Game-based activities are widely used by teachers working with preschoolers and primary school children. Play is less common with older learners, although interactive game-based sessions are sometimes used even at universities.
Unlike ordinary games, educational games have a clearly defined learning objective and expected educational outcome. They are deliberately designed to support learning and cognitive development.
Teachers organise these activities using playful techniques and scenarios to stimulate participation in learning. The game format can help children concentrate and remember information compared with simply receiving direct instructions.
During a well-designed educational game, children engage actively in learning while enjoying the activity and maintaining motivation for what follows.
Games also give children opportunities to explore their surroundings, practise communication, develop their outlook and learn to interpret events and other people's actions.
To help teachers use game-based approaches, Briolight has developed interactive equipment for children's education and rehabilitation. The system includes an interactive projection floor, augmented-reality sandbox, multi-touch panel, developmental table, interactive mirror with audio and video recording and other devices. Teachers have used these technologies individually or in combination for more than twelve years.
Briolight has also developed specialised software with teachers, special education professionals, psychologists and other specialists. The interactive activities were created with children's ages, school curricula and preschool preparation in mind.
The interactive panel is a versatile classroom tool that can fulfil functions traditionally performed by a board, television, projector and laptop.
Interactive equipment can broaden the pedagogical possibilities of teaching by combining different forms of presentation, interaction and learning activities.
Using a Briolight multi-touch panel and other equipment, teachers can:
- support high-quality learning with specialised educational tools;
- use their own presentations, multimedia content and audio recordings during lessons;
- draw on a large activity library with different topics and difficulty levels, organised through “Filter” and “Session Generator” features;
- adjust difficulty levels (easy, normal and hard) and activities according to each child's needs, age and lesson objectives;
- work on perception, attention, memory and thinking using clear visual materials;
- create individual folders for students, groups or topics, with custom settings that save time during lessons;
- practise accuracy of hand movements and fine motor skills;
- develop spatial orientation;
- increase motivation and sustain participation during lessons and breaks;
- support an emotionally comfortable learning atmosphere.
In summary, interactive educational technologies can make learning more engaging, provide different ways to present and practise curriculum content and offer opportunities for education, development and social learning.
