The Last Outpost

I was not fond of this game. I was very frustrated with it. I had memory flashbacks of the very first computer that I played games on. You know, the one with the black screen with the green font with the flashing block cursor. Remember, the ones where you typed in a command and waited for something to happen. I can remember getting lots and lots of error messages, just like in the Last Outpost. I just could not get the hang of typing in commands and imagining them happening. I like to actually see the graphics when I play a game. I like to see what my characters look like, what they are wearing, and watch them perform the task that I give them and interact with other characters. Within the Last Outpost, you do not get this type of environment. MAYBE I just like visual graphic stimulation to enjoy my games.

Week 8

I love the game Blokus. This game is so addicting. It is a matter of precision, sometimes trial and error, to get the block across the plane and into the hole without falling over the edge. I really liked the feature that gives you the level code so you can begin the game exactly where you started. It is a matter of strategy. Who would have though that manuevering a block by flipping it over and over again on a plane would be so interesting. I believe that I like the challenge of it not working and having to retry it. If your block hangs over the edge at all, your block falls off the game board and you have to retry. The less flips it takes you, the better your score is.

Week 7

I was looking online for some interactive games that the students can use to practice math skills and I found a couple of great sites. One is Math playground. This site has many math skills games that the students can practice, they are interactive games that provide instant feedback for the students. Also, fraction bars.com has a lot a interaction manipulatives in which the students can use to help them with something they are struggling with. I like to use this website in class during ur fraction unit. This site combined with a smart board interaction and the students will be begging to come to math class. Another site that I liked was FunBrain.com. This site is enjoyable for the students. They are able to play through the game and face challenges that help students understand a variety of topics. It gives students the opportunity to have control of their learning, which is something that they enjoy more and more as the mature.

Week 6

This week I found an online game that I really liked to us with my students at school. It was called Timez Attack. This is an awesome game that practices multiplication facts with students. It is great for beginner students as well as a review and practice for experienced students that may need a little extra support. The game is an arcade style game that provides concrete representation of multiples and strengthens understanding on multiplication as repeated addition or skip counting. The students are able to work through it at their own speed and challenge levels that they feel confident with. I tried this game with my fourth graders and they love it. The students liked it so much that the computer lab teacher downloaded the free version on all of the lab computers for students in third, fourth, and fifth graders. They are so determined to bet the ogre in the game that they forget that they are practicing their multiplication facts. That is awesome!!!

Week 5

My husband bought a new PS2 game yesterday. It was another one of those Grand Theft Auto games. I despise those games. They are too violent and unlawful to be interesting. I remembering being highly upset the first time my husband showed me that you could pick up a prostitute, the car "rocks" with the player and her inside it to simulate unmentionable things happening in there and then he proceeded to drag her out of the car and beat her up until he was standing in a pool of blood, in which he tracked away on his boots. I'm sorry, but that is just too graphic for a game. What are we teaching kids. Yes, it did have a bad rating on it. But I know that lots of parents but whatever game their child wants, without screening it for unexceptable behaviors. UUGh...

Week 4

This week of gaming I focused on the V-Smile Learning system that my daughters got for Christmas last year. The game that they like to play is Alpha Park Adventures. This game is very educational for them. They seem to enjoy the game because it is geared toward their learning level. It makes connections to letter and sound phonemes helping them with early reading skills. My younger daughter found this game to be more appealing than my older daughter. I believe this is so because the oldest already knew her alphabet and letters before we got the game. My youngest daughter had most of her letters, but it helped her make connections with the letters and sounds that she was struggling with.

Week 3

This week I played one of the PS2 games that my husband always seems to have time to play. The first game I played was Guitar Hero. I really liked this game. I liked to play solo attempting to advance through the levels, but I liked playing guitar hero with my husband better, as a team. It was a good chance for our family to bond. We bought the 80's Edition for the songs that we grew up listen to and wanted to see how difficult it was to actually play them. My husband and I made a competion between us to see who could get the longest note streak. My husband almost always won, but he has had a lot more practice than me. I also took my guitar to my sister-in-law's house and rocked out with her too. It was fun to take time to enjoy myself. The game was super easy to play and allowed you the freedom to play a game (go on tour) or just practice rocking. I can see why this game series is so popular.