Marty

1. ~Web-Based Games~ Review & Critique By: & Marty Wes

2. Our Rubric

3. We based our rubric on 3 specific areas that we used to critique each game • Interactivity, Engaging, & Ease-of-use • Is the game interactive? Does the game engage and hold ones attention? Is the game easily manipulated with a student in mind? • Content Knowledge • Does the game fully cover and focus on the knowledge base that it says it covers? Is that knowledge accurate? • Attractiveness • Is the game visually stimulating? Are the fonts, colors, graphics, and effects used of good quality and resolution?

4. Scoring • We based our rubric on a 4 to 1 scoring system with 4 being the best and 1 being poor. • The most points an educational game could receive was 12 – and this score would mean that we considered the game to be educationally sound and excellent in all fields. • As you can see below, each score (4 through 1) is carefully labeled so that we can give each game an honest score based on the guidelines that we’ve setup in each field.

5. ’s

6. ~*Disclaimer from Marty*~ • I believe that I would use all of my Top 5 games in a classroom setting, or games like them. However, I believe that games without monitoring could waste my time, as a teacher, and be counterproductive with the learning goals for my students. • With that being said, I would use these games in tandem with a recording software loaded on the computer that the student is using or an external game capturing device that records the students game time. This would give me, or any teacher, the ability to review a students game time and see if their truly learning or just goofing off. • I believe educational games, under supervision, are the future.

7. Super Spin from www.leapfrog.com

8. Super Spin review: • Grade Range: 3rd Grade (but other grades can be chosen) • Subject Matter: Math – Simple Addition • Rubric score: 12 points / 12 points (perfect score) • This game couples basic math skills with a great hand-eye coordination element that will keep a student engaged as they play. • Great tool to reward children who might need a different approach to absorbing basic mental math • http://www.leapfrog.com/gaming/online-games.html

9. Alien Addition from www. arcademicskillbuilders.com

10. Alien Addition review: • Grade Range: 3rd Grade • Subject Matter: Math – Addition & Hand-eye coordination • Rubric score: 10 points / 12 points • Minus 1 point from ease-of-use and repetition causing students to lose interest overtime & minus 1 point for basic graphic design • This game couples mental math skills with a good bit of hand-eye coordination that will keep a student engaged as they play. • Great tool to help struggling students with mental math problems • http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/alien/alien.html

11. Word Invasion from www. arcademicskillbuilders.com

12. Word Invasion review: • Grade Range: 3rd Grade • Subject Matter: Advanced Speech and Word Recognition • Rubric score: 10 points / 12 points • Minus 1 point from repetition causing students to lose interest overtime & minus 1 point for lower resolution graphics • This game is a very good way to help kids quickly remember what a pronouns, verb, adjective, adverb, & preposition are. • Great tool to use in a small group setting • Scores can be tracked for grades or for fun • http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/invasion/invasion.html

13. Capital Penguin from www. arcademicskillbuilders.com

14. Capital Penguin review: • Grade Range: 3rd Grade • Subject Matter: States and Capitals • Rubric score: 10 points / 12 points • Minus 1 point for repetition and simplicity causing students to lose interest overtime & minus 1 point for low resolution graphics • This game is could be a great way to help students learn how to match a state and its capital. • Great tool to use when introducing geography. • Scores can be tracked for teachers records. • http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/penguin/penguin.html

15. Turtle Dash from www. arcademicskillbuilders.com

16. Turtle Dash review: • Grade Range: 3rd Grade • Subject Matter: Spelling Questions • Rubric score: 11 points / 12 points • Minus 1 point for graphics • Great mental aptitude and spelling race-style game • Brings a fun competitiveness to mental spelling • This game has the ability to set up a PRIVATE 4-player game room that requires a password to get into. • http://www.arcademics.com/games/turtle-dash/turtle-dash.html

17. Wesley’s Top 5 Video Games

18. Sid the Science Kid

19. Sid the Science Kid Review: • Grade Range: 1-2 • Subject Matter: Science • Rubric Score: 1-4, 2-4, 3-3, Total-11/12 • Minus 1 for repetitiveness • It has different scientists each time you play the game • What I Liked: It shows the children the different kinds of scientists and what each does. It contains a lot of information a young student can acquire with things that interest him/her, like going to space, underwater, or out in the wildlife. http://pbskids.org/sid/scientist.html

20. Gravity-A-Boing-Boing

21. Gravity-a-Boing-Boing Review: • Grade Range: 1-3 • Subject Matter: Space Science/Astrology • Rubric Score: 1-4, 2-3, 3-3 Total-10/12 • Minus 1 for information acquired, minus 1 for repetitiveness • What I liked: They’re using Dr. Seuss, and everyone loves Dr. Seuss. The game talks about the gravitational forces and pull in each planet. It talks about how high in the air you can get from bouncing with gravity in effect. http://pbskids.org/catinthehat/games/gravity.html

22. CowABoom!

23. Cowaboom Review • Grade Range: 3rd Grade • Subject Matter: Physics • Rubric Score: 1-2, 2-1, 3-2 Total-5/12 • Minus 2 for uneasy manipulation of the game, minus 3 for educational acquirements, minus 2 for graphics. • What I liked: What young students may not realized by this game is how much physics they’re using. The velocity to the point of where the cow jumps to the targets • The problem is that it really isn’t educational at all. It shows no facts, it’s just a game relative to angry birds and kids may like it. • This is definitely a game I do not recommend for the classroom. http://www.primarygames.com/arcade/skill/cowaboom/

24. Super spin

25. Super Spin Review: • Grade Range: Pre-k through 4th grade • Subject Matter: Math • Rubric Score: 1-3, 2-4, 3-4 Total-11/12 • Minus 1 for the confusion of the game at first • What I liked: I liked how you could pick any grade starting from Pre-K all the way to 4th grade and the game with work with you on that. It is strictly about math problems and solving equations. It’s a catchy way to play the game and I enjoyed it. http://www.leapfrog.com/gaming/online-games.html http://www.leapfrog.com/gaming/online-games.html

26. Sugar Bugs

27. SUGAR Bugs Review: • Grade Range: Pre-k - 3 • Subject Matter: Dental Hygiene/Health & Nutrition • Rubric Score: 1-4, 2-4, 3-4 Total 12/12 • What I liked: This game doesn’t only educate you, but also teaches you life lesson. Dental Hygiene and your Health and Nutrition are huge necessities in life. Being able to give insight to a student earlier will also help their self-esteem from his hateful peers that don’t know how to be nice. http://www.leapfrog.com/gaming/online-games.html