Class 22: PowerPoint Games

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 previous EDIT2000 students' works. 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. You will use this template to create your own 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 cannot find another group member, choose a group with a similar area with yours. If your group size is over 5, divide 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 similar to your own subject area.

Discuss within your group about
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 incorporate 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. You will:

• Talk about the game you reviewed in groups.
• You will first introduce the game to the class by opening the game and playing for a while;
• After the introduction, you will want to answer the questions that you just discussed about.
  

For Friday:

• Come up a story for your own 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.
• Your Kidspiration/Inspiration is due on Friday.