Have you heard of Minecraft? If you have a gamer in the house, you may be familiar with it, as it’s one of the most popular games of all time, having sold more than 20 million copies. Considering how simple the concept is, and compared to some of the stunningly realistic visuals of many modern games, this humble 8-bit building game might seem like an unlikely best-seller. But in fact, gamers of all ages have been engrossed by it. The concept is simple: players build with 3D cubes (a bit like virtual LEGOs) in an infinite “sandbox” game world, with no specific goals or levels to beat.

Players simply explore, find natural resources, build, and craft tools. In survival mode, players need to make sure they find food and other necessities, while protecting themselves from monsters. But in creative mode, the sky is the limit, with endless resources and health, no enemies, and the ability to fly freely around the game world.

Meet An Online Education Teacher

At K¹², we appreciate all that our teachers do and recognize the enormous impact they have on students and families. We’re happy to continue our new series of blog posts to introduce thinktanK¹² readers to some of our amazing and experienced teachers around the country.

Welcome to our second installment of Meet an Online Teacher! This month I’m happy to introduce you to Tennessee Virtual Academy Lead Teacher, Tonya Dingus. Tonya is in her 15^th year of teaching and has experience in just about every kind of school, from brick and mortar public, to charter, private and virtual schools. Earlier this year, Tonya was recognized for her outstanding leadership and dedication to education as a finalist for the 2012 K12 Distinguished Leadership Award. In our interview, Tonya shared with us her passion for engaging students, valuable advice for families new to online schooling, and her thoughts on the changing field of education.

Leave a comment on this weekly challenge post with the following:

• Book Title
• Genre
• Age Category
• A short review

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.”