Monthly Archives: November 2010

Is a WebQuest Digital Play?

What is a WebQuest? A WebQuest is an inquiry based online learning activity in which learners are given the task of finding out information on the internet. A WebQuest can last for quite a short time (for instance a half hour computer room session) or for a long time (a long term course project, for [...]

Princess Natasha – An Action Reader

This game actually has a built-in walkthrough and lots of text to challenge your learners. There are also some nice reading puzzles too.  The content and look of the game also makes it very child friendly.  I also like this because the main character in this game is a James Bond like character but is [...]

‘Type ‘Em Up’ Spelling Game

Level: Beginners Language Focus: Spelling letters of the alphabet Skills Practice: Pronunciation Game: Type ‘Em Up This works great as a warmer.  Use the space bar or enter key to move your ship up and down and type in the letters on the keyboard to shoot them down on the screen. Preparation Sit your learners [...]

7 ways video games reward the brain

Thanks to @cheimi10 for drawing our attention to this inspiring new TED video by Tom Chatfield, a longtime gamer, the arts and books editor at the UK current-affairs magazine Prospect, and the author of the book Fun Inc. “We’re bringing gameplay into more aspects of our lives, spending countless hours — and real money — [...]

Playing with words

Play Twist Our Words This is a fun activity to do in the computer room.  Check out one we made here – Digital Play Twist.  This ‘digital toy’ is on the British Tv Channel 4 site.  You click on the words and make sentences (the sentence you are making appears in the bottom left hand [...]

A Downloadable Game – Nearly Departed

Sometimes access to the internet in a classroom or computer room may not always be reliable or even available. Here is a very visual and humorous point and click adventure game that you can download and play on a computer without an internet connection. Gameplay: You wake up to discover you are a zombie with [...]

Jane McGonigal TED Talk

Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can, and explains how.

Relative Clauses with Grow Cube

You can use this activity to practice both relative clauses and other grammatical areas.  The relative clauses task comes in later in this activity and targets non-defining relative clauses. Level: Upper-Intermediate Location: Connected classroom with IWB Language focus: Defining and non-defining relative clauses Game: Eyemaze GROW games Top left to right – Grow ver .3, [...]

Stop disasters – Start taking note!

A computer room note taking activity leading to a writing for homework. Level: Upper-Intermediate+ Location: Computer room Skills focus: Note Taking Game: Stop Disasters A disaster simulation game in which you choose a disaster scenario (tsunami, hurricane, wildfire, earthquake and flood) and “try to build upon an established community; providing defences and upgraded housing to [...]

Inside the Haiti Earthquake

This is an incredible web based game which uses original footage, photographs and real life stories from Haiti as you experience the aftermath of the Earthquake from the viewpoint of either a survivor, journalist or aid worker. Level: Advanced Location: Computer room Skills focus: Reading Game: Inside the Haiti Earthquake This is a very serious and [...]