Growing up, one of my favorite games to play in class was Jeopardy. I was presented the game in middle school, then went on to use it in high school and even a class in college. I went online recently to find a template, and found one I could explore for this weeks assignment. The jeopardy game I found is exclusively on the internet. You form a password for your template, so that nobody else can change it. Although I chose to explore this certain template, there are plenty of others that are on the internet and there are even programs to install into your power point.
With the template I found, I found it very easy and fast to use. There is no need to register for anything. The only thing necessary is that you create a password. This password makes it so that nobody can edit or change the game that you make. This also allows for you to get back into the game and change anything. After you enter the password, the template automatically comes up.You now make a title, and start deciding on categories. With a simple click of a box the questions and answers can be set and saved. It really is a simple tool to use, with nothing confusing at all. There is even a score at the bottom, where several teams can play. I have yet to figure out how to work the score (if you do let me know), but that is a very beneficial aspect of this certain template. When I was in school we had to keep track of our own score since the power point template was used. Yet, if you could just click to add points, it would make the game move at a quicker pace and make it easier to use. Also on this website you can use anybodies template that was already created. There are hundreds of categories and games that can be played. You cannot change them, but some of them fit perfectly to what you may be studying, since a lot of them are probably teacher made. I don't find a lot of people making jeopardy games for another profession, so most are probably used in a classroom somewhere.
Here is the main screen of the game I made for SME 301:
And this is what the screen looks like with the question and answer:
The main way this technology could be used in the classroom is as a review for tests. This is exactly how it was used in my classes when I was growing up. It is a great way to combine several different concepts and review main points about them. Most reviews are pencil and paper where you search a book or notes and write the answer down. Yes students can learn from this, but it is far less intriguing and interesting than a Jeopardy game. Turning the review into a jeopardy game has a lot of pros. First of all, kids are more interested. Like I stated, a pencil paper review can work. But students will most likely be far more excited in the game. The sense of competition can make the kids really try and get involved with the game. Students will find it fun since it is a game that they can play against classmates, and they will find it interesting as it is a technology based review that may not be applied very often. Not only is it something fun and interesting, but it also allows for several different subjects to be incorporated. There are 5 different categories that can be used. And within each category there can be 5 different aspects of the category. For example, a cumulative test could have all of the categories studied over a while. This would be like the example I made. Then within each category there could be the 5 main points of that broad topic. Or, the game could be made just a general test, where the 5 categories are the 5 main topics of that general study, for example weather. Then within each category there would be 5 specific questions about the sub-topic. So the Jeopardy game could be used in a variety of situations. Another pro is that the game could be used on any topic. A lot of games make it difficult to study certain topics, like possibly math. But Jeopardy could be used in any topic including math. You could even put equations and the game and have the students solve the equation for the answer. One other pro of the game is it encourages student involvement and discussion. If there is a question that maybe several people couldn't figure out, then it is obvious that the topic needs to be gone over a little more. The class could be open to discussion at this point, where the students help each other to learn. The game could be stopped at any point to do this as it is not timed. If it were a pencil/paper method, the struggles would not be apparent until the papers are gone over, which may be too late. Yet, with a jeopardy game, the struggles can be apparent right at the time and in front of the class. This way everyone can review the concept at the time, so they can understand it for the upcoming test or assignment.
As far as cons, there could be a few struggles. First of all, if the students don't participate, then the game will be a bust. The game is all about student participation and without that, it simply would not work. Also, depending on the content the game could be hard to make. It seems that it is made for fairly simple wording or content. So if the material is very elaborate, this may not be the tool for you. It seems to be aimed more towards small short answers, so it limits the amount of material you can incorporate. Also, it may be hard to think of categories and topics that are legitimate. if there isn't a sufficient amount of material that can be used, you could find yourself just filling in categories with pointless information. It then would be ultimately a waste of time, since only some of the questions will be of help. Overall though I really enjoyed this template and will for sure incorporate it into my future classrom.
I remember Jeopardy! It was a very fun game because it engaged the whole classroom and you learned stuff as well. I like the template that you found. I like that it is very easy to use and that all you need is a password and the steps are not complicated when making the jeopardy game. I agree that jeopardy is great when reviewing for tests. The different categories and sub-topics make it so that a lot of information can be put into the template and reviewed. Having a game like jeopardy and using a means of technology to play it makes things for interesting in the classroom. It creates a competition for the students and grasps their attention so that it is more likely for them to hold onto information given our during the game. Using technology to play jeopardy makes it so that it is something different for the students instead of the paper and pencil approach that they normally have. This can make it more enjoyable for the students. I understand and agree with the cons that you discussed. I know that a lot of times I did not want to participate in jeopardy because I feared I was wrong. I did always pay attention during the game though and wrote down the information once a question was answered by someone else. There are students that are just not interested in games like jeopardy that may not pay attention, which would be a con for this approach. Overall, I think that it is a neat and fun game that I will definitely use in my class.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with everything you wrote. A game like jeaopardy, or any game for that matter, makes learning more enjoyable. Any time it is turned into a competition more students seemed to be intrigued. I know I loved playing games in class, even if it meant learning along the way. And even now when I visit classrooms students get far more excited when the review is a game rather than a worksheet. I too did not participate that much thinking I would be wrong, but I also paid attention and took notes on the material. I could see this as being legit, but as a teacher I would want everyone to participate. It would be too hard to see who is paying attention and who simply is not interested.
ReplyDeleteI love jeopardy!! In a class I recently subbed in they played it but it was on a board. I think they would have liked something like this so much more then what the teacher was using.
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