Flight To Freedom is a new online game about the Underground Railroad that came online today. You have to register to play (it’s easy to do so), and it’s designed in the “choose your own adventure” genre.

It’s part of Mission US, which is funded by the Corporation For Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment For The Humanities.

It’s first game, For Crown Or Colony, is also a very well designed “choose your own adventure” game. That game was on The Best Online Learning Games Of 2011 list, and I’m sure this new one will be on this year’s list.

I’ll also be adding this new game to The Best Places To Read & Write “Choose Your Own Adventure” Stories.

This new game joins a long list of “choose your own adventure” games where players take the role of an escaped slave on the Underground Railroad. Others include:

Following The Footsteps from Thinkport.

The Underground Railroad from National Geographic.

Addy’s Escape To Freedom from American Girl (which does not work sometimes).

I’ve previously written about how I use online video games as a language-development activity for my ELL students. Here are two new games, along with links to their walkthroughs (instructions on how to complete the game), that look good. Be sure to click “English” on both of them:

The Happy Escape (walkthrough)

Escape From The Device-Filled Room (walkthrough)

If you want to get more ideas on how to use these kinds of games with ELLs, be sure to check out the blog, Digital Play, by Graham Stanley and Kyle Mawer and their book of the same name.

I posted The Best Online Learning Games Of 2011 — So Far over the summer. I haven’t seen any new games since that time that are worthy of being on a “The Best…” list, so that post will serve as the final versions for this year.

Let me know if you think I’m missing anything…

The British Council has just unveiled a new feature on their site called Speak And Spell. It has lots of interactives.

I’m adding it to The Best Spelling Sites.

The websites on this list were not designed with education in mind, but which can easily be used for learning purposes — particularly, though not exclusively, for English language development. I only hope that creators of “educational” content can learn from the qualities that make these sites so engaging.

You might also be interested in:

The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2010

Part Two Of The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2009

The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2009

The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2008

Here are my choices for The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2011:

VIDEOS:

These would be fun clips to to use in any of the video activities I describe in The Best Popular Movies/TV Shows For ESL/EFL.

This is video is from a “talent” show in India. You would only want to show it to a class that you would be sure were mature enough not to be inspired to go out and try some of the stunts:

Here’s an amazing video of birds that moonwalk. It’s from PBS. I’ve “tube-chopped” the best minute-and-half here, but you can see the entire longer video here. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Animals.

Five thousand people from Grand Rapids, Michigan came together to create what Roger Ebert has called “the greatest music video ever made.” And it is, indeed, pretty amazing. It was shot in one take. Even though the song’s lyrics are probably not the best for English Language Learners, the video itself would be a lot of fun.

Here’s a video of The Great Escape — Panda style:

This is a video of Remi Gaillard, known as France’s greatest prankster:

Luke Burrage juggles around the world in this clip:

Check out this Stop-motion animation and drumstick music video:

How about this surfing bulldog:

Show this next video, but only if you don’t think your students will be inspired to try some of the stunts themselves!

“Bridge” is a short and delightful animation that is perfect to show English Language Learners (in fact, to any students) and then have them write and discuss it. It’s a great opportunity for them to literally describe what they see, plus incorporating the messages of the film. As its creator says:

Bridge is a story about four animal characters trying to cross a bridge, but ending up as obstacles to one another in the process. The moral behind this story revolves around how there are often disagreements or competing paths in life, and the possible results of pride, obstinance, and compromise.

I’ve embedded it below:

Bridge from Ting on Vimeo.

ONLINE VIDEO GAMES:

“Dr. Stanley’s House 2″ is what is known as a “point-and-click” adventure game. Its “Walkthrough,” or instructions on how to win, can be found here. You can my article, Free Online Games Develop ESL Students’ Language Skills, to learn how I use these kinds of games as a great language-development exercise.

Inspector Kloo 4 is another fun online video game that offers a great opportunity for English language learning. You can find its walkthrough (instructions on how to win) here.

Inspector Kloo 5 is a fun online video game that offers a great opportunity for English language learning. You can find its walkthrough (instructions on how to win) here.

The Ballad of Ketinetto 8 is an online video game that provides lots of language-learning opportunities. Here is its “walkthrough.”

Mild Escape is an “escape the room” game with a walkthrough.

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS:

These are excellent tools for students to write about and discuss:

25 Brilliant Optical Illusions For Kids

Best Illusions of 2011

Check out the illusion in this video. And if you like it, you can find more here.

Here’s an amazing magic show:

BONUS:

Smurf Yourself lets you choose and dress a Smurf, record it saying something, and then send or post it on blog or website. No registration is required. It’s a fun and simple way for students to practice their English.

Draw a Stickman is an amazing adventure where you…draw a stick and he comes to life. You’re given instructions about what to draw and when, and then the stickman uses what you have drawn. It’s an excellent language learning opportunity for ELL’s and fun for everybody. You can also write your own message that shows at the end of the activity.

Feedback is always welcome.

If you found this post useful, you might want to consider subscribing to this blog for free.

You might also want to explore the 700 other “The Best…” lists I’ve compiled.

BBC Learning For Adults is a treasure trove of very accessible resources for English Language Learners and others to learn in multiple subject areas.

I’m, obviously, particularly interested in the site’s English activities, and it doesn’t disappoint. I’m especially impressed with its collection of games. I’m adding its game collection to The Best Collections Of Online Educational Games.

I’m also adding its punctuation activities to The Best Sites For ELL’s To Learn About Punctuation.

Here are the newest additions to The Best Places To Read & Write “Choose Your Own Adventure” Stories:

Westward Trail is very similar to the famous Oregon Trail game. Its major advantage is that it’s actually online and can be easily played.

In Following The Footsteps, you are simulating an escaped slave on the Underground Railroad.

Addy’s Escape to Freedom is an American Girl adventure, also on the Underground Railroad.

There are many “adventure” and “escape the room” online video games that, at first glance, might not appear to have much educational value. However, if you look a little closer, a number of them can be a gold mine for engaging language-development activities. Many “gamers” on the web create what are called “walkthroughs” for these games — written step by step instructions on how to “beat” them. Teachers can divide students into pairs, give them copies of walkthrough, and you’re unlikely to find another English reading and speaking where you will find more engagement. Though class “winners” might be the first five pairs to get through the entire game, you’ll find that students, particularly boys, will love getting ahead of others and then stop to help their classmates so they can show off their video game-playing prowess.

I wrote an article a few years ago about using these games with students, and I’ve posted about quite a few of them over the years, and thought it would be useful to bring them together into one list. I’ve only included ones here that I believe have a decent chance of not being blocked by school content filters.

Here are The Best “Fun” Online Video Games For English Language Development:

Phantasy Quest leaves you stranded on a deserted island (here’s the Walkthrough)

Sound Factory lets you play a musical factory worker and can save and post your final composition (here’s the Walkthrough)

Polleke’s Blue Room is an online video game with a Walkthrough

Ketinetto 2 is another one with a Walkthrough.

The Ballard of Ketinetto 7 (Here’s the walkthrough)

Heart Of Tota (Here’s the  “walkthrough” )

Monster Basement (Here’s its Walkthrough)  This one is fairly scary, though my students love it.

Griswold The Goblin includes audio supported text and a lot of fun. Here’s the Walkthrough.

The Ballad of Ketinetto ( Here’s the Walkthrough)

The same creators of the last game also have an excellent seventeen part series of games called Esklavos, several which have come out in the past year.   You can find the Walkthroughs to the series here.  That same Walkthrough page also has links to all the games, but because I think it’s more likely that the site featuring the walkthroughs will be blocked by school content filters, I’m going to list direct links to all the games here (except for the first one, which is in Spanish only):

• Chapter 2: Following the Rapids
• Chapter 3: Separated Destinies
• Chapter 4: Depths of the Mountain
• Chapter 5: Ungo Recovers
• Interlude: Floda and Ekel
• Chapter 6: Tracing Breda’s Footsteps
• Chapter 7: The Banquet
• Chapter 8: Crossing the River
• Chapter 9: The Root of Akea
• Chapter 10: The Dark Day
• Chapter 11: Ekalion Returns
• Chapter 12: Virop’s Worries
• Chapter 13: The Ambush of Eredren
• Chapter 14: The Great Aisil
• Chapter 15: Heart of the Fortress
• Chapter 16: Marching for Freedom
• Chapter 17: Liberation of Akea

“Dr. Stanley’s House 2″  (Here is its “Walkthrough,”)

Inspector Kloo 4  You can find its walkthrough  here.

Inspector Kloo 5  You can find its walkthrough here.

The Ballad of Ketinetto 8  Here is its “walkthrough.”

Mild Escape is an “escape the room” game with a walkthrough.

I have tons of additional games and walkthroughs on my website.

Feedback is always welcome.

If you found this post useful, you might want to consider subscribing to this blog for free.

You might also want to explore the 800 other “The Best…” lists I’ve compiled.

Hunt for the Noor Stone Game is a “choose your own adventure” game that’s connected with PBS’ film on the comic series with 99 superheroes based on the 99 virtues of Allah.

I’m adding it to The Best Places To Read & Write “Choose Your Own Adventure” Stories.

I’ve written extensively about how I use online video games with English Language Learners. They’re great language-development activities when students play them by following “walkthroughs” (instructions on how to “win”). Here are four new ones, along with their walkthroughs:

Nick Toldy and the legend of dragon Peninsula (walkthrough)

Escape From The Kids Room (walkthrough) NOTE — Be sure to click on “English” for “language.”

Inspector Kloo 6 (walkthrough)

Escape From The Restroom (walkthrough) NOTE — Be sure to click on “English” for “language.”