How
might video games enhance my students' learning?
A few months ago I noticed that often times on topics
that were completely new to my students our lessons would take nearly an hour
longer that was scheduled (often times I had to cut out science/social studies
to accommodate for it). It
appeared that if my students were struggling with a new concept they often
‘checked out’ on me during explanations and examples. As a result I began asking other teachers what they do in
order to help keep students on task and engaged in the lesson. After several conversations I learned
that a lot of teachers offered rewards to the class if everyone finished during
our class period (it’s an hour and 40 minutes). Such rewards often included free time in the classroom or on
the computer. Well, although I do
like to give free time once in a while, I felt that there had to be a way to
incorporate some type of reward that not only served as a ‘change of pace’
activity, but one that would be fun yet still focused on the skill necessary
for students to understand the concept being taught.
Although I did consider having students do math games
(such as file folder games and the sort), I noticed that most of my students
were more motivated by the idea of playing with a computer. Plus, who has the
time to create whole games and gather its materials for every topic? I certainly don’t. As a result I began
my hunt for Internet programs/games that I could use within my classroom. A few
programs in which I used within my classroom already this year for Mathematics
in particular include: IXL Math, Sumdog and Timez Attack. I used IXL for a while, but noticed
that students got bored with it quickly; therefore I talked to another teacher
who suggested Sumdog. That too is
really great website, but unfortunately it requires A LOT of bandwidth that my
school does not seem to have (at least for 15 students to be on at one time),
therefore I had to put that program on the side table. The last one that I mentioned is one
that I still use within the classroom.
I will investigate it further in the latter portion of my blog.
The task this week turned out to be exactly what I
needed. With my current students I
noticed early that they really loved computer video games (who doesn’t?). I knew that although I did use a
program called Timez Attack, it only focuses on just a few of the many
standards that students need to master, therefore it became a necessity for me
to find another video game type of program (or two) that was fun to do, but provided
additional practice in the current skills being taught. This assignment came just in time too,
as I recently decided to stop using IXL Math as much and needed a new rewards
program/educational game to incorporate into the later half of math. Before I
talk about the two new programs that I just introduced to my 3rd
graders, let me tell you first about a program called Timez Attack. In order to respond to the questions
associated with this task I decided to observe the reactions/engagement of my
students while playing this game.
Website: http://www.bigbrainz.com/
Standards:
3.OA.4. Determine the unknown whole
number in a multiplication or division equation relating three whole numbers.
3.OA.7. Fluently multiply and divide
numbers up to 100, using strategies such as the relationship between
multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 ×5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 =
8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all
products of two one-digit numbers.
1. Was the child engaged?
Students were
very engaged. In fact, students
actually ask to play Timez Attack when they finish other work early. They love it!
2. Did the child learn the
skills that were targeted?
They are in the process of it yes. I can see improvement
in multiplication and division fluency.
3. Can the child demonstrate
that these skills were mastered?
Students can
demonstrate that theses skills are mastered. Currently I administer AIMS Web Probes biweekly to students
and can visually see the improvement.
4. Who in your PLN did you
consult with about these games? How did they respond or assist?
I consulted with my coworkers about these games. I learned that the current 5th
grade teacher was the one that uploaded the game on about half of our school
laptops. He is the one that
introduced it to me after I asked about what math programs I could use.
Standards:
3.MD.1.
Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in
minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time
intervals in minutes or hours (e.g., by representing the problem on a number
line diagram or clock).
3.OA.4.
Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation
relating three whole numbers. For
example, determine the unknown number that makes the equation true in each of
the equations 8 x ? = 48, 5 = ?÷ 3, 6 x 6 = ?
3.OA.7.
Fluently multiply and divide numbers up to 100, using strategies such as the
relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 ×5 = 40,
one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know
from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.
3.NBT.1.
Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.
3.NBT.3.
Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 (e.g., 9
x 80, 10 x 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of
operations.
3.MD.1.
Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in
minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time
intervals in minutes or hours (e.g., by representing the problem on a number
line diagram or clock).
1. Was the child engaged?
Students really
loved this website actually. One
of my students were actually the one that introduced me to this program (I
figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask students what websites they like to go to for
Math, and this was one of them).
2. Did the child learn the
skills that were targeted?
Students did learn the skills that were
targeted.
3. Can the child demonstrate
that these skills were mastered?
Students are
able to demonstrate that the skills learned were mastered by providing a short
quiz afterwards. By having
students practice the skills in a game like matter they didn’t feel like they were
‘learning’ but rather just having fun!
4. Who in your PLN did you
consult with about these games? How did they respond or assist?
Amazingly enough no other
teachers knew about this program.
After a student told me, however I let several other teachers no about
it. I plan on introducing it to
the rest of the staff next Monday during our Staff Meeting.
Main
Website homepage: http://mrnussbaum.com/
Standards:
3.OA.3 Use multiplication and division within
100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and
measurement quantities, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for
the unknown number to represent the problem.
3.OA.7 Fluently multiply and divide within 100,
using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division
(e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of
operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two
one-digit numbers.
3.OA.8 Solve two-step word problems using the
four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter
standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using
mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.
3.NBT.1 Use place value
understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.
3.NBT.2 Fluently add and subtract within 1000
using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations,
and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.
3.NF.3.b Recognize and generate simple
equivalent fractions, (e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3). Explain why the fractions
are equivalent, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.
3.MD.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and
masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters
(l). Add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems
involving masses or volumes that are given in the same units, e.g., by using
drawings (such as a beaker with a measurement scale) to represent the problem.
1. Was the child engaged?
This was
another successful website that I introduced to my students. They enjoyed the games on it, and it
had several games that were applicable to Alaska State Standards.
2. Did the child learn the
skills that were targeted?
They did, I discovered the success after give a short
quiz afterwards.
3. Can the child demonstrate
that these skills were mastered?
Students are
able to demonstrate that these skills were mastered as they progressed through
the game successfully, most showed mastery on the quiz following the use of the
program.
4. Who in your PLN did you
consult with about these games? How did they respond or assist?
This was
another website that the 5th grade teacher introduced to me. I spoke with him about my desire to
find a program more engaging that IXL,
yet still provided additional help in topics across the board.
