Video games have been blamed for all sorts of societal
ills, from obesity to bloodlust.
But in Bland County, they’re being credited for
improving elementary education.
At Monday night’s meeting of the Bland County School Board in Rocky Gap, both
of the county’s elementary school principals spoke glowingly of a new computer
program that is merging goofing off and study time.
“It seems like that is really catching on in the elementary school that kids
are having fun while they’re learning,” said Mike Miller, principal of Rocky Gap
Elementary School.
The school system’s new toy is an online program known as Study Island.
At the eponymous Web site, students can receive Virginia Standards of Learning
lessons and sample quizzes specific to grade levels and subjects.
The real fun, though, comes from the program’s innovative video game
challenges.
With simple – yet addictive – games such as bowling, cannon shooting (aiming
for a target, not people) and ski jumping, students can wile away hours.
But good scores in the games only come with preceding good scores on test
questions.
For example in the bowling challenge, students have to choose bowling ball A,
B, C or D before each frame in correspondence to an SOL-like question.
If the correct answer is selected, the player/learner gets to make his or her
virtual bowler fling the ball down the lane. An incorrect answer, though, is
equivalent to two gutter balls and a big goose egg for the frame.
Miller and Bland Elementary School Principal Diana Tibbs brought up Study Island
at the School Board meeting during each of their respective annual school
improvement plan presentations.
“It’s a wonderful tool of helping the students refresh their memories,” Tibbs
said about the program.
Since Study Island is an online resource, Tibbs also
highlighted the fact that students with Internet access at home can even play
the games during their free time.
Tibbs said after the meeting that her fourth-grade teachers used the program in
their individual classrooms last year and recommended it be expanded countywide
for the 2008-09 school year.
Beyond Study Island, Tibbs and Miller brought up
other ways that they’re seeking to boost SOL scores this year.
Miller said he plans to start an after-school remediation program in the coming
weeks, while Tibbs said she’s looking at ways to squeeze in extra remediation
time during school hours.
High school principals Eric Workman and Kevin Siers weren’t in attendance at
Monday’s meeting, but also submitted their school improvement plans.
Workman’s plan highlighted a desire to increase support for career and
technical students in their end-of-course testing and to improve health and
wellness for students, faculty and staff.
Siers focused two of his four goals on attendance, saying he will be closely
monitoring and seeking to reduce both teacher and student absences.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or
.
