The Durgfargles - Online Quiz for Kids
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Summary
At my fantasy dinner party sit Siddhartha Gautama, Aristotle, Plato, Mark Twain, Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson and just to ensure the mood remains jocular, Jerry Seinfeld. An eclectic choice, you would have to agree. However, should the conversation turn to learning and education there will be a distinct lack of upturned tables and crazed chanting of "Fight! Fight! Fight!" around the Buddha and Einstein as they "go at it". Neither will anyone threaten to "cave your $#&^ing head in". No, these are subjects on which they all heartily agree. Much merriment and nodding would no doubt ensue.
So what is it that binds them all? Well, they all have something to say about the use of play in work and learning. They say play is inextricably linked to learning and that anyone who thinks otherwise is a poopy pants. OK, I added the last bit, but research their quotes, interviews and opinions and it's clear. They think we've got it all wrong. They could be right. Here's what they all have to say ...
The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play.
To him he is always doing both.
Siddhartha Gautama
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
Aristotle
The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.
Plato
The work that is really a man’s own work is play and not work at all.
Mark Twain
Play is the highest form of research.
Albert Einstein
It is a happy talent to know how to play.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
My work is done all out of love and fun.
Jerry Seinfeld
This piece of work was inspired by research conducted by Roussou (2004), Kafai (1995, 1999) and Malone (1987) suggesting that children learn best when they see no delineation between work and play. This may also be true for adults, however this project is in answer to the question "Can adult tools be used to make learning fun for children?".
Content
Online learning is usually associated with adults, however in the past 5 years there has been significant inroads in bringing eLearning to children both in the classroom and in the home. Various companies now have tremendous libraries of fun, educational and interactive objects specifically designed for children. Given the amount of time now spent each day in front of a screen for most children exceeds the amount of time they spend with their parents, it would seem that there is a significant opportunity to deliver quality learning through the same medium.
This project explores what can be done with such rapid eLearning software to hold the attention and capture the imagination of children using voice over, sound, images, animation and mouse driven interactive touch points.
The quiz explores the limits of what can be done with the Quizmaker software from Articulate. It incorporates:
Research suggests children learn best during play and respond exceptionally well to narratives (Roussou, 2004). It also indicates that children have a preference for primary colours such as red, blue and green (Amsden, 1960). In this project, these colours were used extensively and the children were asked to become involved in the liberation of the aliens (Durgfargles) by providing the correct answers in the quiz. This call for help engages the children and requires them to utilise not only their imaginations, existing knowledge and critical faculties, but their emotional intelligence and ability to empathise with others who may be in need of help or assistance.
The quiz calls for the participants to consider questions they may never have had posed to them before. Thus, they will be drawing on their existing knowledge of the human body and speculatively applying it to the unknown. They are asked to step in as a teacher and "teach" others (in this case aliens), whilst inferring meaning and context when they may be completely unsure of the answer. The level of cognitive process is higher than factual recall, it demands of them that they utilise their existing knowledge to scaffold to new and exciting conclusions. This then, adds to the participants stock of experience for their future benefit (Lagnado & Shanks, 2007).
References:
Amsden, Ruth H. 1960. "Children's Preferences in Picture Story Book Variables." Journal of Educational Research 53: 309-12.
Kafai, Y. 1999. Children as designers, testers, and evaluators of educational software. In The Design of
Children’s Technology. A. Druin, ed. Morgan Kaufmann.
Kafai, Y. 1995. Minds in Play: Computer Game Design as a Context for Children’s Learning. Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Lagnado, D & Shanks, D. 2007. Dual Concerns with the Dualist Approach. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 30 (3):271-272.
Malone, T. W. & Lepper, M. R. 1987. Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for
learning. In Aptitude, Learning, and Instruction: Cognitive and Affective Process Analyses. R. Snow and
M. Farr, eds. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.
Keywords:
eLearning, online learning, instructional design, quiz, test, exam, assessment, learning fun, kids games, children's quiz
Content
Online learning is usually associated with adults, however in the past 5 years there has been significant inroads in bringing eLearning to children both in the classroom and in the home. Various companies now have tremendous libraries of fun, educational and interactive objects specifically designed for children. Given the amount of time now spent each day in front of a screen for most children exceeds the amount of time they spend with their parents, it would seem that there is a significant opportunity to deliver quality learning through the same medium.
This project explores what can be done with such rapid eLearning software to hold the attention and capture the imagination of children using voice over, sound, images, animation and mouse driven interactive touch points.
The quiz explores the limits of what can be done with the Quizmaker software from Articulate. It incorporates:
- images
- flash
- slide transitions
- drag and drop, multiple and multi-choice, true/false, word bank, matching and fill in the blank questions
- Audio
- Voice over
- Timed countdown
- dynamic feedback
Research suggests children learn best during play and respond exceptionally well to narratives (Roussou, 2004). It also indicates that children have a preference for primary colours such as red, blue and green (Amsden, 1960). In this project, these colours were used extensively and the children were asked to become involved in the liberation of the aliens (Durgfargles) by providing the correct answers in the quiz. This call for help engages the children and requires them to utilise not only their imaginations, existing knowledge and critical faculties, but their emotional intelligence and ability to empathise with others who may be in need of help or assistance.
The quiz calls for the participants to consider questions they may never have had posed to them before. Thus, they will be drawing on their existing knowledge of the human body and speculatively applying it to the unknown. They are asked to step in as a teacher and "teach" others (in this case aliens), whilst inferring meaning and context when they may be completely unsure of the answer. The level of cognitive process is higher than factual recall, it demands of them that they utilise their existing knowledge to scaffold to new and exciting conclusions. This then, adds to the participants stock of experience for their future benefit (Lagnado & Shanks, 2007).
References:
Amsden, Ruth H. 1960. "Children's Preferences in Picture Story Book Variables." Journal of Educational Research 53: 309-12.
Kafai, Y. 1999. Children as designers, testers, and evaluators of educational software. In The Design of
Children’s Technology. A. Druin, ed. Morgan Kaufmann.
Kafai, Y. 1995. Minds in Play: Computer Game Design as a Context for Children’s Learning. Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Lagnado, D & Shanks, D. 2007. Dual Concerns with the Dualist Approach. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 30 (3):271-272.
Malone, T. W. & Lepper, M. R. 1987. Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for
learning. In Aptitude, Learning, and Instruction: Cognitive and Affective Process Analyses. R. Snow and
M. Farr, eds. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.
Keywords:
eLearning, online learning, instructional design, quiz, test, exam, assessment, learning fun, kids games, children's quiz
