Google Games & Digitial Citizenship

Try out active learning games that tie effective use of Google's tools for accessing information with important skills related to digital citizenship (i.e., evaluating information, citing sources, note-taking, avoiding plagiarism, etc.). Learn to turn "worksheet activities" into "fun games" for developing information skills across the curriculum.

Are your students poor searchers?
Do your students have the attention span of a flea?
Are your students likely to use Wikipedia and go no deeper?
Are your students expecting to find "www.TheAnswerToMyQuestion.com"?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, it's time for Google Games!

Billions of Google searches are logged everyday. How can you harness the power of Internet inquiries for classroom teaching and learning? What do we want our students to be able to do with a Google Search?

Watkins and Elder (2006) found that students were looking for information on 19th century Paris and the French Restoration, but they end up at Restoration Warehouse a hardware store in California. Another student looks for Bourbon Dynasty, a ruling family in Europe and finds websites on Kentucky Bourbon and mixed drinks.

Students doing a history fair project in Indiana cited that satirical website The Onion as a good source for historical information.

Rather than focusing on general Google searches, look at special features such as reading level or image searches.

What Google products do you use?
How are you teaching students about using Google resources and tools?

Google Games

Go to the Google Game: Creatures wikispace to try a Google Game. Does it contain the following four elements?

All games have four elements. When you create a game, be sure to GRAF it.

1. Goal. You need a way to win or achieve the goal.
   As educators we need to match goals with purposes and reasons for learning.
   
2. Rules. You need to know what you may and may not do. 
   As educators, we need to provide guidelines for learning.
   
3. Action and Attitude. You must do something along the way. Make it fun and interesting. 
   As educators we need to make leanring meaningful and challenging.
   
4. Feedback. You need to know how you are doing. 
   As educators, we need to provide ongoing opportunities to self, peer, and teacher assessment.

Google-Sponsored Google Games

Go to A Google a Day. It's a fun activity to test your knowledge of searching. You can go back and look at previous topics to build your own project such as Gettysburg.

Go to What's the Search? This Google Inside Search activity asks students to create a creative caption using search words. Participants can their vote for their favorites.

Go to Google's Demo Slam. You can either participate in the slam by watching the two videos and voting. Or, you can explore groups of demos on lots of Google topics by clicking on the icons in the stands. Finally, you can participate by creating your own demo to enter into the slam competition! You can also join the DemoSlam Facebook page. If you're looking for lots of examples of Google Video demos, go to the Google Channel at YouTube.

Go Gwigle for a non-google product game.

Explore a couple of these games. 
What skills could you acquire and practice using these games?

Wiki-based Google Games

Try one of the following games. Think about what type of game you could design that would connect Google tools with a content area search.

1. Go to the Dr. Seuss Quote Game. Randomly choose a quote and search to find out if the quote is really from Dr. Seuss. Notice how the random number generator can be embedded into an activity.
• Think about other games that might incorporate quotes or phrases. For ideas, go to Google Everything Ideas.
2. Go to Meaningful Monuments. Travel the world collecting monuments from different countries. Score points based on how much you know about each monument. Use Google images along the way.
   • Brainstorm other ways Google Images could be used. For ideas, go to Google Images Search Ideas and Google Maps Ideas.
3. Go to Mad Scientist Game.  Level up by moving from Igor the Assistant to Mad Scientist. The winner is the Mad Scientist receiving the most votes. The winning experiment will be demonstrated in class. Along the way, use Google search and Google video search.
• For more ideas, go to Google Video and YouTube Ideas.
4. Go to Goofy Global News. Summarize news stories and write your own stories. Can your friends tell the fact from the fake? Explore the Weekly World News and other magazine archives at Google Books.
   • For more ideas, go to Google News Ideas and Google Books Ideas.
5. Go to the Google Doodle Game. Explore Google Doodles and make your own.
6. Go to The Grand Adventure. Use lots of Google tools to go on a Grand Adventure around the world.

Examine the wiki-based games. Then look at the idea pages for one of the games. Discuss how you might adapt this game or build your own.

Game Ideas

Hoaxes and Fake Sites. Students need to distinguish fact from fiction from fake. Unfortunately, most students aren't very concerned about accuracy, they're simply seeking an answer to a question or a funny photo to put on Facebook. Get them interested in asking themselves about accuracy. Learning to identify fiction, hoaxes and fake sites is an important skill. How can you tell? Explore the Google Content fake sites. What questions do you have about the content? How would you find out if it's real or fake? Explore Google Fake Sites:

• Google Copernicus Center
  
• Google Gulp
  
• Google's PigeonRank
• Google Romance
• Gmail Mail
• Gmail Custom Time
• Gmail Autopilot
• Gmail Motion
• Google Docs Motion
• Google Comic Sans
  

Design an game that involves voting for your favorite Google Fake Site and inventing one for this April Fool's Day. Compare the Google Fake Sites with other fake sites. For more ideas, go to Google Evaluation.

Explore other great Google Product Ideas:

• Google Art Project.
• Finance
• Elections
• Patents
• Scholar
• Global
• Data
• Doodle
• Projects

Game Tools

Use the Dynamic Paper from Illuminations to create nets, graph paper, number lines, number grids, tessellations, shapes, spinners and more.

Virtual Game Boards

• Glogster. Use Glogster to create a clickable game board for activities.
• Bubbl.us. Use Bubbl.us or any of the concept mapping tools to create a game board. Use a flowchart approach, move up through a hierachy or take a different visual approach.

Seek tools that don't have distracting ads. Think about how some of the following tools might be used to design activities:

Game Makers. Use a game show atmosphere. Use laptops for students to search for answers.

• Jeopardy Labs. This tools lets you create a Jeopardy game to use online.
• Who Wants to be a Millionaire? This tool can be used to create an offline or online game.

Whiteboard Tools. Keep score in front of the classroom on a whiteboard.

• Quiz Scorer 2. This tool provides a way to keep track of scores for two teams.
• Quiz Scorer 4. This tool provides a way to keep track of scores for four teams.

QR Tools. Incorporate QR codes into your gameplay.

• QR Treasure Hunt Generator

General Sources. There are lots of generators and tools that could be integrated into the gaming atmosphere.

• Simulators
  • Playing Card Shuffler - Best Option
  • Coin Flipper - Best Option
  • Dice Roller - Best Option
  • Spinner - Best Option
• Random Numbers. Use these to choose numbers for turns or choices.
  • List Randomizer
  • Random Words - Best Option
  • Random Calendar Date Generator - Best Option
  • Random Clock Time Generator - Best Option
  • Random Decimal Fraction Generator - Best Option
  • Random Integer Generator - Best Option
  • Random Integer Set Generator - Best Option
  • Random Gaussian Number Generator - Best Option
  • Random Geographic Coordinates - Best Option
  • Random Password Generator - Best Option
  • Random String Generator - Best Option
  • Random Sequence Generator - Best Option
  • Widgets - Integer Widget Wizard
• Spinners
  • Print Paper Spinner from Illuminations

Card Games

Post Card Games. Use Postcards as a way for students to share what they've learned. Go to Endangered Animals Postcards or Australia Animals Postcards. Pick an animal. Locate information. Summarize, cite source, and send card

Case Cards. Create paper-based cards (print from PowerPoint) that jumpstart a search. Roll the Dice to determine your case file number. Provide basic information. Students must solve the problem. Use a bulletin board in the classroom to classify cards or share answers.

• Animal Cases. Show animal homes and try to determine who lives there.
  
• Artifact Cases. Show images of artifacts and try to determine where they go in the museum.
  
• State Cases. Show an attraction. Find out where that attraction is located and put it on the class map or in Google Maps.
  
• Invasive Species. Where does this plant or animal belong and not belong?

Use Trading Card Generators. Create your own cards.

• Character Trading Cards from ReadWriteThink
• Trading Cards from BigHugeLabs

Try It!
Design a simple Google Game for a particular instructional situation. It should have GRAF: Goals, Rules, Attitudes/Actions, and Feedback.

To learn more, go to the all-day Google Games workshop.

Digital Citizenship

Many laws and federal regulations apply to youth and online social technology. Learn the rights and responsibilities of teens, the relevant laws, and what teachers and librarians need to know in order to implement them within your school. Explore approaches to teaching students about their role as responsible digital citizens.

Our young people are active users of social technology.

• More than three-quarters of young people aged 13 to 24 indicated having used a social network in the past week (MTV-AP, 2009).
• Sixty-six percent had sent or received messages on MySpace, Facebook, or other social networks (MTV-AP, 2009).
• Over half of all teens check social networking sites more than once daily (Common Sense Media, 2009).
• More than half of young people state that they had never thought about the risk of getting into trouble with the police for their social network activities (MTV-AP, 2009).

They have technology. Now we want to help our students make good choices about its use. However when we get preachy, we lose them.

Rights and Responsibility

Rather than creating a culture of fear, we need to help young people make good choices.

• First Amendment right to access information and interact online
• American Library Association "Minors and Internet Interactivity" (2009)
  • “the rights of minors to retrieve, interact with, and create information posted on the Internet in schools and libraries are extensions of their First Amendment rights” (2009, p. 1). 

Safety Issues

Many adults are concerned about the safety of teens online. Nancy Willard (2006) identified three concerns: (1) brain research reveals that teens are immature and can make poor choices in social situations, (2) many parents don't monitor student activities, (3) dangerous adults are attracted to young people who make poor choices.

• Risks. The risks from outsiders are small. Internet crimes account for one percent of child sexual exploitation. However teens often become victims of same age cyberbullys.
• Safety and Schools. Use websites to help teach young people about Internet safety:
  • Connect Safety
  • GetNetWise
  • IKeepSafe
  • iSafe
  • NetSmartz - NetSmartzKids and NSTeens
  • WebWiseKids
  • Wired Safety

Educators must promote and model legal and ethical technology practices.

 

Standards

Educating students is part of the standards as well as a requirement of BDIA. More than 3/4 of young people think digital abuse is a serious problem (MTV-AP, 2009).

Promote American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards for the 21st Century Learner.

Teens must learn to access and evaluate the information found on social networks. 

• Standard 1.1.5: Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context.  
  
• Standard 4.1.7: Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information.  
  Standard 4.4.4: Interpret new information based on cultural and social context.  
  
• Standard 2.3.3: Use valid information and reasoned conclusions to make ethical decisions. 

Teens must learn to follow legal regulations and demonstrate ethical behavior associated with social networks.

• Standard 1.3.3: Follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and using information.
  
• Standard 3.1.6: Use information and technology ethically and responsibly.  
  
• Standard 3.1.2: Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.  
  
• Standard 3.2.2: Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions.  
  
• Standard 4.3.1: Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person. 
• Standard 4.3.4: Practice safe and ethical behaviors

Promote International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Students

Standard 5: Digital Citizenship - Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:  

1. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
   
2. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
   
3. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
   
4. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

Develop stand-alone units as well as materials that can be integrated across the curriculum.

• Integrate social technology into a current events lesson.
• Integrate Google Earth, email notifications and other technology into study of Earthquakes. Example: The Did You Feel It page combines maps and community responses.

Social Technology and Moral Development

As you think about talking with students about digital citizenship, keep in mind that students come to your classroom with diverse abilities in dealing with moral dilemmas.

• Stage 1 - Obedience. What solution avoids punishment for me?
• Stage 2 - Self-Interest Orientation. What solutions helps me?
• Stage 3 - Conformity. What solution best fits with social norms?
• Stage 4 - Authority. What solution best fits with the laws of society?
• Stage 5 - Human Rights. What solution best addresses human rights?
• Stage 6 - Universal Human Ethics. What solution addresses fundamental human principles?

How will you deal with the different developmental levels?
Why is it important to understand the maturation of your students?

Information, Choices, and Action

Read more about Ethical Use of Social Technology: The Decision-making Process (PDF) or click the image below on left. 
(Adapted from Annette Lamb, Everyone Does It. Teaching Ethical Use of Social Technology, Knowledge Quest)

Select one aspect and discuss how it could be introduced to students in a relevant and meaningful way.

Instructional Strategies

Read more about Ethical Use of Social Technology: Instructional Strategies (PDF) or click the image above right.
(Adapted from Annette Lamb, Everyone Does It. Teaching Ethical Use of Social Technology, Knowledge Quest)

Select one approach that you think might be effective for a particular situation. Provide an example of what might be taught.

Teacher Resources

Explore the following resources for ideas:

• Common Sense Media
• CyberSmart
• Digital Citizenship
• Digizen
• A Thin Line

Promote Digital Citizenship

1. Model Effective Use. Example: Post booktrailers on YouTube. Explore the Trailee Awards
2. Engage Students. Example: Use social networks to promote resources and services. Example: Virtual Presence
3. Be Available. Example: Use social networks to increase visibility. Participate in an online book club. Example: Good Reads
4. Build Communities. Example: Build a sense of community by creating community programs such as online parenting or nature studies. Example:One Book
5. Sponsor Events. Example: Offer programs that focus on ethical behavior such as the availability of public domain resources and sources for creating original music using tools such as Garage Band.

Rather than overemphasizing the negative, focus on preparing young people to be responsible digital citizens. Focus on practical strategies for handling tough situations and the many positive applications of online communication and collaboration.

To learn more, go to Social Technology and Digital Citizenship.

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