Day+2+Online+Games

toc =Introduction= “In contrast to most games built for entertainment, educational games are designed to help learners achieve specific learning objectives while at the same time providing a motivational environment” (Clark & Mayer, 2011, pp. 376-378 ). Memorizing terms for any subject can be challenging for many students. An alternative is to use online games to stimulate student interest and provide a constructivist approach to teaching. There are many websites that offer educational games, or you can create your own. =Audience= This workshop support wiki is targeted towards those that teach any subject where important glossary terms are needed to promote understanding of the subject matter. This topic can be altered to support varied grade levels.

Prerequisite
Participants should have basic computer skills and Internet use. You should also have an established website and/or wiki if you plan to distribute online. =Objective= Create a crossword puzzle using EclipeCrossword and a spreadsheet terms scrambled word anagram using EdCreate.

**Activity 1**
View the following video media type="custom" key="13787542" (Lehrerin, 2010)

Questions

 * 1) How are you currently teaching terms in your classroom?
 * 2) Can you take an existing method and convert it to a game?
 * 3) Are there other ways you could use online games in the classroom?
 * 4) Can you think of a way to use an online game in place of traditional homework?

**Activity 2**

 * 1) Create a list of terms and questions about the terms, for example:Concatenate – What is the term used to combine text values?
 * 2) Go to EclipeCrossword.com.
 * 3) Click the Download tab and install the program.
 * 4) Create a new crossword puzzle.
 * 5) Type your word list and questions.
 * 6) Name the puzzle.
 * 7) If you do not like the current puzzle, click Make another puzzle like this one.
 * 8) Choose Finish.
 * 9) Add a link to your website, or wiki to share.

**Activity 3**

 * 1) Create a list of terms for review.
 * 2) Go to EdCreate.com.
 * 3) Download the Free Trial version and install.
 * 4) Sign in and choose New.
 * 5) Type the words to scramble.
 * 6) Choose Finish and post the link on your website, or wiki.

Follow-up Practice

 * 1) For use in your classroom, create a Google Docs Presentation to share.
 * 2) Create Jeopardy type questions and answers.
 * 3) Place the answer box on top of the question box.
 * 4) Use an animation to reveal the correct question for the answer.

Additional examples of online games can be found on the Resources page.