Games in Education


There has been lots of debate in education about the value of teaching with computer games.
Some sites e.g. the Gridclub – have provided a whole site with educational games that you can subscribe to. What value does ‘The Age of Empire’ have on the teaching of history? What educational software has been developed for the Sony Playstation Personal (PSP) and Nintendo DS?

a) Research the use of games in education and present your findings.
b) How do games motivate students?
c) What skills are students learning when gaming?
d) Do you think parents who are paying expensive school fees would approve of games being played in school? How would you overcome this obstacle?

To Hand In: Discuss and evaluate the use of computer games in education.

IT in assessment


IT is being developed to assist in the testing of students with the use of online tests. Scotland are piloting their first online tests, UK tried to implement a compulsory online KS 3 IT test and many courses are introducing online testing e.g. Cambridge IGCSE Geography Case study; E-portfolios are being highlighted in the UK as being an electronic form of storing and presenting student achievements; machines can now mark student’s test papers and software such as Turnitin is being used by schools to detect plagiarism. Negatively, IT is being used in various ways to cheat in exams, plagiarism is a big problem and schools are having to keep one step ahead of students.

a) Research these latest technologies and describe the different role that IT has in assessment.
b) Describe benefits that they bring to the school, teachers and students
c) Describe the limitations or concerns and drawbacks with their implementation?
d) Compulsory online ICT tests in the UK have been made optional. Research the reasons for this decision and its implications and write up your findings.
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