Computer Games for Math & Science

Digital Oasis 2010

NPST 2: Use teaching strategies and resources to engage students in effective learning.

فاعل تعلم في الطلبة تشرك التي مصادره و التعليم توظيفطرائق

10,000 HOURS

By graduationa student will have played 10,000 hours

of video games.

Good Video Games = Good Learning

Some people think of learning in school—for example, learning biology—as all about learning “facts” that can be repeated on a written test.

Decades of research, however, have shown, that students taught under such a regime, though they may be able to pass tests, cannot actually apply their knowledge to solve problems (e.g., Gardner 1985).

Research Support for Educational Computer Games "Computer

simulations are natural learning tools for a generation of video game players." "Inventive computer sims can turn dull lessons into hyperreal experiences -- if we can get educators to use them. ...”

“Did you know The Federation of American Scientists recently declared that video games can redefine education?” http://people.uncw.edu/ertzbergerj/msgames.htm

The Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London has developed a region in Second Life that aims to design game-based learning activities for delivery of virtual patients for experiential, diagnostic, and role-play learning activities supporting patients' diagnoses and treatment.

How Can Computer Games be Used in the Classroom

Cross curricular links

Project based learning Starter

Plenary

Students can watch or play a game such as Review Game Zone for 5 or 10 minutes at the start of the lesson. This can be used to motivate students for the objectives of the lesson.

Use a game such as Hangman or Quizlet to summarise the objectives or the key words of the lesson.

Creating projects is an activity that encourages one of the highest cognitive levels of learning. Students enjoy creating education games that they share with each other. Games can be published onto a wiki site for revision.

Games that involve simulations, historical re-creation, and real-life problems solving.

Teacher Tip

Use screenshots to record scores.

Students can save, email or print screenshot scores for a grade.

Results recorded on teachers computer, wall chart or in student jotter.

How to Evaluate an Educational Game

Vocabulary Games

Vocabulary Revision

Create your own worksheet using links from this site and have students do them like "cyber" stations right on the web. Have them check off each site completed.

http://www.yourdictionary.com/fun.html

Hangman Versions– Science:

http://education.jlab.org/vocabhangman/index.html

– http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/hangman/

– http://www.wordduck.com/

Philogus http://www.philologus.co.uk/index.php Anagrams Bingo Game Card

s

Blockbusters Deal or No Deal Countdown: Num

bers

Hangman Millionaire

Teacher Comments "Fantastic! My pupils

love playing Millionaire to start the lesson."

"The games are so much easier to set up than others I've found."

"Thank you - these games have given me more confidence using IT in the classroom."

Quizlet http://quizlet.com/features/ This online tool

allows you or your students to enter vocabulary terms and definitions to create electronic flashcards and quizzes to enhance word study in any language or a content area.

Scatter is a fun matching game which lets you drag and drop questions and answers with your mouse while racing against the clock.

Space Race is the ultimate video game study simulation. Racing the clock, you type in answers to questions flying overhead before they evade your grasp.

Computer Game Creation

Jeopardy Labs is a free service you can use to create your own online Jeopardy game. Jeopardy Labs provides a blank template on which to build your game. You do not need to register in order to build your own game. However, if you want to be able to edit your game at a later point you will want to create a password before you create your game. When completed your game is given its one unique url. Post that url on your blog, wiki, or website and anyone can then play your game.

Applications for EducationJeopardy Labs provides a good way for teachers to create a review game that students can play independently or in the classroom. You could also have students create games that they share with each other.

This site contains downloadable games and utilities that teachers & trainers can use to enhance lessons.

PowerPoint Games Excel Games Word Games Utilities/Timers

Big Board Facts Guess Louie Big Wheel Space Decoder Sunken Treasure Bingo Boards Scrambled Words Board Templates Countdown Clock Beach Rally

Templates http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/ppt-vocab.html

This website contains a collection of templates for building PowerPoint games based on the concepts of Jeopardy, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Wheel of Fortune, Bingo, and $25,000 Pyramid.

All of these templates can be downloaded from the site and altered to suit your needs.

Game Creation Provide student(s) with

an assignment to create questions to make their own review game.

Students can play each other's review game and discuss the questions that were helpful.

http://reviewgamezone.com/site/subjects/math.php?id=2&name=Math

http://sciencereviewgames.com/srg/

Click on the teachers section to receive great tips, create your own games, and download study sheets for use in class.

http://www.teachersfirst.com

SCIENCE EDUCATIONALCOMPUTER GAMES

http://nobelprize.org/games_simulations.html

Top 10 most visited educational games

1. The Laser Challenge Game 2. The Blood Typing Game 3. The Pavlov's Dog Game 4. The DNA - the Double Helix Ga

me

5. The Lord of the Flies Game 6. The Electrocardiogram Game 7. The Control of the Cell Cycle Ga

me

8. The Peace Doves Game 9. The Immune System Game 10. The Split Brain Experiments G

ame

Take care of a diabetic dog & learn about diabetes.

Learn how nerve cells communicate.

Interactive Simulations from PhET Simulations:

Physics Biology Chemistry Math

Vary aspects such as:– Language (Arabic!) – playing speed– direction,– Labels– audio commentary

PhET screenshot: http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=Energy_Skate_Park

http://www.uen.org/7-12interactives/science.shtml

Design a Roller CoasterTry your hand at designing your own roller coaster.Atom BuilderConstruct a carbon atom. The Power of Tiny ThingsTest your knowledge about the equivalence of matter and energy. UVA Virtual LabsThe University of Virginia created these 3D animations to explain technologies affecting our daily lives. (Runs best on Firefox)Building BigExplore what it takes to "Build Big" in the forces, materials, loads and shapes labs.

http://www.uen.org/7-12interactives/science.shtml

PCR Virtual LabPCR is a relatively simple tool that you can use to focus in on a segment of DNA and copy it billions of times over. Step up and see how it works!DNA ExtractionEnter this virtual lab to perform a cheek swab and extract DNA from human cells.Gel Electrophoresis Virtual LabHave you ever wondered how scientists work with tiny molecules that they can't see? Here's your chance tosort and measure DNA strands by running your own gel electrophoresis experiment.The Bacterial Identification LabThis lab will help familiarize you with the science and techniques used to identify different types of bacteria based on their DNA sequences.Many more virtual labs at www.uen.org/7-12interactives/

Freezeray: http://www.freezeray.com/

Scientific Literacy provides word games for a variety of topics. A teacher answer sheet of words is available as a pdf download.

The Tips and Templates section provides templates for Drag and Drop as well as word games.

http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/S/sos/ Britain’s Channel 4 has teamed with the Institute of Physics to offer this set of online Flash games about sound, energy, and materials. A free registration is required, but made-up names seem to be acceptable. Teachers will want to preview these for suitability, but there seems to be considerable depth to the content.

Supercharged: http://www.educationarcade.org/supercharged

In the educational video game "Supercharged," players can use magnetic fields to navigate mazes. Players also see electric field lines, which can help guide them through the course.

Physics Games 24: http://www.physicsgames24.com/games/physics-games/

Element Game Site: http://education.jlab.org/indexpages/elementgames.php

Element Flash Cards - Learn the names and symbols of the elements!

Element Math Game - Calculate the number of protons, neutrons or electrons in an atom based on information from the Periodic Table of Elements!

Element Balancing Game - Practice balancing chemical equations by picking the correct coefficients!

Element Hangman - Discover which element the computer has picked by guessing the letters in its name!

Element Crossword Puzzles - Use the clues provided to solve each crossword puzzle!

Element Concentration - Challenge your memory and your knowledge of the elements!

8 Chemistry Games – 6 Levels of Learninghttp://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Elementsgames.htm

Chemistry Challenges

Creative Chemistry http://www.creative-chemistry.org.uk/ Fun chemistry puzzles, interactive revision quizzes and molecular models.

Chemistry for Beginners (6 Levels)http://www.neopets.com/games/play.phtml?game_id=239 The object of the game is to build molecules from the atoms given to you.

Chemistry Challenges

Amazing Chemistry Teacher Resourceshttp://www.nclark.net/Chemistry Games, Virtual Labs, Songs and Interactive Activities.

Fun-=Based Learning Chemistry: http://funbasedlearning.com/chemistry/ Four games that teach you about facts about elements and how to balance equations.

Plasma Pong: http://www.fun-motion.com/physics-games/plasma-pong/

In the game you can inject plasma fluid into the environment, create a vacuum from your paddle, and blast shockwaves into the playing area. All these abilities have fluid-based kinetic effects on the ball.

It’s almost as fun to play the game itself as it is to simply watch the physics simulation. In fact, you can press F1 to toggle over to an interactive fluid simulation..

http://thinkanatomy.com/ Games, interactives,

quizzes and tests. An amazing site.

Some of the interactives would make good IWB or partner-shared review games. The entire site should be a link from your teacher web page for students to use in at-home review.

You must log in (as a guest) to see the teacher pages.

Cells Are Us bingo game for review.

On-line self-study system, Get Smart!,  that operates like "flash cards," but additionally allows the teacher to provide feedback on answers and scores automatically

http://peer.tamu.edu/curriculum_modules/Cell_Biology/index.htm

Tissues of Life: http://www.smm.org/tissues/index.php

Immune Attack

MATHS EDUCATIONALCOMPUTER GAMES

Online Games

http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/tools/math-hs.html#Interactive

Because this site offers multiple levels and activities for many topics, it is easy to differentiate for ability levels within your class.

http://www.archimedes-lab.org/

The interactive site has a maze maker, math games, word games, and tricks to perform.

http://calculationnation.nctm.org/Games/AboutGames.aspx

Use this free site to play math games against other opponents or a computer.

IWB GamesUse the IWB or projector to introduce the activities. Give students opportunity to explain the math concept behind the game to check for understanding.

http://www.mathsonline.co.uk/nonmembers/gamesroom/

Use these applets on an IWB or projector as an anticipatory set. Have students work independently on the logic activities.

http://www.cut-the-knot.org/index.shtml

Collection of math games drawn from several different sources to help reduce "site not available" problems.

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001794.shtml

Downloadable and Printable Games

http://www.iplaymathgames.com/

Collection of geometry, fraction, and math games - a great starting point for an in-class activity.

http://www.qbyte.org/puzzles/

Puzzles range geometry, probability, number theory, algebra, calculus, trigonometry, & logic

http://www.math-play.com/Middle-School-Math-Games.html

Middle School Math links to practice math skills and play fun online games.

http://www.purposegames.com/game/trigonometry-v2-quiz

Trigonometry - an educational quiz and trivia games created by its members.

Maths Zone Role Play: http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/M/mathszone/howtoplay.shtml

Maths Zone is a role play adventure. The aim of the game is to escape robbers and inform the police of their whereabouts.

Behind the role play is a series of KS3 Maths problems.

In order to escape the user will have to show knowledge of Maths concepts.

Dimension M

A screenshot from the website of Dimension M, showing a disembodied math problem in the sky.

Fee based

Interactive Math: Lure of the Labyrinth

A mathematics game designed for middle-school pre-algebra students.

The protagonist, a kid who’s just had his beloved pet abducted by Bigfoot and taken to a subterranean food mill, has to solve a series of math-based puzzles to get him back.

The puzzles focus on proportions, ratios, fractions, and variables.

The educators guide gives you sound advice on how to guide your class.

http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/

More about Lure of the Labyrinth

The game is web-served so that it can be played by students anywhere, and at any time.

Student data is collected on a central server, enabling teachers to view students’ accomplishments without requiring that gameplay occur during class time.

The game is accompanied by curriculum that encourages teachers to follow this approach in deploying the game.

http://themathgames.com/

Basic Arithmetic Revision:– Ordering Positive & Negative Integers– Equivalent Fractions– Evaluating Arithmetic Expressions– Decimal Place Value

CROSS-CURRICULAR GAMES

Babylon

http:simcit.ea.com

Top Educational Game on Facebook

More Facebook Games

Geometry ShooterGeometry Shooter is a fun shooting game where you shoot falling shapes with your turret to keep them from hittin...VectorAsteroids meets Geometry in this War against vector shapes with retro type shooting fun.More Games Here: http://apps.facebook.com/gameserpent/search

http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/home.html

Can Computer Games Keep You Healthy?

http://www.simsweatshop.com/game

Palmagotchi: PDA Games

Palmagotchi is a game based on virtual birds living in a Darwinian Galapagos.

To keep the birds alive and thriving, players must learn about ecology, evolution, and genetics.

The game takes place on wireless PDAs and sends data back to a central server that can be used to provide graphs of class-wide data to the teacher.

Teachers no longer need to use class time to play games, but instead can use the class time to talk about data.

Citations and Resources

http://www.teachersfirst.com http://jc-schools.net/ http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/03/jeopardy-labs-make-your-o

wn-online.html http://www.slideshare.net/olliebray/games-based-learning-in-secondar

y-schools http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnPYhSbSABA (Second Life

Video) http://education.mit.edu/papers/MovingLearningGamesForward_EdArc

ade.pdf