Coincidence? Or, are the predictions that gaming and digital media are “the future of education” true? (Of, course there must be some in-between scenarios, but those don’t make for a sensational opening paragraph.)
Last week, as I was involved in an exploratory conversation with a simulation/serious game developer (I work in higher ed, remember), I opened up my personal email inbox and saw a story via NYTimes.com’s Tech Update newsletter about the Quest to Learn public middle school in New York City, where the curriculum is based on video games.
First video here (not embedded, click to go to video):
Then, I opened my work email, and at the top, saw an email from the MacArthur Foundation which wrote about a middle school in Chicago that is using digital media to prepare its low-income students for a 21st-century workforce. Here, students learn the skills of digital media production, from robotics to game design.
Second video, here (embedded, click to play):
And, just today, a work colleague passed on a few undergrad student quotes from an application they filled out to participate in an upcoming event. What were these quotes about? You guessed it. These students were interested in applying to this event, in part because they had played a video game that introduced them to the topic in an engaging way. Another coincidence? You tell me. (Good thing we don’t plan on boring these students with back-to-back-to-back lectures at this three-day event.)
I am a big advocate of gaming as a serious tool for teaching. My son has been playing and designing games (on paper) since he was 5, and last year he made his first flash game, working with a developer. It was not only a great experience in how to manage a project, but also has made him a much more tolerant and forgiving person to be around. I highly recommend gaming and game design for kids. He very much wants to go to Quest to Learn when he enters middle school in two years.