On Thursday 2nd February we had a visit from four ICT education specialists from Fife. They talked to us about a number of different ways ICT can be used to support the curriculum, including Comic Life, Pivot, Sequel and games based technology. I have chosen to discuss and reflect on games based learning as I found this to be very interesting.
On my placement in first year, I had my first experience of seeing computer and console games being used in the classroom. My teacher had a system whereby if the children had finished their work, they could play brain training on the computer or sports games on the Nintendo Wii. However, after the input on Thursday, I believe these games should not be used as a reward for finishing work, instead they should be used to enhance the children's learning.
Games can be used in the classroom to create meaningful contexts, drawing on the pupil's own personal experiences and can be used across the whole curriculum. Games based learning is not about teaching ICT skills but instead they can be used as a learning tool. One example of this is Supertux which is a multi-platform penguin game. This can be used as a stimulus for writing as children can describe how they would create their own level after playing the game.
Another Supertux game is Supertux Kart - similar to a game which many children may have played called Mario Kart. We were told of how this was used in one primary school as a behaviour management policy. The children all had to apply for driving licenses and these had to be approved by the class teacher. If a child misbehaved they would be given points on their license and if they reached the maximum number set then their licence was ripped up and they had to then reapply for another one. This was only approved by the teacher when she saw fit. I thought this was an excellent way to motivate children and would definitely consider using a strategy like this in the future!
Using games based learning in the classroom is so relevant to children as many will be playing these games at home on a regular basis. As stated by the Scottish Government 'Research is beginning to suggest that computer games can help to stimulate a successful learning environment and provide motivational learning contexts that suit many learners' (Scottish Government, undated). Games can be used in the classroom individually or as a whole class on the interactive whiteboard. I think that they are an excellent learning tool and can motivate and enthuse all learners of all ages.
To find out more information on the other software packages and games discussed by the Fife specialists please visit:
http://ifarm8.blogspot.com/
http://ifarm8.blogspot.com/
Scottish Government (undated) Game Based Learning. Available online at:
The driving license behaviour management technique was really interesting. Could you do this with other games? Theory?
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