![]() ![]() Many times in the game, I would die within the first 10 minutes. As I reflect later in my life and in my teaching profession, I have come to this conclusion: No matter how much you plan or how prepared you think you might be, you’re going to run into some tough situations. You figure out pretty quickly that anything that can go wrong probably will. No matter how much you plan or how prepared you think you might be, you’re going to run into some tough situations. More importantly (and I didn’t see this at the time), we learned a lot of life’s lessons from this simple game. In the process, we were learning about pioneer life. It became the catalyst in fostering discussion among my classmates about how we could work together to overcome its challenges. Oregon Trail became more than a game to the class. It was the idea that I could try over and over again until I figured it out. So what kept me coming back? I mean, let’s be real, the game’s graphics were I think 6-bit, and we actually loaded it on a floppy disk (some of you know what I’m talking about). Many times in the game, I would either die or simply not be able to finish the game within the 45 minutes of time we had. Throughout your journey, you are faced with various catastrophes: cholera, typhoid fever, your oxen drowning, winter, and perhaps worst of all, shooting 1,000 pounds of buffalo meat but only being able to carry 200 pounds back to the wagon. In this gem of a game, you control a covered wagon starting from Independence, Missouri, and proceed along a 2,000-mile trail to Oregon. Oregon Trail was a game that taught students about pioneer life back in the mid 1800s. So why was I so happy to get onto this bus? Two words: Oregon Trail. No air conditioning, no Wi-Fi, no Internet for that matter. It was literally an old school bus where the seats were taken out, and they had both sides of the bus lined with computers. We filed out of the classroom two days a week and walked to the bus. Oregon Trail became more than a game to the class.īefore my early 1990s nostalgic journey begins, I feel the need to set the stage so you get an idea of what my experience was. Fill the flux capacitor because we’re about to go back to the future. But the most exciting part of my younger elementary days was when we had computer lab-a small, 45-minute window to step into another reality. When I think back to 4th and 5th grade, I remember a myriad of fun things we did and how amazing my teachers were. Although I must admit I get frustrated when my Internet page does not load fast enough that I can’t help but reminisce on my humble beginnings. EdĬomputer labs today are chock-full of computers that have amazing processors, LCD/LED monitors, Bluetooth capabilities, etc. Guest post contributed by Classcraft Ambassador Joshua Ducharme, M. ![]()
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