Monthly Archives: November 2013

Video Games That Will Inspire Our Children

Category : Blog , Video Games

THE POSITIVES OF VIDEO GAMES

From Mind/Shift: Beyond Minecraft: Games That Inspire Building and Exploration  

There is no denying that our children are absorbed in game play. But let’s remember it’s not all a negative.

Many games foster critical thinking, problem solving, and creation skills & develop self-motivated learning.

Take a minute to review the list of games which “…have the potential to extend that learning, providing fresh outlets for self-expression in the digital world and beyond…”

For the complete article by by Tanner Higgin of Common Sense Education go, here.


Video Games & Empathy

Category : Blog , Video Games

Video Games, Empathy, and Education 

An Excerpt from NPR’s All Tech Considered, Aired November 20, 2013

“…Much of the modern education reform movement has centered around the drive for data. Standardized tests now gauge whether children are at grade level seemingly every few months. Kids are observed, measured and sorted almost constantly.

In Silicon Valley, a $20 billion industry does much the same thing — but for a different purpose.

Video game design has become a data-driven industry where games evolve depending on how they are played.

Now, some game designers are hoping to take these new skills and apply them back to education. But not in a classroom — they want to teach with a game on an iPad.

From Football To Feelings

More than 30 years ago, Trip Hawkins left Apple and founded Electronic Arts, the company behind EA Sports. The man who helped make Madden NFL a cultural icon now has a new vision for games: He wants to teach.

For sports video games, Hawkins brought game designers together with experts in the field — athletes and statisticians. Now he’s bringing counselors into the mix. He wants to give those counselors data about what kids are actually doing in the games they play.

To read the transcript or listen to the All Things Considered Show, click here.