Technology has drastically
changed the way we work and live; computers have had a great impact on our
lives. In today’s high-technology world, games now commonly exist in the form
of computer-driven, interactive, audio-visual experiences called video games.
Some people assume that video games are just mindless and contain violent
content that is inappropriate for young children. However, some video games can
offer an enriching, even educational experience for young children; in fact,
some games are designed with the ultimate goal of educating instead of just
entertaining (these are called “educational video games”). Based on the
interests of children, many educators try to use methods similar to mainstream
games to develop educational video games.
The use of video games in
education provides a way to catch and keep young children’s interest while
educating them. When given such games that are appropriate for learning at
their current level, kids not only feel entertained, but also can learn. Some
schools encourage their students learning this way by providing educational
game software on computers at school. One of the first widespread educational
video games was “The Oregon Trail”. This is a survival game that taught history
by challenging the player to travel and survive as pioneers of the 19th century
traveling on a famous trail that stretched across half of the US.
Educational games can also
be used not only in schools, but at home and in online courses as well. Young
students can learn about a topic at school, and do their homework by accessing
online games and completing assigned goals. Many online educational games can be
found on the Internet. There are websites devoted specifically to online
educational games such as FunBrain.com, which features games that teach K-8
levels of math, reading, and more. New touch-based computing devices such as
tablets provide an easy-to-use and affordable computer that is ideal for young
children and a great device for educational games. According to
TeachThought.com, there are educational apps that teach maps and geography,
human anatomy, basic word reading, history, algebra, and more. Duolingo is a
well-regarded (and free) language-learning app. It works by using picture and
word matching, completing sentences by dragging words into the correct places,
and reading sentences to you and listening to you read them back.
What do you think about this "game" idea of online learning? Would you like to try it or let your kids try it in the future? What subject do you think you would be much more interested in learning if there are online educational games for that?
I enjoy this idea of Educational Games. I think kids will be very visual learners and need this stimuli to help them associate and remember key takeaways. It would be a shame that we are in such an electronic world that this is a consideration, however it can be very beneficial to the younger generation. Enjoyed your article!
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of using educational games is a great one. When i was little Oregon Trail was the only reason i knew any kind of history at all. You have to try to find new ways that kids will enjoy learning and hopefully like enough to do at school and maybe even some in their own free time. This kind of reminds me of the learnsmart activities we do for Marketing class that I like doing more than any other homework I have to do.
ReplyDeleteEducational games are great especially for those who are visual and interactive learners like myself. I remember I had a game for the computer that was Grades K-5 and it covered every subject we were learning, so it was very helpful. The most beneficial would probably be Math for me because that was one I always struggled with.
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant! I really wish more companies and schools would "play!" When I was younger, I remember my mom using flash cards to help teach me things, and (sounds silly, I know) she would teach me how to spell by putting spelled out words to music. Most people are competitive by nature. When made into fun, or at least interesting games, learning can be really easy and people almost tend to retain the knowledge without even realizing it. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI believe educational games work well as a supplement to traditional classroom learning. I don’t think they are as beneficial for the primary teaching method, but ideal for something that reinforces lessons and gives more practice (such as homework). I think I would enjoy it and would let my kids try it too. I think subjects like history, geometry, and music might work well to learn from educational games.
ReplyDeleteI actually did my science fair project in the 6th grade on the relationship between accurately doing homework and playing video games. I had predicted that playing video games would decrease your ability to learn, but I found that it was the opposite depending on the game. Not typically what you would expect, especially considering the negative connotations with video games.
ReplyDelete