WHY GAMES?

1. Games are a shared experience.
2. Games build community  – they are played socially at school.
3. Meaning is constructed as a group – individuals contribute to group understandings.
4. Language is played with – used in different ways to make different meanings.
5. Language becomes more visible through a game – it has shared context, shared understandings and shared meanings.
6. The experience, and the consequent language, is like “playdough” – it can be added to, moulded, pulled apart, re-arranged, viewed, discussed, evaluated, improved; first as a group, then individually; first orally and then written.
7. Immersion in the experience is child-centred, lots of time is spent on student initiated and led exploration of the game and/ or the game world. Students become part of the experience: In the game directly: Participating in the game – manipulating the characters and events – “living the game”: As a springboard for real life, authentic learning.
8. Learning outcomes are planned in detail – shared explicitly with students to support meta-language and deep knowledge.
9. Learning indicators are specific and focused: one scene or setting, one character or one object.

 

CONTEXTS FOR LEARNING

wiiMusic

wiiSports

Endless Oceans – Tom Barrett

 

• descriptive writing
• dive and discover
• sealife topic ideas

 

Cooking Mama – LTS Consolarium

Nintendogs – LTS Consolarium

Samba De Amigo – LTS Consolarium

 

• Authentic, real world tasks
• Rich tasks
• Cross-curricula
• Creative – many ways to fulfill the assessment
• On and off the computer
• Expands across KLAs
• Whole class input
• Contract work

 

KLA SPECIFIC

Dolphin Island HSIE, S&T

wiiSports Maths – Tom Barrett

• Subtraction
• Addition & subtraction

Drawn to Life English – Writing

Brain Training & Maths Training – LTS Consolarium

 

• More focused on one KLA area
• Individual, pairs, trios, smaller groups

 

Peter Richardson has a site that features a collaborative list of wii games and associated Year levels and activity focus.

 

 

PLANNING

Start with learning outcomes

Identify a game to support intended outcomes

Mind map, backward map, Blooms/Multiple Intelligences matrix.

Real world, authentic tasks.