M7 Blog 6: Integrating Games and Simulations Into My Classroom

Online Geoboard

Simulation: https://apps.mathlearningcenter.org/geoboard/

(Gargano, 2025)

The simulation that I chose was an online, interactive geoboard. This is a great resource for mathematical topics covered in elementary and middle school. I chose this simulation because I discovered and used it frequently during my 5th grade math student teaching placement last year. It was very easy to use for both teachers and students and much more engaging than physical geoboards. My students loved being in control of what colored rubber bands they used, access to drawing tools, text boxes, line segments, shapes, etc. This is a tool to support hands-on learning and application of instruction. This simulation itself doesn't provide any direct information, instruction or learning, but it does support the processes and build students digital toolbox.

(Gargano, 2025)

This simulation can be used to practice a variety of mathematical topics and/or units. It can be used for representing fractions, geometry, and finding area or perimeter. It's textbox and drawing tools also allow for simple whiteboard use, writing equations, labeling shapes, and so much more. This would be used when I want students to have hands-on practice for an activity. It can also be used as an interactive way to visually interpret certain concepts for students who may need another approach to solving a problem. This is great for students who need differentiation or support with fine motor skills. This can be used to hit learning objectives that aim to have students create, identify, or describe shapes. It allows students to be creative and show their work in a variety of ways, multiple modes of representation. Students have the ability to be creative and create work that can be digitally altered. It is easy to fix a mistake. It can be made accessible to all. Lastly, there are physical versions of this simulation if a student didn't have a personal learning device.   

Before having my students use the geoboard simulation, I would first introduce it and preview all of it's tools and functions. What I like to do first is give the students some time to play around and explore on their own for a few minutes. This way they can share what they discovered with the class and they get to play around on their own before instruction so hopefully it won't be a distraction during instruction. I would let them share and then point out any tools/functions they may have missed. I always show example problems before sending students to do independent or group work so I would model how to use it for the given lesson. This may have to be done multiple times depending on which tools/functions you are focusing on using. For students struggling to use the rubber bands and drag or connect them, they can use the drawing tool instead of the bands. We can set students up by modeling and doing step by step demonstrations. Before using a digital geoboard, teachers can have students engage with a real geoboard to get down the basics of it. 

Students' literacies are assessed as they listen to terms and apply it to their shapes. They need to know mathematical vocabulary and definitions to create shapes. For example, if I ask students to create a vertex or intercepting lines, they must know what that means and looks like. They also can type into text boxes and put them on their geoboards. This can include an answer to a question, labels, equations, numbers, etc. They can create designs and explain them through a presentation which requires oral and written explanations. Interacting with the simulation builds digital media and literacy skills. Students can upload screenshots of their work to apps like Padlet where they can collaborate with others and be formally assessed. 

References

Gargano, J. (2025). Geoboard Screenshots [Screenshot]. The Math Learning Center. https://apps.mathlearningcenter.org/geoboard/ 

M6 Blog 5: Case Studies

Case Studies

Two commonly used digital platforms in the K-12 setting that I've become very familiar with are IXL and Blooket. Every school and placement that I have been apart of are familiar with these two platforms and frequently use both of them for instruction, support, assessments, enrichment, and fun. As a student, I used IXL up until high school but strictly for math. With math being a strength of mine and it was an easily accessible website, I loved it. When I was placed in a school for my first field work experience during my sophomore year of college, I learned that IXL now included all subjects. I learned about Blooket in my first student teaching placement. It was amazing to see how engaged the students were and I couldn't wait to be able to implement it into my own classroom one day.

IXL

(Gargano, 2025)

IXL is an individualized online platform where students can practice a range of skills in all content area subjects. The skills are broken down by grade level, topics, and state standards. There are also lessons and videos to support certain skills and concepts that students can view when they are struggling. This platform gives students real time feedback whether they are correct or incorrect. Anytime a student is incorrect, it will give a detailed explanation of the correct answer and how/why it is the correct answer. Teachers can create and assign quizzes at any time. Schools can use IXL as their diagnostic tool. My school does this every trimester for both ELA and Math. Students are automatically assigned recommended skills to work on based on their diagnostic performance. There i is also a function called Group Jam where a teacher can lead a small group or the whole class to collaborate and practice skills together. They all see the same questions and answer at the same time. There are so many functions inside this one application that can benefit both students and teachers. For myself, I use IXL frequently to progress monitor my special education students annual goals. When writing IEPs, I will include their diagnostic results and their growth throughout the year as part of their present level of performance statements. Parents can access their students IXL through their school given login. They can view their progress on skills and their quiz/assessment results. Sadly, there is no direct communication component to IXL. Teachers need to tell their students what skills to work on or provide links through another communication platform such as Schoology or Google Classroom. 

(Gargano, 2025)

There are some negative effects of the platform. First, IXL can be overwhelming for students depending on the skill they are working on. Some topics include the students to read long passages and answer 30+ questions to reach a smart score of 100. It is very unrealistic to assign a skill like that unless given an appropriate time period for it to get completed. Even so, it can be discouraging when students see their score drastically drop from getting one wrong answer. These types of questions can lower students engagement levels. Also, typed answers need to be typed exactly as it is written. A small mistake like including a space before or after a number will be taken as an incorrect answer. Students need experience with using technology and devices to learn in order to navigate these skills. 

(Gargano, 2025)

Information can only be accessed by the student who owns the account or the school it is linked to. Districts link classes to their respected teachers so teachers can only view their students progress, no one else. Students can't interact with each other or communicate other than during Group Jams. 

Students are engaging in literacies through this platform. Students need digital literacy skills to navigate the many features that this platform has to offer. Clicking through various tabs to access the content that they are looking for, especially if they are using IXL for multiple subjects/teachers. The assessments for diagnostics and quizzes are located in different spots and are formatted a little differently than some of the skills they may be used to. They need literacy skills to access the website and the content. Questions and answer choices need to be read. They can be read aloud if needed for students with accommodations. Some answers need to be typed in where students are practicing spelling and typing skills. If students aren't capable of these literacy skills, they will have trouble fully accessing the website to it's full potential. 

As an overall reflection of the platform would focus on how individualized this app is. The content directly aligns to standards and goals that are easily customizable. Skills can be completed or reviewed at any point in the school year. Students see their growth as they update their diagnostics and complete recommended skills. If a teacher is absent, they can assign skills with linked video lessons or video support on a topic they have been learning or just learned. It can be used as busy work or not. With the detailed explanations of why an answer is incorrect, practice with example questions, videos, and lessons, it is a very accessible and inclusive website. Parents can assist their students at home with questions or even learn with their students. It is really helpful that parents could read the lessons, watch the videos, or read the explanations to help support their kids when doing homework or reviewing a new topic. For it to be effective, teachers need to monitor students progress, scores, and trouble spots. Even online quizzes should be checked in case there were any tech issues. Teachers can use IXL data to create small groups for reteach or intervention supports. 

Blooket

(Gargano, 2025)

Blooket is an online platform where students review material and content through a variety of game modes. There is an online library of games that have already been created based by the public on educational and non-educational topics. It is very convenient to be able to search a topic and get premade "sets" of questions based on that topic. There are multiple ways to play based on question or time limits. Teachers are able to create their own sets of questions and assign a game mode for homework or host it and play as a class. Students also have the ability to create their own sets as well. You can review the results after the game, broken down by student and how many correct/incorrect questions they answered. Since anyone can create a set and host a game, parents can create review for their own kids if they would like. This could be very useful in the summer before heading back to school as a review. Students love Blooket as a form of review as it is accessible and engaging. Students collaborate with each other as they play against each other in most game modes. Students love competition. Sometimes, they will focus a little too much on the competition rather than learning or reviewing. They will randomly click answers to rush through and get more opportunities to earn points. Therefore, they may not be learning from the review. They also aren't given enough time to reflect on the questions afterwards to let the correct answer set in. You can require a typed answer rather than multiple choice to get around this, but it isn't realistic for all types of content. For example, it may be a harder setting to use for math but it will also assist students with their encoding skills. But again, it gets the kids the most engaged you'll ever see. 

(Gargano, 2025)

Besides my concern about students not taking this platform as a serious form of review or learning, information being accessed and shared can also create a problem inside or outside of the classroom. Since children or anyone of the public can create question sets that get shared with the public, it can become a privacy or safety issue. I'd assume there is someone or a something that filters the created questions, making sure they are appropriate, and blocking anything that doesn't fit their community guidelines before they are shared to the public. There are some public sets that are "teacher verified" which helps at times. I will always review all of the questions before hosting a game for my students. Sometimes, the words are appropriate but it will include an inappropriate meme as the picture that goes with the question. It is good that students can't directly communicate with each other through this app but they still need to know how to navigate it in appropriate ways because it is a learning tool.

Students are engaging in literacies through this platform as well. This platform especially focuses on digital literacy skills. Each game mode is different so you need to be capable of certain skills. For example, some game modes focus on memory and speed while others are luck and speed, speed and accuracy, etc. with different difficulty levels. They navigate the question sets and sometimes even create their own. They need to be able to read and understand the questions and answer choices. They also need to understand the directions of the game to correctly play and receive questions.

(Gargano, 2025)

As an overall reflection of the platform, it can be used in educational ways if taught into and formatted in certain ways. The questions can align to standards, objectives, or goals if they are created that way by the teacher. When choosing a game mode, pay attention to the correlating skills to see if it matches the activity. For example, students using Crypto Hack for reviewing multiplication might be more focused on remembering their peers passwords to "hack" them rather than the rules for multiplication since it focuses on memory and speed. Perhaps a game mode such as Fishing Frenzy would be more useful. That game mode focuses on speed and luck so students can mostly focus on answering the questions right and seeing if they're lucky enough to get a Megalodon (a lot of points)! When implementing into your classroom, expect it to be a form of fun review. I will use other study tools with my students before Blooket at times if I feel they aren't ready for it. As a learning tool, I'd advise to assign it as homework and choose an appropriate number of correct questions needed. Parents and teachers can view students game history at any time. 

References

Gargano, J. (2025). IXL Screenshots [Screenshot]. IXL. https://www.ixl.com

Gargano, J. (2025). Blooket Screenshots [Screenshot]. Blooket. https://www.blooket.com

M5 Blog 4: Annotated Bibliography

 Research Topic 

For my final project, I am planning on researching the use of gaming in education and how gaming can support literacy practices. This topic has always been an interest of mine as I try to make all of my lessons as engaging as possible for my students. This usually involves trying to relate my content to their interests and providing opportunities for them to play games to review new topics, and further their learning. Each time we have an upcoming quiz, a Quizlet, Blooket, Word Wall, and Kahoot are made as forms of review. I’ll also provide them with study guides, but they will always choose a game over multiple choice questions, fill in the blanks, or matching. As I’m very familiar with these platforms, I want to branch out to see the benefits of using games and how other games are supporting students learning, especially with literacy, without being specifically created for that purpose. For example, my 6th graders love games such as Roblox and Fortnite. I am curious to see how they can incorporate or pull literacy practices into or from those games. Learning more on this topic can assist my instruction by engaging my students with topics related to their interests that also make learning fun and accessible to all.  

 

Annotated Bibliography 

Cook, M. P., Gremo, M., & Morgan, R. (2017). We’re Just Playing: The Influence of a Modified Tabletop Role-Playing Game on ELA Students’ In-Class Reading. Simulation & Gaming, 48(2), 199–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878116684570 

This article explored how students from a middle school ELA classroom use games and role-playing to engage in literacy practices. They based this off a reading, “The Most Dangerous Game”, focusing on observing students use of literature and collaboration while making game decisions. The study uses qualitative research from the two classrooms observed. This article is useful to show a positive approach for a hands-on, non-digital gaming experience that highlights engaging students in literacy skills. 

Kim, G. M., Johnson, L. L., & Nash, B. (2023). Research: Games to Promote Empathy as a Literacy Practice: A New Teacher’s Playful Practice. English Education, 56(1), 20–43. https://doi.org/10.58680/ee202356120       

This article focuses on an English Language Arts teacher who created a card game to promote empathy in a middle school classroom. Besides researching the use of games to promote social-emotional learning, the article looks at the overall idea of incorporating games into classrooms that align with curriculum. The game includes literacy practices such as learning vocabulary and analyzing social situations written on the cards. This article is a helpful source for a real-life example of how gaming can support learning specifically in an ELA classroom. 

Scholes, L., Rowe, L., Mills, K. A., Gutierrez, A., & Pink, E. (2024). Video gaming and digital competence among elementary school students. Learning, Media and Technology, 49(2), 200–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2156537 

This article focuses on elementary aged students' digital competence to gain digital skills, and the factors that may influence the accessibility of accessing those skills. It examines students' gender and socioeconomic status and declares that boys who are part of the low socioeconomic group gain more from gaming and digital skills. This article is useful to show the possible tensions and equity issues of implementing gaming and game-based learning in classrooms.  

Toh, W., & Kirschner, D. (2020). Self-directed learning in video games, affordances and pedagogical implications for teaching and learning. Computers and Education, 154, Article 103912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103912 

This article discusses how video games can be used to promote game-based, independent, self-directed learning. It outlines three categories: meta-behavior, metacognition, and meta-emotion. Each category has its own set of self-directed learning strategies. This article supports the importance of students' development through game-based learning, how games can assist self-directed learning strategies, and how educators can evaluate games’ pedagogical values.  

von Gillern, S., Olsen, A., Nash, B., & Stufft, C. (2024). An examination of teachers’ views on video games and learning: Establishing the Games and Literacy Education (GALE) scale. Computers and Education, 223, Article 105155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105155 

This article discusses the increasing popularity of using digital games as a way to engage students in their learning. It investigates the opinions and views on the implementation of digital game-based learning by educators in ELA classrooms. Teachers discuss the skepticism and positive views of DGBL. This article is useful in gathering research and information about various educator opinions on how gaming can support education, especially literacy, or if it can be more harmful than helpful. 

 

References 

 

Cook, M. P., Gremo, M., & Morgan, R. (2017). We’re Just Playing: The Influence of a Modified Tabletop Role-Playing Game on ELA Students’ In-Class Reading. Simulation & Gaming, 48(2), 199–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878116684570 

Kim, G. M., Johnson, L. L., & Nash, B. (2023). Research: Games to Promote Empathy as a Literacy Practice: A New Teacher’s Playful Practice. English Education, 56(1), 20–43. https://doi.org/10.58680/ee202356120 

Scholes, L., Rowe, L., Mills, K. A., Gutierrez, A., & Pink, E. (2024). Video gaming and digital competence among elementary school students. Learning, Media and Technology, 49(2), 200–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2156537 

Toh, W., & Kirschner, D. (2020). Self-directed learning in video games, affordances and pedagogical implications for teaching and learning. Computers and Education, 154, Article 103912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103912 

von Gillern, S., Olsen, A., Nash, B., & Stufft, C. (2024). An examination of teachers’ views on video games and learning: Establishing the Games and Literacy Education (GALE) scale. Computers and Education, 223, Article 105155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105155