Education Caribbean

Edutainment - Effective use of Electronic Games in the Classroom

Electronic games should not necessarily be seen as a distraction from classroom learning, but rather as a tool just as the television is a tool to engage and capture the attention of students making the learning process more interactive and fun.

The generation gap between teachers and students can be daunting at time, especially in the context of this technology today, as most kids are more advanced in the use of technology than their tutors. This should serve to motivate rather than diminish the teacher’s potential for imparting the necessary knowledge in a more fun and interesting way, which appeals greatly to the kids, this also increases the student’s capacity to recall and utilize the information or skill focus of the lesson. The most popular of the game consoles to date in the genre of edutainment would be the Nintendo DS, which stands for "Dual Screen”, where the second screen is used as input with a stylus. There is also a microphone component and voice recognition which is implemented in some game titles. One of the more popular uses initially started in the home of the Nintendo, Japan, which are known for their strict and traditionalist learning styles, especially in that of the English language.

A trial was implemented at a school in Japan where the Nintendo DS was used as an electronic English tutor. Much like teachers everywhere in this technological era, some found computers to be bothersome since it requires preparation of extra lessons, moving to computer labs etc. As the Nintendo DS is handheld and can be used in the classroom immediately without hassle, it was therefore a much welcomed alternative to the computer labs. One principle in the trial was quoted as saying “It’s not like we're letting the students play games without supervision"; also “I don't even consider them to be a game device. It's a tool ".

The trial involved using the English tutorial title for the Nintendo DS, where students would write out the words they hear with the stylus and are then prompted as to whether their handwriting is correct or not. The results were that 80% of the students using the DS each day mastered junior high level comprehension in English Vocabulary compared to the 18% norm. Students were also reported saying "worksheets are a pain, the exercises on the DS feel like a game." Students should be encouraged to enjoy learning not have to choose between fun and work, when they can be one and the same.

The Nintendo DS is but a single console with many uses, but the technology is ever growing and the pc in particular has nowhere to go but up. The applications for the pc in classrooms despite the subject area is ever growing to the point where computer games can in fact be used in P.E. classes. There are games of a dance nature, the most popular one being Dance Dance Revolution, and a pad is placed on the floor which is the source of input for the game. The music starts and the student must hit the appropriate or corresponding icons on the pad as they are on the screen, in a dance motion. This is not just fun for the students but it provides an entire fitness workout, which is the basis of Phyiscial Education.

There are other mainstream titles such as Civilization, which is perfect for teaching world history, and tycoon game titles like Monopoly Tycoon and Airline Tycoon which are adept at providing students of a Business nature with an understanding for the goings on and hectic nature of running businesses. With tech savvy kids in the midst and increasing by the birth it is not a time to be rejecting the technology because of personal biases or beliefs, it is as one teacher quite eloquently stated “You have to get onboard or get out of the way.”

Some will obviously ask about the downfalls of edutainment in teaching and learning environments. One of the biggest qualms teachers have about video games is that it leads to anti-social behavior and also increased violence and aggression, this is supported further by the afore mentioned report in London. Despite this mentality and fear I say this to you, can't the television do the same thing, or even a book, also, how exactly does playing video games in a safe and supervised environment lead to such behaviors. How can we blame video games or even television for such a vast change in a child's personality if they are properly directed and not left up to their own devices. The same way you wouldn't let a child see an 'R' rated movie the same should apply to games.

Pricing can also be seen as a drawback but to compensate for this teachers can do what they always have and design their lesson plans around what is available, thereby maximizing the opportunities for their students. Some teachers already using edutainment in the classroom, provide e.g. one Nintendo DS per group or roughly 4-5 and encourages sharing and group discussions based on what the target topic is. There is also the ability to connect between 8-16 payers for some of the more advanced consoles via television involving a lot more of the class at one time.

So you see, despite the reservations and biases this venture is moving forward, the best hope is that a partnership can be forged between the educators and the developers in such a way that more gaming products are developed with a tighter correlation to curricular objectives. This is a definite win-win for the students – they get to learn in a way they will enjoy!

Gaming Consoles for Education

In an article titled 'Video games have 'role in school' ', a survey was discussed which involved 1000 teachers and more than 2,300 primary to secondary students in the UK. Their findings were that 59% of teachers would in fact consider using games in the classroom whilst 63% of the students wanted to use the games in the classroom. Of course there are obvious concerns about the associated biases towards video games but how can these concerns be addressed by simply advocating against the use of them. Would it not be better to come together with the industry makers and provide ideas and insight from an educators point of view as to what could be done to improve the viability of games, so they could be safely and effectively used in the classroom to not simply teach, but to motivate and capture the students attention using their own escape route. The article also noted that, 'More than 70% of teachers never play games outside school while 82% of children said they played video games at least once a fortnight'. The focus in a school is not about the teacher but about helping mould the students into the best they can be and want to be, and if these numbers can be a reflection of the average student populous, then it should be said that video games are an important teaching resource that has yet to be fully realize.

Listed below are three recognized consoles and a few of their titles which were selected based on their educational benefits to kids.

Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS revolutionizes handheld game play. With two ultra bright screens, 3D graphics, touch-screen technology and wireless communication, you can challenge yourself or your friends anywhere, anytime.
http://www.nintendo.com/ds

Nintendo Wii

To truly understand how Wii revolutionizes gaming, you have to try it for yourself. Quite simply, Wii is for everyone. The ease of use and interactivity of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk allows for a unique social gaming experience for the whole family. You don't just play Wii, you experience it.
http://www.nintendo.com/wii

Playstation 2

Slim. Sleek. Silver. A different look. Classic PlayStation®2 system benefits, with its enormous game library of over 1,700 titles—many of which are network ready for online competition—and its built-in DVD/CD player, it's a complete entertainment system.
http://www.us.playstation.com/PS2

Education-related Games for the Nintendo DS Console

	Professor Layton and the Curious Village Professor Layton and the Curious Village is, essentially, a huge assortment of textbook puzzle games strung together by an old-school point-and-click adventure. There's a story -- one about a mysterious will and a golden apple treasure -- that evolves into a murder mystery that Professor Layton has a desire to solve. But to unfold the story and uncover the clues, Layton and his apprentice must win at all sorts of puzzles that are thrown at them.
	Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day Brain Age, at its core, is a puzzle game. What’s unique, though, is that this is a puzzler that guarantees to strengthen your mind or your money back. It’s based strictly on the works of genius neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima. Brain Age promises to eventually make you a sharper individual with mini games designed to empower your prefrontal cortex, or the part of the brain that’s said to allow you to apply knowledge.
	Big Brain Academy The purpose of Big Brain Academy is to figure out how much your brain weighs. This game will give you mind a workout by testing out various aspects of it that will make you think and use different sections that you might not use on a daily basis. There are three modes to play in once you load the game: Practice, Versus, and Test. Practice mode will let you work at the activities at your very own pace and let you improve at them so you can do better in the tests.
	Miss Spider's Harvest Time Hop and Fly Brain Age acts like a treadmill for the mind! Brain Age 2: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day for Nintendo DS is a fun, rewarding game that helps you flex your mental muscles with quick activities that help keep your brain in shape. Brain Age is inspired by the research of Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, a prominent Japanese neuroscientist. His studies evaluated the impact of performing certain reading and mathematics exercises to help stimulate the brain.
	My Word Coach Ubisoft's My Word Coach for the Nintendo DS will improve your vocabulary and help develop your ability to verbally express yourself with confidence and persuasion. Working closely with applied linguist Dr. Tom Cobb of UQAM University, the award-winning Ubisoft Montreal studio developed My Word Coach to provide a fun and engaging path for all ages to increasing their personal communication skill set. The Nintendo DS version makes use of the systems unique touch screen.
	My French Coach Playing My French Coach for 15 to 20 minutes a day is all you need to become fluent in French. This title teaches the basics of word, use, grammar and construction of phrases through minigames and evaluates your progress. There are 1000 interactive lessons designed with French teachers, 10,000 words and 400 phrases, including pronunciation tests using the built-in DS microphone. An added feature of the game is the ability to look up words or phrases in English or French by list, keyword, categories or by your favorites.
	My Spanish Coach Playing My Spanish Coach for 15 to 20 minutes a day is all you need to become fluent in Spanish. This title teaches the basics of word, use, grammar and construction of phrases through minigames and evaluates your progress. There are 1000 interactive lessons designed with Spanish teachers, 10,000 words and 400 phrases, including pronunciation tests using the built-in DS microphone. An added feature of the game is the ability to look up words or phrases in English or Spanish by list, keyword, categories or by your favorites.
	My Chinese Coach Learning Chinese has never been so much fun! My Chinese Coach uses carefully structured lessons that guide you through vocabulary and calligraphy exercises. Explore China as you learn the basic pronunciations unique to the Mandarin language. Learn to pronounce sounds unique to Chinese by comparing your voice to a native speaker. Use the Nintendo DS stylus to trace over and properly write Chinese Characters.
	My Fun Facts Coach Learn hundreds of facts from five main categories: Body, Modern Life, Social Life, Mind and Soul, and My World. Extend your knowledge with an in-depth reference guide that allows you to quickly review everything you've learned and put it into practice in daily life. Sharpen your brain and improve your life with a daily training regimen consisting of quizzes with varying question types.

Education-related Games for the Nintendo Wii Console

	Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree Welcome to Big Brain Academy, the only school where you can school your friends and family! How big is your brain? Find out as you test yourself with numerous lightning-fast activities like across several categories. When you enroll, headmaster Professor Lobe will introduce you to Test mode, challenging you with a bevy of hilarous and exciting brain-teasers. Then, when it's all over, the professor will calculate your brain weight, award you with a grade, and give you an idea of what career track is best suited for your brain weight. Don't worry, it's all in the spirit of fun!
	Cooking Mama: Cook Off Everyone in the kitchen! Hot on the heels of stir-fry surprise Cooking Mama DS, Majesco whips up two-chef competition in Cooking Mama: Cook Off—a unique family game designed specifically for the Wii. Step-by-step, recipe-by-recipe, help Mama cook international dishes from 10 different nations and watch as the realistic foods actually change in appearance based on your actions!
	Cooking Mama: World Kitchen In her Wii sequel, Mama brings a lot more to the table, including all new 3D graphics, new recipes, comedic kitchen mini-games, new gameplay modes and much more!
	My Fitness Coach Maya will guide you through dynamic workouts featuring close to 500 unique exercises - this ensures that no two workouts are ever the same. Choose your music, your mood, areas you want to focus on and Maya will take care of the rest.
	Sing It Take center stage as a solo artist and discover the inner performer in you in various single player modes. Release those vocal powers and challenge friends to a sing-off! You and up to seven of your friends will have the ultimate fun karaoke experience playing various multiplayer modes including duet, versus and team play.
	Littlest Pet Shop Collect and name 32 pets - including brand new Fanciest, Cuddliest, Sportiest Chilliest and more! Dress up your pets with over 100 accessories to make them even cuter. Explore four unique pet-sized worlds! Compete in mini-games with your little pets to earn Kibble Coins! Play 16 fun and challenging games with your pets to unlock accessories, playsets, and new pets too!
	Animal Crossing: City Folk If life were an endless vacation, what would you do? Go fishing, collect shells or watch fireworks with friends? Build a snowman, exchange presents with family or decorate your house for the holidays? Take a trip to the city, go on a shopping spree or visit friends from all over the globe? In Animal Crossing: City Folk, life moves at a relaxed pace, but the world brims with endless possibilities.

Education-related Games for the Sony Playstation 2 Console

	Yourself! Fitness Make a promise to yourself today and begin a commitment to your health for life with Yourself!Fitness. Maya, your personal trainer, helps you choose and achieve your health and fitness goals. She can guide you through dynamic workouts featuring more than 500 unique exercises. You can even set up a meal plan, customize your workout, and receive progress reports. Choose your music, your mood, and your focus and Maya will take care of the rest.
	Konami Kids Playground: Alphabet Circus Konami Kids Playground is an innovative new series of PlayStation®2 games that turns learning into a fun, full-body activity for your preschooler. Kids, aged 2 to 5, will love to jump, stomp and learn their way through each of these fun and educational games! Kids will have hours of fun exploring the colorful world of the circus, and parents will appreciate the simple challenges that reinforce familiarity with the alphabet.
	Konami Kids Playground: Dinosaur Shapes and Colors Bringing the kinetic excitement of Konami Kids Playground to the Jurassic era, Dinosaurs Shapes and Colors features Rex, Bronto, Steg and Dac in twelve foot-stomping activities that make shapes and colors come to life. Kids will have hours of fun exploring the age of giant reptiles, and parents will appreciate the simple challenges that reinforce familiarity with shapes and colors.
	Konami Kids Playground: Frogger Hop, Skip & Jumpin' Fun Join Frogger and Lily in a dozen foot-stomping activities designed to keep young players on their toes for hours. Little ones will have tons of fun exploring the colorful world of Frogger's swamp, and parents will appreciate the simple challenges that keep little feet in constant motion.
	Konami Kids Playground: Toy Pals Fun with Numbers Toy Pals brings the kinetic excitement of Konami Kids Playground to the playroom! Join Scratch the Cat, Sniff the Dog, Stan the Bear and lots of bunnies in twelve foot-stomping activities that make numbers come to life. Kids will delight in the colorful world of toys, and parents will appreciate the simple challenges that reinforce familiarity with numbers.
	Ultimate Board Game Collection Board Game Classics for the PlayStation®2 is a collection of traditional board and table games that are familiar and have been played by millions of families worldwide. The games have been chosen for their familiarity and appeal to players of all ages. The video game features 20 classic board and dice games, complete with rules introduction and historic background. Games such as Parcheesi and Naval Battle have animated boards and pieces. It's fun for the whole family with Board Game Classics!
	Chessmaster Chessmaster includes plenty of features to improve your chess skills, no matter what level you are. In Chess School, you can learn basic and advanced tactics before challenging computer-controlled opponents in single-player or multiplayer modes. The game includes a variety of gameplay modes, such as Quick Game, Rated Play, Handicap, Setup Position, and Puzzle. Watch as each piece attacks each other on the checkered battlefield. This immersive environment also features information about your opponent, tournament notifications, and evolving chess personalities.
	Sing It You and your friends can now belt out to some of your favorite songs from the coolest stars and shows - - sing to 35 chart-topping tunes including hits from Camp Rock, High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Cheetah Girls, as well as hits from Aly & AJ, Corbin Bleu, Everlife, Jordan Pruitt, and more. Take center stage as a solo artist and discover the inner performer in you in various single player modes. Release those vocal powers and challenge friends to a sing-off! You and up to seven of your friends will have the ultimate fun karaoke experience playing various multiplayer modes including duet, versus and team play. So, grab your friends, grab a mic and belt it out with the stars!

Education-related games for the PC

	Caesar IV Starting as governor of a newly formed province in the Roman Empire your goal is simple: advance up the empire's political ladder to become the next Caesar. As governor, you will have total control over your province: including city planning, finances, and defenses. As you succeed you will be given new challenges in other provinces within the Roman Empire ultimately ending in the heart of the empire: Rome.
	Civilization IV Sid Meier's Civilization is a turn-based strategy game that challenges players to build and expand an empire, throughout all of human history, and become the most powerful ruler in the world. Choose one of 18 nations to lead and go head to head with some of the most famous leaders in history. Each civilization has its own special characteristics - some are fairly peaceful, while others are expansionists and conquerors. http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/home.htm
	Sim City 4 The game allows players to create a region of land by terraforming, and then to design and build a settlement which can grow into a city. Players can zone different areas of land as commercial, industrial, or residential development, as well as build and maintain public services, transport and utilities. For the success of a city players must manage its finances, environment, and quality of life for its residents. SimCity 4 introduces night and day cycles and other special effects for the first time in the SimCity series. Tools such as the Building Architect Tool (BAT) allow custom third party buildings and content to be added to the gameplay.
	Zoo Tycoon 2 Zoo Tycoon 2 cranks up the excitement, challenge and fun of building the ultimate zoo with 30 animals in incredible detail with more fun animations, a dazzling array of building tools and objects, including themed-buildings, moats, photo mode options, easier terrain altering options and rivers. Gameplay has been enhanced from the original title, with a new zoom mode and 3D graphics that allow players to keep an even closer eye on the action and craft more creative zoos.
	School Tycoon The game has a view from above a field where a school is to be built. Pathways and buildings need to be laid out properly in order for students to get to their classes quickly and efficiently. The objectives in the game increase in difficulty as the player progresses; an easy objective might be to get thirty students into school, while a more difficult objective would be to earn a set amount of money within a time limit. Students in the school can learn ten different subjects. When starting off a school, the player can build a small portable classroom. As finances increase more friendly and larger classrooms can be built, helping the students to learn more. As well as academic classrooms the player can also build sports facilities such as basketball courts, tennis courts and football fields.
	City Life City Life is a next-generation City Builder. Its 3D game engine provides a level of detail and animation unprecedented in the City Builder genre and total freedom of construction. From superb villas in residential neighbourhoods to imposing skyscrapers in the financial district, design, construct and develop the city of your dreams. Provide comfort and satisfaction for your citizens by offering them work, health care, entertainment facilities, and much more and ensure that your city’s coffers are brimming. It’s up to you to manage this city efficiently, ensuring booming development while at the same time regulating the very delicate issues of pollution and traffic. Let peace reign between the six unique subcultures, or pay the price if the situation deteriorates into conflict, riots, and, in the worst-case scenario, fires.
	Airline Tycoon A simulation computer game where the player acts as manager of an airline, competing against three other budding tycoons. The names of the four tycoons are: Tina Cortez (Sunshine Airways), Siggi Sorglos (Falcon Lines), Igor Tuppolevsky (Phoenix Travel) and Mario Zucchero (Honey Airlines). The player must keep their aircraft in good shape and equip them at such a level as to keep the customers satisfied, buy new planes (from the expensive Airplane Agency or from Mr Schlauberger at the museum who fixes them up and then sells them at a much lower cost) and take out bank loans if required. The player must also manage their personnel, plan flights, buy fuel, attend meetings in the airport manager's office and, if there is the time, slip into Rick's café for a quick cup of coffee. The graphics are bright and decidedly tongue in cheek: the tycoon Igor Tuppolevsky has a set of Russian dolls on his desk--and an open tin of caviar, while Tina Cortez has a picture of a matador and a bull's head.
	Hospital Tycoon Hospital Tycoon is a medical-themed sim in which players are put in charge of hectic hospital facilities that are constantly on the verge of crisis and collapse. Players are challenged to run, maintain, enhance and expand the hospitals while turning any chaotic situation around using ingenious management techniques. The game's high level of character interaction is full of humor and drama, creating living hospital that's part soap opera and part comedy. Players will direct the hospital's medical staff, ensure patients are cared for and have the treatment facilities required. There's also the upkeep of each hospital to control and develop; dedicated areas can be built to support additional medical needs – surgery, diagnosis, physiotherapy and more. The more patients that are cured the more your medical empire can grow and flourish, but watch out for the spread of infectious conditions, or you'll soon have an epidemic plunging the hospital into absolute chaos.
	Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition Chessmaster®: Grandmaster Edition expands the scope of chess to include broader principles of learning. Josh Waitzkin's much-anticipated book The Art of Learning (Free Press) is designed to pave the road to successful long-term growth on and off the chessboard. The eight-time National Chess Champion and two-time martial arts World Champion puts users in his shoes in some of the most riveting and formative moments of his chess career, including the legendary climactic game from the book and film Searching for Bobby Fischer. Waitzkin then turns to the classics, introducing beginners to brilliant games from some of the most important players in the history of chess. In his most revealing commentary ever, Waitzkin not only teaches the beginning chess player the fundamentals of the game, but also humanizes the road to mastery. Never has chess been so exciting.