Monday, February 16, 2009
Edutainment
I chanced upon this interesting term called Edutainment (education + entertainment) and found it rather apt for what I've experienced in class last week. We played games and in the process of having fun, learnt certain things.
In Ed Psych, we were asked to give our views on whether learning needed to always be 'fun' in order to engage the unmotivated students. I guess to a certain extent, there's an overlap with that question and what we've learnt in ICT. Gaming is a classic example of 'fun' learning.. students will be more than happy to chuck their papers and pens aside to learn in a new way!
Last friday, I played Trauma Centre (Wii) and some Flash games online. The first game was really interesting! It taught me collaboration (with my fellow 'surgeon'), time management and to care for the virtual patient. The flash game taught me to think and react quickly.. basically, we played some math game and it served to reinforce what we already know.
So in summary, contrary to what the general public thinks about gaming; that they're strictly "bad" cos it's addictive (steals time away from the books), I actually realize the "good" side of it! Through gaming, we can learn social skills like cooperation.. improve our pyschomotor skills, and trains the mind to react quickly to ever-changing situations. I feel the last point is very relevant to our daily life. It isn't anything academically beneficial, but is a lifeskill that we should pick up to survive in this fast-paced world! Well, of course, we have to choose wisely the games we play in order to reap its benefits! :)
In Ed Psych, we were asked to give our views on whether learning needed to always be 'fun' in order to engage the unmotivated students. I guess to a certain extent, there's an overlap with that question and what we've learnt in ICT. Gaming is a classic example of 'fun' learning.. students will be more than happy to chuck their papers and pens aside to learn in a new way!
Last friday, I played Trauma Centre (Wii) and some Flash games online. The first game was really interesting! It taught me collaboration (with my fellow 'surgeon'), time management and to care for the virtual patient. The flash game taught me to think and react quickly.. basically, we played some math game and it served to reinforce what we already know.
So in summary, contrary to what the general public thinks about gaming; that they're strictly "bad" cos it's addictive (steals time away from the books), I actually realize the "good" side of it! Through gaming, we can learn social skills like cooperation.. improve our pyschomotor skills, and trains the mind to react quickly to ever-changing situations. I feel the last point is very relevant to our daily life. It isn't anything academically beneficial, but is a lifeskill that we should pick up to survive in this fast-paced world! Well, of course, we have to choose wisely the games we play in order to reap its benefits! :)
# posted by *lisa : 11:02 PM
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