News and Notes: The Advance Team
Kate Duffy is one of the aforementioned LG2G Advance Team teachers who has begun creating classroom lesson plans around "off the shelf" video games. Kate, who teaches 7th grade Algebra at the Ridgely Middle School (Lutherville, MD), recently implemented classroom lessons using the simulation, Celestia. Kate reports that while there were certainly challenges involved in the process, "all in all, it was a great experience." What did Kate feel she learned from that experience?
- Games are very motivating for kids.
- Students do best when they can work at their own computers, rather than having to trade off/share with other students.
- Interactivity is the key. The more interactive the game and lesson, the more engaged the students.
- Technical concerns are very important. Download times, CPU processor speeds and the sheer availability of equipment are considerations that must be addressed.
Kate is looking forward to another round of game play, as she's currently developing more lessons around a math-based game for her students. The work that she and all of the Advance Team teachers are doing is hugely important to the LG2G project. They're finding out what works and what doesn't work in their classrooms. And as noted above, their feedback will be incorporated into both the LG2G game and its teacher support materials.
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