Tuesday, September 27, 2011

All Abilities ePlayground

**Please note that this is my response to another teacher's blog.

       The All Abilities ePlayground is essentially an educational video game aimed to teach students with special needs. It is an excellent teaching tool; I am amazed by its capabilities as well as its adaptability. 
       The fact that the program is in the form of a video game is great because students are so excited to play that they don't even realize that they are learning. Moreover, the All Abilities ePlayground games consist of multiple levels which become increasingly more challenging: this gets them more involved in the game. To the kids, it feels like being at home on their XBox. Video games are more relatable to today's generation than textbooks or worksheets ever could be; trust me, they will want to do their work if it is in the form of a video game.  And as for the teachers, this program is a great way to get  students enthusiastic and eager about the lesson; at the same time it is allowing them to develop their skills on their own.
       In addition to the actual games within the All Abilities ePlayground, I am pleased to say that the program is super adaptable. I'm always hesitant to use programming like this, because it usually limits students with physical handicaps.  However, certain games in the All Abilities ePlayground can be set to "Blind Mode" and others can be played by blowing into a microphone. Thus, virtually all disabled students have some way to play the game. I really do appreciate that this game was designed to accommodate to all needs.
       And best of all, it's free! There will be no grants or tax dollars necessary, so it's hassle-free in that respect. Also, it is a wonderful alternative to Smartboard games or educational iPad apps as far as pricing goes. So get started!

My rating of this "tech tool": 5/5

1 comment:

  1. Great start to your blog, Alyssa! You've obviously done your own research on these tools and have written about them in a very personable and descriptive way.

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