POWERPOINT GAMES
This was a very fun experience, although tedious at times. Here are some things I've observed or learned about the process of making PowerPoint games to use in the classroom...
- Through making the Jeopardy type game that I did on PowerPoint, I learned that even basic technologies can be fully utilized in ways that I may not have thought of at first. I also learned that there are clear ways to use technology in the classroom that make learning fun and will keep the students engaged in the material.
- I faced some serious problems making this game. I still have a couple issues that I am working out. Mostly the problems I had were pretty basic at the beginning. For example, I needed to find an easy way to make it so the teacher could quickly get back to the slide with the selection board. At first I inserted a full hyperlink that showed up as text on the bottom of every slide, but eventually I figured out that it was easier and prettier to use a shape (like a back arrow) that had the hyperlink rather than a long text link. Then I got to the major problem. The first column in the table I made would not allow the hyperlinks to work. I inserted the hyperlinks the same way that I did the rest of the table and only a couple of them would not work and they still aren't working. I've spent hours trying to troubleshoot it and figure it out, so I can easily say that I've expanded my knowledge on how to go about fixing technological problems, because the ideas that I came up with were good and should have worked...in my opinion anyway. There are many ways to fix things or try to make them work.
- A PowerPoint game is prime in my subject area of history. I would totally use a game like this for tests reviews all the time. By making it kind of a competition, the students in any history class will be more engaged in the material and willing to learn the answers, which will in turn help them stick when they are learning it and rehashing the information in a format like a game. It is a fantastic tool.
