BP4_ Web 2.0

Close but no cigar.

So, the end goal of my AR project is to either find or create a computer game to help my ESL students with vocabulary retention. As was mentioned in my W1 article, there are not many games out there geared towards language acquisition. Unless Icreate my own, it will most likely be that I combine a site with supplemental materials, as was done in the experiment. While playing around with the web 2.0s I found two interesting sites. Although I do not think they will meet my personal goals, they could be very useful in a language arts classroom.

The first one was a writing tool called Fractured Fairytales, found on gameclassroom.com (http://www.gameclassroom.com/game/45237-3471/writing-summaries/fractured-fairytales). This site teaches children how to use their imaginations to create unique stories based off of ‘originals. The site works similar to an online story map. First, a sample fractured story is given, so students understand the format. Then, after choosing one of three fairytales (Jack and the beanstalk, Little Red Riding hood, or the Princess and the pea), the students are led through a brainstorming session where they make the story their own. The students are able to later look back on the notes they have taken as they write their fractured version of the story. I think this site would be great on lessons about story writing, as well as points of view.

The second site was Ekoloko, an interactive site that teaches ‘green’ habits (recycling, keeping water clean, picking up litter etc.). The proper link is ridiculously long. If you want to see it, I suggest going through the Go2web20 link we were given and click on the game and community tags to narrow down the options. Ekoloko will be the second one. On the plus side, this site is everything that I want my computer game to be. Interactive, with multiple activities that use multiple skills while having one central theme to keep learning focused. Unfortunately, I will not be able to use this particular site in my own classroom because it is in Hebrew. There is a button that enables you to switch to English, but it does not switch everything. As I tried to navigate around the game, pages would pop up in Hebrew. Also, you are able to interact with other players, but they type in Hebrew. So big drawback, language wise. My ESL learners have enough problems without throwing in a third language. Playing withthis site made me realize that I need to narrow my AR scope. As much as I would like to create a game, there just is not enough time at this point. However, the research I do now will aid me in creating the game later.