Gaming in the Classroom: An Aid to Classroom Teaching
By Starr Glover & LaMeeka Wilcher
In today's society,
the usage of computer technology is ever changing and constantly
growing. Early technical tools such as the pen and paper are
slowly being used less and less due to rapid growth in the computer
industry. In the past educational system there was a requirement
for students to learn handwriting, both print and cursive.
Classes enforced the importance of knowing how to write or basically
copy text. Since then, teaching instructions have changed, but not
drastically. Although students had been introduced to computer
technology, they were taught by sitting in front of the computer and
typing fron textbooks; instead of copying written text. The
focus of this article is to introduce some online gaming options as
teaching aids that will help students gain typing skills in more
interesting format.
In Statesboro, Georiga, students in grades K-5, are
progressively exposed to the computer. It is not until middle
school that students are taught keyboarding basics. They
are expected to know how to type before reaching high school. Until
2003, typing courses were made available for high school students in
Statesboro, Georgia. Students in high school are now taught computer
concepts, which entails composing word documents, résumés, and
other documents that will help them advance in the world we live
in. Presently, middle and high school students are advised to
type their assignments.
In 1999 I attended high school. I remember
sitting in front of the computer with my hands perched, and my fingers
on the homerow keys, while a cardboard box covered the
keyboard. As I recall, most of the students did not like this
class because it was boring having to type numbers and sentences from
textbooks. Although technologies of writing are changing,
teaching these new developments tend to stay the same. With the
introduction of the World Wide Web and the availability of its usage
within the school system, methods of teaching typing can change.
These changes can help maintain the interest of students in all grades
where keyboarding is taught.
It is important for children to learn the basic
typing skills at an early age so that they will easily be able to
advance in the fast paced society. But most middle school students
quickly lose focus if they are not interested in the subject at
hand. There are educational software programs that are available
that cater to different age groups and grade levels such as Type to Learn 3, Typing Instructor for Kids, and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 16.
These software programs are designed to teach, test and assess the
students progress to master typing skills. Within these programs
students are introduced to the homerow and numeric keys. Mavis Beacon 16
is one of the cheaper software programs but it is effective enough to
teach students the basic skills of typing. Between each lesson
completion of this program, students have the option to play a typing
game that covers skills learned or they can continue to the next
lesson. In addition to this, teachers can receive progress
reports including the students' accuracy and words per minute.
In addition to Mavis Beacon, there are a
variety of other options that are available at low or no cost via the
Internet. Some of these gaming options include: Typer Shark , Typing Master Games, Breakout. We decided to study Typer Shark
for this article which can be used to test students' accuracy and words
per minute. This game is available on the World Wide Web at
Yahoo.com. Typer Shark is a game designed to utilize the
player's typing skills. In this game, you must use your typing
skills to ward off sharks and piranahas that try to attack your
scuba diver character. By using educational gaming tools, both
the students and teachers are able to benefit in a number of
ways. In a survey, conducted by ourselves, one of the teachers
that responded, stated that "typing games such as Typer Shark are great ways to supplement drills and are rewarding." Typer Shark
is both fun and entertaining for its players. It includes five
levels for advancement and at the end of each level, players receive
accuracy and words per minute totals.
Students who strive to be successful in both school and the working
society need solid typing skills. The ability to type quickly and
efficiently is beneficial. It increases the likelyhood that
students will complete assignments quicker and the presentation
will be clean and neat.
