Day 6: PowerPoint Games

Addressing learning styles is important when designing activities to teach content standards. Inspiration and Kidspiration software allow an educator to do just that -- by addressing needs of visual learners. Technology also allows educators to respond to various learning theories - from behaviorism to constructionism. Today we'll talk about PowerPoint games: what they are and how they help students construct their own knowledge.

It's important to know a little bit of background on the PowerPoint games project before we begin. Dr. Lloyd Rieber - a professor in my department - wrote a paper on this very topic that is an interesting read. Many EDIT 2000 students have created their own games and more and more K-12 classrooms are using PowerPoint games as a way to address content standards through constructionism. I'll share some stories from these projects in class. You'll want to view some sample games from the Homemade PowerPoint Games website and from student portfolios from previous semesters.

After viewing several, you'll want to get started on your game. You'll need to look over the project assignment and download the template. I'll walk you through how to get started with action buttons and give you some time in class to get started. For Friday's class you'll want to have your story, game directions, and materials pages complete. You'll also want to create 3 sample questions -- we'll learn how to make them better-suited for your game on Friday.