games

C-A-T. Sound it out. What does it spell?

Many of you may remember being taught similar exercises when learning to read, breaking down each part of the word until you could comfortably combine the sounds into a recognizable word. The smallest unit of sound, typically represented by a single letter or two letters together, is a phoneme. Phoneme fluency and knowledge is foundational to reading fluency and language mastery.

Gaming: it seems to be the hottest trend in education right now. Just this week a study was released that found half of K-8 teachers surveyed incorporated digital games into the classroom at least twice a week, some, daily. And why not? Games are engaging, they encourage mastery, provide immediate feedback, and kids love them. But can playing a game actually make you smarter? The answer, according to some researchers, is yes.

When discussing intelligence, psychologists differentiate between two types. Crystallized intelligence is acquired, and it grows throughout life; it’s the skills and knowledge that make you a Trivial Pursuit champion, a good driver, or a talented musician.  The other kind of intelligence is fluid intelligence. It’s your ability to reason and solve unfamiliar problems, and the kind of intelligence measured by IQ tests (whether or not such tests are an accurate representation of intelligence for everyone is a topic for another discussion).

What place should games have in education? Can a game foster true learning or is it at best a supplement? And how much game time should kids have? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit screen time (TV and video games) to no more than two hours, and that exceeding these recommendations can be a contributing factor to attention problems like ADHD. New research suggests however, that games can actually be beneficial to both children and adults, and that kids should spend more time playing, not less.

 Interestingly, the educational benefits of video games are not limited only to those titles labeled “educational”, but also include mainstream games. Research conducted by Cheryl Olson, ScD of Harvard Medical School found that playing games like Legend of Zelda and Bakugan can encourage planning, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity and self-expression. Games like Age of Empires and Civilization can encourage a child’s interest in history, geography, and international relations, especially if a parent assists in expanding on the themes of the game with related resources like museums, books, and websites.

While past studies have linked video games to the childhood obesity epidemic, new research says otherwise, that gaming can in fact encourage kids to get off the couch and exercise. These benefits aren’t limited to motion-sensing games like PBS’s educational movement games, or exercise games like Wii Fit and Dance Central 2. Olson’s research found that simply playing a realistic sports game, like football, basketball, or skateboarding, can actually lead to “increased time spent playing sports and exercising in real life.”

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Digital Learning Day and how it's a day to celebrate innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology to engage students and provide them with a enriching, personalized educational experience.  

Well Digital Learning Day is TODAY and it's time for all of us -- parents, teachers, and students -- to spend some time exploring how technology can help improve student outcomes. Spend time today using digital tools and experiencing how they can enhance teaching and learning. Try something new! Use a new learning method you have read about or explore a learning game -- the sky's the limit.