Application of Games Created in an Online Tool for Language Teaching (Week 3 Motivation tool)
An Introduction to Educaplay
Educaplay is an educational games maker that enhances your audience’s motivation by transforming your content into engaging learning games in just seconds. To get a feel for the effect of this tool, I chose the game crossword puzzle from the options it offers. The game is generally given a rectangular table. The table is divided into a number of squares of the same size, which form a number of intersecting rows and columns of varying lengths. Students fill in the rows and columns with letters to form the correct word according to the information given in the question, with only one letter in each square.
A Customised Game
To get an idea of the experience of using this game, I chose 8 words based on common stationery vocabulary for primary school students and composed the game shown below. Points are awarded for spelling a word correctly and deducted for spelling it incorrectly. The game can be played by more than one player at the same time, and a leaderboard will be compiled according to the order of completion. My own experience with the game is that it is difficult for students who are new to these words, so this game is suitable for consolidation after class and revision before exams, adding fun to vocabulary memorization, and at the same time the implied competition will strengthen students' internal motivation to learn.
Comments on the Tool
It provides a diverse array of game-based activities, including quizzes, crossword puzzles, word searches, matching games, fill-in-the-blanks, and additional options. Advantages are obvious: it gives diverse activity options on game kinds and users can enjoy customizable content to develop their own learning activities based on their curriculum.
A distinctive disadvantage is that some items of this tool require a paid subscription.
Limitations
Crossword puzzles focus on word recognition rather than language production. Students may recall how to spell words, but they struggle to employ them in sentences or conversations. In addition, students may fill in answers based on letter patterns rather than actual comprehension.
Hi, lovely girl. I liked your introduction; it's detailed. But can you add more photos or a video tutorial? Also, please provide examples and ideas for teachers to use this tool in class, such as warming up activities or for feedback. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteHi Avery, This blog on Educaplay is very well written and organised, and I particularly like the fact that you have combined personal experience of using the tool to illustrate its effectiveness in a way that is both concrete and convincing. Your clear description of the game setup, the target group and the scenarios of use are very helpful for other teachers to assess the suitability of the tool for their own classes. In addition, your assessment of ‘increasing intrinsic motivation’ is on point.
ReplyDeleteIf there is one thing that could be strengthened, it would be that in the ‘Limitations’ section, you mention vocabulary recognition over language production, which is an important and professional point. Further advice on how teachers can address this gap would be helpful. I personally feel that activities such as sentence building could be included after the game to promote learning!
Hi Avery. I really appreciate how you demonstrated its practical application by creating a customised crossword game for young learners! I also found your reflection on its limitations very helpful, particularly the point about the focus on recognition over production. It’s a good reminder that while games like crosswords are great for review and motivation, they should be balanced with tasks that promote communicative use of language.
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