Digital game-based language learning with Interactive Fiction (PART 1) Video games (also called digital games) are serious. While the people who play them have known this for a long time, it’s taken over three decades for society in general to accept them as something other than a way to pass the time in virtue of doing “more serious” work. The fact is, video games are serious – if not to the casual observer, then certainly to their players. What makes people want to spend so much time and money playing video games? Of course, the specific source of this ‘good’ feeling is subjective and depends on the person playing the game as well as the game being played, but in video games, feeling good can come often from: Taking on the identity of someone else and controlling their actionsBeing involved in the telling of a storyBeing put in a situation you would not normally be in (yet being safe)Facing challenges and having to overcome them Linguist James Gee (2012) defines a digital game as being: Digital Game-based language Learning What is Interactive Fiction?
Getting Started With Game-Based Language Learning Game-based learning (GBL) is an area of education that has been getting a lot of attention in recent times. It's easy to find articles and entire websites devoted to the power of games for engaging learners and providing a vehicle for their learning. However, many of these articles seem to focus on math, science, and language arts. But what about language learning? How can GBL help English-language learners develop their comprehension and communicative skills? The one question that I'm often asked, however, is: "How can teachers get started with GBL in the language classroom, especially when they have little experience of it?" Start a Conversation GBL is all about engaging learners, so your first step is to find out if they like the idea -- after all, there's little point in trying to push GBL with a class who are simply not into gaming! Ask your students what kind of games interest them and what their devices of choice are. The Power of Choice Set the Rules All Part of the Plan
Crossword puzzle maker The Crossword puzzle maker is used to make simple crossword puzzles. It turns out that good crossword puzzles of the type found in newspapers are fairly hard to generate, and require a pool of lots of words, not all of which are used. This program puts all of the words you specify (no more, no less) into a simple crossword puzzle. The puzzle that is generated will remain on this server for about two months. If you want help with international characters, you can call up an Alphabet chart to use for cutting and pasting letters that are hard to type. The first part of this is for you to enter a list of words and clues. Once that part is done, hit the Make Puzzle button for a puzzle which incorporates your words. As the number of words you put in the puzzle, increases, the wait increases exponentially.
Make your own word search puzzle You can use this page to create your own word search puzzle with your own list of words. These puzzles are popular with different groups of people, especially teachers and students. Please enter a set of words. When you are done, hit the "Make Puzzle" button to generate a word search puzzle. Once the puzzle is displayed, you can use the "Printable HTML" or "Printable PDF" buttons to get a clean page suitable for printing with your web browser. The puzzle that is generated will remain on this server for about two months. Some users list their puzzles for all to see. If you want help with international characters, you can call up an Alphabet chart to use for cutting and pasting letters that are hard to type. Some people find this word list form too small, or want to have hidden words. Over the years, I've received many messages from students, teachers, and parents who have used the program for school work as well as a way to give a pleasant diversion from the normal grind.
Ocho videojuegos para educar a tus alumnos A lo largo de la Historia de la educación y la pedagogía, numerosas voces han destacado la importancia que el acto de jugar tiene en el desarrollo psicológico, social y/o cultural del ser humano, sobre todo en edades tempranas. Lo que, con la expansión de los videojuegos como una de las más populares formas de ocio de la actualidad y la aparición de escaparates como Steam y de organizaciones como Games for Change, basados en la responsabilidad del juego en valores respecto a sus usuarios en lo que a contenidos se refiere, ha diluido prejuicios y reticencias para dar paso a la proliferación de iniciativas, estudios y conferencias sobre el uso y programación de videojuegos en el aula como herramienta pedagógica. na vertiente que protagoniza este artículo en el que os proponemos un listado de ocho videojuegos cuyo valor pedagógico les hace merecedores de entrar en el aula como agentes educativos de efectividad comprobada además de ser, o eso esperamos, divertidos para vuestros alumnos.
Level Up Your English Skills: The 14 Best Video Games for Learning English Today, you’re the ruler of an epic civilization. Tomorrow, you’ll be a firefighter in the American West. But you might take a break to train as a warrior and seek revenge on some villains. All you need are some fun video games, and you can become anything you want. Better yet, you can do it all while practicing your English reading, listening and speaking skills. We’ll show you 14 of the best video games for learning English while exploring new worlds. So grab that controller and get learning! They’re interactive: Unlike videos or songs, your own actions influence the game in important ways. “Influent” Level: Beginner Genre: Gamified (transformed into a game) language learning If you thought language learning could never be adventurous, then this game is here to prove you wrong. In this game, you explore a modern apartment where everything is clickable. It also has a mini game inside it where you fly an airplane and shoot down various things. “Professor Garfield: Reading Ring” Genre: Puzzle FluentU
GAMIFICACIÓN: 20 herramientas para clase que te engancharán La gamificación está cada vez más presente en el aula pero, ¿cómo se puede implementar en clase? Con estas 20 herramientas de gamificación los alumnos podrán aprender de una forma sencilla y lúdica. Busca, crea y comparte tus propios juegos de ‘flashcards’: Brainscape es una de las plataformas con mayor cantidad y variedad de tarjetas digitales para la enseñanza que existen, y en ella encontramos todo tipo de materiales sobre los temas más variopintos. Tan sencillo como descargar la app (disponible en iOS y en Android) y bucear entre los temas disponibles, muchos de ellos en español. La web tiene además una sección para que los profesores saquen el máximo partido. 2knowre; gamificación en el aula Imagina un videojuego que tiene como objetivo la enseñanza de las matemáticas, pero que siendo un juego lo principal que obtenemos de él es la diversión. Su lanzamiento ha abierto la puerta a innumerables posibilidades para aplicarlo en el ámbito educativo. 14The World Peace Game 17Monster Kit
La gamificación en la enseñanza: pros y contras - BAQUIA La introducción de la gamificación en la enseñanza es una de esas cosas en las que las opiniones de los expertos no sólo son totalmente dispares, sino que habitualmente ocupan posiciones muy extremas: o totalmente a favor, o totalmente en contra. Algunos expertos son totalmente fanáticos de esta tendencia, y si por ellos fuera, remodelarían todo el concepto educativo en torno a ella; mientras que otros opinan que el valor educativo de la gamificación es poco o nulo. Sin embargo, aquellos que realmente han decidido apostar por la introdución de las mecánicas y temáticas de los videojuegos en la educación, saben que, al igual que otras innovaciones, debe ser desplegada de una manera medida y sistemática, con el objetivo de maximizar sus beneficios y reducir al mínimo las consecuencias negativas, que como en todo, las hay. En contra: – Coste. – Distracción de otros objetivos. – Aislamiento social. – Reducción del tiempo de atención. A favor: – La alfabetización tecnológica. Comentarios