15 Serious Games Aiming to Change the World Using games for purposes other than entertainment is nothing new. There are war games, educational games, throne games. But a new class of games has sprung up in recent years, designed to create awareness and raise support for a variety of global issues. Such serious games seek to harness the power of competition and/or novelty to attract players and get the word out for a good cause. Catalysts for Change: On April 3, 2012, Catalysts for Change went live online for 48 hours. A Closed World: Game designers in Singapore created this game because of the shortage of content concerning LGBT issues.
20 Serious Games For School This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant Rather than being designed for entertainment, serious games are made with a specific objective in mind. Social Studies/History Past/Present is an interactive history game designed for students in grades five through eight. English/Language Arts Youth Voices challenges students to become social media powerhouses as they interact with others through blogging, conducting research projects and responding to questions.Gemmings Rush helps students, especially ESL students, build their vocabularies as they click on gems with letters to build words.Total Mayhem is a game for young learners, covering topics like sight words, and guiding more advanced learners through activities explaining the different parts of speech. Math/Business Science Health/Physical Education For more articles like this, download Teaching The AvatarGeneration on iTunes.
9 Apps for the Low or NO Internet Classroom Having a ”bad internet day” is frustrating when you’re trying to stream a Netflix movie or connect to wifi in a coffee shop. It’s even worse when there are thirty or so inquiring minds or restless students waiting to start an activity or new lesson. So what do you do if you are in a low or no Internet classroom? Although you’ll need an Internet connection to download these apps and share student work, this list includes a handful of my favorite mobile apps for classrooms with no or low Internet access. Does this sound like a problem you have in your school? Keep these apps at the top of your list when thinking about how students will create and consume content in your classroom. Explain Everything This amazing screencasting tool lets students demonstrate their thinking while creating short video clips. Book Creator Kids can create their own stories and publish books with this awesome app. Popplet Lite Students can make their own graphic organizers with this easy to use iPad app.
15 Free Web Tools and Apps to Amplify Your Audio Projects “Thoughts need words. Words need a voice.” – Sharon M. Draper In my new book, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions, I share several tips for integrating technology to allow every student to share their ideas and creativity. Student voice is important, but when you teach several students, then the logistics get tricky. Get your copy of Hacking Digital Learning, The 30 Goals Challenge, or Learning to Go. Web Tools and Apps 10 iPad apps for Humanities classrooms Whilst there are some awesome apps and websites to support generic teaching and learning activities across the curriculum and age bands, there are also lots of brilliant subject-specific apps for you to use in the classroom too. Remember that whilst some of these tools really do have ‘cool factor’ running right through them, the most important thing is to link the activities you are undertaking and adding technology to them to enhance them. Rather than focusing on the tool first (often because it’s cool – particularly with VR and AR) and then seeing how it might fit with the curriculum, always start with the learning first. AirPano AirPano have a number of iPad apps available which can be useful in a Geography classroom for exploring the world. Apps such as the volcanos or geysers apps are full of great examples to share when teaching these topics in class. BrainPOP I used the free BrainPOP UK featured video app with my students for years when I was a teacher. The Pyramids OS Maps In "iPad"