PowerPoint Games Introduction
Make sure your Inspiration page is updated and published. You
should have a link to your Inspiration/Kidspiration file and a
jpg or gif image of your diagram on your webpage.
Addressing learning styles is important when designing activities
to teach content standards. Inspiration and Kidspiration software
allow an educator to do just that -- by addressing needs of visual
learners. Technology also allows educators to respond to various
learning theories - from behaviorism to constructionism. Today
we'll talk about PowerPoint games: what they are and how they
help students construct their own knowledge by building the artifacts
while learning-- constructionism.
What were your favorite games? What characteristics made them
your favorite? What experience do you have with instructional games?
Are the characteristics of your favorite games found in most
instructional games? How can PowerPoint be used to create an
instructional game for your subject area?
It's important to know a little bit of background on the PowerPoint
games project before we begin. Dr. Lloyd Rieber - a professor in my
department - wrote a paper on this very topic. Many EDIT 2000
students have created their own games and more and more K-12
classrooms are using PowerPoint games as a way to address content
standards through constructionism. I'll share some stories from these
projects in class.
You'll want to view some sample games from the
Homemade PowerPoint Games website and from student portfolios
from previous semesters and student examples from this summer.
After viewing several, you'll want to get started on your game. You'll
need to look over the project assignment and write the story for your
game - this is due at the beginning of class on Thursday.
