Monthly Archives: May 2010

Guest Post #1 : Video Games and Wikis

It is my great pleasure to introduce our first special guest on Digital Play – Shelly Terrell is an English teacher, educator, blogger and all-round inspiration when it comes to educational technology.  In this post, she puts the case for using a wiki to support digital play with learners.

Scooby Doo and the Temple of Lost Souls

Play the game An engaging game with English audio introduction, middle section and ending. The game is challenging enough for the students to want help (in English) to finish it, therefore lending itself to be used as a listening activity during gameplay. Alternatively, you could do something with the walkthrough to turn it into a [...]

Global Warming Simulation

Lesser controlled speaking activity. Level: Advanced Location: Computer room Topic: Global Warming Language Focus: Modals of obligation Game: Global Warming Interactive “CO2FX is a web based multi-user educational game which explores the relationship of global warming to economic, political and science policy decisions. The game is driven by a systems dynamics model and is presented [...]

State of Debate

Level: Upper Intermediate Skills focus: Listening & Reading Location: Connected classroom/ computer room Language Focus: Modals of Obligation Game: State of Debate “It’s the year 2020 and Just-Co have banned hoodies, and you’ve just been spotted wearing one. Can you talk your way out of trouble using your English Language skills?” In this game you [...]

An Educational Game – Disaster Watch

Level: Intermediate + Location: Computer room Topic: Food shortage, flood and earthquake disasters Language focus: Writing Game: Disaster watch An Educational game commissioned by Christian Aid to raise awareness of the threat of Food shortages, flood and earthquakes in a Central American country. Pre-Play I started this activity in a connected classroom by dictating these [...]

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

http://www.arcademaniacs.com/swf/whowantstobeamillionaire2.swf This is just a quick one – good for a filler or for telling students to do on their own at home. It’s an entertaining version of the popular TV show – the questions are, on the whole, relevant to English teaching, although some are US-culture specific Play Win A Million at Online Games [...]

Room Fake

Room Fake is another ‘Escape from the Room’ puzzle game that is almost impossible to do without the walkthrough, which I have added below. This works well as a live listening activity, but I recommend playing it first as a race to see who finishes first in the computer room. With the students in pairs, [...]

Mystery Of Time And Place (MOTAS)

Level: Intermediate+ Location: Computer room Skills Focus: Live listening Language Focus: It’s something you use to + verb / for + gerund Game: Mystery of Time and Space (MOTAS) This game was probably one of the first point-and-click games I used with a class and many consider it a classic ‘escape the room game’.  It [...]

Alan Wake – A Video worksheet

At the beginning of this review there is a warning about the video having a violence content so it is recommended you watch to assess whether this activity is appropriate for your learners.  There is a lot of shooting, scary voices and a dark foreboding atmosphere throughout. Level: Upper intermediate /advanced Location: Connected classroom Skills [...]

QR Code Gaming

Can you read the  square barcode above? Chances are you can if you have a phone with a camera and a barcode reader. If not, then it’s unlikely unless you take your laptop or a hard copy down to the local supermarket and persuade the person sitting at the checkout to scan it for you. [...]