Remember us!Education and the system by which society educates must be viewed in a whole new light that is current to both the challenges faced by technology today and those that we will face in the future. We need to present new models of education in an easy to understand format so that educating our children in the most beneficial way is possible in this ever changing world.
There are many less desirable computer video games on the market, just like there are many undesirable television programs and publications available. If you spend some time, you will find computer video games of academic value and suitable for a young audience and be able to avoid the ones that are unsuitable.
In order to see what your kids are playing you must be willing to play these computer games yourself and with your kids, this way you can best monitor what they are involved in. Just like you would carefully choose the right book to read to your kids you can pick the right video game for them to play. It must be remembered that computer video games are basically simulators for real or imaginary world scenarios and so the interaction with the game will seem real to the children.
Continue reading ‘Educational games are the key to success in education’
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Games that are designed with educational value in mind are different from most recreational computer games on the market and far different from school work as well.
Given the right opportunity, these types of games may be allowed to develop to their highest potential resulting in the greatest benefit to the end user. Educational games may in time become the highest possible form of learning if the right amount of effort and resources are applied to their development. This should be given a lot of consideration as we are now well into the digital age.
Educational games are often looked at as being neither something the students would be required to participate in nor something most kids would chose to do in their spare time. How can educational games ever possibly become part of an educational curriculum?
Some may suggest that educational games should first be put through a series of rigorous tests and various trial runs to see if they could possibly be employed an actual academic setting.
The computer video game industry these days is a very completive market and the cost of developing new title can be costly. As with most businesses the computer gamming industry as a whole seems more concerned with the “bottom-line” than creating something meaningful.
All one has to do is take a look at the world educational rankings and how we have fallen behind many of the developed countries of the world as well as seeing many of the developing countries making clear gains on us.
Continue reading ‘Educational games: a completely different way thinking’
There are many critics of computer games who feel that they are just a fad and could be considered one of the biggest time wasters of the modern era for the both the young and old enthusiasts alike. Countless hours and millions of dollars are spent every year on games that can be considered often times violent and pointless.
Many have argued that the nature of the games themselves is unimportant but what is really significant and potentially beneficial, is that these types of game allow the players to think in a whole new way, unlike anything known before.
The benefit these advocates suggest, is that these games due to their often complex nature and way in which they are written, offer educational merit by challenging the players to consider thing in a whole new way.
Virtual worlds are made possible by the advent of computer games and players must adapt their way of thinking in order to be successful in these environments. Adapting to these new challenges is similar to the changes that that have been brought about by historically important developments such as the telegraph and written or spoken language.
There is great opportunity for real learning within the realm of these newly developed computer games on the market. We have always learned to think in new and unusual ways through practice in real world applications but many of these newer types of computer games allow the novice to do just that during the course of game play. You no longer have to be a specialist in a particular field in order to experience the challenges that an engineer or scientist would during the normal course of his work or research.
It is possible for the players of these games to develop skills, and other beneficial factors in ways previously only available to those in a particular field of study or profession. In the newly created virtual world of computer video games, the re-creation of scientific developments and research can be framed directly into the video computer game and written a way that is both interesting, easy to follow and allows the participant to progress at their own pace.
Whether or not educational games are successful is only one factor in the future of education and its ability to adapt to a rapidly changing society. In order for this to be successful, the end user must have the will power and drive to change and adapt to a new way of thinking.
The popular game SimCity was originally released in 1989 and with it brought the creation of a whole new game genre commonly known as; city building simulation. In this game you are given the task of designing and maintaining a virtual city.
During the design and development of your city, balance must be maintained in order to avoid creating a chaotic urban disaster. Many more things than just the construction buildings, roads and bridges are to be considered in order for your city to be successful.
In SimCity you will face challenges such as population growth, environmental issues, the city’s economy, crime and overall infrastructure not limited to transportation.
As you develop your new metropolis in SimCity, you will assume the roll of mayor, city council and urban planner just to name a few prestigious positions. An important task that you will be responsible for is the growth and sustainability of your city for a period of decades or even centuries.
Games that are designed with educational value in mind are different from most recreational computer games on the market and far different from school work as well.
Given the right opportunity, these types of games may be allowed to develop to their highest potential resulting in the greatest benefit to the end user.
Educational games may in time become the highest possible form of learning if the right amount of effort and resources are applied to their development. This should be given a lot of consideration as we are now well into the digital age.
Educational games are often looked at as being neither something the students would be required to participate in nor something most kids would chose to do in their spare time.
How can educational games ever possibly become part of an educational curriculum?
Learning by trial and error has been the standard practice throughout time when one wants to achieve perfection in a particular subject. Through the advent of computer games and virtual laboratories, we are now allowed the luxury of testing a principal or theory without the risk of damaging or destroying anything in the real world. With this technology, we save a great deal of cost, aggravation and set-up time.
Not only do these computer programs allow for test and research simulation, you will quickly and easily be able to discover where you have went wrong with your theory and try again without the anxiety of failure.
If the testing and research you are doing involves science and mathematics then LOGO, Star Logo and Boxer are the simulators you want to look at. Students of economics, urban planning and civics will find Stella and SimCity a great help in testing their theories. The fundamental principal that makes these types of simulators so valuable is that it allows the user to think and communicate in a way that has important real world applications.
Caution must be exercised when using these types of simulators and it is best to proceed with some form of guidance since wandering around clumsily in a computer environment may develop bad habits. False conclusions and random generalizations from the research conducted can also be a factor without proper guidance at hand. Expert knowledge is what is really important in any field and this can be used to move the novice towards real problem solving solutions.
There is an exciting program available for download free over the internet that allows anyone interested in engineering and physics to do what only people in the scientific community could previously accomplish in highly intensive experimentations. If these types of subjects interest you then you must certainly have a look at Soda Constructor.
Soda Constructor is a java-based, completely free, spring-massed modeling system that allows builders and testers the opportunity to display and test their work in a simulated environment. Soda Constructor’s mascot is the character Dainty Walker; a nicely constructed piece of engineering work that meanders about the website.
Also check out the Soda Zoo, where the fully functional models are allowed to roam free. There are literally thousands of models that have already been created by previous visitors to the website and all are free to try out once you download the Java-based program. You will find the movement of these models interesting; with some bouncing, others slithering, still more jiggling or simply wandering around the screen.
Building and modifying your very own soda model is easy once you get the hang of it. You basically construct your character with the use of springs and masses then a muscle wave is introduced which is coordinated with the springs, this is how the soda model achieves movement.
There are two operational modes in the program Soda Constructor, they are; simulate and construct. The construct mode locks in the design allowing new springs and masses to be added and at the same time turning off the friction and gravitational forces. In simulation mode, gravity and friction are added allowing for muscle movement, this is the point at which your constructed character comes to life.
As with most anything worthwhile, you might find your first attempt at creating an actual functioning Soda model quite challenging. Instead of your new creation, walking, jumping or even slithering as you had hoped, it may just lay there on the floor once gravity and friction have been applied. With trial and error your new creation should be up and running in no time.
It has been said that the impact of technology and the way in which information is passed to us is far more important than the actual information in and of itself. The distribution of information through computerized technology is not a unique phenomenon; instead it can be looked at more as the next step (or current step) in an evolution of the information age.
The transmission of information through television has had a huge impact on cultures throughout the world and brings a media network’s interpretation of the world to so many living rooms around the globe. Whether we realize it or not, we are deeply influenced by this television and multi-media culture that seems to be everywhere.
What’s unique about computers and the way in which it is shaping cultures throughout the world, is not so much the fact that we can read the news, carry out online banking transactions or trade stocks at a discount. Instead, what really exceptional is how the technology allows us to create simulated models for real world applications.
Computer programs can be written to do the so much of the work for us so that we may focus more of our energy on innovation, development and testing in a synthetic world before applying it to a real world application. The real power of computers lies in the creation of a new way thinking, learning and understanding.
With the wide spread availability of computers and video games, there is an opportunity to transform education and the way in which we learn. The way in which we think will also change and as a result, we must adapt and also learn on a more massive scale. The amount of innovation through creativity will grow rapidly as real world applications are available to the student but this may only be possible if we first take a long hard look at what education really is and what it really means to be education.
We live in a world that places a high value on creativity and innovative thinking; this can be directly attributed to the modern computer age. It is possible to prepare young people for these new and exciting times by developing educational tools and presenting them in a way they will find interesting and thereby making learning an enjoyable experience.
If you ask kids what their favorite recreational activity is, a majority of them will say; “Playing PC games.” Most educators would agree that playing video games offer little or no educational benefit. If video games were developed to meet the educational needs of the future by requiring the participant to make logic based decisions similar to those he would face in a real world application, the benefits would be immeasurable.
The world is changing rapidly and the global job market isn’t what it once was nor will it be what it is today within a few short years. The educational system is supposed to be designed to prepare the children of today for the jobs of tomorrow but a key component seems to be missing from this transition. In reality we are preparing the children of today for the jobs of yester-year. Unfortunately that’s what awaits these future leaders of the world.
The big question is; “Can we stay competitive with the rest of the world and remain a leading industrialized nation?” It is best that we approach with a pragmatic mindset and look for solutions instead of just focusing on the potential “Gloom and Doom.” It’s easy to become discouraged when you look at America’s global rankings in academic achievement compared to the rest of the world as you can see if this downward trend continuing, this self-fulfilling prophesy will in the near future become realized if action is not taken quickly.
The term “out-sourcing” has been heard in the boardrooms, offices, factories and homes throughout America and is often thought of in a negative light as many American jobs are sent overseas to factories, offices and call-centers throughout the developing world creating a form of global economic equalization. The good news is that this same computer based technology that many might consider the reason for job-loss as a result out-sourcing, could be the answer to our educational crisis that we find ourselves in, in America.
Continue reading ‘Kids PC Games & Improving Academic Skills’
