i thought that the first group was a little nervous but they managed to pull through. i thought the progamme that chose was a cute one and that it may appeal to the younger levels. but its an individual programme. i think i would have liked it if they could race one another to see if their critters were healthier than their classmates. They could compare notes on the game or if they can visit each other on the game and exchanged recipes.
i could see why they chose the "fitter critters." its a interactive game where children could learn about the food pyramid.i can for see that the students might enjoy it.
The second group falls under my category: Art.
i thought that the group chose a good tool that the kids could use which is deviant art. they can post up their artworks and interact with international artists. they can have a online portfolio and a interactive blog where they can comment on each others artwork.
About the game based learning...
i have learnt that through game based learning can take a lesson out of its context and make it more fun and enjoyable for the students.
But when it is more fun and enjoyable, does the students really learn? I find that it has to make an impact then it is more likely that they will learn. if it is too fun, they may be too distracted... that they may not learn anything.
What ive learnt?
on the pros side, ive learnt that it can get the students to work together in a stimulated environment. It allows the students observe one another and they can learn by others mistakes. It gives the students an opportunity to to get excited over something and it may in the end get the students to learn it better or motivate the students to actually go into the content furthur by opening up their books.
How ive learnt?
i learnt by grouping into groups, and setting up a task,i was motivated to finish the task at hand. And most of the students may feel the same. Especially if it involve saving a human life (haha. without the mess.) The competition created an exciting atmosphere as we tried to outdo each other.
how you might change the way you teach
i think it would change the atmosphere and get the students to get excited about a particular subject. so if the content is dry, this would be a good way to create buzz on that subject. maybe i would use game based learning to introduce certain lessons to break away from norm of the classroom. It would be like a breath of fresh air and allows the student to really enjoy a lesson.
There is no reason that a generation that can memorize over 100 Pokemon characters with all their characteristics, history and evolution but can't learn the names, populations, capitals and relationships of all the 101 nations in the world.
- Prensky, 2001
You mentioned "i have learnt that through game based learning can take a lesson out of its context and make it more fun and enjoyable for the students."
ReplyDeleteI'd like to clear this misconception. Taking a lesson OUT of context is CONTRARY to one of the dimensions of meaningful learning. Games create or reinforce context. That is why they are fun or meaningful.