Page 1 of 3

Science News Share Blog Ci

Computer Games Can Teach Schools Some Lessons

ScienceDaily (Mar. 2, 2010) — Some parents Ads by Google
might see video games as an impediment to
children keeping up with their schoolwork. James Artificial Intelligence
Predict What Comes Next
Gee, however, thinks video games are some of the Imagine talking to your computer
best learning environments around. He says that if www.existor.com
schools adopted some of the strategies that games
Teach Human Rights
use, they could educate children more effectively. Raise Human Rights Awareness To Our
"Commercial video games, the ones Youth. Get Free DVD & Info Kit
See Also: that make a lot of money, are nothing YouthForHumanRights.org
but problem-solving spaces," says
Mind & Brain AI Theory
Gee, the Mary Lou Fulton
• Educational MSc in Computational Statistics and
Presidential Chair in Literacy Studies
Psychology Machine Learning at UCL, London
in the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and
• Memory www.csml.ucl.ac.uk
Graduate School of Education at
• Intelligence Arizona State University. Bio Korea 2010
Computers & Math Advanced Biotechnology Industries
Gee shared his expertise on games
• Video Games are waiting for you. Register Now!
and learning in a symposium, "First-
• Math Puzzles BioKorea.org
Person Solvers? Learning
• Artificial Intelligence Mathematics in a Video Game," on
Reference February 19 at the American Related Stories
• Experimental Association for the Advancement of
economics Science annual meeting. How Violent Video Games Are Exempla
• Application software Aggression Teachers (Nov. 14, 2007) —
Gee was one of the first scholars to
• Massively Psychologists discussed violent video
examine the educational potential of
multiplayer online games and realized that video games use
video games. In 2004 he wrote one
game the same techniques that really great teachers use
of the earliest books about how
• Computer and video Students who played multiple violent video games
games use good learning principles -
games actually learned ... > read more
- What Video Games Have to Teach
Us about Learning and Literacy. This Adding Activity To Video Games Fights Obesity
year he comes out with a new book, Study Shows (Jan. 10, 2007) — If playing video
Women as Gamers: The Sims and 21st Century Learning. The games makes kids less active -- and contributes to
book is co-written with Elisabeth Hayes, also a professor in the obesity -- why not create more video games that
Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education. require ... > read more
Gee says that video games optimize learning in several ways. Taking Computer Games Into the Future (July
First, games provide information when it is needed, rather than 12, 2010) — Playing computer games could get a
all at once in the beginning. lot more lifelike, thanks to a major research project
being carried out in the ... > read more
"We tend to teach science, for example, by telling you a lot of
stuff and then letting you do science. Games teach the other

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100219204405.htm 22/08/2010
 Page 2 of 3

way. They have you do stuff, and then as you need to know
information, they tell it to you," he explains. Violent Video Games Affect Boys' Biological
Systems, Study Finds (Nov. 14, 2008) — Both
Games also provide an environment that Gee calls "pleasantly heart rate and sleep in boys are affected by violent
frustrating." They are challenging but doable. "That's a very video games. In the study boys (12-15) were asked
motivating state for human beings. Sometimes it's called the to play two different video games at home in the
'flow' state," he says. evening. The boys' heart rate was ... > read more
Many game developers also invite players to modify their New Algorithm Improves Video Game Quality
products through "modding." The developers share the (Feb. 19, 2010) — A new algorithm improve
software and encourage players to create new levels or computer graphics for video ... > read more
scenarios.
Ads by Google
"Think about it. If I have to make the game, or a part of the
game, I come to a deep understanding of the game as a rule Prasekolah
system. If I had to mod science -- that is, I had to make some Cari montessori & prasekolah
of my own curriculum or my own experiments -- then I'd have tempatan di kawasan anda.
an understanding at a deep level of what the rules are," Gee www.701panduan.com
says.
KidzGrow Malaysia
Assessment is a controversial issue in education today. Help your child overcome learing
Typically, assessment happens through standardized testing. difficulties in 6 - 8 weeks
In games, however, learning and assessment are tightly www.kidzgrow.com.my
married. The game gives constant feedback and collects
information about players' performances. For example, the Ready for Preschool?
massive multiplayer online game World of Warcraft, with 15 Kindermusik Helps Your Baby Prepare
million players around the world, is completely standardized. Signup for a Trial Class Today!
The company that created the game has collected incredible www.kindermusikatsim.com.my
amounts of information about the players and put it into
98% Thyroid Disease Cured
completely statistical terms. Gee adds that integrating
100% Natural Herbs, with TGA, GMP,
assessment and learning is less expensive than supporting a
SGS. Thousands of recovery cases!
separate testing industry.
www.greenlife-herbal.com
The idea that educators can learn from the gaming industry is
becoming increasingly popular. For example, in November Number of stories
2009, President Obama announced a campaign to improve Search ScienceDaily archives: 90,18
science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
As part of the campaign, the Macarthur Foundation and several
technology companies have launched a competition to develop
video games for teaching science and math.
Educators do not need to use actual computer-based games to
incorporate these educational principles, Gee says. "This type
of learning that games do I call 'situated learning,' because
you're situated in an actual problem-solving space. Situated
learning can be done with or without a game. Good teachers
have always done it."

Email or share this story: | More

Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by
ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Arizona
State University.

Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use

one of the following formats:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100219204405.htm 22/08/2010
 Page 3 of 3

APA Arizona State University (2010, March 2).

Computer games can teach schools some Find with keyword(s):
lessons. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 22,
MLA
2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com
/releases/2010/02/100219204405.htm
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
News Articles Videos Images Books

Health & Medicine Mind & Brain Plants & Animals Earth & Climate Space & Time Matte
Search

Enter a keyword or phrase to search ScienceDaily's archives for related news topics,
the latest news stories, reference articles, science videos, images, and books.

About ScienceDaily® | Editorial Staff | Awards & Reviews | Contribute News | Advertise With Us | Privacy
Policy | Terms of Use
Copyright © 1995-2010 ScienceDaily LLC — All rights reserved — Contact: editor@sciencedaily.com
Part of the iVillage Your Total Health Network

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100219204405.htm 22/08/2010