The 23 Best Game-Based Education Resources for 2014 Edudemic has covered game-based learning and gamification in the classroom on numerous occasions in the past. When learning becomes a game, it’s an enjoyable, effective experience for students and teachers alike. We’ve curated 23 of the best game-based education resources for 2014. If your class hasn’t gotten its game on yet, then now is the time. Understanding Game-Based Education Image via Flickr The concept of game-based education is one that’s easily dismissed as being frivolous or time-wasting. The Institute of Play explains how games nurture the higher-order thinking skills kids will need in their futures, including the ability to analyze and solve problems using media resources. Resources for Getting Started Even if you’re sold on the idea of game-based learning, you might be at a loss on where to begin. Tools You Can Use Once you’ve developed an understanding of game-based learning and decided how to get started, it’s time to move forward with deciding on the games you want to use.
100 Awesome Classroom Videos to Learn New Teaching Techniques With so many good teachers out there, it’s fortunate they can share their knowledge via video on the Internet. From the funny to the poignant, these glimpses into the lives of teachers and their students will keep you entertained while learning a little something as well. Whether you are a new teacher storing up tips and tricks or an experienced teacher who could just use a fresh perspective, you are sure to find something helpful among these videos. The Basics Reading, storytelling, math, and science all get coverage with these videos that show how some Teaching Storytelling in the Classroom. Myst ‘Exile’ in the Classroom. The Arts From visual arts to music to drama, these videos will offer suggestions and stimulate creativity when teaching art to your students. Footprint dancing at the Nest. Getting Physical Movement doesn’t have to be reserved just for PE class. Student Body: Classroom Exercises Make Learning Lively. Education and Technology Turning on Technology: Ferryway School.
Cooperative Learning Guinevere Palmer, Rachel Peters, Rebecca Streetman Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology, University of Georgia Review of Cooperative Learning Introduction Scenario Mrs. Mrs. She has tried a number of teaching methodologies. She also decided to try to make her classroom more student-centered by turning to a computer-based curriculum. As a last resort, Mrs. Mrs. Definition and Background Cooperative learning is defined as students working together to "attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively" (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1986). Cooperative learning is a methodology that employs a variety of learning activities to improve students' understanding of a subject by using a structured approach which involves a series of steps, requiring students to create, analyze and apply concepts (Kagan, 1990). Theoretical Framework for Cooperative Learning Collaborative vs. A climate such as that created by cooperative learning will help Mrs.
Create your own Interactive Fiction What is Interactive Fiction? Interactive Fiction (formerly referred to as Text Adventures) are a cross between reading a book and playing a game, where you control the main character. Rather than reading the story from start to finish, you interact with everything by typing commands at a prompt, discovering things as you go along. Well written games give you, the player, the impression that anything you type is understood by giving a sensible and meaningful response. Indeed, part of the fun of playing interactive fiction games is discovering responses to things you didn't expect to have been catered for. Most interactive fiction follows the same basic rules - these include walking from location to location using compass directions (north, east, south-west etc). How do you create Interactive Fiction games? There are several different systems for creating interactive fiction. ADRIFT is different by being a completely GUI driven application, designed to be intuitive and easy to use.
Getting to Know a Digital Textbook by Terence W. Cavanaugh When I switched to open source digital textbooks, I created a series of activities to help students better learn how to use the textbook in digital form. I added a textbook item to the course menu. The students learn more about digital textbooks through an activity I call, "getting to know your textbook" (see lesson below). As an online option for text-to-speech, students are shown how to use University of Washington’s WebAnywhere ( Students are shown how they can use note-taking software as an option to collect information from a book. In another activity, students also use auto-summary tools in their word processor to adjust the text to different reading levels for content, an adaptation that also allows for differentiated instruction. Through these activities, students not only read their text, but they also begin to see for themselves some of the advantages that digital versions of textbooks can have over print versions.
Three Brain-based Teaching Strategies to Build Executive Function in Students Updated 01/2014 For young brains to retain information, they need to apply it. Information learned by rote memorization will not enter the sturdy long-term neural networks in the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) unless students have the opportunity to actively recognize relationships to their prior knowledge and/or apply new learning to new situations. Here are some teaching strategies to help build executive function in your students. 1) Provide Opportunities to Apply Learning When you provide students with opportunities to apply learning -- especially through authentic, personally meaningful activities -- and then provide formative assessments and feedback throughout a unit, facts move from rote memory to become part of the memory bank. These opportunities activate the isolated small neural networks of facts or procedures, which then undergo the cellular changes of neuroplasticity that link them into larger neural circuits of related information. 3) Model Higher Thinking Skills Judgment
GameSites NOTE: Click on any of the anchor links you find interesting, read more about them, then click the headings to visit the website! Kindersite- List of 100s of Games The Kindersite spearheaded by Joel Josephson (@acerview54) has 1000s of educational and fun content specifically designed for preschool, kindergartens, elementary, primary schools and special needs students. Register for free for full featured access, but it’s not required. ELT Digital Play- Blog highlighting 100s of Games - This blog lists reviews various games, describes their value and how to play them. Pumkin English- Virtual World for Kids to Learn English - Love this virtual world for children to learn English through cute characters accomplishing tasks and winning points! Brainnook- Virtual World for Kids - a free online virtual world for kids to develop math and english skills with children worldwide. English Story Time Wiki- Resource of Games by Theme Nick Jr- Interactive Games English Attack-For Teens Let's Play!
Online video lessons flipping classrooms left and right In soothing tones, he explains everything from chemistry to credit default swaps, from algebra to economics, to about 2 million students a month, imparting roughly 200,000 lessons a day. And Salman Khan never loses his voice. As an educator, he's just now finding it, as the improbable creator of a free, Web-based video library whose pitch-perfect approach to bedeviling concepts has vaulted him into the education reform conversation — in Colorado and worldwide. "It's weird for me," says the 34-year-old Khan. "You don't expect people to recognize you, especially when you make math videos on YouTube." That task has expanded a bit since he first lashed together an online algebra lesson to help a cousin. Using technology to reach schools and homes around the world as either a stand-alone curriculum or a supplemental tool, the nonprofit Khan Academy (khanacademy.org) has doubled its users from over just three months ago and increased its audience 10-fold over last fall. Start of a legend?
Quest - Write text adventure games and interactive stories Quest lets you make interactive story games. Text adventure games like Zork and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Gamebooks like the Choose Your Own Adventure and Fighting Fantasy books. Watch a quick screencast ...and you're free No restrictions. This means you can download and modify the Quest source code, and do whatever you want with it. You can sell the games you make with Quest. You don't need to ask for permission - you already have it. Get started quickly You don't need to know how to program to use Quest. Everything about your game is displayed in plain English, but the source code to your game is also viewable and editable for the more technically minded. A full tutorial is included, and help is always available on the forums. Ever wanted to... Ever wanted to create your own game, but were put off by complicated programming languages? Want to get into game writing, or prototype game narrative before turning it into something bigger? Surprisingly powerful Graphics, sounds and video
5 Myths about mobile learning [and how to overcome them] Photo by stefg74 Here are some common mLearning myths I regularly come across in English language teacher training – and some myth-busting lesson plans. Myth 1: Mobile learning means learning via texting with mobile phones Mobile phones (or cell phones) are just one of the myriad devices that can be used for learning. Myth 2: Mobile learning means ‘learning on the move’ This is one of the most common definitions of mobile learning I hear. *Thanks to Neil Ballantyne for alerting me to this theory, which states that all learners will have a long bus ride to work/school in which they will want to look at flashcards or similar Myth 3: Mobile learning means learning with apps Another common misconception. access video rich content reviewing mobile phones, and thenproduce their own audio reviews via mobile devices,which peers and teacher can then comment on. Myth 4: Mobile learning means content delivered in ‘bite-sized’ chunks This relates to Myth 3 above. What about you?
SimCityEDU | A game-based learning and assessment tool for middle school students covering the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - Communication and Collaboration Communicate Clearly Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentions Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade) Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual)Collaborate with Others Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member Additional resources are listed below: 1. Web Index for Communication Resources 2. 3. 4. 5.
21st Century Learning: Will Richardson: Connective Teaching: How the Read/Write Web Challenges Traditional Practice Voice for the VoicelessIn keeping with my context filter (Homeless Children and Children of Poverty) for the Connectivism conference I re-listened to Will's presentation. Will says that networks are crucial and the best way to stay current is to network with other passionate learners who want to learn the things you do. As educators we must have a willingness to share and be transparent. Why should we be doing this? This is so true for students of poverty or even for students whose parents (regardless of socio-economic status) are not connected at home. Ask YourselfAsk yourself- are the current methods and curriculum being used at your school going to equip a high poverty student to climb out of the circumstance that has been forced upon them? I think you will see very quickly that if for no other reason than the changing demographic of students we are seeing in our classrooms, it is past time to make principled changes in the way we model learning to our students.
Product Tour - SoapBox GoSoapBox is a powerful, flexible, and intuitive student response system for educators to use in their classrooms. Leveraging web-enabled devices, teachers digitally engage students to conduct formative assessment and gain insight into student comprehension that was never before possible. Know Who's Confused GoSoapBox's intuitive Confusion Barometer lets students indicate whether or not they are getting it. No More Wasted Q&A Time Time is scarce during class. Only interested in Q&A? Make Class Lively with Real-Time Polls GoSoapBox offers dead-simple, customizable polling. Create Quizzes for Easy Formative Assessment Create a Quiz in GoSoapBox and download a grade report later. Tailor GoSoapBox to Your Style We built GoSoapBox to be remarkably malleable. Students Can be Anonymous Sometimes it's better for students to interact anonymously. Download Activity and Grade Reports We make it easy to download graded spreadsheets and reports on class activity. Get Started Now