App Addiction: Game Edition

I've talked before about app addiction when it comes to social media apps (Twitter, Facebook, etc) and email but I want to focus on games. I have been fascinated lately with the addictive properties of app games.

I've never really been a big "gaming" person. I had a six month stint of playing XBOX360 games while I was dating a guy who had an XBOX360. I've never owned a gaming system.

But then I got an iPhone.

At first I just used it to be on social media, check email, and call people. Then I got apps for "good" reasons: sleep and food tracking apps, IMDB and recipe apps (so I don't have to pull out my computer all the time!), weather apps (because if I don't like the forecast on one, I can go to the other?!), and the keyring app (so I don't have to carry all those plastic things on my keychain...they're still on it). Then, finally, I heard so much about games that I had to get some of them (just to keep up with what everyone was talking about!).

This is a list of games with which I have had serious addiction problems, albeit some just for a few days. They are classified with these colors: Red = Numbers, Green = Words, Blue = Strategy, Black = Other.

My games folder on my phone.

Tap Tap Revenge
Sudoku
Bejeweled
Bubble Shooter
Angry Birds
Words With Friends
Boggle
Farkle
Word to Word
Hearts
Dot Line
Whirly Word
Flow Free
Chain of Thought
Word Jewels
Domino
Word Wall
Drop7
Number Fill
Number Cruncher
7 Little Words
Eighty-Eight
Take It Easy
Daily Crossword
Dots

The breakdown: 10 word games, 7 number games, 6 strategy games, 1 speed game, and 1 card game. For the record, I only have the last six still on my phone and haven't played "Eighty-Eight" or "Take It Easy" in a few weeks (I just have such great high scores that I can't delete them!). I had to go back through my App Store history to find all the names of the other apps.

But why are they so addicting? This is something I've been thinking about for a while and here is why I think I am prone to obsessing over these particular games:

Word Games - I love the satisfaction I get from completing a crossword or other word game, beating someone in Words with Friends, or even beating my own scores in some word games. I think word games tap into our perception of "smart": "smart people" do crosswords, "I'm playing smart Person X in Words with Friends and I beat them, ergo I am smart" etc. I'm not saying that's a good reason to play word games, but I think it definitely plays a part in it.

Number Games - I have loved numbers my entire life! I just like number games. Why are they addicting? I think I have a propensity to be obsessed with number games because I'm extremely competitive and I love numbers. The way the games are built tap straight into my brain's "pleasure center" because of the built-in reward system: you get this many numbers, you get this much more time.

Strategy Games - Again, these games have great reward systems built into them: more time when you do a certain thing, more points if you do a certain thing, bonus levels if you get a certain amount of points on the previous levels. And that idea of reward is something our brains latch onto very quickly.

I wanted to test just how quickly my brain would latch onto a game I'd never played. I came across the new strategy game called "Dots." It took me less than two times through the game (120 seconds) to become hooked. It literally took me longer to find and download the game than become addicted to it. I kept picking up my phone and playing at odd times during the day: while I was waiting for the microwave to finish, while I was curling my hair (bad idea), during every commercial break, while I was walking from the living room to the kitchen, and then this morning before I even got out of bed! I'm not too concerned about my well-being in the long term. I usually go through a period of a day or two of being extremely addicted and then I get bored with it and end up deleting the app (Drop7 lasted the longest: two weeks and I played way too much.).

So, if you know you have an addictive personality and a lack of self-discipline, I think the above list is probably a do-not-download-these-apps list! They're fun, but unless you can put them down, are they worth it?

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Pi for Kids!

Happy π Day!!! I am a huge fan of Pi! I'm pretty sure I still hold the record at my old high school for Most Memorized Digits of Pi: 279! :-) I had braces that year and for the colored bands on them that month, I assigned each number a color and then had the colors put on my braces in order. Let's just say I wasn't in the "cool club" during high school...I did get my extra credit, though...ha!

I have always loved numbers! For as long as I can remember I've loved patterns in numbers, putting numbers to music, and just messing around with mathematic symbols to make fun things. But kids don't fall in love with numbers very often (most of the time, through no fault of their own--but talking about the way our education system teaches math is for another day!). So I thought that I would take today, it being a math kind of day, to share an awesome way to teach kids about π.

When you verbally ask a kid what "pi(e)" is, they will almost certainly tell you it's a dessert, and then proceed to share their favorite kinds of pie with you. Here's the coolest way to introduce π as 3.14 to kids in a way they will remember.

Write "PI.E" with a pointy "P" and a period between the "I" and the "E". Ask your kids what they read: "pie" should be the answer along with a lot of OCD kids saying that you wrote your "P" wrong and put the period in the wrong place. Be patient with those kids. I was one of those kids. :-)

Hold up a hand mirror to the right of "PIE." Suddenly, "PI.E" becomes "3.14"! Amazement should ensue. 

Do NOT write "PIE" with a rounded "P" or you will get "3.19" which defeats the purpose. Your students will remember what they see first, so if the first thing they associate with "pi(e)" is 3.19, they will struggle with changing that to 3.14.

If you're teaching an entire class this concept and can't get hand mirrors for all your kids, either trade off with the hand mirrors you have or bring in a big mirror and you can do this on the whiteboard or Smartboard and everyone can see! In my experience, kids remember best if they do it themselves, so individual mirrors would definitely be ideal.

Keep in mind that this does not teach your kids that 3.14 is symbolized by "π" or even that 3.14 is "pi" and not "pie." It teaches them aurally that 3.14 is "pi(e)". Have this activity be the attention grabber of your lesson before you continue with the π and explaining irrational numbers and all that.

In one of the captions above, I mentioned that your kids remember what they see first. So that means that they've now associated "p-i-e" with 3.14. This is a good time to introduce the symbol "π".

This is a worksheet/coloring sheet I made where the kiddos can write what kinds of "pie"
the icons represent under each image.

Have your students color the π symbols as if the symbols were the previous kinds of pie. Let them be as creative as they want! If some kid does brown on the apple one and doesn't put a leaf on top, ask why first before giving them no points. They may have been doing a lattice-top apple pie or apple pie filling--neither of which are red or have leaves. If some kid leaves the chocolate one white and then tells you it's a white chocolate pie, don't tell them they have to color it brown. Ask them if there's anything that goes with white chocolate that they could draw inside the symbol (eg. raspberries). If you challenge your smart-alecs to take it a step further, they will become your super-stars. 99% of the time, the reason they're smart-alecs is that they're smart and they're bored. Ask me how I know. :-)

It's fun, it's not complicated for your kids to complete, it's easy for you to grade, and they will start associating the symbol π with "pie." You've shown them "pi" on their worksheet, but you haven't drawn attention to it.

After they're done coloring, put a π symbol on the board and ask them what symbol it is. "Pi(e)" will be the verbal answer. Then ask them how it's spelled. You're going to have one or two kids who actually read the title of the worksheet. Let them be thrilled that they know how to spell it! Write it on the board and ask your students, "Do you like p-i-e more or p-i more?"

Note: If some kid says "p-i" you've got a brown-noser. :-) Just kidding! Don't give them attention for it, though, if they do say, "p-i". The only reason they're saying that when they don't even have a firm grasp on what π is, is to get attention.

Back to the lesson: "Do you like p-i-e more or p-i more?"
"P-I-E!!!"
"So would which one would you want more of, p-i-e or p-i?"
"P-I-E!!!"
"Does p-i-e or p-i have more letters?"
"P-I-E!!!"
"So how do you spell this symbol?" Point to symbol on board.
"P-I!!!"
"How do you spell it?"
"P-I!!!"
"How is this symbol spelled?"
"P-I!!!"

It works out pretty well. Now, if you're introducing π to your class, you've almost certainly introduced the "approximately equals" sign: ≈. So at this point, go ahead and write, "π ≈ " on the board. Ask the class if they remember (from the mirror activity) what number should go there. This is a stretch because your kids have not seen this setup. You should have a couple of kids who remember, though! 

At this point, you can leave it at that and eat your pie (if this is a young class and you're simply celebrating Pi Day), or you can eat your pie while you go on to explain irrational numbers, circumference, or anything else you're planning on talking about that lesson. 

Don't forget to have your pi digit recitation! In elementary school it's very typical for kids to memorize 50 digits for extra credit. Make sure you give your kids a paper of the first 1000 or so digits at least a week before so they know about it and can prepare. And give every kid that memorizes the amount of digits you've set as the minimum extra credit, not just the kid who memorizes the most digits. In high school, it's not typical for kids to memorize any, because by that point in their lives, they have "cooler" things to do. Still, if you make it a competition at the middle and high school levels, you'll get a few bites. Make a trophy, keep tabs on who is the reigning champion of π, do anything you can to make it a thing.

I hope this has helped and gives you all some cool ideas! Do spinoffs, use my stuff, make it better! Make your goal to help kids have fun with numbers! Happy Pi Day! :-)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi