Class 18: PowerPoint Games

Technology allows educators to respond to various learning theories - from behaviorism to constructionism.

Behaviorism, Constructionvism & Constructionism

We talked about learning theories of behaviorism and constructionvism in our learning puzzle class. Now we are going to talk constructionism and its use in the classroom. So, what is the difference among these theories? The term of "constructionism" was first developed by Papert in 1991. Based on Piaget's constructivism, he argued that kids learn things more by actually engaging the process of building the artifacts, which is, learning by doing. To know more about constructionism, see here and here.

PowerPoint Games

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.
You'll want to view some sample games from the Homemade PowerPoint Games website and from student sample and student examples from last summer. After viewing several, you'll want to get started on your game. You'll need to look over the project assignment and use learning puzzle chart to organize the content that you are going to present with PowerPoint Game.

Class activity
Review a PowerPoint game by group:
Form your group by the subject area you choose:
Science, math, history, Kindergarten,art, English literature, etc. The group should include 2-5 people. If you subject area is special and you cannot find another group member, choose a group with a similiar area with yours. If your group size is over 5, devide it into two groups.

Choose a PowerPoint game from the previous students' websites or the Homemade PowerPoint Game site. Note: The subject area of the game should be similiar with your own subject area.

1.Did the technology get in the way or enhance the way the subject was being taught?
2. How would you change the questions in order to enhance the ppt game?
3. What do you think they did well and would incorportate into your powerpoint game?
4. How do you think you would use powerpoint games in your classroom?
5. Is the game fun? Why?
6. What makes a game fun?

Present your group reviews in the class.

This activity will be due by Wednesday so we can talk about our findings at our next class.

For Wednesday:
Come up a story for your game. On Wednesday and Friday' class, each one of you will have four minutes presentation on your story and the curriculum standards. You can create a short PowerPoint slide or use Microsoft Word to provide visual cues for your classmates.