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The following is taken from a blog written by Mr Mackenty, I have been reading his blog for several months now and a lot of what he says hits home with me, and the use of Games in Education.

While I was a RPS we used Sim City and Civ to teach modelling to students. I have always promoted the use of games, especially now with the on screen test and the need to teach problem solving. What is especially good about this article is that he is now applying Blooms to the use of games in education.

I recently answered this question about other ways I use COTS games. I’ve blogged about this before here, but this is a slightly different perspective.

Can you tell me a bit more about how you use the games in the classroom,
especially Civilization, The Sims and Age of Empires. If I remember rightly
(but maybe not?) you said that you didn’t use them strictly for
curriculum-related reasons, but for other purposes(??).

Right.

I primarily use games to strengthen curriculum understandings. If our social-studies teacher is working on the European colonization of North America, I look for a game we can use. Here’s a short list of how I use my COTS games.

Civilization:
History (almost any period), social-studies (especially how technology and science are related to growth).

Age of Empires II:
Medieval times - the relationship between serfs, kings, knights, nobility. Resources as a primary factor in growth.

Sims 2:
Absolutely brilliant for health and social development. The game should be mandatory for life-skills development classes.

Age of Mythology:
How people of old attributed natural disasters to gods. Also major and minor pantheon structure. To be honest, I’m still sizing up Age of Mythology. I wish the gods played a more central role in the actual game play.

Sim City 4:
Understanding anything about cities, city development, and social organization. Tremendous oportunity to filter data, read graphs, etc…

That’s the short answer to your question. The longer answer is here:

After reading James Gee’s book, I have begun thinking about actual gameplay as primarily educational. This is an area I am quite eager to explore.

Turning to Blooms Taxonomy, here’s Civilization in a different light:

Civilization III:

Analysis

1) What conclusions can you draw about research, technology and advancement as they are related to progress?
2) Can you explain the different parts of diplomacy? How is diplomatic favor increased? Decreased?
3) How would you classify natural resources? How would you classify different units?

Synthesis

1) How would you improve Civilization III?
2) Predict the winner: a very industrius civilization with no scientific research and no military, or a very scientific civilization with no industry or military.
3) What is the ideal balance of industry, science, military, and diplomacy?
4) Can you invent a new unit? What would it look like? what would be it’s strengths and weaknesses?
5) How does one maximize scientific advancement?

Evaluation

1) Would it be better if different buildings were available to different civilizations?
2) What are 3 most important things to do whil playing civilization?
3) Do you agree with the victory conditions? Why or why not?
4) Compare the Persians to the Americans in early civilization (prior to 1000 BC). What do you notice?

Mr MacKenty also supports the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus - an in joke for those who have particpated in my Internet Literacy courses.