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[3 Jan 2016 | Comments Off on 7 Great Books on Games And Learning | 4,220 views]
7 Great Books on Games And Learning

Elisa teaches online professional development courses for teachers at teachertechtraining.com. Register now for Teaching With Games – starts Monday January 4, 2016. Save $50 – Register by December 7, 2015!

Photo by Germán Póo-Caamaño
Looking to cut beyond the hype and dig in to what game based learning is all about? These seven books will give you a deep insight into ways games are being used today, and looks at the good – and the bad – of this growing phenomenon, including gamification.
1. The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies …

[10 Dec 2013 | Comments Off on Picture It: Comics As Teaching Tool | 46,052 views]
Picture It: Comics As Teaching Tool

Comics are educationally effective because they create a story (Mallia, 2007). Narrative is a powerful tool in teaching, and provides necessary context for a learner to assimilate the new information into existing cognitive schemas (Nelson, 1989). Since comics are meant to be humorous and entertaining, they can use fantasy to simulate scenarios where a certain concept has been taken to the extreme – sometimes the best way to really understand the uniqueness and limitations of a new concept.
Because they are primarily visual, comics are appealing to younger children who might …

[6 Dec 2013 | Comments Off on Interactive Storytelling with Scratch | 4,116 views]
Interactive Storytelling with Scratch

Create “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories with Scratch
Elisa Gopin – Interactive Storytelling

[29 Nov 2013 | Comments Off on Is It Gamification, Or Game Based Learning? | 8,505 views]
Is It Gamification, Or Game Based Learning?

These two terms get thrown around a lot, often interchangeably, but they’re not really the same. They’re both important concepts, and they’re both useful. However, they are useful in different contexts and that’s why I think it’s important to define each one.
Game Based Learning, often shortened as GBL, is about using games to teach – facts, concepts, attitudes, whatever. It can use digital games, which is becoming increasingly popular, but has also been used for decades in the classroom with board games, team games, Jeopardy-like quizzes, etc. Anything that uses …

[29 Nov 2013 | Comments Off on Lemonade And Learning | 6,135 views]
Lemonade And Learning

The game Lemonade Stand demonstrates the application of several learning theories in its design. The game uses both text and images to provide prompts and information for the player, which exemplifies Paivio’s dual-coding theory. According to Paivio, there are two “modes” of representing information in long term memory – verbal, consisting of language expression, and imaginal, consisting of visual and spatial information (Schunk, 1999). LS utilizes both of these modes in its gameplay.
Another learning theory evident in Lemonade Stand is situated cognition. This theory explains that thinking and learning are affected …

[12 Nov 2013 | Comments Off on Finding and Evaluating Great Educational Games | 5,227 views]
Finding and Evaluating Great Educational Games

IGI Global Announces New Title: Transforming K-12 Classrooms with Digital Technology

 Hershey, PA – October 2013 – IGI Global, an international publishing company specializing in high-quality research publications in the fields of educational technology and information technology management, is pleased to announce the September release of Transforming K-12 Classrooms with Digital Technology, edited by Professor/President Zongkai Yang (Central China Normal University, P. R. China), Professor Harrison Hao Yang (State University of New York at Oswego, USA & Central China Normal University, P. R. China), Professor Di Wu (Central China Normal University, …