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| Can we bring games into the classroom? |
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Do games have a place in the American Classrooms?
Bob Barboza, Educational Journalist, Kids Talk Radio
Should we allow electronic games in the American
classroom? My investigative journalism
took me to the 2010 E-3 Convention in Los Angeles, California. This is the largest and best game expo in the
world. This is a great place to look for
answers to tough questions about the electronic gaming world.
The answer to the big question is yes. There is place for games in the classroom and
games are already in the classrooms.
Students are entering today’s classrooms with iPhones, iPads, iTouch,
iPods, laptops and a host of other devices that support a wide variety of
games. Our youth have a tremendous
amount of access to games on the Internet.
The games are in the classroom and teachers are wondering
weather to embrace the games our to deny access to playing games at any
level. I wanted to walk away from the
E-3 with a great reason why games should be allowed in our classrooms. I wanted to find that killer game that would
help students to find a better understanding of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics. I had to
find the perfect educational game.
After searching E-3 for several hours, I found the perfect
educational game.
The Parrot Company in France won the Kids Talk Radio
Educational Game of the Year Award. They
produced the first quardricopter that can be controlled by an iPhone/iPod
Touch/iPad. This game was initially
designed for the Apple platforms and plans are underway to make it available on
other platforms in 2011. The good news
is that you can control The AR Drone form a Linux PC and a joystick. Why is this a game and not a toy? Another major feature is the use of several
AR. Drones on a network. The Parrot AR. Drone
has been designed for both inside and outside use. You can adapt it to any game situation by
using the two hulls that are provided by the company. The streamlined hull is aerodynamic, allowing
greater control outside.
I had the pleasure of flying the AR Drone with only 5
minutes of instruction. I controlled
everything with my iPhone. One of my
instructions then starting flying his AR Drone and we started chasing each
other. We could shoot each other and the
iPhone was keeping score. This was a
great deal of fun and I could see how students would instantly take to this
game.
Should this type of a game be allowed in our American
classrooms? The answer is a resounding
yes. The important thing is what is
going on behind the scenes with this game.
What did it take to make a game that is controlled by your iPhone? When you get the answers to these questions
you are dealing with science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These are the skills that our students will
need to race to the top of the American educational food chain.
The AR. Drone allows you to get inside the cockpit. AR. Drone even meters away, allows you to
keep control with your video remote thanks to a Wi-Fi connection. Two cameras are embedded, one on the front
and one underneath facing the ground.
The switch between both cameras is very easy thanks to the button
integrated in the application running on the iPod Touch and iPhone.
How do we integrate exciting games like the AR Drone into
our classrooms? You can find answers to
this question by visiting Super School University. They are conducting educational research on
integrating games into the classroom using a balanced approach.
www.SuperSchoolUnivesity.com.
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