How Can Teachers Use It?
It can be used to build reading comprehension, to teach core critical and evaluative reading skills, and/or as an introduction to the professional workplace. It's great for homework or lab work, as kids can print out their results for themselves, and teachers can track detailed information through the dashboard. As an extension activity, have students use the skills they've built in-game to produce mock news or sports broadcasts in small teams -- potentially even about local news. One great way to do this is by having students write copy, record video of the broadcasts, then transform the video into a proper broadcast using Mozilla Popcorn Maker's annotation tools.
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What's It Like?
The Sports Network 2 is set in the bustling context of cable sports news, but it's a reading game at heart. Over five in-game days, students must devise a plan to increase the television network's teen viewership. To that end, students navigate the office environment, as they might in real life, and work to produce content that appeals to teens. They conduct interviews, deconstruct information, and produce good copy that hits on their persuasive goals. A good portion of this involves reading and evaluating the relevancy of information. By merging the fun of a newsroom with these core reading and analytical skills, The Sports Network 2 does a great job of letting students experience how well-tuned reading skills can actually pay off in the world beyond the classroom.
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Is It Good For Learning?
Relatively traditional critical reading exercises are packaged well in The Sports Network 2. Students are given large chunks of text and are prompted to identify the who, what, when, where, and why. They must also work toward the persuasive goals of the newscast, and if they get off track, they get guided feedback. Teachers can also monitor student progress, adjust difficulty depending on performance and ability of individual students, and limit access to certain levels to make sure no one gets too far ahead. Without outside resources or sufficient help tools, kids must remember lots of information without being able to review it, promoting careful reading and retention.
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There are four avatars to choose from, a minor attempt at diversity.
There are multiple rooms, halls, and lobbies to visit during play.
This interface is the game's core. Students have to flag and label information correctly.
Each assignment is assessed with a three star rating.
Kids can print progress reports for themselves or teachers.
