Video games weren’t allowed in the classroom when I was in school. And even if I did sneak my Game Boy in, the games I played were probably not considered “educational.” All that seems to be changing now, thanks to a partnership between Ardmore High School and the K20 Center at the University of Oklahoma.
The K20 Center, under the direction of U.S. Department of Education’s STAR Schools Project and its digital gaming team, has created “McLarin’s Adventure.” The game is a multiplayer, online game that challenges students’ science, reading, social studies and math skills while allowing teachers to check on the students’ learning progress through customized reports provided by the game platform, helping teachers to adjust and improve instruction to support learning. The game’s scenarios are aligned with Oklahoma’s Priority Academic Student Skills, also known as PASS objectives.
The K20 Center gave AHS 190 ultra-mobile personal computers, which are used to access the game. In addition to playing “McLarin’s Adventure” online, students will also have the ability to use the UMPCs for homework and other computer tasks.
“The game is a fun way to develop your math and reading skills,” AHS senior Daniel Berger said. “It includes math, science, geography, social studies, pretty much every subject you study in school. At first it is a little complicated, but once you go through the training, it makes more sense and it really is a lot of fun.”
So what exactly does the game involve?
“The game makes learning fun,” AHS junior Kolton Henley said. “You are an avatar in a virtual world and your goal is to win the challenge to find the best place to live. You have to take a lot of measurements and create a lot of reports to send back to the main guy in the game. It is really interactive and you can chat with other players to help figure things out.”
In addition to the educational aspects of the game, the program also provides some mentoring opportunities for students.
“One of the best aspects of this project is the fact that we are using the upperclassmen to train the freshmen on the game,” AHS teacher Addie Downing said. “So it is a great mentoring experience for both groups. The project has really helped give these upperclassmen more responsibility and I have seen what it has done for them. They have really blossomed.”
The program is being funded by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Ardmore High School is one of only seven urban and rural schools in Oklahoma to receive UMPCs through this research and development grant this year.
Micah Groves, 221-6524
micah.groves@ardmoreite.com
