I was searching for more interesting sites to see provide me with back up that video games should be used in the classroom and I stumbled across a web site called. http://www.artificialwisdom.com/ that claims to rate games by how much your student can learn from them. The reason I liked this web site so much is because they were not your ordinary games that you would only see on a classroom computer like "Math Blaster" or something along those lines, rather, the games you find on the site are actually main stream games! For example, a popular title "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" has a rating of a C+ because although the game is fictional, it takes place in a fictional reenactment of our current world and can be used for geography. Also, another game such as "Assassin's Creed 2" received a B because it takes place in Italy during the Renaissance and can be used to show students culture in these certain parts of Italy during that time.
Now, I do believe that some mainstream games can be used in the classroom like "Assassin's Creed 2", but a lot of mainstream games are just made for entertainment and nothing more. It is important that if you are using video games in the classroom, use them for the right reason and not just to mesmerize your kids.
Thanks for sharing this link with us! I found the idea of using the settings of the video games as a supplemental tool in which we could teach our students very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI know throughout middle and highschool that one of my favorite things was when our teacher would show us movies that related to the topic about which we were learning. For instance, while teaching us about the Great Depression, my high school history teacher showed us the Russel Crow movie, Cinderella Man, which was set during the time of the Great Depression. The movie really enabled us to get a visual perspective of the information, much like what the use of video games can do.
I am familiar with some of the newer video games, and I know students today are as well. To be able to link their interests and hobbies with the content of the lesson, and deliver it in a way that makes learning the material meaningful I feel, is the greatest gift we can give our students.
Thank you again for sharing your findings and post with us!
Great post on games in the classroom. This really opened up my eyes to main stream games in the classroom. Every time I think of an educational game I think of a math game that quizzes the learner on multiplication. I know, that's not a real game but very educational. Also, one thing that I always remember is playing Oregon Trail on the first Macs as a kids. Great game, and some of the once you mentioned model this same sort of learning. I do get concerned by the violence that some of the games have. They may not be the best idea for a school environment. I guess that's my parenting coming out, but it may have an impact the effectiveness of what the students learn. Have you considered this aspect?
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