Do you think that students can gain knowledge or skills by playing games?
Explain.
What can games be used for in the classroom? As homework?
What if students were creating games for your class--could they learn? If so what could they learn? If they can't learn, please explain.
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Yes. It teaches students a variety of skills that includes organization, leadership, teamworking, as well as academic skills.
Games can be used for instruction, reteach activities, reinforcement and can be used for homework for the same reasons.
Yes--they are going to learn all the skills from above. They must also know the content for which they are creating the game. They must learn to follow instructions and be able to write good instructions.
It depends what they game is. Collision repair is a handson class working with people's vechicles. However, they could be used to reinforce vocabulary, math skills, and reading skills.
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They could learn sequence of different skills. For example if they made a wrong choose the car exploded. Ratios is another concept that could be put into a game. My students would need to know all concepts of ratios to create the game.
Yes, I feel students can gain knowledge by playing games. Some games are simulations of real life and the student must learn how to solve problems. Many students are motivated by competition whether they are competing against themselves or others. Games are also a way of reinforcing information covered in class. You can remember information better when you apply it in different situations.
Games can be used for vocabulary reinforcement. Games can be used for communication. Interaction of talents, hobbies, and how the students learn make great bases for many games. Some students have not played games in years and it can break the ice in some situations. As homework, games can challenge the problem solving task by learning to break things down into step by step solutions. Bringing a lighter side to what some students see as tedious homework.
I teach alot of career based objectives. For communication, games can be used to learn "how to give directions correctly", "how to answer phones", and design resumes,so I feel my students can learn through games. We use the state's Stock Market game to learn financial situations. This allows the students to analyze global stock businesses and learn to make choices.
Q1-I think students can gain a ton from playing games. I'm a little biased though because I coach football. I think they learn the value of hard work and effort. I also think they can learn leadership, responsibility, teamwork, and motor skills.
Q2- I think games like Dance Dance Revolution are perfect for physical education classes. I also love to play review jeopardy using eggspert buzzers in my history classes.
Q3- It's a little harder for me to think of homework games that could be useful; however, I just heard of something Universities are doing that would work. These days many sports teams are putting their plays on video games and then having athletes play themselves to learn the plays. That would be some fun homework:)
Yes I think games can gain knowledge and skills by playing games. It will help reteach and reinforce a skill.
Games we have used in the classroom are Jeopardy, 20 questions, Pyramid,and The Stock Market game. The Stock Market game can be accessed at home. There are some games that are on the Internet that the student can access from their home. It is in my Intro. to Business course.
Definitely a student could learn by making a game. They could learn the concept that you are trying to convey to them. They also can learn analytical skills by making up a game.
Yes, I feel the students can gain a variety of skills by playing games. Students are so lucky to have such a library of educational games at their fingertips.
Typing games are wonderful to help students improve their typing skills. My BCA I and desktop publishing books had wonderful online gaming resources available. I feel that even the memory and puzzle games help with thinking skills.
If students are creating their own games that would mean they are learning how to use flash, Photoshop and html. Also, at a lower learning level students could use a program such as PowerPoint to create vocab games and this would reinforce their vocabulary skills. So no matter what the skill level of the student they would be able to use their own ability to create a game to help with reinforcement and study skills.
I think that games can be a very effective teaching tool to use in the classroom. Games keep students actively engaged and can be helpful in reinforcing concepts. My students enjoy playing a version of "accounting bingo" that I have created. It is a great way to review for the state-mandated EOC testing. Additionally, my computer textbook has a website that has both "wheel of terms" and "who wants to be a computer genius" that the students love to use to learn and reinforce computer concepts covered in each chapter. Students can access these online games from home as a source of review before testing.
Students can learn and benefit by creating their own questions for games in the classroom. This can be a "fun" way for students to learn and relay information learned to fellow students. My accounting students enjoy drawing pictures that represent various accounting equations and having fellow students try to guess the transaction based on the drawing.
Q1.- Yes, Games can provide information and knowledge as well as skills that students can learn in a fun way. Real life situations can be simulated and children can learn about historical events and even role play. When playing games, they are also learning how to follow rules and learn about what adults do in the real world.
Q.2- Games can be used to teach skills and reteach skills in the classroom and at home for homework.
Q.3- Yes, students could learn if they were creating games for class. They could learn to establish rules, set boundaries, enhance skills, and teach skills they have learned to fellow classmates.
I believe that students can gain knowledge and skills by playing games. Whether a game is educational or recreational, it usually has rules and objectives that need to be followed in order to win. Students have to follow the rules and use problem-solving skills to win. Then, they can apply these skills in other situations.
In the classroom, my students could use simulations to gain problem-solving skills. There are office simulations that teach decision making and ethics which would create skills that individuals can use in the workplace. For homework, I could see a games being used for review, reinforcement and reteach.
In my classes, we use software that could easily be used in the creation of games. I think that they would learn as they go through the process of creating a game. They would learn design techniques, the process used to create the games and the amount of work invested in the creation of games. A lot of students like to play games, but they sometimes do not understand the amount of time that it takes to create a truly good game.
I do believe that games can be good teaching tools. Simulations or role playing can teach strategic thinking and allow kids to learn from their mistakes in a situation where it is OK to error.
I also think interactive mysteries can be played when work is finished or games can be used to study vocabulary terms (memory)as homework. Jeopardy can be used to review terms or concepts in class.
Students can learn by creating their own games since they must be thoughtful as to how they will teach certain skills or concepts through their games objective and questions.
I think we do need to be careful not to rely on teaching WHAT only with certain games. Simulations and role play allow more for involving students in deeper questions such as HOW and problem solving by determining WHICH IS BEST. Both types of questions are better than just the basic recall questions.
KATHY CRAIG: I do believe simulations and role playing can provide students the opportunity to use strategic thinking and problem solving, as well as the ability to learn from their mistakes.
I use jeopardy as a review, but I prefer role playing games. I've used one before to introduce what it was like to go to the Globe theater in Shakespeare's time.
I believe they could learn by creating games because they are concentrating on the material or concept around which to build their game's objective and questions.
Students can gain knowlege and skills by playing games because they have to learn to follow a complex system of rules in a game. They have to think and be actively engaged. They may have to learn to work with a team. They may have to evaluate a decision they make then reevaluate and adjust their previous decision. It is definately hands-on.
In my class I use the game Lemonade Stand to meet the CSO of participating in a business simulation.
If students were creating games for my class they could learn to make marketing decisions based on the 4 P's of marketing. They would have to adjust their decisions based on changes in the economy, trends and other events. It would be a great game if they would have to find the right balance of the marketing mix.
Games can be valuable not only because they teach content, but because at the same time, students are using technology to learn the content. Students who may not be engaged by traditional classroom activities may respond to a game playing situation. Many games are problem solving activities due to the nature of the game. Student can learn to take risks and learn in a non-threatening situation.
Many games involve cooperation to solve a puzzle or complete a task.
Games can be used to teach content for reteaching, for vocabulary, for problem solving and to teach 21st Century skills such as independent learning, cooperation and risk taking.
Creating games would be a great tool for learning. In order to create a game, students would have to be quite adept in the vocabulary of the content they were making a game for. They would also be demonstrating that they know quite a lot about a topic in order to create a game. Making a game would be a great assessment of student understanding of content.
Yes, I believe students can gain knowledge or skills by playing games. We use games in the classroom in many different ways. Students learn when they are engaged and games engage many students.
Games can be used for the classroom to strengthen skills. The students can practice skills by themselves or with a buddy. It is a very visual way to learn and for those that learn visually will definiley thrive. The other thing is it is a fun practice--much more engaging than worksheets.
Students learn the most when they teach others. They would use the same skills to create a game as teaching a lesson. They still have to learn the information. Determine the important facts and what outcome they desire.
I found it interesting that these folks from education arcade were seeking our help in advocating educational gaming software. I didn't realize that gaming companies were under the impression that they couldn't make much money off of educational games. I do agree with Dr. Gee from University of Wisconsin when he said that most school don't have cutting edge hardware and the therefore newer games that are made with cutting edge hardware would be unusable. I think I can advocate certain games on my class wikis pace this year. I may also purchase a copy of Clark Aldrich's Simulation and the Future of Learning. My twin sister and I had the idea once to coauthor a book of classroom simulation as we have used simulation activities in our classroom, however not in game form. I do recognize the benefits of this type of exploration and agree this is a positive direction to go in as far as teaching and reaching our students who will need to become comfortable with the idea that learning new technology is "just an everyday thing" according to Dr. Gee. _ MS. Craig
Do you think that students can gain knowledge or skills by playing games?
Explain.
I guess it depends on the game. While some games are for pure entertainment, some games have educational value. If the game is a simulation or asks them to follow senarios or deal wih facts then I would say that they could learn from these types of games.
What can games be used for in the classroom? As homework?
They can be used for the purpose of a culminating activity...asking them to use prior content to perform some task like creating a marketing plan or running a virtual business. You could also use games for review activites or reinforcement...possibly for homework.
What if students were creating games for your class--could they learn? If so what could they learn? If they can't learn, please explain.
When creatin a game the students have to have intimate knowledge to create the senarios or questions. I think it is like having them teach it to someone else...they have to internalize it before they can create the game.
Question 1 - I do think students can gain knowledge by playing games. It would help those students who are not interested, or as academic as other students, become more engaged in the lesson.
Question 2 - Games can be used as collaborative activities, enhancing lessons, simulation of body systems, virtual field trips and self-quizzing. It can be used as an alternative to academic skills, and it would be excellent homework lessons.
Question 3 - The students could definitely learn. I viewed games that started virtual examination of body systems, which I thought was excellent. Emergency medical and real life simulations would be an excellent lesson as a video game.
I think that games is one of the best ways for a student to gain knowledge. I use several games in my classroom to help students gain skills. For example we use the board game Monopoly in accounting. Each student records what happens when they make a move. Pass go collect $200. There is a gain in cash which increases the assets and owners equity. It brings the book and workbook to life. So I think technology and board games can both be very beneficial to students.
I gave the example of the accounting board game as one to facilitate in the classroom so I can help put items in the correct accounting classifications. I think they can be used in the classroom and as homework. Most students have Internet access. I have many student who struggle with typing speed and accuracy. They can go to Yahoo games and play Typer Shark which will help them in both areas. Its fun, challenging and builds their typing skills. I have several students who do not have access to Internet so I think doing it as homework I would have to pick and choose and possibly use it as extra credit.
I have recenlty downloaded a program called ALICE which is a virtual reality gamming program. Students could create games with this program. They have learned what goes into game programing. It is a free download through Carnigie Mellon. They have learned timing, strategy and computer programing compoents. I had a student create an air craft carrier that planes would fly around and land. They enjoyed the program so much they want to go into computer engineering.
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