David Hutchison

Playing to Learn (eBook, PDF)

Video Games in the Classroom

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Playing to Learn: Video Games in the Classroom is one of first practical resources that helps teachers integrate the study of video games into the classroom. The book is comprised of over 100 video game related activity ideas appropriate for Grades 4 to 12. Virtually every subject area is addressed. The book is augmented with several discussion articles contributed by scholars, journalists, and bloggers who routinely write about video games. In addition, the book includes dozens of activity modification and extension ideas, Web links, data tables, and photos.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc
• Seitenzahl: 280
• Altersempfehlung: ab 7 Jahre
• Erscheinungstermin: 30. Mai 2007
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780313094736
• Artikelnr.: 68528353

Autorenporträt

David Hutchison is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, Brock University. He is the author of Growing Up Green: Education for Ecological Renewal and A Natural History of Place in Education.

Inhaltsangabe

Foreword by James Paul Gee Acknowledgments Introduction Advertising
Campaign The students design a full-fledged advertising campaign for an
upcoming or newly released video game. Alternate History The students write
an alternate history of the world that starts with a decisive change in the
outcome of a historical event. Arcade vs. Video Games The students compare
and contrast the social experience of playing video games in an arcade
versus playing them at home on a video game console or PC computer.
Artistic Rendering The students create an artistic representation of a
real-world scene. Battleship The students assemble the materials for a
classic game of Battleship, which they then play in pairs. Best Kids' Game
The students rank and review their favorite kid-friendly video games. Body
Image The students discuss the relationship between body image and the
physiques of both male and female video game characters. Discussion
Article: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Series by Ismini Boinodiris Roby Book
Review The students review an academic or instructional book about video
games. Branding the Box The topic of branding is introduced to students who
then compare and contrast the packaging of two or more PlayStation 3, Wii,
or Xbox 360 titles. Bully The students discuss the ethical issues
surrounding RockStar's school-based video game titled Bully. Discussion
Article: Video Games May Dull Shock at Violence by Miranda Hitti Car
Commercial The students create a car commercial using in-game footage
captured from a driving game. Car of the Future The students design and
outline the specifications for a tricked-out new car (or flying machine) of
the future. Chart Toppers The students track the video game sales charts
over a one-or two-month period. They analyze and draw conclusions about the
statistics they have collected. Cheat Code Central The students review a
game's cheat codes. They propose a revised set of cheat codes that would
make the game easier and more fun to play for novices and recreational
gamers alike. Choose Your Own Adventure The students write a choose your
own adventure story, a narrative with multiple pathways that can then be
adapted for use in an adventure video game. Composer Discography The
students research the discography of an established video game composer.
Critiquing the Controllers The students compare and contrast the gamepad
controllers that ship with the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Sony
PlayStation 3 gaming systems. Deadpan Dialog The students write a review of
a video game focusing solely on the elocution of one or more characters'
dialog. Design Your Own Racetrack The students use arts and crafts supplies
to design a racetrack that features five or more geographic landforms.
Design Your Own Racetrack (Take Two) The students use a city map to design
a sanctioned street race through an urban center. They identify road
hazards, plot positions where protective barriers should be erected, and
mark off cross streets that should be closed to traffic. Do You Recognize
This Voice? The students play a teaching game in which they listen to
recorded excerpts of dialog from several video games. They attempt to guess
which celebrity's voice they are hearing. Discussion Article: Ethics in
Video Game Journalism by Justin Hall Don't Believe the Hype The students
compare and contrast the previews and reviews of a video game. They look
for evidence of hype in the previews for games that didn't quite fulfill
expectations upon their release. ESRB Ratings Review The students review
the ESRB ratings system and suggest what changes (if any) they would
propose making. Ergonomic Audit The students conduct an ergonomic audit of
the school's computer lab. They present their findings to the student
council, principal, and school staff. Fact vs. Opinion The students analyze
and parse one or more reviews of a video game for statements of fact and
opinion. Discussion Article: Reality Bytes: Eight Myths about Video Games
Debunked by Henry Jenkins Fine Motor Count The students tally the number of
times one or more gamepad buttons are pressed during a gaming session. They
then transfer this data onto a chart for further analysis during math
class. Fitness Regime The students propose a series of fitness exercises
for a leading video game or comic book character. Discussion Article:
Exercise, Lose Weight with "Exergaming" by Star Lawrence Foley Effects
Artist The students become Foley artists as they replace the sound effects
in a video game with their own sounds derived from materials they have
collected in and around their school and home. Foley Effects Artist (Take
Two) The students add Foley effects to their game creations and video
productions. Discussion Article: Soaking Up the Media: Full-time Job for
Kids by Miranda Hitti For How Long Do I Play? The students track the amount
of time they spend playing video games over a two-week period. They then
analyze and perform calculations on the data they have gathered. Game
Invention The students design a real-world game or sport that they then
teach others to play in a physical education class. Gaming Budget The
students perform a cost-benefit analysis of the practice of buying versus
renting video games. Gaming Station The teacher sets up a PlayStation 3,
Wii, or Xbox 360 gaming station in the classroom that is to be used for
educational purposes in the instructional program. Graphical Analysis The
students conduct a graphical analysis of a video game. They critique the
models, textures, lighting, shadows, and other graphical features of the
game. Historical Campaign The students propose a new mission for an
existing World War II-or Vietnam-based wargame. They draw their idea from
an actual historical campaign or scenario that occurred during the war.
Historical Place Analysis The students compare and contrast historically
accurate video game environments with photographs and descriptions of the
same real-world settings. Discussion Article: The Convention for the
Protection of Virtual Architectural Heritage by Mario Gerosa, with the
collaboration of Sam Shahrani Historical Weaponry The students research the
history of a weapon that is featured in a World War II-or Vietnam-based
video game. I Beg to Differ The students write a response to a negative
review of a video game they enjoyed. I Believe The students write an I
Believe poem about video games that comprises ten belief statements.
Discussion Article: Contradictions by Richard Bartie Kid-friendly Grand
Theft Auto The students take back the streets as they design a vibrant,
kid-friendly city in which there are lots of things to do. Lay of the Land
The students create a topographic map of a fictional battlefield that
features several of the landforms they have studied in class. Map of the
World The students use a wall map of the world to plot the real-world
locations in which their favorite video games are set. Music Critic The
students critique the licensed musical mix that is featured in a video
game. New Multiplayer Mode The students brainstorm new multiplayer modes
that comprise sets of gameplay rules and scenarios for a popular online
wargame. Newscast Production The students study the structure of a
traditional television newscast. They then apply what they have learned to
the creation of a live newscast of their own that reports on the video game
news of the day. Discussion Article: Why We Need a Corporation for Public
Gaming by David Rejeski Next Generation Console The students pick a name
and design a model for a next-generation gaming system. They also
brainstorm a list of cutting-edge features that the system will support.
Open World Directions The students write out the directions for getting
from Point A to Point B in an open world driving game. Playing to Learn
The students brainstorm and lead their own video game learning activities.
Poor Posture The teacher presents a lesson on ergonomics in which a student
volunteer demonstrates the proper posture for sitting at a computer. Race
Relations The students discuss how different cultural groups are
represented in video games. Repetitive Stress Injury The teacher presents a
formal lesson on repetitive stress injury to the class. Discussion Article:
Protect Kids from Computer Injuries, Safety Council Urges by the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation Researching the Credits The students research a
specific video game-related job and its role in the development of a video
game title. Researching the Credits (Take Two) The students browse the
credits for one or more video games as a way of helping them to organize
their own in-class game development studio into assigned roles and tasks.
Review Roundup The students compare and contrast two or more reviews of a
video game. They write a review roundup that sums up the views of the
critics plus their own insights. Review of the Real World The students turn
the notion of a video game review on its head and instead review the real
world as if it were a video game. Discussion Article: Real Life: The Full
Review by Greg Kasavin Scary Stories The students discuss what makes a
story, movie, or video game scary. They then write their own scary story.
Scooby-Doo and the Laws of Physics The students watch a half-hour
Scooby-Doo Mysteries episode and count and/or categorize the number of
times the characters-both friends and foes-do the impossible. Serious Games
Brainstorming The students brainstorm ideas for a new serious game that
teaches the knowledge and skill set required by a particular profession.
Discussion Article: Video Game Therapy: A New Frontier by Reuters Spelling
Dictation The teacher compiles a spelling list of video game-related terms.
Statistical Analysis The students analyze and discuss a number of video
game-related statistics. Strategy Guide Review The students write and then
publish a review of a video game strategy guide. Strategy Guide Writing
The students author their own strategy guides for a full video game or a
single mission from a favorite game. Study of the Future The students write
an essay that predicts what our world will look like in the future.
Discussion Article: Laura's Story by David Hutchison Superhero Design The
students design an original superhero character for a video game. Surround
Sound Map The students go outside and draw a directional sound-field map
that plots the location of natural and human-made sounds coming from the
front, rear, sides, and overhead. Tactical Analysis The students write
about one or more tactics they have successfully used in a video game.
Technological Progress The students review the graphical features of three
video games, respectively published this year, three years ago, and six
years ago. Television Technologies The students research the science behind
the four major television technologies: CRT, LCD, DLP, and plasma. They
report on the pros and cons of each. Test Drive The students design a
science experiment in which their peers take the cars in a racing game for
a test drive. They report on which cars have the best and worst control and
handling according to the participants in the study. The Gaming PC The
students design the casing for a custom gaming PC that optionally features
a custom paint job, decals, neon lights, tattoos, and other embellishments.
The Interview The students interview their peers about their video game
playing habits. They then draw tentative conclusions from the data they
have gathered. The Obituary The students write an obituary that recounts
the life of a lead video game character who has died. The Pitch The
students prepare a proposal for a brand-new video game, which they then
pitch to the class. Discussion Article: Bringing Back the Dream by Noel
Llopis The Rewrite The students rewrite the dialog for a cutscene in a
video game that is in desperate need of improvement. The Rewrite (Take Two)
The students rewrite a video game user review in an effort to improve its
clarity and sentence structure. The Stunt The students capture some in-game
footage of their characters performing insane stunts on foot or in
vehicles. The Survey The students design a video game survey, which they
then administer to other students in the school. Ultimate Gaming Bundle
The students design an advertisement for the ultimate gaming bundle,
consisting of a PC or console system and third-party hardware and games.
Urban Planning The students choose the location for a new city, which they
then design from the ground up. User Interface Review The students apply
the principles of user interface design to their review of a game's user
interface, menu system, and/or heads up display (HUD). Video Game Addiction
The students research the topic of video game addiction. They decide on a
list of criteria for determining whether someone is addicted to video
games. Discussion Article: Doctor Claims 40 Percent of World of Warcraft
Players Are Addicted by Jeremy Reimer Video Game Database The students
design a database for storing information about video games. They pretend
they are opening a video game rental store and need to keep track of their
inventory. Video Game Debate The students debate a controversial issue
related to video games. Discussion Article: Massacre in Winterspring by
Gabe Graziani Video Game Reenactment The students reenact a key scene from
a video game that boasts a strong storyline. Video Game Review The students
write a review for a video game they are currently playing. Discussion
Article: Living in Oblivion by Jane Pinckard Virtual Journal The students
write a series of journal entries that chronicle their virtual life in an
online role-playing or open world video game. Discussion Article: Are
Virtual Worlds the Future of the Classroom? by Stephanie Olsen Website
Design The students brainstorm ideas for a video game website that features
content not typically found at existing websites. Well-Balanced Diet The
students propose a set of four video games that provide a desired gameplay
balance and variety of play. World without Music The students reflect on
the perceptual experience of playing a video game without music. World's
Best Gamertag The students are challenged to come up with the most creative
Gamertag they can think of. Afterword: Video Game Design in the Classroom
Activity List Sorted by Subject Index