April 28, 2006 ♦ Itasca, IL
Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders
February 23, 2006  San Diego, CA
Games in Education
Bill MacKenty, M.Ed
Computer Teacher
Edgartown School
Edgartown, Massachusetts
www.mackenty.org
Grok this?
April 28, 2006 ♦ Itasca, IL
Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders
February 23, 2006  San Diego, CA
Face-down monsters are not flipped face-up until the Damage Step. If
my "Neo the Magic Swordsman" attacks a face-down monster, and it
turns out to be "Giant Soldier of Stone", it's too late for me to activate
"Waboku" (and prevent damage to my life points). But I can still activate
"Reinforcements" to increase "Neo the Magic Swordsman" ATK in the
Damage Step after the monster is flipped. Of course, my opponent could
also use "Castle Walls" to raise his monster's DEF.
Why do kids intuitively understand this?
Games work.
April 28, 2006 ♦ Itasca, IL
Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders
February 23, 2006  San Diego, CA
kids are using COTS games to
strengthen, deepen and broaden
their learning
kids are making meaningful,
relevant, content-connections
kids bring content into the game &
use the content from the game in
classroom
How do we know?
April 28, 2006 ♦ Itasca, IL
Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders
February 23, 2006  San Diego, CA
observations
interviews
discussions
written performance
self-assessments
Instructional Design
April 28, 2006 ♦ Itasca, IL
Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders
February 23, 2006  San Diego, CA
--> Active engagement <-Good teaching is good teaching is good teaching.
Why COTS?
April 28, 2006 ♦ Itasca, IL
Production value
Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders
February
23, 2006
 have
San Diego,
Different
player-types
can
fun CA
Challenge
Stealthy education (incidental
learning)
Fun
Flow
QuickTi me™ and a
TIFF ( Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see thi s pi ctur e.
Quic kT i me™ and a
T IFF (Unc ompres s ed) dec ompres s or
are needed t o s ee thi s pi c ture.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickT ime ™an d a
TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor
ar e need ed to see this pictur e.
QuickT ime ™an d a
TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor
ar e need ed to see this pictur e.
Quick Time™a nd a
TIFF ( Unco mpre ssed ) dec ompr esso r
ar e nee ded to see this pictur e.
Quick Time™a nd a
TIFF ( Unco mpre ssed ) dec ompr esso r
ar e nee ded to see this pictur e.
QuickTi me™ and a
T IFF (Uncom pressed) decom pressor
are needed to see t his pict ure.
Notable Failures…
April 28, 2006 ♦ Itasca, IL
Qui ckTime™ and a
TIFF (U ncompr essed) decompressor
are needed to see thi s pi cture.
Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders
February 23, 2006  San Diego, CA
QuickTi me™ and a
TIFF ( Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see thi s pi ctur e.
Time permitting…
April 28, 2006 ♦ Itasca, IL
Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders
February 23, 2006  San Diego, CA
Player types
Criteria to evaluate games
Cost of COTS
Administration approval
Digital natives vs digital immigrants
Getting to Z