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The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Bernard
To the excitement of many youngsters, computer and video games have entered the educational playing field. Research increasingly supports the cognitive benefits of such games -- not to mention the fact that most kids today are already playing them and loving them -- and now educators and game designers are finding new and exciting ways to embed curricular content into complex yet fascinating play environments.
On the other hand, critics charge that the games' educational benefits have not been clearly established. Furthermore, competitiveness and the use of hierarchical scoring systems can compromise engagement for some students, and video gaming at school reinforces the digitized and sedentary lifestyle many young people already experience at home. Would you, or do you, use digital games in the classroom? We're interested in your opinion.
Videogaming increases important skill
Submitted by J.C. (not verified) on February 20, 2008 - 10:09.
I would say yes. Videogaming increases an important skill. That skill is Hand-Eye Coordination. When you drive your car you need good hand-eye coordination to be a safe driver. Driving involves watching the road while using your hands to steer. Hand-eye coordination also affects your reflexes. Slow reflexes may result in a possible injury.
The Silver Bullet
Submitted by Paul (not verified) on February 3, 2008 - 00:53.
Does not exist, in text books, in video games, podcasts, cell phones or any other "buzz" gadget people wish to throw into the mix. The question is redundant unless you can define effective teaching within a frame that fits. I challenge anyone to do that.
Learning comes from engagement with hands on projects that are relevant to the students lives. It matters not whether this is a stick with a hoop (Physical Sciences), to a walk in the park looking at caterpillars (Biology), to creating their own personal calendar using technology or playing an educational game to teach math.
The tool does not come first, the need does. The tool will stand up to evaluation upon use! However, we as educators, have to make sure that the lines are not blurred between educational tools for learning and games for crowd control!
So let us not argue over which tool is the best, I loved playing "Cops and Robbers" when I was a kid, I too watched television. At school I wasn't allowed to watch crime TV shows but often saw well constructed educational films. The TV was not the issue but the content.
As educators that should be our focus delivering good quality, relevant material, to those young minds in a multitude of ways and formats, so that we maximize those we can reach.
Are computer & video games effective teaching tools?
Submitted by Suzanne Steelman (not verified) on February 1, 2008 - 23:03.
That's a quick & easy. Give the kid's an electronic gismo on any level & they will put all their energy into it.
There is a fine line here. Are we babysitting via techonology or teaching?
Where have all the story teller's gone? Gone to ________ Everyone, When will we
ever________________________________
Who is asking the questions? Who is modeling social communication skills? How are personsonal & interactive peer group lessons guided? When does Creative talents & ideas come into play, on a vocal level?
Least but not last,the almighty $ determinds the reality of schools who have such equipment.
Utopia still awaits,public school's in the good old USA.
Aloha
I have been thinking about
Submitted by Bonnie Bracey Sutton (not verified) on August 14, 2006 - 00:59.
I have been thinking about games and education and serious games, for a very long time. From this post I was able to find Scratch, at MIT and Cooties from Eliot Soloway, Alice 2.O and a whole host of other types of games to teach and then even more. The people I was collaborating with were not even interested. Too bad. Bonnie
Scratch
Submitted by Jamie D. (not verified) on December 20, 2007 - 14:46.
I'm glad to see someone reference Scratch in this discussion. Scratch is a very awesome program -- developed by the geniuses at MIT -- that lets kids learn the back-end of games. Scratch is fun and teaches kids at the same time. Viva education tech games!
i dont think that you can
Submitted by b.baker (not verified) on August 6, 2006 - 18:30.
i dont think that you can make a full go-ahead to this issue. i wonder what the gender break-down of "yes" respondents was? a male majority? or a pro-gaming majority? what i see in my classrooms over the past 10 years is that this is still genre that is maketed predominately to boys...and as such would not be "equally" accomodating towards the female population in classrooms. more work would need to be done in getting gaming into the female pysche.
Being a female who grew up
Submitted by M. Kear (not verified) on August 10, 2006 - 03:59.
Being a female who grew up in the age of Atari, Nintendo, Sega and to those games of the day, I can back that the female gamer quota is a lot larger than most think. There are a lot of important females in the gaming field who have a love for not only playing but making games that children play these days.
Of course the whole day should not be everyone gathered around playing video games, but video games go far beyond giving children better hand and eye coordination. It forces them to think when they don't really know they are learning. Reading and writing respones to the game helps improve both skills, and if a game tells a story it helps them become not only better at reading but interested in literature.
The females of the group will only be less interested in learning through games if people continue to tell them that they are a minority in gaming. It might surprise many teachers just how many of them might be interested in the games. No matter what age, females love to out do the males in their class, it might turn out better than some teachers think.
It's a wonderful idea, and not only should the teachers test out the game, but also the students. They should be monitored and see what games they respond to, and which ones actually have the results that everyone hopes for. Technology changes as society changes, and the way children learn these days is very different than the many years ago that our current school systems are based off of too.
A last thought, not only playing the games has to be enough. There is also the world behind creating the games which can help create math skills, problem-solving skills, creative art skills, and team work. Full Sail and the Orlando Science Center hosts a Girls n Gaming convention every summer where girls of all ages can come in and create their own video games, and the outcome is always wonderful.
Just food for thought.
I have been involved in this
Submitted by M. Chmiel (not verified) on August 2, 2006 - 16:03.
I have been involved in this discussion for the past three years and while it is prudent to seek "proof" and "evidence" that games can help students learn, I have never seen any proof or evidence that textbooks help students gain enduring understanding.
Some games are well designed and intrinisically motivate students to learn new content in meaningful ways. Other games are poorly designed and indeed students find ways to bypass learning in order to get to the extrinsic rewards the game features (Whyville is a notorious example of this). Let us not treat games as a discrete category, they ought to be judged on their own merits. Let us also not extend skepticisms to games that we would not extend to materials we continue to use that have themselves never been proven.
Video games require reading
Submitted by C. Gautreau (not verified) on August 2, 2006 - 16:39.
Video games require reading skills, thereby allowing children to practice decoding challenging words and reading specific directions. In my experience of monitoring students read and play video games, I have found that students improve their reading skills. Parents and educators should select the video games for amusement and educational value. I believe that limiting the time children spend playing video games is important as well.
I am very interested in the
Submitted by Vickie Wallin (not verified) on July 14, 2006 - 14:00.
I am very interested in the potential of computers to be a brain gym to help my special needs students overcome their cognitive weaknesses. I haven't found much out there yet.
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