188 PART 2 APPLYING TECHNOLOGIES FOR EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION www.ablongman.com/lever-duffy CHAPTER 6 Academic Software 189

Table 6.5 ACADEMIC GAMES

Types of Games Examples of Games Possible Classroom Applications Academic Living Books series Games for reading, language, discovery Blaster Series (Math, Reading, etc.) Content practice in a shoot-em-up format Carmen Sandiego series Geography/social studies in a mystery format Action Pinky and the Brain World Conquest Analytical reasoning (hand–eye coordination, Operation Biology, especially anatomy quick thinking) Centipede English, especially narratives Game of Life Career choices Flying Corps Gold History Girl Talk Life skills Screen capture of Reading Blaster by Knowledge Adventure, Inc. Reprinted Screen capture of Grammar Rock game by Creative Wonders. Courtesy of Adventure The Last Express History by permission of Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. Riverdeep Interactive Learning. (problem-solving skills, role playing) Tex Murphy Series English/social studies Figure 6.8 Of Light and Darkness History/ethics/art Examples of Educational Game Software Sports 3D Ultra Mini Golf Physical education/social skills Education games present content in colorful and engaging formats. (fine motor skills, CART Precision Racing Physics/driver’s education collaborative learning) Virtual Pool Physics NBA Live Physical education present the same competencies as drill and practice or tutorial software, they are often better received by learners because the game component adds an element of Grand Prix Legends History interest and entertainment. Clearly, however, it is important to be sure the game ele- Strategy/Simulation Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri History/social studies/economics/technology ments do not overshadow the instructional elements. (problem solving, decision making) SimCity 3000 Civics/architecture/urban studies/social studies Several broad categories of educational games are available to teachers who are Age of Empires History interested in adding entertainment as an enhancement to the classroom, as shown in Table 6.5. Adventure games provide students the opportunity to solve mysteries and Sid Meier’s Gettysburg Biology/ecology participate in educational adventures. An example of this type of game is the Carmen Sid Meier’s Civilization II History Sandiego adventure series. In this type of software, students must have knowledge of Seven Kingdoms Business/diversity a region or country to find the game’s heroine. This educational game thus exercises social studies knowledge and critical thinking skills while presenting the experience Sim Safari History/social studies/international studies in an adventure game format. Puzzle/Classic Chessmaster 6000 Analytical reasoning A second category of educational games simulates traditional board or card Dr. Brain Series History games. These games typically require that the student respond with correct answers HeadRush General knowledge before advancing a game piece on a graphic of a board or playing a card in a virtual hand. This type of game superimposes content material on the traditional real-world Scrabble English game. Students must know how to play the game itself to participate in the educa- Smart Games Series Math/English tional version. Educational adaptations of television and popular video games can also add an element of “edutainment” to the classroom. Games that let students shoot down the right answer or race their virtual cars to the finish line by driving over the correct re- sponses in the road are examples of video games adaptations. Students enjoy the stim- ulating visuals and sound, practice eye–hand coordination, and review content simul- taneously. Familiar and popular TV quiz shows have been adapted to software and can be used to review material preformatted into the game itself or added by the teacher. This category of educational games can add excitement and interest to content review. Some controversy exists regarding the role of educational games in the class- room. Some educators see value in the excitement and active learning a gaming envi- ronment presents. Others believe that the game detracts from the implicit personal excitement and joy of learning. Still others object to educational games because they believe that students become so involved in the game itself that they lose focus on the