Game System Lowers Learning Curve at Cumberland

By Meranda Watling, Lafayette Journal and Courier (IN)

10/3/07

Gathered in front of the white board in David Brantley's class, his first-graders vie to show off geography skills using the Nintendo Wii.

"We've seen North America, South America, Africa and Asia," Brantley says, as he flips the wand controller and spins the projected weather globe to an unknown location. "How about Europe or Australia?"

Though they have individual maps of the U.S. and the world at hand, the students are not waving their arms to point at the map with their fingers the way children have traditionally learned geography. They want a chance to wield the controller to find and click on U.S. states and continents.

Brantley's class is the first at Cumberland Elementary School to test the game system in the classroom. A donation helped the school purchase three of the machines, which cost about $250 each.

Aside from Brantley's room, one system will go in the school computer lab and another in the large group instruction room so every class can take advantage.

At tonight's meeting, Brantley will show off the technology to the West Lafayette Community School Corp. board of trustees. He'll talk not just about the weather and geography lessons he has already incorporated, but also about the math and reading lessons he'll weave in as he gets to know the system better himself.

From making math problems out of bowling scores to playing Scrabble-like Flash games, available free on the Internet, he sees unlimited potential for educational use. So far, the biggest drawback has been finding time to squeeze it into packed lessons.

"We do everything that's traditionally done," Brantley said. "But as soon as we've done a little bit and they know it, we can turn around and make it a game and have fun."

Superintendent Rocky Killion said teaching students using technology they're familiar with, like video games, can help them connect on a more powerful level than strictly traditional methods.

"Eventually I think you'll see more use of that technology throughout school systems," Killion said.

For the students, it's both a game and a lesson. That makes it more fun, said first-graders Melia Givan and Tyler Wiseman.

"I like finding the states because it's hard to find exactly what you're looking for and click on it," Givan said.

Wiseman likes using the controller, but more than that, "It's fun to find the stuff because it's a challenge."