Games in the Classroom? NESTA Says Yes.

[fitbabits]

Spotted the following interesting news piece (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7040) on Gamasutra (http://www.gamasutra.com/).

A new handbook produced by British educational organization NESTA Futurelab has suggested that teachers should have a detailed and through understanding of computer games to “identify the learning opportunities available and to develop students’ understanding of the game for them to be able to learn from it”.Richard Sandford, learning researcher and co-author of Games and Learning, NESTA Futurelab, said: "We hope that this handbook will be read by teachers and game developers who are interested in games-based learning activities. Although the use of computer games for learning is still seen as controversial by some, this handbook sets out all sides of the argument and serves as a useful guide to this emerging and complex issue."
There are two chances of this happening in the USA - none and...

[holycrapper]

I don't know about that...We Americans have been talking about games in the classrooms for years, the only thing revolutionary that i've gathered from your blurb there is that they are gonna use real games....

[TheKeck]

Well, it depends on what you mean by "games". If you mean, FEAR will be part of the curriculum, I doubt that. But there have been games on the computer in my schools as far back as I can remember. (Mostly Spanish classes come to mind.)

[Nesta]

Hey, they stole my handle!

On topic, who can forget such classroom classics like Oregon Trail? Computer games in classrooms has been going on for a long time here in the States.

[Nameback]

Something like this was actually tried in my school district quite a few years back, and failed miserably, it was bad implementation though. They tried it at the shitty elementry school where alot of the bad kids went, gave em all Playstations(orignals), completely unmodified, just gave em a few educational games to go with it. Very few of them were actually returned and it cost the school lots of bucks.

[Ludoc]

I remember using Apple Logo, with that cool turtle, to learn about geometry.

Edit: I miss read the title as "Nestea says yes" and thought this was about corporate sponsorships of games in the class room.

[TheKeck]

I remember using Apple Logo, with that cool turtle, to learn about geometry.

Edit: I miss read the title as "Nestea says yes" and thought this was about corporate sponsorships of games in the class room.

LOGOWRITER!!! That stuff was my life! (Well, at least during computer class in school.) Such good memories.

[bean19]

I've often wondered why no one has done a good job of this.

Education software often talks down to users or has diverting but unfocused elements that are just bad game games. . . like the hunting portion of Oregon Trail. Also, these games tend to be light on facts. The few games I've encountered that are good at teaching are typing "games" and games that focus on elementary skills like basic mathematics or reading.

Wouldn't there be a market for "games" that are more like self-study? More like documentaries with integrated quizzes and comprehensive tests. In some cases you could make full games out of the learning, like simulations games for periods of history much like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games, or they could even make a mod for Civilization IV that gives a lesson explaining why each technological advance was key to the advance of our culture/world and explains the historical significance of each of the world cultures and their aspects in their cutscenes instead of just moving directly to the gameplay.

I'm really interested in learning. I'm one of those people that used to watch The Learning Channel for hours on end. . . in the background while I did other things, stopping for the bits of new information or compelling video, but now I don't really ever watch anything educational. The History channel bores me because of the far too solemn tone as they describe everything with imaginary importance. . . and TLC is all about renovation shows now (I did watch those for a while. . . they are oddly addictive, but after 20 episodes of Trading Spaces they have become the exact same show to me. . . like watching Scooby Doo).

Anyway, I'd love for this to catch on. I'm studying to become a game designer, and I'd love to work in edutainment. I think that it has proven not sustainable, but I think that is largely because no one has ever done a good job of it. Then again, I know that I wouldn't buy EVERY subject that edutainment could provide for and that many people wouldn't ever buy ANY regardless of their worth. Still, I think a niche could be made if someone did a really good job of this. Maybe libraries would spring for them, and would then buy a yearly update of each chapter. Perhaps schools and universities would adopt them as part of them curriculum and use them for internet courses.

Anyway, I wish them good luck and if someone does a good job, then they will be among the first developers I send my resume and portfolio too upon my graduation from college. :)

[PIPBoy3000]

Back when I was getting my master's degree in Biology education, I ended up writing a couple quick simulators to use in my classroom. The most popular was the dog breeding simulator, which taught genetics and gave students a fake money reward. It was completely text based, but they thought it was pretty cool.

Of course, I decided that teaching high school students wasn't something I could handle and I migrated into a programming job . . .

[NoName]

LOGOWRITER!!! That stuff was my life! (Well, at least during computer class in school.) Such good memories.
Hehehe, in elementry school I composed "Happy Birthday" in Logo... boy did it suck. Good times!

[MosBen]

Oregon Trail taught me many things, including the fact that a child's death, while tragic, can also be a source of great humor when crafting a clever gravestone message.

[BloodPack]

As much as I enjoy computer games, I definetly would not want my kid playing modern video games in class. I know about the anti-social aspect computers can have on people first hand. And I think showing kids this is just engineering them to become addicted to computers and is just a very bad idea in the long run. Video games, like everything else, are good in moderation but to much will have negative reprocussions.

[Paltry]

I have to say playing civ and dune 2 on my comp when I was 6 years old definately helped develope me mentaly. And doom didnt hurt either...

[Subbacultcha]

Back in the days of DOS, even being able to install and run a game was a learning experience. When I was 7 my dad dropped an 286 in my bedroom and basically said 'It's yours, have fun with it'. There's something about computers a person can't learn in any school: it's called experience.

[Nameback]

Back in the days of DOS, even being able to install and run a game was a learning experience. When I was 7 my dad dropped an 286 in my bedroom and basically said 'It's yours, have fun with it'. There's something about computers a person can't learn in any school: it's called experience.

I beg to differ, their called technical high schools, I go to one.

[Paltry]

Back in the days of DOS, even being able to install and run a game was a learning experience. When I was 7 my dad dropped an 286 in my bedroom and basically said 'It's yours, have fun with it'. There's something about computers a person can't learn in any school: it's called experience.

you are exactly right, i know a lot about computers and every bit of that knowledge is owed to gaming in one way or another