In selecting our educational online game, we reviewed 3
different websites before we decided on the game, The Oregon Trail. This essay
will discuss the rubric, how the game can be used in my content area, and the
interactive tools that we found useful as a group.
When designing the rubric, we looked at what was important in an
educational game if we were to use it in our lesson. As a group our average
score was 12.25. However, when we individually rated the game, I scored the
game an 11, the lowest in my group. Although the game is very educational, I
believe the students in my class will find that the graphics are outdated, may
get bored quickly, and find some of the terms in the game difficult to
understand. There were also no accommodations for our students who may need it.
Although this game is best used in the Social Studies content
area according to commonsense media review page, I can also use it for my
content area, Language Arts. This game can be useful for students in middle to
high school by engaging them with multifaceted texts for difficult
text-based analyses (Common Sense Media, 2015). It can also be used to help students build their vocabulary.
As a teacher we can incorporate additional requirements before the student is
able to move on. For example, if the student does not understand a specific
term in the game, they must stop the game and define the word before they can
move on.
When working on this project my approach was different. Instead
of using Google like I normally do as my search engine, I decided to use
dogpile.com and kidsrex.org. Instead of using Excel from Microsoft office, I
used Google sheets, which was the most helpful tool for collaborating with my
team. Finally, we used Emaze for our
presentation, which was fantastic and very user friendly.
Although, educational games is a great way to engage our students, according to teach hub.com “With so many demands placed on educators to always be
‘standards-focused,’ game can seem like more of a distraction than an
instructional tool (especially to principals passing by). I know many
teachers who shy away from games completely because they don’t want their
principal to walk in and say, “Umm, Mrs. Pak, why are your students playing
around instead of learning (Teach Hub, 2015)?”
References:
Engaging
Classroom Games For All Ages retrieved: June 17, 2015
Common Sense
Media, retrieved on June 17, 2015
Mecc.(1990)The
Oregon Trail Game
https://archive.org/details/msdos_Oregon_Trail_The_1990
