For this assignment, my group and I created a lesson plan incorporating an online educational game that we found on the PBS Kids' website. The lesson was geared towards the pre-school and early elementary level to teach them about patterns. There were a few things that I learned from doing this assignment.
For one, I got myself familiar with searching for online resources such as a game to incorporate into a lesson. There are a few things to be aware of while evaluating a website such as the design layout free of unwanted advertisements or other distractions, the ease of navigation appropriate for the grade level, clear rules and objectives for the game, free access, and so on.
Also, we used Prezi to present this online game which was my first time working with this program. Personally, I don't care too much for Prezi because it tends to make me dizzy and I wouldn't want to make my students dizzy either. However, it was worthwhile to play with it so in the future I may be able to assist my students who may want to use this tool for a presentation.
Unfortunately, I won't be using this lesson plan in the future because I will be teaching secondary level social studies. However, I have used this game and other on the same website at home with my six year old & two year old who both enjoyed the game. One thing different that I would do with online games in my class will be to have a follow up assignment such as a quiz to assess how much my student has learned from the game.
This assignment illustrates my group and I's ability as future teachers to model number two of the ISTE's (International Society for Technology in Education) list of standards for advancing digital age teaching. Standard two indicates that all teachers should be proficient in designing and developing digital age learning experiences and assessments. Incorporating an online game into a lesson plan not only uses technology as a learning aid but encourages the student to keep track of his or her own learning goals and progress.
