Week 14 - Using Games for Teaching & Learning

This week we learned about Second Life's use in education. By providing an educational classroom in 3-D, students can explore places they are learning about and immerse themselves in a true learning experience. I think this is a great way to get the students excited about what they are learning because technology is always fun.
Using games for teaching has evolved a lot since I was a kid. I remember having simple computer games at the lab to learn math and only spending little time in the computer lab. Students now, even at a young age, have constant access to the internet and computers and have many different games for learning a variety of subjects. I think its great that education is evolving and students are getting to learn and retain information using fun, educational games.

I think using games for learning has a chance to impact the advertising industry because if it becomes very popular, it can become a great advertising medium. For example, companies can use games on their web sites to attract people to their product (such as the Dr. Pepper game that was used as an example for class.) Coke is another great company that provides games to entertain its customers. In addition, games are being incorporated into online commercials to keep viewers entertained. For example, I watch shows on abc.go.com and during the commercials, online quizzes or games are given about the product. I think this is a trend that will keep growing as more people are doing things online (such as watching tv shows).

An outside source I found is funbrain.com. This web site is another great resource for kids to play while they learn. I remember using computer games such as MathBlaster when I was young, but these web sites are so interactive and offer a variety of arcade games,web books/comics, and even incorporates movie characters. I would definitely recommend this site to my little brother:)