A covert game of tic-tac-toe was the only game we could play during school hours back in my k-12 days. So I was pleased to see a study that shows increasing use of games by teacher librarians.
The study of the
uses of gaming in public and school media libraries was conducted by Scott Nicholson, Associate Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies.
The study notes: "Much of today’s discussion of gaming in libraries focuses on the console-based music games (Rock Band, Guitar Hero, etc.), and these games may not be the best gaming activity for many school media applications."
How true. So, which games are effective when your purpose is education? And, which games are appropriate for a school or library setting? (Afterall, you don't want games that portray behavior that runs counter to school rules.)
We receive comments all the time from educators who use
Game Show Presenter software. They tell us it is effective for both students and teachers. It adds the fun and challenge of a TV game show, which increases attention and participation. But the educational benefit comes from the educator, who writes the game show questions to match the subject at hand. So the game can be used as an assessment tool or to review material before a test.
Unlike PlayStation, Xbox, and other console games, Game Show Presenter is a
presentation game designed as a group activity. It uses equipment common in most classrooms and meeting rooms. All you need is a PC or a Mac hooked up to a projector or Smartboard, so everyone can see and play along. A pair of external speakers adds a lot to the atmosphere, too.
By the way, the same
discounts we offer to teachers and schools are available to public libraries.
The point is that games in schools are great when they advance the cause of education. Any other use is just recess.
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