In reading through the list of tools I came across Freerice. It is a simple, powerful web 2.0 game that allows students to challenge themselves in vocabulary games. The greatest part of Freerice is that for every correct answer 10 grains of rice get donated to the World Food Programme. I had introduced Freerice a while back to some teachers and students and when I saw it in the Classroom 2.0 article I thought it was worth sharing with everyone on here. The students and teachers I shared it with absolutely loved it and really enjoyed the competition aspect of it and most importantly they really loved the fact that they were helping to fead hungry families around the world.
Using the site is very easy. Just go to Freerice.com and start the vocabulary game. No signup required. If you want to compete against others you can signup and the site will keep track of your points and rice donations. This was a great way for me to get kids to learn vocabulary words and also teach them about the World Food Programme and how they were helping to make a difference in the lives of children around the world.
I played for a while and was able to get 80 questions in a row and donate 800 grains of rice. If you try it out leave a comment and tell me how many grains you donated.
I use Classroom 2.0 frequently for information and the latest developments in Web 2.0 for education. I found it long before I began my education at Full Sail, but I fully realize its benefits now that we are continually engaging in 2.0 discussions and activities. It's a helpful site that allows you to collaborate with other educators.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Free Rice, I love this site! I always played it for my own personal pleasure until one day when I realized, "I can use this in my classroom!" I hadn't really thought about it before. I use this site often when engaging my students in bell work at the beginning of class. It helps them develop their vocabulary more extensively while also teaching students to give back to those in need! They really respond well when they see how much of a difference they are making through their efforts. Great blog!
Thanks for the nice comments Rachael. I agree with you, the resources on Classroom 2.0 are amazing.
ReplyDeleteFreerice also has some really cool quizes on geography, math, language and more! I forgot to mention it in the post. Just click on subjects at the top of the page to check them all out. Very cool!
WOW. This is an amazing concept. The incentive of earning free rice as a prize opens up so many learning opportunities for students. It’s really a win/win/win. Students win by learning vocabulary, the needy win because of the donated food, and the developer wins by attracting people to its site with such a unique idea. More people playing, means more people visiting the site (which of course attracts advertisers and such who pay for the free rice).
ReplyDeleteI’m blown away by this app. Great find!
I had never seen this tool before. The ability to help other is definitely what catches my attention. I would definitely use this with my students. My ELLs would love this application. I am always looking for ways to assess and use vocabulary in my classroom. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJim this is a great find:) Thanks for sharing. I went on and earned 1140 grains of rice, I like the competitive part inspiring students to try more. I was inspired by your "number". It was very easy to use and the fact that I didn't have to "do" anything before I could begin playing made it quick. I love vocabulary building as a "game" in class, I often play Bananagrams with the kids to stretch their vocabulary. Some kids have found that to take too long so this site will be perfect:)
ReplyDeleteThe idea that we are helping donate food is so inspiring and really adds to the motivation to try the next word. I even got some wrong and it told me the correct answer and then reintroduced the word at a later time to help me really learn what it meant.
What an absolutely great idea. This is a great way to get my students to help others around the world. To make them a living part of history. In teaching them Social Studies, I try to get them to understand they are a part of history and making history even now, so this would be a great tie in. I signed up for Freecie, I shared it with my facebook family. When I get the opportunity, I will play and decide on the best way to introduce it to my students.
ReplyDeleteMy students are in need of vocabulary, so I will not only use for social studies. Great site. Thanks Jim.