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A look at the commercial kids game space. The article indicates the development of kids games is moving to tablets because of the gesture format, low cost of titles and ability to play short games. Disadvantage with tablets highlighted is the lack co-play features (unlike consoles where it's easy for several people to play simultaneously). Games cited in article: Once Upon a Monster, Where's My Water, Niko, Habbo Hotel.

With bluetooth and WiFi features available, I wonder why there is not much thought about incorporating co-play in mobile games? I think using the gyroscopic features in iPhones and iPads can lead to creative multi-player games.

Most of the news I found discuss whether video games have any negative effects on kids. IIn constrast, those educational games which play an important role in educating kids are neglected and not paid much attention to.

Interesting article discussing music games, including how they can influence the types of music people listen to and whether they can affect interest in learning and appreciating music.

Pizza for straight-A's is so pre-Internet. Remember those programs at chain restaurants like Pizza Hut that bribed kids into doing well in school by offering a free pizza for every straight-A report card? Ntiedo Etuk does, and he's looking to bring the concept into the digital sphere with DimensionU, a comprehensive student motivation system that wants to create the first form of "educational currency."

An article about reasons that we shouldn't limit kids' computer play, or their total daily "screen time".

A grandmother's post about why she thinks Runescape is great for kids. A rare older person's perception.

Off the heels of our class discussion on extrinsic motivation in paying students - The producers of this educational media have built in an "allowance pledge" for parents to pay their kids to play DimensionU's games.

Apple iPad

First thing I think is K-12 education. The schools, like where I work, that give each kid a laptop could make their money go so much further with these. Kids rarely do more than research online and word process. This could take care of that for $500

oooh....Would be pretty cool to have these! - just thinking of all the "on-the-go" activities you could have the kids doing!... and if you're really smart you could remotely track their learning/progress/engagement..... a tool that could really help teeachers take learning out of the classroom & into the world, and still manage the tedious recording & assesment requriements!

What i found most interesting about this article was the idea that the popularity of Facebook games has caused a "technological step backward"

This article emphasizes that the appeal of technology is not enough to motivate children to learn. Stresses that self-efficacy and the ability to set reasonable and attainable goals on their own is essential to fully engage students.

Perhaps this is also the answer to make sure technology doesn't turn into a distraction instead of a learning tool? I think many kids would benefit from learning strategies for using technology efficiently/avoiding distractions.

Thanks for this article! It captures some of the self-efficacy conversations that have been helpful in designing my project. I think as the role of the teacher evolves, we will rely on students having choices for modes of learning and and as the article states, "we [will] rely more on children's independent initiative and motivation."

This article is fairly old, but I thought its topic resonated with our discussion in class last Monday--particularly the pink box of pink Legos.

Those "friendship adventure" games for girls don't sound like much fun - and I wonder if there's any replay value? I read through the game flow and it seems like something the kid finishes in an hour and doesn't touch again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockett's_New_School However, it looks like the game (and sequels) were actually quite popular. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,63511,00.html

a new study identifies risk factors for "pathological," or obsessive, gamers and says that such children become more depressed and anxious the more they play.

Even though the products of this company have been ranked highly as an education app, I am unable to see how this game is any different from the drill type computer games that have been around for ages. Am I missing something ? I think there is a need for both clear guidelines and regulation before a product can be claimed to have educational value.

Kwedit, an online lending site, lets teens sign a virtual "play now, pay later" contract in exchange for real-world currency for virtual games. Is this model really valuable for teaching credit responsibility, or does it take advantage of the draw of virtual games to make a profit...or both?

"the reason why I make toys like this is because I think if there's one difference I could possibly make in the world, that I would choose to make, it's that I would like to somehow give people just a little bit better calibration on long-term thinking. Because I think most of the problems that our world is facing right now is the result of short-term thinking, and the fact that it is so hard for us to think 50, 100, or 1,000 years out. And I think by giving kids toys like this and letting them replay dynamics, very long-term dynamics over the short term, and getting some sense of what we're doing now, what it's going to be like in 100 years, I think probably is the most effective thing I can be doing to help the world. And so that's why I think, personally, that toys can change the world." - Will Wright

Thank you for sharing this! I completely agree...I think besides short-term thinking, another dangerous tendency is severe risk-aversion...

Interesting study on rewards and motivation: Some excerpts - Rewards worked much better if they were given to students before the test, not after. Researchers found students worked significantly harder to keep what they had than they did to win something new. But none of the incentives worked at any age if students knew they wouldn't get the reward for a month. "All motivating power of the incentives vanishes when rewards are handed out with a delay," the researchers concluded. "Especially among children, the difference between right now and tomorrow is a big difference," Ms. Sadoff said. "For all students it's important that the reward be immediate." That impatience creates a massive problem for incentive programs based on state test results, which can often take months to turn around.

Thanks for this Kasthuri! This gives additional strength to the immediacy of digital rewards and students having access to their own "stats" (both potentially available in games and simulations). The thought of actual green-back monetary rewards for study/learning gives me the heebie-jeebies. I appreciated Alexandra M. Usher's comment, that "it's really important to reward inputs, not outputs [and] to reward behavior that kids can control, rather than just telling them to get better grades."

Kids today just love to play computer games, and the West Virginia Department of Education is tapping into that love through a website called Learn21.

I think I just found a host for my EMF rubric! Thanks Gozie!

Children who cannot pick up context and facial cues from peers more likely to face social isolation. I wonder if social gaming environments using avatars as virtual selves help or hinder a child's ability to pick up such social cues.