games Archives - LearnJam

Velawoods English

January 31, 2020September 29, 2016 by Tim Gifford

Velawoods English is an immersive, self-study English course that, according to its website, “offers the next best thing to living in an English speaking country”. We spoke to the Managing Director of Velawoods Learning, Hani Malouf, and Cambridge University Press’s Publisher for Consumer, Keith Sands, to hear more about the vision behind the product and their experience of putting it together.

Review: Olive Green

January 30, 2020June 3, 2014 by Jo Sayers

It’s Manhattan, or somewhere similar, and the James Bond style music plays loudly as we cut from a cityscape to a young woman, dressed in black, walking up an outdoor staircase and into a rooftop apartment. We see that her hands are bloody as she opens the metal flight case she’s carrying. We watch as … Read more

The evolved uni classroom

January 30, 2020May 7, 2014 by Tim Gifford

Following on from his post ‘Me and my iPad‘, Phil Wade shares his experiences of working in a university classroom laden with tech.

The Future of ELT

January 30, 2020April 7, 2014 by Gavin Dudeney

It was interesting to be at IATEFL this year, the annual land grab for attention larger than ever, and a conference dominated by discussions, presentations and a plenary about the future of ELT, which – it is suggested – will be completely mediated by technologies (more of this fallacy later). With Sugata Mitra selling his … Read more

Game-Based Learning 4.1: Future Expansions

January 31, 2020December 3, 2013 by Tim Gifford

Some fundamental aspects of games should not be forgotten when an ‘educational game’ is designed, such as finding a balance between giving the player a sense of progress and the feeling of being challenged.

SimCityEDU: Learning What Games Can Do

January 30, 2020November 28, 2013 by Tim Gifford

Way back in June we wrote about GlassLab’s partnership with Pearson and Electronic Arts and their collective efforts to develop a game-based learning product out of SimCity. Well, GlassLab launched the first edition of this hugely anticipated super game earlier in November. Called SimCityEDU: Pollution Challenge! The game puts learners in contact with a hugely effective … Read more

Game-based Learning 3.1: A Learning Walkthrough

January 31, 2020November 20, 2013 by Tim Gifford

Having looked at some myths about game-based learning and some questions and doubts about it, Dave Dodgson returns with the third post in his guest series, this time looking at the different forms a GBL lesson can take and how we can ensure that gaming translates into language learning and development.

Game-Based Learning 2.1: How & When

January 31, 2020November 13, 2013 by Tim Gifford

In last week’s opening post in his series about game-based learning, David Dodgson looked at some of the myths that surround both GBL and gaming in general. This week, he discusses some of the benefits and pitfalls of introducing gaming to the language learning classroom and also examines when and how a teacher might take such an approach.

Game-Based Learning 1.1: Myths & Mistakes

January 31, 2020November 6, 2013 by Tim Gifford

In this first instalment of a four-part guest series, David Dodgson talks about some of the misconceptions of GBL and the culture of gaming in general. Dave Dodgson is an EFL teacher working with young learners in Turkey. He has always had an interest in the use of technology to enhance the learning experience and … Read more

5 Ways to Think Like a Startup: Set Phasers to ‘Winning’

January 31, 2020August 21, 2013 by Tim Gifford

‘Brain storming’ solutions in a caffeine-fuelled idea-binge will help the company to realise it has potential, whereas opening your doors to the latest and brightest risk-takers on the scene will help your business to actually realise it’s potential.

We Built This City: SimCityEDU and the Electronic Art of Success

January 30, 2020June 27, 2013 by Tim Gifford

SimCityEDU is the Great Gatsby of the video gaming world. That’s right. I want that to be my opening line. In the same way that Gatsby is a self-made man pursuing an idealised (albeit fundamentally flawed) dream that draws into it the rich variety of the city and its inhabitants, so too is SimCityEDU an … Read more

Playforce: The Language of Learning Through Games

January 30, 2020June 11, 2013 by Tim Gifford

So it’s one thing to avail oneself of the endless blogs and sites that tout the ‘Top 10 Games For the Classroom’ or ‘Top iPad Apps for Learners’, but it’s entirely another to create a forum and approach for users to comment on the learning experiences they have encountered through the various games they play. This is … Read more

It’s In The Game: Gamification and Language Learning Pt. 2

January 30, 2020May 31, 2013 by Tim Gifford

Following on from our part 1 post I’m taking up the question that was left hanging in the air: what does gamification really mean for language learning?

The answer, as unsatisfactory and contradictory as it may sound, is: it means what it’s always meant. ‘Good’ language teachers will always instinctively apply such concepts to engage and help their learners. The technology utilised in this approach could range from a piece of paper to a room full of iPads. The tech is the vehicle for delivering the solution, not the solution itself.

Money A Turn Off (It Turns Out)

January 30, 2020May 21, 2013 by Tim Gifford

A whopping 62% of gamers pull the plug on their game experience when faced with in-game monetisation methods, a survey by betting site BuddyBet revealed. Further to this, 25% avoid online and mobile games altogether precisely because of these unwanted interruptions.

Jarrod Epps, CEO and Founder, BuddyBet, commented:

“[P]opular monetisation models risk alienating gamers due to the negative impact they have on the gaming experience, likely shortening lifetime user engagement and in-turn reducing the lifetime value of a player.”

The Grading Game: birth of the “first person tutor”

January 30, 2020April 17, 2013 by Tim Gifford

The Grading Game is an addictive action word game centered around the pursuit and eradication of grammar and spelling errors. The game’s levels take the form of students’ papers, with a fresh set of errors generated for each play. Meanwhile, the papers themselves cover the most interesting and unusual topics, from the history of ramen to … Read more