ACTIVITIES

Play Lemmings, Lemonade Stand or Math Blaster Plus

Once you’ve played it for a while, please answer the following questions:

Please describe your experience playing this game. (Include information about ease of use, graphics, are instructions easy to follow, what age group is it appropriate for, etc.), and
Would you use this game in a classroom setting? Why?

Please add your comment under "comment review" and not the "review section" in order to achieve your badge.

Enjoy playing.

Click here for more information Click here to go to the Activity 1 post in the 522 Wordpress site

Author the beginnings of your own game prototype on the ARIS Games platform and

Post the title of your game and a brief description to the Activity 3 Game Jam page of the 522 Wordpress site as a "comment review" (not "review section").
- click here to go to the Activity 3 page of the 522 Wordpress site
Play test a minimum of one other classmate's game by searching it by name on the ARIS mobile app
Share your game creation experience with one other person by commenting on their post.

Acivity 3: The 522 Game Jam Challenge (Optional)

Click here for more information Click here to go to the Activity 3 post in the 522 Wordpress site

The Game Jammer Badge

November 11 Update: see new tips video on the 522 Game Jam Challenge page.

Activity 2: Trending and Emerging Game Based Learning

Choose ONE of the discussion topics below and post your response under "comments review" (not review). Please indicate the question number at the beginning of your post.

You are also responsible for replying to a minimum of one person's comment.

Question 1:

Explore the various applications and digital game based learning programs provided on the OER. Discuss an application or game that you could personally use in your line of work? Are there any digital games, that are not listed that you have used with success? Please give further detail.

Question 2:

James Gee and Kurt Squire contend that games develop systems thinking as well as generate interest and engagement in subject domains and societal issues through the process of playing them over time. Do you feel these goals justify their use in education, or will the next generation of game have to include some element of assessment by design to be considered legitimate learning tools? Explain.

Click here for more information Click here to go to the Activity 2 post in the 522 Wordpress site

The Game Master Badge

To earn the Game Master Badge you must complete the following requirements in Activities 1 and 2:

Activity 1: Play Lemonade Stand, Lemmings or Math Blaster Plus

Please choose one of the following games to play (the game may take a few minutes to load-please be patient):

Created in 1973 and brought to the Apple II platform in 1979, Lemonade Stand is one of the oldest and most popular educational games of all time. Gameplay is deceptively simple: players run a lemonade stand, choosing the amount of ingredients to buy, how to advertise, and what to price lemonade. All of these choices, as well as uncontrollable factors like weather, play into how much profit the lemonade stand turns. Despite a basic premise, the game was actually teaching players complex lessons about business and economics and was one of the earliest to use a gaming platform to do so. Lemonade Stand, and others early economics-based games like M.U.L.E., would inspire a large number of future games including Lemonade Empire, Lemonade Tycoon, Hot Dog Stand, and even the school-inappropriate-but-still-educational Dope Wars to name a few.

Click image to go to website

Lemmings is another seminal title that wasn’t really intended to be educational but is actually a great tool for teaching kids about planning, problem solving, and creative thinking. The first version of the now famous game was released in 1991, becoming an instant success and one of the best selling computer games of its time. To advance, players must successfully guide a group of lemmings through a danger-filled setting using selected skills that alter the landscape. It isn’t always easy, and the challenge often keeps players trying for hours to get it right. While the original came out more than 20 years ago, versions of the game were released as recently as 2010.

Click image to go to website

Just as munching added a fun element to math lessons, so did blasting. In fact, this popular concept yielded numerous later iterations, allowing students to blast everything from algebra to reading. Like Number Munchers, Math Blaster helped turn boring math exercises into something students could look forward to, helping change the educational gaming scene for the better. The Blaster series of games was incredibly successful and it’s easy to find variations on the theme today that cover a wide range of topics and grade levels.

Click image to go to website