RP educators say computer games can make learning fun

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

Miguel Escaño, English instructor at Ateneo de Manila University, said he learned about the world's geography from a PC game called, "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?"

Where in the World is Carmen San Diego is a computer game that takes you around the world as you track villains.

As today's kids are more computer-literate, educators are now more open to introduce computer games and interactive simulations to make it easier and interesting for students to understand concepts in science, math, English, and even ethics.

Escaña was, in fact, part of a new program in Ateneo that used role-playing games like Neverwinter Nights to teach ethics, story-telling and philosophy.

"Teachers are seeing computers games as a 'weapon.' In the array of choices of instructional materials, games are becoming an option," Ma. Mercedes Rodrigo, associate professor and chairperson at the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS).

Rodrigo stressed that computer games have broad applications in e-learning, the most evident of which is that computer games make learning fun.

"It easier to learn when you're having fun," she added.

At the same time, students can do silly things as they learn, Rodrigo said. In one role-playing game, there were two warring clans: the fishball clan and the barbeque clan. The objective was to retrieve the "golden lechon."

To help elementary students understand globalization, Rodrigo said a computer game required them to go shopping.

There are also other text-based games that help student learn foreign languages like French, Rodrigo said.

Diwa Asia Publishing Group Inc., developer of e-learning system Genyo, has been developing interactive games for elementary and high school students. Recently, the company has partnered with Singaporean firm Learning Edvantage (LEAD) to enable students to access interactive content in a web portal.

Jose Maria Policarpio, executive director of Diwa Asia Publishing Group Inc., said that interactive games used in Singaporean primary and secondary schools would be introduced soon in the Philippines through its partnership with LEAD