It takes 8 to Tango?

This past monday we were able to learn more about the Exergaming lab here at SUNY Cortland. This was my first real experience with using the equipment, learning how it works, and seeing the benefit of it first hand. 

My experience monday makes me want to get back in the lab right away to develop ideas to use the equipment in the classroom.

One thing that I have seen in classrooms before, even in my hometown, is the use of DDR, or Dance Dance Revolution. But I have never seen a system like the one that Professor Yang has in the Exergaming lab. 8 Wireless dance pads are set up to a computer which plays a DDR like game that is projected on the wall for everyone to see! 

We played multiple different levels from Regular, to hard, to Expert. (Expert was not a good idea) After two or three songs I was sweating, smiling, and having a blast! I think that DDR would be a good way to get students engaged in class because is has upbeat music, enhances coordination, and provides a system of "Challenge by choice" 

Students can easily see a breakdown of how they played. Whether they stomped the pad late, early, or on time to the music, or how many notes in a row they hit. They can challenge themselves by seeing if they can better their high score on a song, or they can also try harder levels and more difficult songs. 

After playing DDR for awhile we shifted rooms and went to go use technology that would be geared towards preschoolers and younger students. If you look at the picture collage below, the top middle picture show my fellow classmates using equipment that helps students leaner colors, numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 

If I were to prepare a game for the Pre-K I would use the foam animals that have insertable foam letters and create an alphabetical game. The students would be asked to find an animal and the letter that goes with the animal (For example, R would go with the Rabbit, etc) Once they find the animal and the letter they must then place the letters and animals in alphabetical order. This will help them associate both animals with letters which will help them remember their letters better, and it will also help them understand the alphabet. 

See the collage below for an example of the animals and letters!