Tyto is a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) based around the scenario of a team of students and scientists trying to save humanity by setting up life on a new planet.
The game is still in the early beta stages at the moment, but it is free to download and play.
It's designed around developing critical thinking and science skills but there is a lot of language use in the game, especially in the early stages. There's also quite a lot of background information on the site which would make for useful and motivating reading before the students play.
The game itself is really nicely designed. Students enter a basic training simulator where two game characters take them through the basics of creating their avatar and learning how to move around.
They are then launched into the alien world which they can explore using a map to guide them. They have a number of tasks to complete as they explore the world and meet other students.
The interface is nicely designed and easy to use and students start to collect a number of tools and samples to help with the tasks.
The software is being updated very regularly at present so if you get students to do this it's probably better for them to work on it at home on their own computer. You can use elements of the website in the classroom and get them students sharing experiences and impressions in the classroom as speaking activities.
Tyto is a great gaming tool to get students actively using their English. It's rated as being suitable for ages 9 years + and students will need a low intermediate level (B2) or better to understand what's happening.
I hope you and your students enjoy this great free online game. You can find more tools and activities like these in my ebook 20 Tech Enhanced Activities for the Language Classroom.
The book is available on iOS or as PDF for other devices.
Sign up for my twice monthly free newsletter and get a free copy of Digital Tools for Teachers at: https://tinyletter.com/technogogy/
My Books:
Nik Peachey
The game is still in the early beta stages at the moment, but it is free to download and play.
It's designed around developing critical thinking and science skills but there is a lot of language use in the game, especially in the early stages. There's also quite a lot of background information on the site which would make for useful and motivating reading before the students play.
They are then launched into the alien world which they can explore using a map to guide them. They have a number of tasks to complete as they explore the world and meet other students.
The interface is nicely designed and easy to use and students start to collect a number of tools and samples to help with the tasks.
The software is being updated very regularly at present so if you get students to do this it's probably better for them to work on it at home on their own computer. You can use elements of the website in the classroom and get them students sharing experiences and impressions in the classroom as speaking activities.
Tyto is a great gaming tool to get students actively using their English. It's rated as being suitable for ages 9 years + and students will need a low intermediate level (B2) or better to understand what's happening.
I hope you and your students enjoy this great free online game. You can find more tools and activities like these in my ebook 20 Tech Enhanced Activities for the Language Classroom.
The book is available on iOS or as PDF for other devices.
Sign up for my twice monthly free newsletter and get a free copy of Digital Tools for Teachers at: https://tinyletter.com/technogogy/
My Books:
- 20 Tech Enhanced Activities for the Language Classroom
- Digital Tools for Teachers
- Thinking Critically through Digital Media
- Exploiting Infographics
- 10 Lessons in Digital Literacy
- Digital Video – A Manual for Language Teachers
Nik Peachey
