As a mom of three boys, I see first-hand how making activities into a game suddenly turns stubborn stand-offs into engaging fun.
My boys were fascinated with baseball statistics and learned percentages and fractions by following the exploits of their favorite players. They insisted on being the banker in monopoly, only to be disappointed when they later learned all U.S. currency is just plain green and not all the colors of the rainbow they were used to. Today, there are gadgets like ibitz which turn walking and exercising into a fun, rewarding game-like experience.
Some people refer to this as “gamification” which means applying game thinking or even game mechanics into a non-game context. As an example, I have no problem if my boys prefer to use a Math Baseball iPad app to practice math facts instead of a printed worksheet. When I see my kids’ teachers incorporating games into learning, I say “Bravo”. Anything that inspires them to learn by making it fun is okay by me.
With new games like SimCityEDU — which teaches students STEM subjects in a virtual environment — I wondered if bringing games into the classroom would support or distract from learning. Here's what I found out.
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