Gaming and Learning

In the first week of class we read a list about how video games can improve and help a student with their education. For module 9, we looked at the gaming/education trend that is alive and well around the world. Math and science seem to be the main subjects that are highlighted within this video game learning culture. This week our group discussed the different games we have seen like leap frog and other gaming devices for younger children. There was also a discussion about how children can watch videos and use hand held remotes to interact with the game. Of course, it came up almost immediately that gaming could also lead to some problems. Many students now today seem ever obsessed with video games and seem to be veering more and more away from traditional learning. While for me, I would be willing to try and using a gaming system in my classroom to help with lessons, I would use it sparingly and would mostly likely only use it as a reward for good behavior. There was also a very interesting article about how our lives are all ready being augmented by technology and that we are in a revolution where our students will get more and more used to having this layered technology present in their lives. I could certainly see how we could incorporate this in the classroom. I can imagine having students looking at something on the Smartboard and then sing their own tools to add information from the comforts of their own desks.