Enriching the Learning Process with Video Games

Video Games can be used to teach concepts so even the students who are not interested in learning unknowingly learn something. They are interactive and engaging. They engage both the learners sense of seeing, and hearing. According to NYU Child Study Center (Video Games: Pros and Cons), they enhance students’ motor coordination and ability to think quickly and analyze a situation. HealthNews claims that “games need simultaneous task execution, which helps improving concentration, cognition, as well as improve multi-tasking skills, focus, and agility (Video Games in Increasing Brain Power, 2009). Though using video games has disadvantages, these can be avoided through proper guidance and support. For instance, games provide a high level of quick gratification. Students are almost constantly being rewarded and, when they lose, they get to easily start over to work on their goal (Video Games: Pros and Cons). However, in real life, students cannot be rewarded for every right thing that they do. Here are some sources of educational games.

1.     PHYSICS GAMES.NET  offers games on physics

2.      Learning Games for Kids.com also offers educational math and science as games that are excellent to present the vocabulary or term that students need to know about the lesson

3.      Fun brain offers Math games
4. Learning Games for Kids offers Art Games, Music Games, Math Games, Logic Games, Geography Games, Memory Games, Science Videos and so much more!

5.      Prongo offers interactive quizzes

6.     The Magic School Bus/Games and Activities offers interactive Science games and activities

7.     Curious George Games offers Math related games

8.     The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That offers Science and Math games

      9.     Team Umizoomi Games offers Math games for preschool children


Sources:


Center, N. C. (n.d.). Video Games: Pros and Cons. Retrieved from education.com: 
        http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Video_Games_Cons/?page=2


HealthNews. (2009, May 26). Video Games in Increasing Brain Power. Retrieved December 2011, from health news: http://healthnews.ebookroute.com/mental-health/1400-video-games-in-increasing-brain-power/


Xerri, R. A. (2011, September 29). The role of video games. Retrieved from skola:http://elearning.skola.edu.mt/2011/09/the-role-of-video-games

Video as a Learning Tool

Video is a good learning tool. Using video enable teachers to reach the visuals and auditory learners. We can use video presentations to teach math and science so students “can pause, repeat, at their own pace, at their own time. But the more interesting thing is – and this is the intuitive thing when you talk about technology in the classroom – by removing the one size fits all lecture from the classroom and letting students have a self-paced lecture at home, and then when you go to the classroom, letting them work” (Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education) A lot of free science and math lectures or explanations done in video are now available in Khan Academy. Another source would be bright storm, they film actual teachers teaching high school math and science concepts and the Math and Science videos on Algebra, Geometry, Precalculus, Trigonometry, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry and Physics are free. This websites is geared more on students who are doing their homework or preparing for tests. Gamequarium also offers teaching videos on Math and Science.

We can also use videos to demonstrate processes in math and science to students. Using videos support different learning styles. Videos support both the visual and auditory learners. In addition integrating digital and/or video also reinforce reading material by providing visual context and imagery thus bridging the gap between students from different economic backgrounds or even from different cultures or different geographical area.  In other words student’s common general knowledge is improved. Presenting lessons using videos also motivates the students better than just showing presentation with plain text.

1.      neoK12 offers educational videos as well as well as quiz games not only on Science and Math but other subjects

2.      science 360 The Knowledge Network offers high quality videos on Mathematics, Astronomy and Space, Chemistry, Earth and Environment, Life Sciences, Physics among others

3.      WatchKnowLearn has free educational Math and Science videos among others

4.      KidsKnowIt Network also has free Math and Science movies with interactive quizzes at the end of presentations

5.      Learning Games for Kids.com also offers educational math and science videos BrainPOP/Science/Free Movies –free Science movies from BrainPOP
6.   BrainPop Free Stuff – free Math and Science movies from BrainPOP

7.     Teachers Domain -offers free videos, interactive activities and lessons plans in science, math, social studies and the language arts provided teachers or students register for the website.




Here are other sources of educational videos:

Reference:

Khan, S. (n.d.). Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education. Retrieved from TED Ideas Worth Spreading: http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html

Video Production As a Learning Tool

Even in today's technological world, nothing would replace doing more of the actual hands on activities to teach the concepts. As Aristotle said "What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing." To make hand-on activities more interesting, students can take a video of themselves while doing the hands on activities and upload it on the class website or class blog. Not only do they have online portfolio of classwork, other students from other classes even from other places can learn from them. Integrating video production in the learning process with the students as the actors is very motivating for students simply because it gives them the feeling of being a star or gives them exposure just like their favorite star in their favorite TV programs. ZOOM sci offers a lot of science hands on activities as well as some videos of kids actually doing the activities. 


To learn something about video production for student's projects visit Kid's Vid.