In this video entitled Big Thinkers: Katie Salen on Learning with Games she discusses the importantance of the use of games in the classroom. After watching this video, a goal I made for myself is to find a variety of learning games to introduce to my students. I have found several games that I like to use during reading and math centers but I feel that I could increase the number of games in my pool in order to expose students to a variety of different types of games. Katie Salen talks about how students are more willing to take risks in a game instead of another classroom activity because they feel safe to fail in a game environment. They know that they will get another chance to try again if they make a mistake. She also talks about how games are often viewed as a lesiure activity or a waste of time but they can be valuable learning opportunities if they are the right type of games. Games can increase student confidence and provide students with a sense of empowerment because they know that the games are designed for kids and that they are likely to succeed.
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13 years ago
I also like the idea of teaching with games. However most of the games I have found are about the same as doing worksheets. I know Macromedia Flash is a great program where you can teach students to make their own cartoons or create their own games. However this is a very expensive program. If you find any good sites for games please let me know.
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