Fun, interactive, problem solving, creative, and
simulation are words that we use to describe Games in education and learning. Many have questioned the value of games in teaching
and to what end is learning taking place.
Whether you are one side of the coin or another, there is no doubt that
game in education has been a part of our live and are here to stay. We have gone from simple board games to
spending hour on store queue to purchase the next big video game (black call of
duty ghost- a military style game). My
little niece who is two years old is playing games such as Princess Dora who
teaches the children to go exploring to find objects, speak in different
language and the alphabet. All of
this is done at home before many children enter the classroom. Warning: “Educators Be Aware, Be Prepare”.
Two games I found useful for dental students to be
aware of are “To Tell the Tooth” game and BrainPOP. These are games not for the students in
training but for the kids they will be educating. Dental Hygienist are educators. Just log in to your professional organization
web-site (ADA and ADHA) and educators can find resource segment on dental
health care. “To Tell the Tooth” game is a quiz show. It boast the show host “Al Smiles” (which is
a head with big smiling teeth that wears a bowtie). The game gives you a question, and four
selection to make the right choice. When
the player get it right Al stay smiling.
Wrong answer, the players hears sounds of falling teeth. It was
user friendly, held my kids attention and informative at the same time. Hygienist can ensure that a this game will go
over well in their community education presentation. Check this game out at http://www.mouthhealthykids.org/en/games-and-quizzes/to-tell-the-tooth/
Brain POP was conceived by Avraham Kadar, M.D., an
immunologist and pediatrician, as a creative way to explain difficult concepts
to his young patients (BrainPOP, 2013). Today, BrainPOP is reportedly use in over
twenty percent of schools in the U.S.A, and increasing internationally (Brain
pop.com, 2013). The website is a favorite for teachers looking to introduce
problem-solving, fun and interactive games.
Here is a quick glance of how it works. Once you login onto the site.
You are asked to watch a video on its working and selected subject. The celebrity of the video is an amusing
BrainPOP android. Exploring the site is
fun because you will discover a variety of engaging activities. It includes an interactive quiz that can be
taken before educators goes over the lesson to access prior knowledge, and
after the lesson taught to access comprehension. Educators can also adapt the game to an interactive
white board which will allow student - class participation. The site is well suited for dental
students/hygienist to teach a simplified version of health and hygiene to children. However, it is not for the adult dental hygiene
learners. If you are unfamiliar with the
game or is a familiar friend visit their site at http://www.brainpop.com/health/nutrition/metabolism/preview.weml.
One suggestion, I may
interject in making it suitable is to commission the ‘Tata interactive’ software
companies. I first learned about the Tata
interactive website after a current online classmate shared it in their paper
for discussion forum. The Tata-interactive
creates and designs interactive games.
Tara-interactive will collaborate with the school and educators and custom
design (an educational interactive game) to fit the companies need. Feel free to
check out Tata Interactive from http://www.tarainteractive.com/projects/#gaming
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