That being said, I do like online games. They just have to be simple enough for me to figure out. I clicked through the BrainPop English site, but most of the "games" were more of video tutorials about different parts of grammar or select classic novels. Even as an English major... *yawn*. Then I decided to check out the BBC game site - I loved it. My teaching minor is history, and while I took more classes on American history than anything else, I just have always been interested by British history.
I got a perfect score on the "Tudors and Victorians: Dressing Up" game the first time I played. Heck yes, I know the different styles of corsets, and the difference between a petticoat and a farthingdale.
The games I tried out were mainly centered around Tudor-era history, which I've always found pretty interesting (SIDE NOTE: If you like this time period, and can handle a few historical inaccuracies in the name of entertainment, this show is tops). However, the site offers a variety of different topics and time periods to focus on, if ruffs and ecclesiastical struggles aren't your thing.
In terms of working games into the classroom, I could definitely see myself utilizing a source such as this. BBC also had a fun "Roots of English" game, that was like magnetic poetry in that it gave you a bunch of single words that you could drag and combine to create your own poem. Once you're finished, it tells you the origins of the words you used. I've taken a couple history of English classes, and it's really cool to see how common words we use today come from all over the place. For an English class, this would be especially fun, and brings to mind the saying that "English is a language who beats up other languages in dark alleys and riffles through their pockets for spare vocabulary." So true.
Overall, in an educational context, I'm all for games as supplements to class learning. I would probably assign them as homework, or in a designated computer lab hour, to try to cut down on lack of attention in class. Still, with the BBC games, it was fun to quiz myself and see how much I remember from all the random historical fictions I've read. I don't think they in any way can replace instruction, but are a fun way to get students to connect more with the material.
I'm glad that you found some games that you liked on the BBC site, Emily. I share your enthusiasm for the Roots of English game....very clever melding of a etymological history lesson with a creative undertaking.
ReplyDeleteYou mention that you might use games like these as supplements, and my question (which you've at least partially answered, and perhaps completely) is why? What would they (hopefully!) accomplish for you? It sounds like you see them as being tools for review that also can be fun. Having played some of the games, are there any other aspects of the play that you could see as having educational value, whether directly (about etymology or victorian history) or indirectly (skills, affects, complex thinking tasks)?
I would use games as supplements because you need some base knowledge first before you just jump into a game. Even for "non-educational" (think XBox, etc.) games, you need to know how the controller works, how to navigate the settings, and so on, before you actually start to play. Theoretically, yes, you could start without this knowledge, but you probably won't get very far or move very quickly. In the same way, I'd lay a groundwork of information in class and then use games to build off of that.
DeleteGames can also be used to pull in knowledge from other disciplines (like how the Roots of English game combines poetry composition, linguistics, and history). In this way, we can make game play relevant to multiple subjects at the same time, and call on students to draw on information across disciplines to complete tasks.
Is this a subtle cry for help to deal with your Downtown Abbey addiction? If so consider it received! I choose to go a different route with this assignment; I took a "regular" video game and tried to twist it to be academic. While I do think that I made a case for how it is beneficial to learning, I don't think that it has any practical use within the classroom itself. It's interesting to see what sort of games do though! Seeing as my teaching major is history, these games are definitely relevant and it is neat to know that there is the potential to include something like this into a lesson to change the medium of knowledge delivery. Do you think that there are games, outside of the one that you have listed, that would be beneficial for an English teacher? Do you think this might detract from some students learning who have no interest in video games? This focus on video games might have a negative impact on some students which is something that we really haven't addressed at all. Anyway, I'll let you get back to your PBS production.
ReplyDeleteYa know, I allllllmost added a line to my post about how BBC is really missing out by not having a Downtown tie-in game. I guess it wasn't really needed anyway...
DeleteYou bring up a good point about students who aren't really into video games. Thinking back, I might have found it silly (at least in high school) to be assigned something centered around video games, because that just wasn't really my thing. Maybe as teachers we could make a game-centered assignment one option out of a couple for a specific project? Or direct them to a site with several different types of games. That way, there's more of a chance for each students finding something that interests them.
AHH! SPYRO! I absolutely loovveeddd that series. I can agree that a game as good as Spyro can just ruin all other games for you. Nothing lives up to it's standard. :D My brother hated it, but I said "Screw you!" You don't get to play it then! These older games had such an appeal to it since it revolved around a story, puzzle solving and learning the environment of the game. With modern games, I feel very much removed from the game. They seem to focus on not learning but the visuals. Games like Call of Duty may end up having great graphics but are more focused around multiplayer which doesn't even encourage team play! I have more to rant about but you got a bit of it and I'm glad you found the educational value in various games.
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