The
technologies identified here have the potential to engage English Language
learners in tasks that will enhance their use of the target language in their
writing and speaking. The two technologies are SimCity and Zondle.
SimCity
requires players to create their own city, plan the layout of the city and
provide support services that the city will need. Players need to be very
strategic when building their city so that it can be successful. This game can
be used to engage students in conversation activities in an ESL class. Students can be placed into groups to plan
the construction of their city. They will have to discuss the strategy they
will use for their city. As the city planners,
they will have to come up with solutions that arise in their town. This
activity allows students to practice using their speaking and listening skills.
It will also keep them engaged in their learning.
Students
can be further engaged by asking them to write about their experience. They
will have to specify what their contributions were to the project and what they
thought was good or bad about the outcome. They can also include what they
would do if they had to plan the city on their own.
Another
technology that I reviewed was Zondle. Zondle is a free online tool that can be
used to create, play and share games to support online learning. The game formats are already built into
Zondle and instructors can add the educational content that is specific to
their course. The site already has topics built into it, but educators have the
option of creating their own topics and questions. Instructors can establish a
virtual classroom and can enroll users. Students will login to the Zondle
website using the information provided by their instructors and complete the
game assigned to them. Teachers can then monitor students’ progress after they
have completed their assignments. The
games on Zondle are very useful for homework, assessment, revision and
learning.
I
would use this technology to create games that deal specifically with topics
covered in the course. For instance, I would create questions based on
different situations covered in the class (e.g placing an order at a
restaurant, going on a job interview etc)
that require students to use contextually appropriate language. To create
a game, I would apply these questions to one of the formats provided on Zondle.
I would assign that game to students. I would also utilize
existing games for various topics covered in my class.
References
SimCity. (2013). SimCity official website. Retrieved
from http://www.simcity.com/
Zondle. (2013). Zondle: Create, play and share
games to support teaching and learning. Retrieved from https://www.zondle.com/publicPages/welcome.aspx
I really liked the Zondle games site. I immediately registered to give it a try. I like what I see. Some of the games did not work. I will have to spend more time to figure out what I was missing! May be I have to ask my daughter to play and watch how it works! Thanks for sharing. This seems very promising!
ReplyDeleteI really like the premise of Zondle and wished I could play for free or access tutorials to learn more. The one tutorial on the home page didn’t seem to answer my questions about what types of topics were available or the creation process.
ReplyDeleteWhen the site doesn’t give me what I want, I always end up on YouTube it has never let me down. Here is two great tutorials that give a perspective from the teacher and gamer’s views:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9NOVdEx-qU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iI3DHoNmIs
I think this forum would benefit adult learners because many adults I know are interested in “kid-friendly” games like Candy Crush and gaming on Zondle isn’t much different. If I used Zondle in the classroom, I would probably use it in a scenario type activity. I would pose questions such as:
Q. What is one way you can show support for an older adult returning to college?
Correct A: Find out what interests they are looking to explore.
Incorrect A: Ask them if they are trying to recapture their youth.
Incorrect A: Tell them they are too old to learn new skills.
I understand that Zondle focuses on memorization techniques, but I believe that by helping adults choose positive words of encouragement, educators can open the door for more reflective thinking. Humans feel dopamine surges when they are aware that they have solved a problem (Willis, 2011).
By using games that intentionally put adults in situations where they can reflect on what they may have previously said to what is considered a better response, educators are using the dopamine effect as a reward system for motivating behavioral change in the future.
Reference
Willis, J. (2011, April 14). A neurologist makes the case for the video game model as a learning tool [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/video-games-learning-student-engagement-judy-willis