The Puzzle Struggle... (Thing 15, Part 1)

Getting started with games - this was a struggle. I couldn't get Puzzle Pirates up and running on my home computer the first day I tried. It seemed to be unavailable. I did come back to try it again and after about 10-15 minutes waiting for the game to launch - I found myself learning some of the duties of being on a pirate ship and then walked around the island exploring some of the shops, although my was purposefully not very interactive with other players as I just tried to figure out how to navigate first.

If I were to go at it again, I think that I would build on this by talking with existing players in figuring out the game. The missions or games that I played were not all that involved - and I really found myself a bit bored. Additionally, I thought that the educational application of this particular game was pretty meager as a curricular enhancement. I believe there are other activities with more educational impact for students in comparison to this particular online game.
While I was less than satisfied with Puzzle Pirates, I certainly believe that there are other educational games or simulation experiences to enhance curriculum and instruction. I was excited to listen to podcasts, view videos on You Tube, read articles, etc. that illustrated the growing potential of Second Life experiences to the education of students today and tomorrow.

There is a lot of discussion out there on how we can extend our services and educational experiences beyond the school day for our students. Second Life and other Internet games have the potential to create these learning experiences in a way that is natural and native to the lives our children and teenagers today.