Parent Child Learning Games

The idea of parent child learning games is a great concept. Lots of people seem to think of online learning games being played by kids alone by themselves. This really does not have to be the case as nicely described in the article "Parent Child Learning Games".

Actually, when you think about it, the radio and television already were distractions from people getting together. But use these and online games as complementary tools and you have something that can bring people together.

Online Video Games Helps to Improve English

There is a person called Larry Ferlazzo who uses online video games as a language development activity.

ESL or (English As Second Language) students use technology to develop both their own and their families' English by reading together.

Ferlazzo has created a website where the students could get free access to animated stories on the internet. While the stories are fun, they are also designed to boost literacy. The program is a success as they ESL students love them.

Read the rest of this article on the use of online video games to find out how much of bigger success it is.

Children's Learning Games - The Fun Way

Children's learning games are increasing in popularity as reflected by an article by Adam Leech in Seacoastline.com dated 23 Dec 2007.

This article titled 'Smart' toys teach without kids knowing it says:
"According to research by the Consumer Electronics Association and the Toy Industry Association, three-quarters of consumers who purchased an electronic toy for an infant or child of up to 15 years old in the past year did so for its educational value. And three of the top five most purchased types of electronic toys were educational products."

It is really encouraging to this see happening as every year lots of money are spent by parents on toys that are purely for fun and little learning value. With the move to get children's learning games, the parents are now sending a clear signal to toy manufacturers of the type of toys that they will buy for their kids. Kudos to these parents.

http://www.theonlinelearninggames.com/

FREE Language Learning Online

Here is a real cool site for language learning online called Digital Dialects. Instead of leaving it boring, the creator of the website, Craig Gibson, has incorporated the interactivity of computer aided language learning software with the web-design principle of simplicity in use and access.

It is a combination of learning in the form of games and this makes its a fun way of learning in a relaxed manner. Definitely a break away from the books oriented learning.

The site is a work in progress, but already has many languages included. They plan to gradually incorporate audio files for some languages.

And to top it all, this language learning online is FREE!

Educational Video Games by Nintendo

Nintendo has joined in the fray to provide educational video games.

Business Wire dated November 7, 2007 on educational video games says
"Learning System from GXB Interactive and TOMY Delivers State & National Education Standards to Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS"

This is part of a comprehensive learning system designed by teachers for use both in schools and at home. The GXB Learning Series combines content based on U.S. State and National Education standards, the fun and portability of the Game Boy and DS and a web based support system of materials, providing kids the opportunity to learn and play anywhere.

An extract from the news:
"It’s amazing the reaction we have seen in classrooms when we brought in Game Boys and the GXB Learning Series software. You see the kids' eyes light up and they beg the teacher to practice their mathematics skills or add to their reading ability by using the software," said Surya Jayaweera, chief executive officer, GXB Interactive. “Anytime you can captivate kids and motivate kids to learn you are making a difference, and we truly believe that our educational software and the comprehensive learning system will prove to be a revolutionary educational tool in both schools and at home."

This collaboration between companies to produce educational video games is indeed a move in the right direction for learning with fun!

Company's games make serious learning fun

PAUL SWIDER Times Staff Writer writes in St Petersburg Times published September 16, 2007 that "Company's games make serious learning fun". I really like this. This fun learning thing is bigger than I thought. Let's look at an extract from this news:

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"Hot Wheels toy cars on the conference room table are the first clue that this company is different.

But the cars aren't toys; they serve as tools for clients to learn about ethics, diversity or security - real bottom-line issues.

Still, Sealund and Associates is building games.

"People are much more interested if there's going to be a game," said Barbara Sealund, who founded the training company in 1985 after a career as a schoolteacher. "They don't want PowerPoint."
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If this fun learning really catches on, then learning will be a pleasure instead of being a real pain.

Games-Based Learning

Learning games has again been highlighted in another news article TrainingZONE.co.uk. An article by Terry Hurley, managing director of ITI Techmedia, looks at the growth of games-based learning.

In his article entitled "Games-Based Learning – Tomorrow’s Training Today?", he says
"Games-based learning isn’t a new concept. For years, the military and aerospace industries have used video game style simulations to train soldiers and pilots, where real-world environments or locations may be unavailable or dangerous. While there are differences between military simulations and games-based learning, the concept and rationale are essentially the same.

Games-based learning motivates and engages learners in a more creative manner than traditional classroom-based learning. Games can even be personalised to ensure the user is taught the relevant learning skills suited to them.

Today, approximately 70% of European companies now use some form of multimedia in their training, and researchers expect that to increase to 80% in the next couple of years."

Instead of one style suiting all and all following the same time frame, it is quite clear that learning games are more effective.

Open Source Software for Online Learning

When checking out on online learning games, found a software called Moodle. Had never heard of it. There are a lot of things I am getting to know ever since I started on finding out more on learning and having fun.

Moodle is apparently a course management system (CMS). It's a free, Open Source software package to help educators create effective online learning communities. It can be downloaded for use. Apparently it can scale from a single-teacher site to a 50,000-student University.

Moodle has a large and diverse user community with over 200,000 registered users on this site alone, speaking over 70 languages in 195 countries.

A Parent's Sharing on Online Learning Games

For parents who are keen on and work with online learning games with their children, Jenny Mannion has been teaching computer games to children of different ages and now has 2 children of her own. Her kids give her an excuse to still play and seek out the newest most fun kids computer games!

Found some information by her and was particularly interested as she prefers non-violent and mostly games with some educational value.

Think that Jenny has as much fun as her children doing this. Click here if you would like to read more on Jenny's thoughts and recommendations.

Online Learning Games For The Little Ones

Came across a nice option for parents looking for online learning games for their little ones.

An extract from their site reads:
"myNoggin is brought to you by the creators of Nick Jr. and Noggin, people who really know kids. Designed for preschoolers through first graders, myNoggin is an educational service that provides the same high quality, Noggin learning experience that children love and parents trust, with an extra bonus: it's totally personalized!

Guided by national standards in preschool education, myNoggin makes the most of the time children spend playing online with a "connected learning" approach. We start with topics and tales that grab children's interest, mix in favorite characters then use these ingredients to present concepts and skills that help kids learn. Why is this approach so effective? Because combining play with learning encourages children to dig deeper and develop a richer understanding."

One of the things that worries parents is if the sites that they get into are appropriate for their children as often you find all kind of rubbish that people link through. This site, however, shows promise that not only is it clean but also involves people who understand children through their other programs and are bringing that same fun to an online learning environment where the child can interact.

Book on "How Computer Games Help Children Learn"

I just picked up this topic on online learning games as an interesting topic, and am now finding out how well extensively this concept is being worked on and serious work being done.

While lots of schools use computers, question is are they using it to teach the age old stuff or exposing the kids to new ideas still via games. You can use "boring games" to teach math or "more worldly games". Instead of deciding what we want to teach them and then build these online learning games based on that, which typically will be "teachie", is it possible to develop fun games into which the learning points are included?

And this book entitled "How Computer Games Help Children Learn" by David Williamson Shaffer was one that attracted my attention to check out what it is about. I checked out reviews of How Computer Games Help Children Learn on Amazon and found that it had a 4.5 star rating and comments that were well worth reading on what people expect from online learning games.

Kudos to yet another Teacher who makes learning fun

Pamela Schehl reports in the 19 Oct 2007 issue of Mount Vernon News that teacher Julie Davis obtained an Ecolab grant that allows fifth-graders at Newton Elementary to go online to supplement their classroom instruction.

Selected extracts from the report:
[With the grant money, Davis purchased Study Island software related to math, science, social studies and reading. She said the multimedia teaching tool makes it easier to reach all different types of learners and help them succeed. Students can work at their own pace and on their specific competency level....

Davis said the lessons are timed and the teacher can set the number of questions. A game mode gives the students immediate reinforcement. If they answer the problem correctly, they can make a ski run or "play" at the virtual skate park.

"As a teacher," Davis said, "I can go in and pull up all records and see what they’re doing. I can see who’s gotten on, when and how much time they are spending on the lessons. I can see the speed that they’re going. I can see if they’re actually trying to work out the problem or just making a guess."

A summary feature also allows the teacher to compare a child’s progress with others in the class and with other students across the state.

Because the lessons are Internet-based, the students can access them in the classroom as well as the computer lab. They can also log on from anywhere there is Internet access, so they can work on it at home, or at the public library.]

AWESOME! Kudos to teachers like Julie Davis. They recognize what technology can do to reinforce learning and take the initiative to find out ways of getting things to happen.

Learning French Online

Even learning French online is now possible. Lewis Waller reports in the American Chronicle dated October 18 2007:

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Are you looking to learn French? If so then using the internet to learn is definitely the best way to go about it. Learning the French language online is becoming more and more popular for a variety of reasons. It’s cheap, easy to access and there’s no need for a schedule or planning to have a lesson once a week – you can learn entirely at your own pace.

But what’s the best way to go about learning French online? There so much information on the net that it’s easy to get lost and confused. Some courses cost ridiculous amounts of money whilst other free courses are useless. Is there a cheap, decent option?

Rocket French is a course from the popular ‘Rocket’ Range and has had nothing but praise from its users. Instantly downloadable to your PC, Rocket French has everything you need to learn French fluently at your own pace. The course boasts that at a dedicated speed, you could learn to speak French completely fluently in 3 months!

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The internet has contributed significantly to online learning and you can now learn languages from the convenient of your own home. Besides learning French online, the 'Rocket' Range in fact provides both German and Spanish courses besides French.

Learning Games for Math - Carnival of Math Games

The Brunswick News dated October 18 2007 talks about how teacher Beth Oberg using learning games to teach her students maths using their imaginations.

An extract of the news:
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"It's not only arithmetic. Math is everyday life," she said. "And I do not want my children to be bored or afraid of it, so we play with it."

She decided to make her classes a big carnival of math games as a way for students to experience the subject in a fun way and reinforce their skills.

The idea of making learning fun has brought her legions of student fans for more than 21 years and helped her create Math Game Night, a festival of math games for students from pre-K to eighth grade.

On this night, held twice a year at the school, children bring their parents to play games that can tackle addition, division or probability.
******************************************************************

It is great to know of dedicated teachers that think of how best to educate. In a manner that allows the students to get the most out of learning. The news says "With the games, the kids don't realize how much math they are using because they think they're playing and not learning." That is truly awesome. To have fun and by the way be learning as well.

The good news is that Oberg's idea has become so popular among her colleagues that many have incorporated games into the math curriculum. Some have 25 games, others 30. As for her: After 21 years of teaching math, she has compiled 400 games from which to choose.

Learning Games can also be Serious Games

Learning games is also a reality in the world of serious games based on this news article "Games which aren't fun but are useful" by Duncan Jefferies in The Guardian on Thursday October 18 2007. Here is a short extract:

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The words "serious" and "games" do not exactly go hand in hand: the former is to do with disasters and global warming, the latter being associated with things like fun, excitement and pleasure.

Despite this, the term "serious games" has become a catch-all term for software which uses videogame design principles to deliver educational and training experiences. Typically bespoke, they are designed to run on standard PCs or games consoles, immersing players within a virtual environment where they must perform a series of objectives in a similar fashion to a mainstream videogame.

"Learning through play is a well established educational principle," says Mary Matthews at TruSim, the serious games division of independent video games developer Blitz Games. "The fact that it's now being applied to adult learning should not be a surprise to anyone. Look at roleplaying: nobody bats an eyelid at that as a valid form of training. Transferring that to videogames is the automatic next step."
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Although this serious games concept is about delivering educational and training experiences, it just means it is being applied to more serious learning than games that are being played just for the fun of it.

The basic principle of learning the fun way still applies. Not only is it fun but it now does not have to be dependent on an instructor being available all the time.

Online Learning Games - Potential to reach out to many

Here am I writing about online learning games, online tutoring games, online learning courses, etc and what do I find happening that so supports these thoughts.

There is apparently a project called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project. An extract from the blog reads:
"It’s a project that MIT and other humanitarian organizations have been involved in to bring an inexpensive computer to children in developing countries. Not only may this technology alter the way that children learn in these countries, but it may serve as a model for our own computing needs."

How promising? Because the technology is needed to drive online learning games. Let the kids have their fun while they learn.

For those interested in the full article, it is actually from a blog that was written for “blog action day”, which is today October 15. The cool thing about this project is that it takes environment into consideration as well. Click here if you want to read all about it.

There are Learning Games Even for Languages

When I started this blog, I was not thinking of learning games for languages. Would you believe that there is a book called "Games for Language Learning" by Andrew Wright.

Here is a short description of the book:
"Games provide meaningful and enjoyable language practice at all levels and for all age groups. They can be used to practise any of the skills - speaking, listening, reading and writing - at any stage of the learning process, from controlled repetition through guided practice to free expression. To enable teachers to select the activities most suitable for their needs, precise information is provided, both at the beginning of each game and in the summary chart, about the language content, the skills to be practised, the level, the degree of teacher-control, and the time and materials required. Clear advice is given on preparation and classroom procedure, with many illustrations and examples. There is a comprehensive index."

You can get Games for Language Learning (Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers) from Amazon. It has a 5 star rating from four reviewers.

I did not learn languages using games. Wonder how it will be like. Guess definitely more fun than how I was taught.

Cool Learning Games for Caregivers and Frontline Senior Care Staff

Cool learning games are not for the little kids and teenagers, it is also for caregivers, housekeepers, activity directors and other frontline employees who have daily, hands-on contact with residents in assisted living and nursing communities according to this press release dated October 11 2007 entitled aQuire Training Solutions Announces New Courses Available A La Carte.

Here is an extract from the article:
"Using a game-based approach to training is an intentional concept designed not only to increase the enjoyment and engagement of learners, but also to improve retention and build skills more quickly, proven results of repetitive learning games.

Unique courses designed for staff in community based care settings like Assisted Living and Residential Care also set aQuire apart from other online staff training programs.

"Several products are available and specifically designed for nursing home staff," comments Brothers. "Recognizing both the growth of assisted living, and the public's preference for home-like care settings, our courses are designed to promote a less medical and more personalized approach to caregiving. We support the move to a culture change that focuses on the individual, not the facility."

Courses are written by an instructor team consisting of nurses, restorative therapists, testing and education specialists and experienced senior care administrators. California has approved all courses for CNA continuing education; other states approve the courses for inservice and staff training requirements."

It is wonderful that learning is now possible anytime, anywhere with cool learning games that make it more fun and engaging for the people who use them to get trained. Such methods have become really pervasive and shows great promise in training people in the best way that they can absorb and at their own time.

Teaching Teachers a Thing or Two

KRISTIN MacFARLANE reports in The Daily Post in New Zealand about children teaching teachers a thing or two. Here is as extract from the report:

"Whiteboards are the new blackboards and children at Owhata Primary School are about to teach the teachers a thing or two about how to use them.

They're set to front a national conference to show teachers from around the country how to use interactive whiteboards."

The thing about these interactive boards are that they can play learning games on the whiteboards and can project websites or their own work. Is this not wonderful? The whole thing about learning is to be able to learn. People describe this with a big word called "adaptive". It is all about being able to learn what one needs at that point which is relevant for the moment. With interactive online learning becoming open to students, they will not be constrained just to their text books.

Owhata School: GREAT WORK!

Click here to read the complete report.

Purdue University and The Learning Games

I did not realize that learning games could be this big time. Purdue University hosted a two-day forum Oct 11-12 aimed at showcasing and discussing the latest advances in using video games and virtual environments as teaching tools.

Their Discovery Learning Center focuses on the use of video games and virtual environments as teaching tools. The event will include a free town hall meeting Thursday for parents and teachers and a panel discussion with industry and academic experts.

According to Inside INdiana Business:
"Purdue's Serious Games Research Forum reflects a growing trend to harness the power of video games for learning, said Beverly Davenport Sypher, associate provost and former interim director of the Discovery Learning Center. Simulation, virtual reality, interactive games and other gaming formats are being used to transform everything from education and health care to public policy, government, science and work force training, she said."

Gee! Learning will never be the same again. Online learning games is really big time!

Learning Games of the DB2 Kind

You are not going to believe this! You can actually learn introductory IBM DB2 stuff through online learning games.

The IBM site had this description: "This tutorial introduces new users of IBM DB2 Universal Database (UDB) to relational database concepts through a fun and interactive game called DB2 Detective. It assumes no prior database knowledge or programming experience in the Structured Query Language (SQL)."

But that was as far as I could go as you need an IBM ID, blah, blah, blah to get in. If you are a DB2 user and can get access, check it out here at DB2 Gaming ... Play to Learn.

In fact, these online learning games also includes an IBM DB2 Business Game.

ENJOY!

Learning Games being played in a bank

Rajeshwari Sharma from New Delhi reports
"For some new hires at ICICI Bank Ltd, India’s largest private sector bank, play is an integral part of work. These hires, typically junior and middle-level managers hired for customer-facing functions, are made to play online games for several hours before they get down to the business of dealing with people."

I know they had e-learning facilities at most large organizations but actually playing games online. That is really cool.

ICICI actually has four gamea
- queue management
- cheque clearing (operations)
- cheque payment across the counter, and
- savings accounts.

As the names suggest, these games present situations with customers seeking services in these areas. The games require the staff to provide quick services and resolve issues efficiently. For every right move players make, they get a part of the key to the kingdom, while they lose a life for every wrong move.

That is a fun way of learning on the job!

LA Kids are learning via Video Games

This is from an announcement that I found:

"Commencing Oct. 1, 2007, PlaySmart rolls into schools all over Los Angeles County. Billed as a unique educational program from STAR Inc., PlaySmart uses existing and popular games as a means of teaching school age children skills such as problem solving, technological familiarity, objective thinking, literacy and other right and left brain exercises.

PlaySmart employs games such as Dance Dance Revolution™, Pokémon™ TCG and various other video games to enhance instruction in physical education, literacy, group dynamics, team building and positive gamesmanship."

Lucky kids! If you are a kid, reading this, enjoy! I have been one for having fun while learning or working. Learning and working do not have to be hard work.

In fact, this learning with games is not new but some people are now getting bold enough to roll these out. Even at work and at meetings, we know that having fun is the work to impress upon the audience. So, who says that working life is much different from school?

Learning Through Any Way is Still Learning

Siobhán Thomas says that"Pervasive gaming has tremendous potential as a learning tool and represents an interesting development in the field of video games and education." My! What
is that? That in simple language is the use of online games not just for entertainment but also as online learning games.

Wonder how many of us can forget the kind of drilling we used to get in the name of teaching in school. And yet, there was that odd teacher who would be able to make a game of a lesson. And did we learn? We did and it was a lot more fun. Learning does not have to be difficult and boring.
So we know games makes learning easier ... but how about learning at our own convenience anywhere, anytime?

Enter online learning games thanks to the wide availability of the internet. If you thought that there is the odd game here and there, you could not be more wrong. There are fully developed
sites with curriculum for different subjects and different age groups with study plans. These are like full online schools out there. Simply amazing!

How do you access these? When should you use these? As fulltime school replacement? As part time for revision and enhancement? For extra learning in areas of weakness?

More in the next blog.

Online games - learning with fun

Watch this space for ways to learn the fun way. Online learning games make for effective learning. You can work with interactive games or download materials.

Welcome to The Online Learning Games Blog!

Hie!

This space has been set up to bring to you information on online learning games that are will be both fun and educational.

Watch out for more to come.