Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:2429] games Lucas too bad
KCStarguy@aol.com
Date: Tue 23 Oct 2001 - 20:44:15 MEST
From: KCStarguy@aol.com Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 14:44:15 EDT Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:2429] games Lucas too bad
I have used Droidworks for several years as well as Gungan Frontier.
They are good but
(1) Their interface and control sections are not easy to understand
(2) They don't have teacher guides or student guides
(3) They require a lot of higher level thinking and problem solving and most kids just don't want do that on the computers (they are used to NOT thinking a la Nintendo etc etc)
(4) Gungan is more free flowing but instead of being divided up into guided missions it is helter skelter.
(5) There are so many visuals in each , it is dificult sometimes to know what to look for.
(6) Droidworks especially has not applications to lego mindstorms or any robotic kit
(7) Gungan does not attempt to prep the students properly in terms of ecosystems and systems.
(8) I dislike the fact that the main goal is that frequently with Gungan you must slaughter part of the animals and take them off the planet so that the there will be balance in the ecosystem.
(9) Lucas does well with shoot em games but you can't have the rnadom helter skelter non stop type environment without some penalities in terms of real learning.
I really like them both but these points do make it difficult. I had hoped to make some lesson plan sheets to go along with the software as I have done with simcity2000, simlife and simfarm but I did not have the time. Lucas and company was not interested in my efforts on this part either eventhough I attempted to let them know that the software could be improved educationally (to combat the points above).
Dr.Eric Flescher
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