In one game, a snake slithers across the screen, eating arithmetic symbols until they equal a desired number. In another, an adventuring character wanders around a virtual world, encountering problem-solving exercises in basic logic. For 17 seniors in a computer science class at the University of Delaware, these probably wouldn't be the games they'd choose to play, but that isn't the point. Instead, the video games created by five teams will help teach middle school students at Chester (Pa.) Community Charter School. A $400,000 National Science Foundation grant has funded the project over the past three years. Education experts called the initiative an innovative approach to expanding access to educational technology.
And the idea could inspire other universities looking to support schools in their local community. The UD students created the games for a special type of laptop geared toward classroom use, but they hope to make the games available as free downloads on a website or an app-store platform. The basis for this work: Since so many children spend so much time gaming anyway, why not make it educational? Many educators latched on to the idea of using technology in education several years ago. The question now is how to deliver it properly. Like any resource in education, wealthier students tend to gain easier and more effective access to gaming in education. Gee and other experts worry students in struggling schools will fall behind without combining video games with smaller class sizes and more parental involvement.
More information:
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120109/NEWS03/201090316/Learning-teaching-via-video-games?odyssey=modnewswelltextp
More information:
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120109/NEWS03/201090316/Learning-teaching-via-video-games?odyssey=modnewswelltextp