Some of the hottest games on the market can be used as interactive learning tools.

Almost everyone has access to a computer at home, a friend's house, or the library. Computers are being used for communication, music, entertainment, and last but not least, work. Adults can use the PC's fun features to educate and take the "work" out of homework. That's what my wife and I do with Medieval Times, a classroom program that uses videogames to teach history. Today on "Call for Help" she'll demonstrate how we use PC games to make history come to life.

Concepts into reality
Kids are attracted to fantasy and game environments. These create an opportunity for parents and educators to pick out pieces of games and translate the action into practical terms for our physical world. We've had a lot of success applying this concept to different areas of teaching.

For example, in some of our classes, we ask inspiring computer artists to cut up their digital images and create a kaleidoscope montage. It makes a great visual aid to explain angles in geometry.

In other instances, we ask a group of potential engineers to solve a logic game involving a gear, lever, or pulley. Then we present a similar problem with real gears, levers, and pulleys. The students need to work as a team and discuss the methods of mounting a device, finding the correct match of gear teeth, or coming up with a different way to attach and use levers to accomplish the task. The visual theoretical world becomes a physics lesson with a completely different experience.

Medieval Times
I stumbled upon the Medieval Times history idea after reading Michael Crichton's book "Timeline." I was looking for a way to incorporate history into our model of hands-on experiences. I also wanted to use computers in class.

Videogames can help students travel back in time. We use PC games such as "Civilization II" (read the 'Extended Play' review of 'Civilization III'), Age of Empires, Empire Earth, and the Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest expansion pack to explain 14th century strategies, inventions, and mechanics.

Concepts include the use of windmills, waterwheels, siege weapons, metallurgy, masonry, and arches in church-building, as well as glass windows and magnifying lenses, hourglass or water-based time machines, the Gutenberg printing press, and much more.

The concepts explored in the games inspire other hands-on projects in the classroom.

Ed and Stephanie Vinces are teachers and co-owners of Pacifica Computer Pros in Pacifica, California.