Arcade Games: Make Interactive Arcade-Style Learning Games
Catch Their Interest
In this high-tech era, teachers who can present information and practice activities with a technological flair will catch kids’ imaginations. However, it can be tough to spice up your ideas enough to intrigue today’s students if you’re not a programmer. Fear not – ClassTools offers a simple way to create arcade style games with little more effort than creating content for any activity. The software does all of the work, freeing you to do what you do best – devise ways to get ideas into students’ heads. It’s one more tool to help you intrigue your young learners while coaxing them into educationally productive practice.
A Quick Overview
ClassTools.net allows a teacher (or parent!) to enter paired questions and answers onto a blank screen. Each set of quiz data needs a unique title. Questions and answers are entered as a group, with an asterisk between them. The software requires at least ten sets of paired information, and the data can be pasted in from a word processor if desired, or typed directly onto the screen. The data can also be password protected so that students cannot alter it.
Once the data has been entered, the creator can limit the games to be played with it or allow players free choice of activities. A quick click to a gear-shaped icon will take the user to a set-up page that provides the URL where the quiz will reside and code to embed on your webpage to open the quiz program with the entered data.
Users click the link on your webpage, and (unless limited during creation), can choose from five game options. These include a memory-type game requiring that the data pairs be matched, flashcards, a maze-type game, and two target-based games. In the last three cases, questions appear at the bottom of the screen and players must shoot or catch the corresponding answer. Games can be replayed or players can return to your web page to choose a different option.
Usability and Convenience (4 out of 5)
The arcade-style games at ClassTools.net provide interesting ways to offer paired questions and answers, words and definitions, problems and solutions and similar information. For students who respond well to fast-paced presentations and gimmicks, the activities should be entertaining enough to be motivating. The set-up for each activity is quick and easy, requiring only that the author have a minimum of ten sets of paired questions and answers to enter. Games offer increasing levels of difficulty, and include the opportunity to post initials in a Hall of Fame.
The games have a few less-desirable qualities, however. The memory game, for example, can be difficult to read due to font size and clarity. The maze game and the target shooting games move very quickly and may not be appropriate for special needs students or those with processing problems.
On the whole, the games at ClassTools.net are worth a look. Teachers will find one more tool to motivate and intrigue some students for drill and practice matching activities.
You can find the interactive quiz generator at ClassTools.net.
