Do you know what your students are doing when they're not in class? Chances are, they're playing video games and having a blast! Video games have become an integral part of our culture, but how can teachers use this to their advantage in the classroom? Games can be an excellent instructional tool that is engaging for learners. However, before diving into gaming with your students, it's important to consider some common pitfalls associated with using these types of "entertainment" tools.
1. Video Games can be a powerful instructional tool
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Games are also being used to teach kids about STEM and other complex subjects like how different cultures interact with each other. Games offer an opportunity to explore topics in ways that were never possible before without extensive prep or research for teachers looking to diversify what they offer learners while still meeting standards set forth by state curriculum laws and guidelines given from the district level down.
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However, some cautions need to be taken when doing this especially if you're just starting out because there are plenty of pitfalls associated with gaming-based learning (GBL).
2. Games are not just for fun, they can also teach students about complex topics like math and science.
Games that allow players to explore new worlds or experiment with the laws of physics have many educational uses in the classroom. Make sure you're clear with your objectives when teaching with video games so learners know what to expect at all times
There are some great resources and games out there that can be fit into specific sections and parts of your curriculum. Kerbal Space game, Democracy, Minecraft, World Rescue, and others. What I suggest is to find a resource or game that you can incorporate into your lessons multiple times and are simple to operate for you and the students. If it is not easy to operate, then there will be a lot of wasted valuable instruction time. You will not actually use it if it is complicated to use.
Some other considerations include the level of difficulty so all learners have an opportunity to succeed with whatever is being taught within the game environment: lower levels make it easy while higher.
There are some great resources and games out there that can be fit into specific sections and parts of your curriculum. Kerbal Space game, Democracy, Minecraft, World Rescue, and others. What I suggest is to find a resource or game that you can incorporate into your lessons multiple times and are simple to operate for you and the students. If it is not easy to operate, then there will be a lot of wasted valuable instruction time. You will not actually use it if it is complicated to use.
Some other considerations include the level of difficulty so all learners have an opportunity to succeed with whatever is being taught within the game environment: lower levels make it easy while higher.
3. Teachers should consider the content of games before using them in their classroom
However, some cautions need to be taken when doing this especially if you're just starting out because there are plenty of pitfalls associated with gaming-based learning (GBL). Teachers who are new to gaming may not be aware that some video game titles are inappropriate for a school setting. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and Gears of War have been criticized by parents and educators alike for containing violence or language, or sexual themes.
The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.
Teachers should consider the content of games before using them in their classroom to make sure that it aligns with curriculum standards set forth by state laws or district guidelines given from the top down.
4. Teachers should use games that allow for different levels of difficulty so all learners have an opportunity to succeed
There needs to be a way to allow for success at the learner's level. There should allow for progress and growth within the game. If you can not differentiate the curriculum, then it is bound to leave some learners out.
The point is that playing games in and out of class can be a powerful teaching method for students who may learn best when they are more engaged, but it's important to make sure you find an appropriate game before using it as part of your curriculum materials! Games have also been found to increase engagement with harder topics like math and science."
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Find games or resources that allow for individualized learning as well as whole class review. Here at Blended Play, we allow you to upload your content and questions into multiple games that can be small groups, whole class, or individualized. This allows simplicity to input the curriculum and questions that align with your local requirements and standards with ease. We are working on adding even more individualized video games that will allow you to assign video games for homework and for individualized learning plans. This will allow all the kids to play the same game but have different levels of content and questions.
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It will also allow for easy grading and give instant feedback to your students. This will save you the time and effort of having to take those worksheets or quizzes home for grading. (We have all done it, there is no way it can all be done in the planning period.)
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If you have been using Blended Play content and enjoying the experience with your students, you might be thinking of other ways to incorporate the games in daily lessons. What about if your students were in charge of providing the content?
Student-created content, such as quizzes, is great way to make them reinvest what they have learned and confirm their understanding of the material through the development of the assessment. It allows them to reflect on what were the most important parts of the lessons and what they should remember. After that, they practice phrasing questions in ways that invites a clear answer on targeted content.
On the teacher side, student-created content allows teachers to see where their students are placing their focus and if they might need to review parts of the content or shift the emphasis of their lessons if they missed the mark on what should be retained from the instruction.
Student-created content, such as quizzes, is great way to make them reinvest what they have learned and confirm their understanding of the material through the development of the assessment. It allows them to reflect on what were the most important parts of the lessons and what they should remember. After that, they practice phrasing questions in ways that invites a clear answer on targeted content.
On the teacher side, student-created content allows teachers to see where their students are placing their focus and if they might need to review parts of the content or shift the emphasis of their lessons if they missed the mark on what should be retained from the instruction.
Susan Lynn, a teacher from Missouri with a clear interest (and talent!) for involving her students in the use of classroom technology explains to us how she was able to leverage the Blended Play games as a whole group content-creation activity.
I teach high school Spanish 1 and 2. I first heard about Blended Play from an education group on Facebook and thought it sounded fun. My kids love games, but they get tired of playing the same ones all the time. The Sushi game looked like a good place to start. I made a data file myself and played it with a small group of kids during study hall to figure out how it all worked. The strategy involved doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense until you actually play it with other people. They really enjoyed it and wanted to make their own games. My students sit in table groups of 4, so I had one student in each group make a free account. The others worked collaboratively on a Google doc to make their questions. Spanish 1 only did simple Spanish to English pairs for questions, but Spanish 2 created more detailed questions to answer. The student with the account copy/pasted the questions into the data file to get the game ready for the next day. Working together it took about 20 minutes for 3 kids to come up with at least 20 questions. I circulated around the room reading questions to check for accuracy, suggest improvements, and to answer questions about how the game worked. The next day the students played the Sushi game, which took about 15 minutes, then they tried the Viking game. Each group shared their data file with me and I was able to upload them to my Google site so they could play each other's games.
- Susan Lynn, Liberty North High School, Liberty, Missouri.
Do you use online content in innovative ways in your classroom? How do you get your students involved in the design process of games and activities?
I teach high school Spanish 1 and 2. I first heard about Blended Play from an education group on Facebook and thought it sounded fun. My kids love games, but they get tired of playing the same ones all the time. The Sushi game looked like a good place to start. I made a data file myself and played it with a small group of kids during study hall to figure out how it all worked. The strategy involved doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense until you actually play it with other people. They really enjoyed it and wanted to make their own games. My students sit in table groups of 4, so I had one student in each group make a free account. The others worked collaboratively on a Google doc to make their questions. Spanish 1 only did simple Spanish to English pairs for questions, but Spanish 2 created more detailed questions to answer. The student with the account copy/pasted the questions into the data file to get the game ready for the next day. Working together it took about 20 minutes for 3 kids to come up with at least 20 questions. I circulated around the room reading questions to check for accuracy, suggest improvements, and to answer questions about how the game worked. The next day the students played the Sushi game, which took about 15 minutes, then they tried the Viking game. Each group shared their data file with me and I was able to upload them to my Google site so they could play each other's games.
- Susan Lynn, Liberty North High School, Liberty, Missouri.
Do you use online content in innovative ways in your classroom? How do you get your students involved in the design process of games and activities?
Featured Educator
Susan Lynn is a Spanish teacher and the Department Chair for International Languages at Liberty North High School in Liberty, Missouri. She completed her BSEd and MS in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Kansas and an MS in Differentiated Instruction at William Jewell College. Susan was awarded the Foreign Language Association of Missouri's Distinguished Educator Award for 2017 and will serve as the Teacher of the Year for Missouri at the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Language.
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Blended Play is looking for some collaborators for the Edtech blog. Do you have ideas and opinions that you would like to share with your peers? Are you rocking your classroom with some creative new ways to teach and would like to share? If so, send us an email at [email protected].