Using Mario Kart for the WIi in Gr. 2-5 Plus a Gaming Ed Resource Site

[Julie Johnson]

Hi Everyone,

I recently submitted a grant for a research project that uses the Mario Kart Wii in literacy centers and small group math activities. It will run in Gr. 2-5 classes. This recently earned a bit of media buzz! You can see this on my gaming in ed resource site. http://gbl.betterthanworksheets.com/my-media

As part of my own games based learning journey, I created a resource site that has links to many other teachers blogs, showcasing the way they are using video games in their various classrooms. I have divided it up by subject (wii for math, wii for language, wii for other strands, research, other gaming consoles) and these in turn are subdivided by game titles. This site is: http://gbl.betterthanworksheets.com/

This site will be updated as I come across new sites. If you know of any that aren't on there, please send them along!

I'll also be documenting my Wii project on a blog that is just getting started. http://gamesbasedlearningblog.blogspot.com/

Please come join me there for discussions on gaming in education!

Love to hear anyone's thoughts about this!

Julie Johnson
Twitter: @JulieeJohnsonn

[Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook]

Julie, anything that's an authentic learning experience and is play-based has my two thumbs up! I think your website is great (NB, small glitch, I couldn't get "what is game-based learning" in left side bar to open) and particularly liked your Wii Play list where you used the Wii game as a prompt for a whole range of relevant activities.
I think it's really useful to have this information available on the internet so parents who get the answer to what did you do today - "Oh we played on the Wii - it was cool!" can grasp there's a lot more going on than play alone.

[Julie Johnson]

Thanks!

The idea for the resource site came about because I had all of these great teacher links in my Delicious. I kept linking to them and referring to them, but realized they would be better accessed if they were sorted and visible...so I made the resource site! I like having it all available for any to see, teacher, parent or whomever.

 

I think when you look at what all of these teachers are doing with it, you realize how well it can be utilized as a learning tool. The anecdotal evidence of its success really speaks well, I think.

 

PS. I fixed the link!

 

Julie J.