Group items tagged

Online games and simulations to explore topics like refugees, world hunger, and natural disasters. Great example of content in games being great because of its link to a high-level institution.

One of Jane McGonigal's games -this is an alternate reality game where students have the opportunity to think and communicate about what a world without oil would be like. The original game occurred in 2007 with over 1500 participants engaging and responding. However, students can still use the game. Lesson plans for teachers are available through the Learn About link. Teachers may choose to go through the whole series of ten lessons or use just one.

Gamestar Mechanic features gameplaying leading to gamebuilding. Excellent problem-solving skills required. Accessible to older elementary and middle school students. The AMD challenge takes this interactive work into the realm of global issues, asking players to create games that have social impact. IBMYP teachers may see this as Community and Service. Students are asked to use the elements they have learned to make a game that raises awareness about challenges like "energy, food, pollution, and poverty." BTW, my 5yo loves this: enjoys playing others game and creating his own. He truly gets the collaborative nature of this space.

Games that relate to concepts like factoring, combining like terms, and perimeter. Join as parent, student, teacher. Players can work against the computer or challenge other members to a game. Fun to play! Appropriate for Upper El and Middle School.

Upper el and middle school students can explore math concepts in a (somewhat) real life context through games. Geometry, Scale, Proportion, and Measurement are applied in different games. In Rock n Roll Road Trip, students work through a series of word problems in each city. In Rio, they work on ratios. Students can only proceed to the next problem by answering correctly. Great for making sure students read the instructions in the problem and pay attention to details like order of terms and reducing to simplest terms. Once the student reaches London, the topic switches to measures of time. The "game" framework helps make the student want to get to the next city, and it gives good word problem practice (useful for those tricky standardize tests). Nice for a mixed review challenge.

"Vanished is an 8-week online/offline mystery game for middle-school children, meant to inspire engagement and problem solving through science. Developed and curated by MIT's Education Arcade and the Smithsonian Institution, VANISHED is a first-of-its-kind experience where participants become investigators racing to solve puzzles and other online challenges, visit museums and collect samples from their neighborhoods to help unlock the secrets of the game. Vanished also provides a unique opportunity for players to collaborate Smithsonian scientists, MIT students, and their peers online. Players can only solve the mystery by using real scientific methods and knowledge to unravel the game's secrets." Forums, games and videoconferencing are all parts of working together to solve the mystery.

Fun games for middle school that cover Citizenship & Participation, the Constitution & the Bill of Rights, Separation of Powers and the Three Branches of Government. Content can be customized to your state standards and teachers can print out reports of student work for assessment. Great role-playing to understand content. Modules designed to fit in most class periods. Recommended by the ALA and Sandra Day O'Connor.

Intended to show how poverty is an obstacle to education, Ayiti is a simulation game set in Haiti. They player makes choices for a family of 5 regarding their work, schooling, and health. Of course, this process is more difficult than it should be - with disasters, disease, and lack of education plaguing every season. Upper elementary students would probably have the best experience with this game, but middle schoolers and up will probably be impressed because this life really isn't easy.

In this game, you get to visit China. As you explore the environment, you can interact with everything around just by clicking. You can engage in conversation, completing tasks, or try on different jobs. All of the work involves repetition with words and sentences in pinyin. You can also see the character writing and English translations, and you are always able to tailor the amount of support you need. In addition you can hear audio (native Chinese speakers!) for single words, complete sentences and entire conversations. There is a space where you can record yourself saying the same words and listen to both recordings to see if your pronunciation is improving. Along the way there are tips on grammar & syntax to help you recognize things like the difference between addressing someone formally or informally. The places you can visit and the encounters you have also give a taste of Chines culture. You can learn about money at the bank in the airport. Across the street from your hotel in Beijing there is a center where they talk about calligraphy and Chinese literature. Overall, the software addresses how to speak in many very practical situations. There is a ledger for your money and energy so you have to be active in the game to earn more. It is fun and makes you want to explore. I really think middle school would be best for this, but the content on some of the literature was in a pretty high range. This could be worked through as assignments or individually paced.

Ten Marks is a math site educators can use free with their students. It is designed for students in grade 3 . Students have multiple choice worskhets to complete - after the student completes the worksheet, the student will be shown which answers were correct and encouraged to go back and correct the wrong answers so th score will be "ten marks." While doing the worksheet, students have access to a video review or lesson on the concept and a few "hints" or strategies for the topic. Each concept has multiple "albums" to work through - Grade 3 has 14 of them. Each of those albums has multiple tracks- or sub-concepts - composed of a number of worksheets. After working through a certain number of worksheets students unlock new games. In addition to the worksheet series, there are practice questions available for the students. Teachers might like to take advantage of the tests that are featured or the ability to track student progress. This is great for student who need a quick review of the process or those who benefit from a little motivation.

Watch the video to see many ways that people use Scratch. Students can really build their own animations and games using this code. Great for using the design cycle in technology!

Word-related fun! Browse their online dictionary. Play games for vocabulary and spelling. Make and define your own words using the build-your-own dictionary feature. Resources for teachers include background information on dictionaries and words. You can access the Scripps' Spelling Bee information from this site. Probably best for 2nd to 4th grade.

Lessons for a variety of grade levels - many addressing interdisciplinary themes or global issues. Videos for HS. Links and information regarding economic data. The site also links to a personal finance game made up of a series of missions. The game is geared toward MS and HS. http://www.genirevolution.org/

"InterroBang is a socially networked problem solving game where middle and high school students complete real-world missions to win prizes, learn problem solving and connect with others to change the world. InterroBang players are awarded points for completed missions based on a problem-solving rubric. Teachers can use InterroBang to extend learning from their classrooms with these student-centered activities. 1. Pick a MISSION. Start easy (10 points) and work your way up. There are many to choose from: more added every week since students can add missions as well. 2. Make a PLAN. We'll help you get started. Do it by yourself or collaborate with your friends and people on your team. 3. Go out and DO IT. Have fun. Document what you're doing with text, pictures, video, and audio. 4. You must PROVE you did it. Upload pictures and videos that verify you completed the mission. Tell us in detail about your experience. 5. CONNECT with the community. Take a look at what other players are doing. Make strategic alliances. Create missions."

Excellent source for videos and free publications about online safety. Useful for support when talking to kids or parents. The games on the site are generally multiple choice quizzes with some animation, but might be a nice review for a presentation.

Lessons and web links for the math teacher. Includes over 100 online activities for K-12 with some overlap. Topics cover a variety of areas - including lots of work with fractions, factors and use of data. I like the paper tool that allows the teacher to create specially designed paper for an assignment.

Activities to help familiarize students with congress, the roles of is members, and the importance of civic participation. One module directs students to look at their representatives' or senators' websites to see how they take on various roles. These activities could be engaging starting points for lessons, discussion, or student projects.

Intended for HS and College chemistry students. Older students will be able to work through virtual labs or solve a murder mystery in a game. The interactive periodic table would be useful for MS students who are becoming familiar with the elements. There are also many links to hands on activities for younger students. Many partnerships and sponsorships with private institutes and journals help to ensure the highest quality of content. The Chemical Collective site is gathering information on teacher use of and student response to the use of virtual labs.

JASON connects students with scientists. This link leads to curriculum developed for 5th -8th grades. There are units for geology, energy, weather, and ecology. All of these units are framed as "missions" in which students engage with research articles, hands-on lab activities, videos, games, and multimedia resources.