external assessment tools that have been created for the game? And perhaps this isn't a problem,
and it's something that you feel comfortable creating to go with the game.
Are there supports available that you feel you might need? Are there lesson plans and other curriculum
materials available for you? Are there people you can connect to or forums online where you can go to post
questions or get ideas on how to use the game in your classroom?
Exploring these questions will help identify whether a game is a good fit for you, your classroom, and your
students, and will also help you reflect on what is available and what else you might need in order to be
successful with the game.
Once you've selected a game, it's time to play. It's important that both you and your students have time to
get familiar with the game. We know that time is a limited resource for educators, but even just making
sure to take 20 to 30 minutes to really play the game and get to know it can make all the difference when
you go to use it in your classroom.
This week's assignment is to use either BrainPOP's GameUp platform or the Playful Learning platform to
identify a potential game to use in your classroom, and explore how it can be used in your curriculum.
Good luck and have fun playing.