Scribblenauts: Provide vocabulary to problem solve

As someone who's personally used this app for fun, I think it's a great teaching tool! It's very fun and interactive while maintaining student engagement and learning. I especially like how the app shows visuals of what the player writes, I think this makes it more fun to use as you get to see what you are typing into the word box. 

Scribblenauts is an engaging game where you are given different missions to help Maxwell, the hero of the game, to complete different tasks. What sets this game apart from other mission based games is that you have to type the word to make it appear and help to complete the mission. My students who don't necessarily know how to spell words but can think of the word are suddenly motivated to ask and learn new words. My other students have discovered the mic feature on their iPads to speak the words. The words then appear so it is a good way to independently learn correct spelling. It is a great way to increase vocabulary in a fun way. I wish there was a way to "speak" the missions as an option in addition to having to read them for students with learning disabilities. If there is a way to do this, I would love to find out how!

I think this software represents one of the great benefits of interactive learning but also has some of the set backs still involved with the software. It is an enjoyable way for students to learn both problem solving and vocabulary at the same time which isn't a common feature of educational technology. It isn't a cure all and can only be effectively used in most classrooms in certain ways. If it is student driven or used as homework this may cement many of the vocabulary that students using the rest of their life and also make them better learners in the long run with its problem solving focus. It is a great example of the best and worse in educational gaming.