Skip to main content

Jigsaw Explorer- Free Online Jigsaw Puzzles for Students

Jigsaw Explorer is a website that offers a wide variety of online jigsaw puzzles that you can use with kids and students in and out of class. Jigsaw Explorer also allows you to create your own puzzles based on your photos and you can share these puzzles with others via email or through social media websites.  Jigsaw Explorer offers various features that make it an interesting game-based learning platform to use in your instruction. Some of these features include : full screen display, numerous puzzle pieces to choose from, play progress is automatically saved and you can always return to complete unfinished puzzles (provided you don't delete the cookies in your browser), the ability to show only the edge pieces, easily move different pieces using capture and release feature, rotatable puzzle pieces, multiplayer mode to collaborate on puzzles with others, and many more. [Related: Best Online Crossword Makers for Teachers and Students] Multiplayer Jigsaw Puzzle Games Jigsaw Explorer includes multiplayer mode that allows players to collaborate with each other on the same jigsaw puzzle. Each player can view the moves of the other on their own screen. The way multiplayer game works is simple: select a jigsaw puzzle, click on the multiplayer button , type in a nickname and click on 'Create Game Link'.  Copy the generated game link and share it with others. Jigsaw Explorer allows you to invite up to 20 people to join the game. Each time a player joins the game you will be notified within the game. Players who join the game late will be able to see the progress already made on the game and can start right away.  Jigsaw Explorer Puzzle Categories Puzzles in Jigsaw Explorer are arranged into various categories including Amusement, Mystery, Animals (e.g., birds, cats, cows, dogs, fish, horses, insects, etc), Nature (e.g., beaches, farms, lakes, landscapes, flowers, seasons, sunsets, waterfalls, etc), Art (e.g., costumes, illustrations, mural, paintings, sculpture, street art, etc), People, Space, Composition (e.g., collages, collections, writing, still life, etc), Events, Structures (e.g., barns, bridges, buildings, castles, churches, mills, lighthouses, etc), Holidays (e.g., Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day), Transportation (e.g., Airplanes, cars, ships, trains, trucks, etc), and more. Friday Mystery Puzzles Each Friday, Jigsaw Explorer features a unique set of puzzles called Friday Mystery Puzzles. In this type of puzzles,  a box with a cover image is displayed showing part of what the completed puzzle will look like once all parts are put together. 'The added challenge, and the fun of discovering what the completed image looks like, has made the Friday mystery puzzles among the most popular puzzles at Jigsaw Explorer.' The benefits of jigsaw in education Jigsaw puzzles can be used in class to create meaningful learning experiences. More specifically, you can use them in content-based activities to help students, for instance, learn about different geographical areas or cultures and discover what makes each culture unique, explore the solar system and learn about outer space, learn about animals and nature and many more. To learn more about the educational power of jigsaw puzzles, check out Lucie Renard post titled 'How to use jigsaw puzzles to spice up your lessons' Besides imbuing the classroom with a fun and vivacious atmosphere that is conducive to engaging learning experiences, Jigsaw puzzles also enable students to develop a number of higher order thinking skills including logical thinking, analytic thinking, critical thinking, strategic planning, problem-solving, and many more. At the sensory motor level, jigsaw puzzles help develop hand-eye combination allowing learners to engage their psychosomatic abilities to create holistic learning experiences. Jigsaw puzzles also  embrace various learning styles and speak to the learning needs of students from various skill and age groups. Kinaesthetic and visual learners will especially enjoy these games. However, regardless of the inherent features of these games, jigsaw puzzles can only acquire an educational value to the extent that we, teachers and educators, use them intentionally to boost students learning and enhance their comprehension. As Barbara White noted, "Don’t just give your child a present of a jigsaw puzzle-instead give your child an educational experience and a memory that will last a lifetime."This post originally appeared in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning ( www.educatorstechnology.com ).
http://dlvr.it/SWhyv6

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ready-made Back-to-School Templates for Teachers

The return to school this year is different from previous years. It is a special event where teachers get to see their students after a prolonged period of physical absence during which distance... ....read more http://dlvr.it/S4nMr0
Post a Comment
Read more

Ptable- An Interactive Periodic Table for Teachers and Students

Ptable is an interactive periodic table that works on both desktop and mobile device. Chemical elements on Ptable are organized by atomic number, properties, and electron configuration. Each element on this periodic table is outsourced to Wikipedia for more information.  Some of the cool features provided by Ptable include a Time machine which allows users to go back in time and explore the elements discovered during that year.  An Isotope view which once chosen overlays selected or all known isotopes for a given element. A compound tab that provides information regarding the possible compounds elements form, and many more. Ptable also provides "complete orbital readout for each element's ground state, quantum numbers, oxidation states, and diagram following Hund's rules. Hover over each electron pair for a 3-D view of that orbital that you can drag to rotate or hover over the element to view its highest occupied atomic orbital.".  As for the structure of the data, u...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mapme- Customizable Interactive Maps for Students

Mapme is a simple yet powerful tool students can use to create beautiful interactive maps that can be embedded on any website or blog. Students can customize their maps the way they want. For instance, they can add multimedia materials such as PDFs, 3D tours, photos, and videos. They can also use the 'categories' feature to organize their maps making it easy for others to filter maps and find locations.  For more interactive map options check out The 6 Best Tools for Creating Interactive Maps. Credit:mapme.com Mapme also offers a wide variety of drawing tools that enable students to draw lines and shapes right on the map. As for the design of the map, Mapme provides users with the choice to either choose from the collection of pre-made styles and layouts or create their own custom map styles. They also have the option to create their own marker images or select from the collection there. Additionally, the 'bulk import' feature allows users to easily import...
Post a Comment
Read more