MAKING EDUCATIONAL GAMING “SMARTER” IN HEALTH EDUCATION: ENHANCING THE METHODOLOGY WITH SMART CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY

Educational game playing is a fun and effective method for communicating health information in almost any educational setting and can provide a change of pace from traditional teaching methods. Since the objective of an educational game is to learn while playing, they are also referred to as “serious games” or “edutainment”.
Many popular games can be adapted to health education. If you are fortunate enough to have a budget, you can buy any number of games; if you live in the “real world” of education, you can make your own with what you have. These are all enhanced through the use of Smart Classroom technology.
Research indicates that interactive whiteboards benefit student engagement, learner motivation and knowledge retention. The technology has been successful in reaching students with a variety of learning styles, including those with special needs. Other studies indicate that the use of interactive whiteboards increase collaboration, interactivity, and engagement among students.
The purpose of this session is to share game ideas that can be constructed and implemented with the help of educational technology.
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify popular games that can be adapted to health education.
2. Share successful game ideas.
3. Develop new ideas for incorporating educational technology into game playing.