ICT Workshop 2 : Educational online games (QUIA)

In the second half of Workshop 2 we looked at online quizzes and activities that may be used in classrooms. We were introduced to the Quia website, which allows users to create their own customised online quizzes and activities.

www.quia.com/web

1) Online Quiz
http://www.quia.com/quiz/1882694.html
The quiz I created was titled 'Are you a true blue?' and was based on facts relating to Australia. The design process was quite straightforward and the program very user friendly. After giving the quiz a title and description, I specified how many questions, how many answer choices and obviously the correct answer. The program also allows you to specify how many points each question is worth.

2) Online Activity - Battleship
http://www.quia.com/ba/312179.html

The Battleship activity I created had an Australian sport theme. The process was the same as the one used in creating the quiz, however here the program incorporates a battleship game in delivering the multiple choice questions. Each question represents a block of the enemy ship that can only be destroyed if the answer is correct. The aim of the activity is to destroy all the enemy ships.

The Quia program allows a teacher to create and customise online activities according to subject matter and level within a safe and controlled online environment. A motivating factor in using this type of teaching method is that students may be more engaged when participating in activities they perceive as fun. As such, using activities like hangman and battleship may be particularly effective with students who have behavioural issues or trouble concentrating.

I think the program is best applied however when students create their own online content. For example, the program may be incorporated into a maths lesson as follows:

1) Each student is given a different maths topic (fractions, multiplication, addition, percentages....) and asked to create a quiz/activity on that topic.

2) Teacher checks to ensure material is correct and loads up the activity ready to use.

3) Students swap computers and complete each others activities.

The process of designing a quiz/activity is a more effective means of having student revise topic material and also supports their creativity. Having them come up with their own questions encourages a deeper level of thinking and the prospect of having others complete their activity is added motivation.

One important consideration with any computer based activity relates to resources available in the classroom. With limited computers available, a teacher may set time intervals for students to create their own quiz/activity throughout the day. Students may also be asked to work in groups.