Video games in Education has been prevalent in school and has been increasing massively over the past ten years (Arnab, Berta, Earp, De Freitas, Popescu, Romero, & Usart. 2012). There are many different programs that allow for students to engage in games that may assist their learning in different ways either through the playing of games such as Mathletics which incorporates maths into a gaming atmosphere; or by creating the games through programs such as Scratch which gives students the opportunity to create something unique through the use of it many different features.
Using video games in the classroom is a great way to bring 21st century skills into the class room and expose students to these vital skills that are imperative in navigating today’s environment. Games in education allow for students to flex their creativity muscle and allows them use a variety of different programs to create games for each other to play. A good platform for students to use that is free and widely accessible is Scratch. Scratch is an online platform that allows students to create different games through the use of the block code that is simple to understand. Scratch offers a range of different skins which are known as Sprites, these sprites can be used to create a wide variety of different environments and settings that students can code and manipulate to create their game. Scratch can be implemented in many different areas of study due to its versatility and by enabling students and encouraging them to create these landscapes creativity can be fostered as they are given such a large amount of customisation and play-ability for them to create exactly what they picture.
Through Scratches versatile and easy to understand block coding system students can play around with different commands and blocks to make their environment as free flowing as possible there are limitless possibilities and students are only limited by their lack of experience with the program and are rewarded for experimenting with different block commands.
The use of Scratch in the classroom is a great way to foster creativity in students as it gives students the ability to create and share with the class. Furthermore other games in class encourages students to engage with the content and also creates a fun classroom culture.
References
Arnab, S., Berta, R., Earp, J., De Freitas, S., Popescu, M., Romero, M., & Usart, M. (2012). Framing the adoption of serious games in formal education. Electronic Journal of e- Learning, 10(2), pp.159-171. Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ985419.pdf
EDUC3620 Digital Creativity and Learning 