2. Where in the World is Carmen SandiegoOur second program was “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?”. What an exciting way to learn geography. Encyclopedias, Almanacs, and Atlases were passed out to the students so that each was holding at least one book. The goal of the game was to track villains around the world who had stolen something like the Eiffel Tower. I would say, "Someone who has a book about the Eiffel Tower, please look it up and show us what it looks like and where it is located." We began the game by first going where the crime took place and looking up information about that country. Then, obtaining geographical hints on where the thief went next, we used our references to help us explore the world and capture the thief. I wished that I could customize the software to match what the students were currently studying. Win or lose, students learned and practiced research skills and the fundamentals of geography in an entertaining way.
This is just a sample of edutainment options for Social Studies. There are also simulations like "Age of Empires" and "Civilization" that motivate students to learn the real history as opposed to possible alternative histories. More eLearning software and related lesson plans are needed that encourage students to dive into Social Studies where we "learn from the past, live in the present and plan for the future."Now I love both learning and teaching Social Studies. I keep students awake by engaging them through gamification.