If you teach in the social sciences area and have a unit of work on Natural Disasters then the 'Stop Disasters Game' is a great online interactive game that can be used in the classroom. Designed by an expert team of gaming and disaster specialists, the Stop Disasters Game is professionally presented and allows students an authentic opportunity to manage a disaster.
There are 5 disaster scenarios to choose from - earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods and bushfire. Each scenario can range from 10 - 20 minutes to complete depending on the level of difficulty chosen. In my Year 11 Geography class the game was used to consolidate learning about management strategies. The Year 11s fully engaged with the game and openly competed to achieve the highest score in a range of scenarios. The news reports and statistical feedback supplied immediately after the scenario is completed was highly useful for the students. They were able to evaluate their decisions and reflect on the strategies they chose to manage the disaster.
The game has its limitations - it is a single player interface but collaboration is possible within a classroom context as teams can play and discuss the best course of action to take. No blog tools are available but of course there is nothing stopping a student starting their own discussion forum and collaborating with students in other parts of the world.
The site also contains great resources for teachers to support the game content. This information is generic - there are no updates to current, significant disasters but it is quality information suitable for a range of year levels. My Year 11 class spent a double lesson playing it and some continued in their own time to improve their scores - an excellent example of how successful online games can be in a learning environment. It's not often students are willing to continue with tasks without being asked to do so, gaming is like a secret weapon that links school life to home life and makes learning fun.
Jenny I love that line, 'it's like a secret weapon'. That's exactly what I have been discovering the more I research this topic.
ReplyDeleteJenny, I had a go of this game and found it very engaging and easy to follow the instructions. I can see it being very useful to Geography teachers and at an upper primary level in the Human Society and Environment curriculum area. As I was looking through the teacher resources I was particularly taken with the floods section.
ReplyDeleteFloods
Safari’s Encounter With Floods
Safari's Encounter With Floods (French)
Flood Teachers Guide
Rivers of Life: Inquiry Project - Teachers Guide
Flood Games and Activities
Fema for Kids : Floods
Given the extensive flooding last year in QLD & NSW & the numbers of questions and concerns that were generated at my children’s’ school, (in a flood area) I could see this being something very useful for them to play. It would be a safe way to explore a situation that is relevant to them and quite scary in real life. It would be a good springboard into discussing a lot of the feelings that are still there from that time. I know that this is not the intended use of the game, but I could see it then leading into poetry/narrative writing, Drama and Art. It could be the basis of many creative responses and almost a cathartic experience for those who were personally affected by the floods or upset by the vision in the media. I am going to pass this one on to a couple of teachers whom I think would like it. Thanks Jenny.