This game could be used to reinforce concepts related to friction and corresponding normal force (via tire pressure and performance trade offs), vehicle dynamics (e.g. acceleration/deceleration, momentum), dampening and concepts related to aerodynamics (e.g. drag)
Below is a video of a testimonial from a highschool student who enjoys playing Forza while at the same time has increased his understanding of automobiles and related physics concepts.
Kim, did you get any indication from this random high school student as to whether playing the game caused them to try to learn any more about aero or physics? Do you think they might be more interested in a science class at school because of this gaming experience?
ReplyDeleteKim, I love that you're finding good uses for video games. I think that students will really appreciate your fresh view and feel like you really understand their needs. After all, our generations created these games that they love so much, and we blame them for being so addicted to the television, phones, computer screens, and game systems. I think we should all at least try to work with the cultural we created and promoted for them.
ReplyDeleteHey Kim,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post and the presentation on incorporating games into education! I think it's definitely an avenue that is not taken advantage of often enough. Kids spend so much time playing video games, what better way to relate them to some content than to talk about how they work and concepts that they already implicitly know from playing those games?
I hope that you get the opportunity to experiment with games in your placement, Kim. I'd really be interested in what kind of experience you have. Have you seen Scratch, a tool created at MIT that allows kids to create their own games?
ReplyDelete