Week 4

1.       Which one did you like the best?   I liked South Harrison High School’s Elemental Elegance by Team Comatical Combat        
2.        What content is being learned? The content being learned is elements, their properties and where they are found on the periodic table                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
3.         Do you think it effectively teaches the content?   I think this game does teach the player where certain elements are found by having them place the elements into the correct placement.  It also shows how the elements identified react when combined.  I like the quiz section where the player is quizzed on the information they found out about the element.  I also like that the player got immediate feedback why their answer was correct or incorrect.  The game gave a short explanation of why the answer.
4.        Does it involve higher order thinking? This is a question I struggled with because it allows the player to keep trying until the right answer is found and also has the elements color coded and the a good player will be able to pick this up and just match colors however on the other hand I think the lab where the player combines elements does meet the requirement of higher learning.  It is true that the player can try any combination however with the explanation of why there was no reaction or what the reaction was and then has the player to continue adding ingredients needed takes the player to high learning.                     Does the game possess any principles of good games and learning?1. They can create an embodied empathy for a complex system by allowing the player to experience how chemicals react.2. They are action-and-goal-directed preparations for, and simulations of, embodied experience in this game the player gets to see what would happen in a real lab when certain elements are combined.3. They allow meaning to be situated.  In this game the player can see terms and elements introduced in the classroom or in their books being used in this game. 
5.       In your opinion do you think letting kids design games is productive activity for school based learning?I like the idea of letting students create games.  The first reason is that the students must come up with a concept for the game.  They must do some research so that they can create the game and build the correct facts into the game.  They must work with others when working in teams to create a game.  The students become invested in the games success and allow them to share with the others students their efforts.  It promotes verbal exchange between students as they talk about their game and other students’ games.