Teaching with Digital Technology
Introduction to Digital Games in School
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/ 854
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- Category: Mobile Learning
- Last Updated on 11. Dec 2013
- Published on 26. Jan 2013
- Written by Anabel Nowak
Digital Games in Class. Something from another world?
If you are looking for a change in methodology, a different way of using media in class, interactive content for mobile devices and computers to round up the lesson, try EDUGAMES.
What are E D U G A M E S ? Edugames are educational games used for school. There are a wide variety of games ready to use and many ways of using other games in class, no matter what subject you teach, how old your students are, or what kind of school you work in. This introduction contains five different ways of using games, they are separated in levels according to the time and effort a teacher might need to deal with them.
Samorost 2 Level B1
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- Category: Mobile Learning
- Last Updated on 15. Dec 2013
- Published on 25. Jan 2013
- Written by Nowak
One of my experiments using games in school was to play Samorost 2 and review for the final exam.
The group consisted of 18 students between 18 and 57 years old with level B1 in English as a foreign language. We used the computer room at school. For the 120 minute lesson we needed The game amanita-design.net , online dictionary www.leo.org and verb wheel 4foot30.com
First I introduced the game, the dictionary and the verb wheel and made teams. Then I handed out papers with questions on the game. The questions had to be answered as students played along. Read how it went.
Samorost 1 Level A2
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- Category: Mobile Learning
- Last Updated on 15. Dec 2013
- Published on 25. Jan 2013
- Written by Anabel Nowak
This time I had a group of 12 students between 17 and 22, 11 males and one female. Level A2. The target was to review writing (simple past) We played Samorost 1 amanita-design.net
I introduced the verb wheel 4foot30.com and the online dictionary leo.org first. I then showed the beginning of the game on the big screen until the gnome flies to the other planet, later students had to turn their computers on and finish the game.
I went round giving handouts and helping with questions. The handouts consisted of screenshots of the game with seven pictures and three questions to each picture in simple past and simple present.
Quest for the Rest Level A1/A2
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- Category: Mobile Learning
- Last Updated on 16. Dec 2013
- Published on 25. Jan 2013
- Written by Anabel Nowak
This was a difficult experiment. I played Quest for the Rest amanita-design.net with a group in which many people had just started learning English for the first time a few moths before, the group's English knowledge was mixed. There were 17 people between 18 and 26.
I started explaining what we were going to do and showed the first picture on the screen in the computer room. Later I handed out a page with four pictures and three questions to each picture in simple present, the lesson took 90 minutes. Students could use their mobiles to look up for words in their dictionary apps.
The homework was writing a postcard to a friend telling him about the activities of the group during their adventure holiday in present progressive and simple present.
The students could chose one of the pictures to write about. Read how it went
Pumpkin Soup & Rocket Man Level A0
User Rating: / 926
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- Category: Mobile Learning
- Last Updated on 15. Dec 2013
- Published on 25. Jan 2013
- Written by Anabel Nowak
The group learning English from scratch was the most challenging to play with, at the same time I was convinced that a game in that group would improve confidence and vocabulary much faster than in any other group.
I decided to use two short games. Pumpkin soup onlinegames.net is rather a game for females and Rocket Man amanita-design.net was intended to be for the four males in the group of 12.
Tips to use digital games in class
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- Category: Mobile Learning
- Last Updated on 05. Mar 2013
- Published on 27. Jan 2013
- Written by Anabel Nowak
Tips to start using digital games in classroom
What can go wrong? (It does not necessarily mean it has to)
Apart from technical problems, you should be prepared to have students who will perhaps not like the idea of playing, won’t like the game you have chosen first or won’t take it seriously. Here are a couple of tips to avoid some problems.
