Found some cool gaming widgets. Since we get a long weekend to spend time with our families, I figured I'd share.... Widget #1 - Frogger Get great free widgets at Widgetbox !

Finally...something for those who like to shoot things: Get great free widgets at Widgetbox ! BTW - I will have a question on all 4 items on Tuesday...please play them all and happy Labor Day!!!!

For the sudoku freaks among us: Get great free widgets at Widgetbox !

Here is an educational link a reader sent to me when I called for educational games. This one is called Kinderweb . It provides online educational games for young children (3-6 yrs). It was put togther 13 years ago and it's still going strong. The emphasis is on early learning and getting kids comfortable with a mouse etc. Lots of identification games which are great for young kids trying to learn a concept like "dog" or a color like "red." __ Catalog of Recommended Books, Games and Gadgets Recommended Games and Gadgets Recommended Books Content ...

A number of sources have recently been discussing the virtues and vices associated with creating games that raise ... lists of games for change. One is called 26 Learning Games to Change the World and the other is 7 More Learning Games for Change . Check out the two lists. Great links to some thought provoking games (some of which are really fun to play and others are a just a social message disguised as a game. Thanks to Jeff for taking the time to assemble the comprehensive list. Additionally, at MSNBC, I found an article along the same lines called Can video games be a force ...

A new effort to create games for middle school students has recently been announced. Games for Learning Institute, a ... , Parsons the New School for Design, and the Rochester Institute of Technology) will study games used in middle school classrooms and then create prototypes for new ones. Check out the entire article Video Game Helps Math Students Vanquish an Archfiend: Algebra Not an new topic on this blog, check out: Learning Algebra in a Game __ Catalog of Recommended Books, Games and Gadgets Recommended Games and Gadgets Recommended Books Content ...

Check out this well researched article by Robin Robinson titled Let the Games Begin . She interviewed a number of experts in pharma and computer gaming and has developed a comprehensive look at the past, present and future use of video games as they relate to training in the pharmauetical industry. To read the article go to the article abstract section of PharmaVoice then scroll to the bottom and click on the button labeled Download PDF and a pdf of the article will appear in your browser for you to read. __ Recommended Games and Gadgets Recommended Books Content ...

I had a lot of positive feedback on my list of educational games in my post It's All Fun and Games and Then Students Learn . So, here are some more educational games that might be of interest. If you know of any more, please let me know and I'll post them. Darfur is Dying This game is a narrative-based simulation where the player, from the ... In this game, you learn about wolf ecology by living the life of a wild wolf in Yellowstone National Park. You can play alone or in a group in on-line multiplayer missions. The game lets you explore the wilderness, hunt elk, and ...

At an ever increasing pace, college curriculums are starting to pick up on "serious gaming" and the implications that games and game-like interfaces are having on just about everything and are creating classes and experiences that reflect the value of video games to learning and education. Here are some quotes from an article in this weekend's Philadelphia ... Jaff! Thanks! Here is the article Colleges see the future: Video games and here are some highlights. More than 200 colleges and technical schools have a gaming-related study program of some sort, according to the Entertainment ...

Mark Oehlert kindly invited me to contribute to the Great ILS Challenge at DevLearn 08 . Now I wasn't able to get to the event, but I did submit some slides describing my ideas for a game that would "reveal the 'ethical truth' of a person". You can see my slides on SlideShare here . They should be self-explanatory. But of course the real fun is that so many others contributed quite different ideas based on their own perspectives. For those that contributed slides, Mark provides links and synopses here . For others that contributed a narrative but no slides, look ...

Here is some interesting results related to playing video games from the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association that was held in August. The article, Playing video games offers learning across life span, say studies , does a good job comparing the good and bad of video games and states that: "The big picture is that there are several dimensions on which games have effects, including the amount they are played, the content of each game, what you have to pay attention to on the screen, and how you control the motions," said Gentile. "This means that games are not ...

Effective Training Through Games and Simulations The neat thing is that Greg and I are the techie guys and Steve Sugar is a game guy who has been doing learning games for years without incorporating technology just games and learning. So the discussion will be interesting to see how the prinicples discussed by Steve Sugar will translate into online games. Steve is owner of The Game Group and is author/co-author of five books that focus on the design and use of classroom games, including: Games That Teach, Games That Teach Teams, Primary Games, Games That Boost Performance, and ...

When it comes to video games, one school has taken the motto "if you can't beat them, join them" to heart and allows kids who do well in school to play video games as a reward. They decided that one way to motivate kids is to allow them to play video games and, indeed, if you want to see a motivated group of kids, watch them play a video game. so they decided to apply a little behaviorism and reward good kids with video games. Check out this quick little posted titled School Offers Game Time as a Reward . I'd like to see the games more integrated into the curriculum as tools ...

One more high-stakes government agency has joined the growing ranks of organizations that are using video games to ... author explains how the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has taken delivery of three PC-based games under a $2.6 million ... ... The games themselves are actually a surprisingly clever and occasionally surreal blend of education, humor and intellectual challenge, aimed at teaching the player how to think.... The games put the player into the shoes of a young ... human- and computer-controlled avatars. The article also does a good job of explaining that video games are not ...

Often, it is too expensive to build a game or simulation from scratch for use in the classroom. However, some very clever teachers are using commercially available games to achieve educational goals. Here are three examples. First example is Kurt Squire...read about what he has done in the article Let the Games Begin . Here is a sample from the ... , Civilization III was, in many ways, already an educational game before Kurt Squire, an assistant professor of education ... add a commercial game into the mix of a classroom. Still, integrating a game designed to entertain adults into ...

EA , the gaming juggernaut, has created a video game that updates, in real-time information and statistics that alter how the video game is played...everyday. The game is NBA Live 09 . Here is the marketing description: NBA LIVE 09 has rewritten the rules and fundamentally shifted the way you look at sports simulation games. Dynamic DNA emulates ... court in your virtual experience. Just like the real NBA game, players get injured, free agents sign late, great players go ... season long. The game integrates performance data from actual athletes into the game continually when online. It ...

Saturday evening, controller in hand, playing Big Mutha Truckers . I question their taste in games.... The premise: Ma ... the mood. Mary Jane Irwin, at IGN.com accurately described the game as "2/3 arcade trucking and 1/3 economic ... to think of it....I have a feeling many DC commuters learned to drive playing Big Mutha Truckers.... This game is an ... another city? You get some hints within the game - but I didn't play long enough to find out the answers. It got dull after 20 minutes. For an economic "simulator," I'd probably choose a game like eBay....

... has changed. Not yet.) and my inability to dance, I'm shocked I find this game so engaging. Here's my thoughts after ... you lose your balance or get off rhythm, it's harder to get back on. - The game only sees whether you miss steps. It ... ." Great exercise, but I'm not entirely sure that's the point of the game. - Good luck with this game if you are color ... match. - Much of the game is about finding and executing patterns. I find myself scanning for the next move ...

I recently heard someone say "The next step in using video games for education is to teach students to create their own games." Actually, this concept has been around for years (many, many years) and is now gaining wider spread press ... resources that you might find handy. First check out the Fortune article Computer games as liberal arts? Then check out Kids Creating Computer Games Also check out: A master's thesis on Bongo titled Bongo: A Kids' Programming Environment for Creating Video Games on the Web And check out: Making a Video Game from Start to Finish And check out: ...

Check out this TeacherTube Video about how a teacher is using Civilization III to teach history. Good stuff. It sure beats a memorization and repetition of facts. I especially like the viewpoint of the kids playing the game and learning history. Also, having a sceptic who eventually converts is a nice touch for the piece. I've written about similar uses of this game and other commercial games for classroom use in Commercial Games with Educational Value Here are three more games that can be used in the classroom: __ Recommended Games and Gadgets Recommended Books ...

Are you trying to "sell" games internally as a valid method of teaching content. Perhaps if you mention that ... , guide them to Games Teach Life Saving Skills: Accidently as an argument as well. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced the creation of a Massively Multi-player Online, or MMO, educational game to interested development partners. The game is Designed to enhance learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, the game would be designed to draw players into a synthetic environment that can serve as a powerful ...

Screen Capture from America's Army Game which Helped Save a Life. The power of games for learning is that they ... . A player of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Game( MMORPG) American's Army was able to aid a victim because knowledge he learned from the game. As the article states: Paxton Galvanek, a twenty-eight year-old helped rescue ... playing as a medic in the computer game America's Army. He credits his experience playing the game for teaching him ... lives or read the Army's version America's Army Medic Training Helps Save a Life . Games can create a virtual memory ...

... games According to data provided by the band's management, Tenth Street Entertainment, the Mötley Crüe track was downloaded more than 47,000 times via the Xbox 360 version of the game in the first week after it became available....By ... even a computer for later enjoyment. It can be played only via the game. Allen Kovac, CEO of the band's management ... ...see my musical tastes here . (scroll to bottom of entry) __ Catalog of Recommended Books, Games and Gadgets Recommended Games and Gadgets Recommended Books Content ...

... character speaks a word and then you type the word. You then play a hangman type game for any words that you misspelled and ... play a game where you can send the high score to a friend or anyone on the high score list. The application has ... should take a number of pointers from this example of well designed instruction. __ Recommended Games and ...

Here is an interesting video exploring why more games aren't more "Story" focused. Take the concepts of the video and apply them to educational video games and I think many of the points will hit home (especially the part about good writing.) Also, the video itself is an interesting look at presenting a message in a half-animated format. Check it out __ Catalog of Recommended Books, Games and Gadgets Recommended Games and Gadgets Recommended Books Content ...

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math related subjects (STEM). First is a web site called HA Games. This web site, which requires a login, has games focused on Algebra, Physics and the Periodic Table. Here is a screen capture from the game called AlgebraArcade. You can also check out games based on Nobel Prize winning research . These games cover the topics of physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature, peace and economics. This game teaches about Nobel Prize winning Chemistry Research. Here are some simple games to teach about energy conservation ...

You should really check out all the neat things they are doing. Anyway, the first educational game under the deal will ... game will be available to play on the Nintendo® DSâ„¢, PC and Mac platforms. There aren't many details out currently but as ... Enters the Video Gaming World Here is Aspyr Media's version of the press release Kaplan and Aspyr Team Up to Create ... Hero® III: Legends of Rock. No small pedigree for developing educational video games. This is a video game company building an educational game...should be interesting. __ Catalog of Recommended Books, Games and Gadgets ...

... use free online games to help his students learn English as a Second Language. He finds free, online games that include English text and speaking and has his students play the game and try to win. He gives them guides that can help them through the game--the catch? The guides are in English and he teams the learners together to take advantage of the exchange of language and discussions that naturally occur as two people try to work their way through a game. Here is the game Phantasy Quest used to help teach English as a Second Language. Here is what Larry says about his ...

Ever wonder how they perform knee or hip surgery, find out for yourself at EdHeads . Actually, you get to perform the surgery with a little guidance. You are patiently provided instruction on how to mark the leg, clean the area, make the incision and repair the damage. Even though the surgery was 2D, I still got a little sqeamish. The site also has a virtual hip replacement surgery simulation as well as other interesting educational games. Compare the interaction of ... , problem-solving and interactivity. __ Recommended Games and Gadgets Recommended Books Content ...

One of the main complaints about video games are that they encourage obesity and inactivity...that's not always the case. With the sometimes-sedentary senior citizens,video games are actually getting them moving. The Nintendo Wii is being ... , Sony's EyeToy pioneered the exercise/video game genre which was a lot of fun and gave you your own personal workout ... you think video games, don't always think Couch Potato...think movement And see My Wife..Guitar Hero for a post describing another game that gets people moving. __ Recommended Games and Gadgets Recommended Books Content ...