Educational games bring whole new meaning to the phrase “hands-on learning”, and with the constant advancement of modern technology, digital gaming is able to deliver a wholly interactive experience that facilitates greater information retention and concept mastery for students of all kinds. Because these games offer incredible opportunities for both education and fun, students and teachers alike are always on the lookout for the next biggest technologically advanced digital game available to keep students on a progressive educational path in an increasingly digital world.
Increasing Interaction
One great example of the ability of technology to create realistic virtual experiences is a new gaming device designed by associate professor of mechanical engineering, William Provancher. Within this device, students receive actual physical stimulation in the form of fishing line tugs and gun recoils. According to the article, the controller even delivers cues to the player. For educators, this can open up a world of opportunities for engaging students in learning material– either by involving them in a digitally animated Shakespeare play or allowing them to construct a water molecule by combining atoms.
Answering the Call for Educational Opportunities
Although games like these provide rich learning opportunities, students often don’t have to look beyond their smart phones to discover accessible and interactive learning aids. Contrary to popular belief, iPhone apps aren’t strictly for wasting time by catapulting a bird into a brick wall. Actually, iPhone apps give students the ability to learn everything from a new language to all of the capitals of the world right from the convenience of their mobile devices.
Students can download an educational app called MindSnacks to sharpen their skills in a foreign language. The app features fun and interactive games designed primarily to build vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and conversation skills in any language from French to Chinese. The article also addresses additional educational apps, including those designed to improve skills in spelling, math, vocabulary and music.
Educational institutions have frequently placed a barrier between classroom learning and after-school gaming, when actually students could be benefiting tremendously by integrating the two. Study after study has proven that engaging students in the classroom through educational games has been a mutually beneficial compromise for the students themselves as well as the educators. With more and more technologically advanced educational tools coming to light, perhaps we can expect these barriers to be eliminated on a larger scale in the near future.