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The author of this blog has addressed the issue of gaming in the classroom. He says that until gaming creators produce educational games that rival the quality of entertainment-only games, they will only be supplemental tools for the classroom and not primary teaching tools. BUT he does list a few really cool games he already implements in his classroom. I played around with some and was impressed--and interested in rummaging around on their home websites.

Students are allowed to take on the challenge of creating video games in school. The games are created around a subject of the students interest. Students are challenged by the programming, develop critical thinking skills, and gain determination as they rise to the challenge. Students also are forced to rely on each other as their skills surpass the instructors.

Interesting article, David. I love problem based learning. Video games definitely play into that design.

This article explains how a new school in Manhattan, New York teach their students entirely through video games! The program is designed for those students who are on a patch for a career in technology. The response were impressive and overall students really want to learn and stay engaged!

This article explains how a teacher used the game Minecraft to help teach his first and second graders real world lessons. This "virtual lego" world will have students doing team work task that the teacher created before the class, in which they have to work together to solve puzzles. This is a great bridge between student and technology. Students are able to expand on their imagination and creativity to create such amazing worlds and do different tasks.This was a huge success for the teacher and showed an outstanding response.

Love it! :) I don't know if you know the Apple guys at the high school, but they were able to fix a "bug" with all the student computers before Apple even had a fix and they credited their solution to playing Minecraft! :)

Discusses the benefits of computer-simulation technology in helping kids to learn. Simulation helps kids to understand complex issues and have real-world experience. A funny and well-written article that discusses how both simulation with technology or without is very benefiscial.

This video is about using technology for science education. One program is an after school program named Universe Quest that uses game building to teach girls astronomy. Another is a cyber lab that measures cell phone radiation with Geiger counters in Australia. It also includes augmented reality to find out how changing environmental laws might have impacted global warming. Th technology has allowed students to take learning into their own hands and gives them access to equipment that they otherwise would not have.

Love the idea of real life problems and technology. Great find!

Worried your kids spend too much time with their faces buried in a computer screen? Their schoolwork may soon depend on it. Education Secretary Arne Duncan called Tuesday for the nation to move as fast as possible away from printed textbooks and toward digital ones. Many countries outperform the US in terms of education and moving toward digital forms of education is a way the US can get back in the game, so to speak.