Move over Minecraft enthusiasts, you’ve got some stiff competition! Did you hear about the first ever Tech Tool Tourney that KQED MindShift and Common Sense Graphite recently hosted? 32 games were selected because of their outstanding quality and educational value. The purpose of this tourney was to introduce game enthusiasts and educators to new games, then give them three days to vote for their favorites. Sounds like some craziness happened during voting, so two winners were declared: Construct 2 and Kerbal Space Program!
The 32 games were grouped; eight to each of the following categories:
– Social & Emotion Learning
– School Subjects
– Critical Thinking
– Creativity-Game Making
Have you checked out these academic tools for your college library?
Toolwire has online learning games that help improve college-level writing by using interactive games. These are realistic simulations with live characters filmed in real locations (not animated).
University app by Boopsie “offers a user experience that not only delivers a library’s content but also increases student engagement, orients students with library services, and provides access to support services.”
Library Quest has a choose-your-own-adventure style game designed to orientate new college students with their library. It gives them a more positive experience and a better understanding of how the college library can be of assistance to them.
Now that we have closed out 2015, what were Google’s picks for the best apps, games, & entertainment (including movies and books) for the year 2015? Look no further! Here is an excellent list of the best of the best. Their list has been compiled based on both downloads and ratings.
Image by Sergey Galyonkin. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.
Gaming programs are growing in some libraries across the United States. In ALA’s blog The Scoop, Brian Mayer wrote an article detailing how he facilitated game creation, with students, using classroom curriculum. Mayer is a gaming and library technology specialist at the Genesee Valley (N.Y.) Educational Partnership. When creating this game-based type of makerspace, he focuses on “…demonstrating concept understanding and mastery throughout the design process and in the finished product.” This work is accomplished in collaboration with classroom teachers and the school librarians. Find out more about how Mayer engages and empowers youth in Creating Game-Based Makerspaces, (July 2013.)
Note: Interested in incorporating games in your learning process? Read the related article, How to Gamify Your Classroom (October 2013), in which the author decodes how you can win students over in five simple levels.
Move over Minecraft enthusiasts, you’ve got some stiff competition! Did you hear about the first ever Tech Tool Tourney that KQED MindShift and Common Sense Graphite recently hosted? 32 games were selected because of their outstanding quality and educational value. The purpose of this tourney was to introduce game enthusiasts and educators to new games, then give them three days to vote for their favorites. Sounds like some craziness happened during voting, so two winners were declared: Construct 2 and Kerbal Space Program!
