In my latest eNewsletter for December to the staff at both Village Elementary
School and Coastal Ridge Elementary School, I mentioned how "game
changers", like Apple's iPad 2, are revolutionizing how students are learning in
our elementary classrooms. You only have to look as far as the Auburn School
District in Auburn, Maine, which hosted an international conference during the Thanksgiving
week, to see how these technologies are enhancing education. The school
district allowed educators from all over the world to observe how tablets and
other technologies are being used in their elementary classrooms to inspire and
engage all students. Visitors were welcomed into classrooms and attended
conferences after school hours to learn first hand from teachers and students
how these technologies have changed the face of education in their district.
Online streams, blogs and Tweets were presented by educators and students
to members watching online as well. Students are learning through designated
applications that focus on particular skills or problem solving strategies, and
finding that Game-Based Learning is fun and engaging.
Game-Based Learning is not a new concept. The Everyday Math program really opened my eyes to this form of teaching style when the school district I used to work for adopted the program in 2002. Instead of rote math facts done over-and-over again to promote mastery, games were created and played to practice math facts and computations that were inspiring, engaging and exciting to the students. I learned first-hand as a third grade teacher that students were picking up on these skills much faster with game play then using more traditional methods of work sheets and practice papers. With the overly popular iOS devices in classrooms, iPads and iPods can be used to allow students to work on particular skills by playing games. Games also provide solid feedback to the child and a raw score to the educator, or parent, as another form of data of the students’ learning.
Game-Based Learning can take a bit of time to research which are the best apps for your child, but in the long-run can truly be the catalyst that engages all of your learners at your house and individualizes their educational path to meet their individual needs. As gift lists are being created for the holidays, and smart phones are being upgraded, remember that your child could benefit from educational Game-Based Learning at home too! I am hoping that the big guy will upgrade my iPhone this year, and in return I will transform my old iPhone 3G into an iPod for my little girl full of preschool and baby genius apps for the upcoming year. I can't wait to start family game night at my house with a balance of electronic and non-electronic games.
Eric Lawson has been teaching for 12 years. He has previously taught 3rd grade in Kennebunk before taking on the job of Technology Integration Specialist for the elementary schools here in York. He has been published in eSchool News, Tech&Learning Magazine and Learning and Leading with Technology Magazine for technology integrated projects and ideas. He is the author of the blog, "Computer Lab Without Walls", and offers extra curricular courses integrating technology through the York Parks and Recreation Department and Adult Education Programs.
Game-Based Learning is not a new concept. The Everyday Math program really opened my eyes to this form of teaching style when the school district I used to work for adopted the program in 2002. Instead of rote math facts done over-and-over again to promote mastery, games were created and played to practice math facts and computations that were inspiring, engaging and exciting to the students. I learned first-hand as a third grade teacher that students were picking up on these skills much faster with game play then using more traditional methods of work sheets and practice papers. With the overly popular iOS devices in classrooms, iPads and iPods can be used to allow students to work on particular skills by playing games. Games also provide solid feedback to the child and a raw score to the educator, or parent, as another form of data of the students’ learning.
Game-Based Learning can take a bit of time to research which are the best apps for your child, but in the long-run can truly be the catalyst that engages all of your learners at your house and individualizes their educational path to meet their individual needs. As gift lists are being created for the holidays, and smart phones are being upgraded, remember that your child could benefit from educational Game-Based Learning at home too! I am hoping that the big guy will upgrade my iPhone this year, and in return I will transform my old iPhone 3G into an iPod for my little girl full of preschool and baby genius apps for the upcoming year. I can't wait to start family game night at my house with a balance of electronic and non-electronic games.
Eric Lawson has been teaching for 12 years. He has previously taught 3rd grade in Kennebunk before taking on the job of Technology Integration Specialist for the elementary schools here in York. He has been published in eSchool News, Tech&Learning Magazine and Learning and Leading with Technology Magazine for technology integrated projects and ideas. He is the author of the blog, "Computer Lab Without Walls", and offers extra curricular courses integrating technology through the York Parks and Recreation Department and Adult Education Programs.
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